He Never Does || n.h

Chapter 4: His Plan

(Still Rosie's flashback)




Chapter 4:




I convince myself that I am calm. I am calm and controlled. I can handle this.




I crawl over to the bag Rick left me and cautiously unzip the familiar fabric. It is mine after all.




Inside, the first thing I notice is my radio that I kept on my bedside table. I don't know why Rick put that in here with me, it seems too thoughtful. I am incredibly satisfied to see it however. The silence would have driven me crazy. I run my fingers over the cool plastic and try to turn it on. Nothing. I remember it is solar powered and place it by the windowsill. I pray it works.




Next thing I notice, clothes. That is terrifying in itself. He is giving me clothes which means I'm not leaving for awhile. I pull them all out and arrange them into piles. He gave me five shirts, four pairs of pants, one pair of shorts, one sweatshirt, six pairs of underwear, three pairs of socks, and three bras.




He gave me about five outfits. Just five. And who knows how long they will need to last. The thought of him looking through my clothes, especially my bras, makes me want to gag.




I push the clothes into a corner by the bed and I'm about to toss my bag onto the pile when I notice something else in it.




My heart skips a beat.




It's my journal.




I reach in hastily and grab the soft brown leather. I trace my hand over the spine and breath in it's worn yet comforting scent. It smells like paper and leather and I just love it so much. My fingers find a gap in the book so I flip it open. My black ink pen falls out of it and I smile. I can actually write in it.




Why would Rick give me all these things? This doesn't feel as angry and vindictive as it should. I could easily spend days listening to music and writing in my journal. Easily. So why is he trying to make this comfortable for me?




I arrange my tote bag, which is made out of padded cotton, into a pillow on the bed since there isn't one. I also slide the journal under the mattress.




Just as I do this I hear a scraping sound behind me. I turn and jump to my feet but all I see is a tray of food now present. I then notice that the bottom of the doorway has an opening large enough to slide the food under. Clever.




It's just a simple meal of an apple and two slices of bread with butter. Staring at the food, I realize how hungry I am. My stomach growls so I don't question the food, I just eat it. I try to pull the tray over to my bed but it won't budge. It's attached to a rope.




Wow. Does Rick think I'll steal the tray and use it as a weapon? Actually, I might have done that to be honest.




I eat quickly and silently until I become thirsty from the bread. I chuck the apple core onto the tray and pick up the plastic yellow cup on it. Empty.