Fleurs Captives (Joshler)

1. Yellow Tulip

Start the song. It's Observatory Mansions by Nicole Dollanganger.

Two years later.

Yellow Tulip:
Meaning- sunshine in your smile

Josh crept down the stairs quietly, holding Debby's small hand gently. Her bare feet were nearly silent as they padded down the carpeted stairs. Papa would wake up in two hours. It was only four in the morning, but it was their only chance today.

When they reached the foot of the stairs, Josh picked her up. Instantly, she wilted into a false sleep. If Papa caught them, Josh could tell him that her nightmares were back. Although she was twelve now, she weighed next to nothing. Papa never fed the girls enough. He had to keep them meek and dainty-his little flowers. He carried her down the hall easily.

"What are you doing up?" A voice asked as they passed the kitchen.

Josh glanced anxiously into the room. Papa sat at the table, drinking a mug of coffee. Black. Two sugars. He had that every morning.

"Petal had a nightmare. You said to take her out to the garden when that happened. Do you want me to take her somewhere else instead?" Josh asked, trying to keep his composure despite how much he feared the old man.

Adjusting the tubes beneath his nose that fed oxygen to his lungs, the old man held his hands out. Regretfully, Josh carried Debby over to Papa, handing her over. Her eyelids fluttered open so convincingly.

"Papa?" She asked, and she genuinely sounded as if she'd just woken up.

"Good morning, petal. Josh said you're having nightmares again," Papa said in that sickly sweet voice that he only ever used with her.

Debby nodded, resting her head on Papa's shoulder and rubbing at her eyes. "Mhm."

"What makes you scared in your dreams?" Papa asked, coaxing her to curl closer against his treacherous frame. Josh wanted to knock him out whenever his hands touched the small girl.

The answer was easy, and they all knew it. Debby only ever had one dream on bad nights, and the implications were very clear. "There's a big, black dog with sharp teeth. He pulls me out of bed by my foot and tears me to pieces. No one hears me screaming, so no one can save me."

"Do you need Josh's bed to be moved back into your room where he can protect you?" Papa asked her.

He'd only had his own room for a few weeks. The majority of his time as Papa's bodyguard had been spent sleeping in the girls' rooms to protect them from dangers that didn't exist. In reality, his only priority was protecting them from Papa. Jenna had lost two more teeth since Josh had come here. The bones in Nicole's right foot had been shattered beneath Papa's hammer after she'd been caught sneaking out to the garden.

"No, thank you. I just want to go see the flowers. That helps," Debby said quietly. "Can I do that, Papa?"

"Of course, petal."

Debby held her hands out to Josh, who picked her up instantly. She clung to him, clearly relieved to no longer be touching the old man. Even as his favourite, she feared him. Josh didn't blame her. She was really no safer than the rest of them.

"Bring your sisters as well. Wake them. They've been needing outdoor time all week. If Nicole acts up-" the old man began.

"Knock her back down," Josh finished knowingly. He nodded. "Okay, Papa."