Overprotective Much?

Chapter 27 Family Outing

A loud alarm was buzzing, it bounced through the empty room, I spotted the speaker in the corner of the wall that it was coming from. I noticed that the ceiling light was on too, it wasn't last night or whenever Ben was in here. There was a door across from where I was lying, it was surprisingly wide open.

"Please make your way to the restroom," The phrase echoed over and over when I didn't move the words were said again, "Please make your way to the restroom," I got the point that it wasn't going to stop and got up off the ground. My bones ached as I limped my way through the door, gripping at the walls for support. I shut the door behind me and looked in the mirror, I looked awful.

There was blood splattered across my face, eyeliner and mascara running down my cheeks and my hair looked I had been sleeping for 30 years. There was a towel on the counter and I ran it under the sink water to wash my face. I don't remember ever looking like this, Paul never hit any of us this hard before, except maybe Ben but then again, we are older now and I guess he's just making up for the years he missed out in.

I decide to get rid of the layer of filth and grime covering my body and turn the shower on. It takes a while to get hot so I sit on the toilet seat until the mirrors fog up. When I undress I notice the slash mark on my back, the sight of it horrifies me and I step behind the shower curtain hoping the steaming water won't hurt it that much; I was wrong to hope. My back stings with an incredible pain so I spend as most of the time facing the showerhead.

The water feels cool against my skin, it's to the point where it's so hot that it feels cold. I wash my hair with the bottle of shampoo and conditioner that were probably purchased at the dollar store and we're terrible for my hair but it left a comforting smell of the hair products I used when I was a kid, the kind my mom use to buy that smelled like watermelon and bubblegum. I finished washing the rest of my body and just stood there letting the water pour down on me like I was standing under a cascading waterfall. All of a sudden, a real wave of cold ran over me and I realized that I had just used up all of the hot water. I usually use up all the hot water at home and the boys get frustrated with me, hopefully, no one has to use the shower after me. Unless Ben was, he like cold showers and I never fully understood why.

I turned the knob left until there was only a faint droplet of water falling into the puddle collecting around the drain every few seconds. I grabbed the towel on the toilet seat and wrapped it around my body, I don't know why I felt so revealed, I was alone. Except, knowing Paul he probably has cameras covering every inch of the house.

I noticed a pile of clothing and a small cup on the counter that was not there when I was showering, someone must have brought them in while I was behind the curtain. The thought sends shivers down my spine as I pull out the pair of black jeans and the blue t-shirt out from under the cup. The jeans are baggy as I slide them over my thighs and the shirt seems to be one of the boys. It could be one of Paul's for all I know but I like to think it's just one of Theo's or Peters.

I grab the cup and find three small blue pills. There is nothing written on the so I can't see what they are or how many milligrams of whatever they're filled with are in them. I guess he expects me to take them and I'm done with fighting against him if he has the upper hand, how am I supposed to win a sword fight without even a knife? I pull the nozzle to turn the sink in and nothing comes out, I hate swallowing pills without water, it makes me gag.

I manage to get two down my throat and slide the third into my pocket. I tug on the door handle and it opens with ease, the lights are off in the room and a pair of black shoes and gray socks sit on the ground right in front of the door. I sit down and pull them both on while tying the laces someone puts their hand over my mouth. They wrap their arms around my body and I jolt back, trying to get them off of me. He begins to lift me off the ground and I kick my leg back, hitting them in the groin. His grip on me releases as he falls to his knees, I rush towards the door and thrust it open.

"Hello Laurel," Paul smiled as he pulls me close to him and covers my mouth with a white cloth. I try to protest but my vision goes blurry and I lose control of my body. He removes his hand and picks my up, whispering something in my ear before I fall unconscious, "Sleep well my dear."

I awake to darkness, my hot breath bouncing off something and onto my face. As I move around I start to acknowledge the bag over my head, my hands are tied and I try to feel around to get a grip of my surroundings. 

"Morning sunshine," A voice I haven't yet heard or don't remember says, it is a low, raspy sound like dragging fingernails on a chalkboard. The stranger moves his hand around my waist and I hurl myself back, hitting my head on something metal. "Daddy's not here sweet pea," his hand moves to the front of me and I kick my legs out. Muffled sounds erupt with his movement, the room we're in must be small because I can hear different voices trying to speak. My brothers. 

"Get your filthy hands off of me," I say in the sharpest tone possible, "Before I wipe that stupid smile off your face," I cannot see him but I feel it and by the way he laughs after my threat, I know it. Suddenly, a door burst open and the man with his hand on my chest jumps back.

"Boss, I didn't-" He is quickly cut off by a loud grunt, and the sounds of punches and him being thrown against the wall.

"I don't care about what you didn't do John, but no one touches my little girl," Then I hear the gunshot. Paul has a short fuse and blows up quickly. He comes back to me and pulls the hooded cloth covering my face up, as I try to adjust my eyes to the small amount of light in the room I see his look of distress and it seems as if he actually cares what happens to me. I am his daughter, but he is not my father. 

Before he can drop the hood down again, I get a glimpse of the room around me and notice that were in a large van, my brothers seated around me, each with black hoods on. Everything goes black again as I am lifted in the limited amount of space in the back of the vehicle. Paul sits where I was seated and places me on one of his knees. It feels weird to sit on his lap, I haven't sat here since I was a child and still that was very rare.

"Kids," he announces with great ease, "We are going on a family outing to the store and I don't want any misbehaving, do I make myself clear?" I don't see how he expects to get an answer from anyone, the boys each have something over their mouths and I am not the most compliable person out there. He comes close enough to my head that I feel his heavy breaths on the back of my neck," Do I make myself clear?" I nod and ,y body tenses up, "Good girl." His voice sends shivers down my spine. I contemplate on why he's taking us out in public, there must be something in the news, someone must have reported us missing. I close my eyes and just pray that one person will notice me. I am going to escape no matter what.

So, guys, I'm a huge liar and I apologize for saying I would update before but here it is finally and I know it's a cliffhanger but don't worry cause I'm actually gonna try and upload again tonight or tomorrow if I have to but yeah sorry about that I hope that this chapter satisfies your needs for now! Love you guys that you so much for reading!!!