Force You Down

Chapter Eleven

Jacklyn

I woke up with a gasp, sitting up from the bed I was lying on. Bandages are wrapped around my arms. I look around. It was the room I had woken up in after my suicide attempt.

"Bad dream, babygirl?" Mike says from a chair in the corner of the room. My chest is still heaving, my head trying to wrap itself around what had just happened.

"Did I just escape?" I ask breathlessly, and his dark eyebrows furrow.

"No, you just tried to kill yourself with a bottle cap." He says slowly, sounding slightly confused himself. I slump back against the bed, my eyes stinging with disappointment.

I've always had weird and strangely vivid dreams, but this one takes the cake. I genuinely thought that was reality.

How depressing.

"What's the date? How long have I been out?" I asked tonelessly.

"It's the 28th. You were out for two days." Mike stands up, sitting on the edge of the bed.

I was kidnapped on the 20th. I've only been here for eight days. It feels like an eternity has passed.

Rubbing my leg, Mike stares at my face. "I'm trying a new approach." I try to jerk my leg away but he only squeezes it in place. "You'll be staying in my room, and every time you act out, that's one meal taken out of your three per day. Further disobedience will result in more physical punishment. Am I clear?"

I purse my lips. "Crystal."

He pats my leg and stands back up, leaving the room without another word.

I exhale. These new conditions were an improvement.

But this is still no way to live.

And then I figured out the new strategy I would try.

Build his trust, and when he's least expecting and preparing for it, leave his ass to rot in jail.

This means I have to play along with his sick games, pretend to like him, pretend to be infatuated with him.

I gulp. I have to do this.

And so the days passed, and finally one day Mike came into the room himself, announcing it was time to move into his room. I bite my tongue to stop the snarky comment that wants to come out.

"Okay." I force a hopefully convincing smile, and he looks at me confusedly. I swing my legs over the edge of the bed, almost falling over as I stand up. Mike grabs my waist to steady me, and I struggle to resist the urge to shove him away.

Instead I smile again. "Thanks." The corners of his lips twitch upwards, and he guides me out of the room. My skin is crawling where he touched me.

We walk up a flight of stairways, passing a door before stopping at another, and Mike opens it.

His room is massive. It's dark and simplistic.

He lets go of me and I walk around, looking at all of the furniture.

I force myself to say something nice. "Your room is nice." Really smooth Jacklyn. He chuckles.

"Thanks baby, but now it's our room." He steps behind me and places his large hands on my hips. I feel sick at his touch. He kisses my neck.

"Lunch will be up shortly. I have to finish some work." He says, and turns to go.

It's time to turn the charm on.

I grab his thick forearm, stopping him from walking out. "When will you be back?" I ask sweetly. He looks at me, a gentle look in his eyes.

I want to puke.

"Five hours tops. There's some books and a T.V. in here if you get bored."

What I really wanted to say is, "Obviously I'm going to get bored you stupid fuck!" But instead I say, "Okay." In a sad voice. I release his arm and he steps towards me, kissing me on the forehead softly. He shuts the door behind him.

I scrub my forehead with the back of my hand. I shiver in disgust before sitting on the bed, almost sitting on a T.V. remote. I click the power on, and the large flatscreen flicks on. I change it to the news channel.

I listen for a few minutes about the upcoming weather, a few car crashes and a death. My heart races when a picture of me appears on the screen.

"Missing seventeen year old Jacklyn Cordy has been missing for eight days. Her parents have been looking day and night and are offering a reward of $10,000 to find her." The news lady says and I walk up to the screen, staring up at my own face. I looked so happy.

The screen switches to my family. My parents, Allan, Sabrina, and Brayden are on the screen. I don't remember last time I talked to my two oldest siblings. They all look as though they haven't slept in days, and my mother and sister's faces looked as though they had been crying.

"Our little girl has been missing for eight days too long. We are desperate to have her back." My father's voice shakes as he speaks to the camera, his arm wrapped around my tearful mother.

"I just want my baby back. We love and miss you Jackie." My mother sobs, and I touch my fingertips to the screen, running my fingers over each of their faces. Tears run down my cheeks.

The camera switches back to the news reporter. "If you think you have seen Jacklyn, please call the authorities. Jacklyn has wavy, brown hair with blue eyes. She is five feet two and weighs about 110 pounds." The news channel then begins to talk about another police shooting.

I sit back on the bed, letting my tears flow freely. I have to do this. I need to get back to my family. I wipe my tears as someone slides a tray of food through the door.

And so that night, when Mike's arm
is wrapped around my waist and he kisses my forehead goodnight, I smile at him.

Because that's how I'll get out of here.