Tradition Comes Third

Alarm Clock

"Tell us about yourself, Blair," Dad said.

Her eyes flickered up to me and I nodded my head. Dad grinned, and I couldn't stop myself from doing the same. Our plan was actually working.

"I was a waitress," she said meekly. "I lived with my boyfriend and cat."

"You're happier with Hunter though, right?" Dad asked.

Blair let out a deep breath before she gave her head a slight nod.

"I want you to say it," Dad said.

She squeezed her eyes shut. I reached under the table and put my hand on her knee. It was the only what silent reassurance I could give her.

Barely above a whisper, she said, "I'm happier with Hunter."

"I'm glad to hear that," he said. "You fit into this family quite nice."

The rest of the dinner we ate in silence. Blair didn't touch her food, and I forced myself to eat one piece of meat so I didn't look suspicious in front of Dad. I excused the two of us from the table as quick as I could. I grabbed Blair's hand, and pulled her up to my room. She sat down on the bed, and I went over to the window.

"I think we did a good job," I said. "They seemed to believe it."

"What did your Dad say to you when I was gone?" she asked.

"He wanted to know if I liked you," I said. "He wanted to know if I needed to learn how to tie you down. I told him I wanted a few needles to sedate you."

"What did he say?"

"They're running low." I sat down next to her. "He said if you're fighting back for a few nights he may give me some."

"Tell him I'm fighting back."

She turned her body so that she was facing me.

"We're going to have to do more than that," I said.

Her dark eyes went wide, and she pushed herself a bit farther away from me.

"I'm not actually going to hurt you," I said. "I just need you to scream and yell through the night."

"You think that will work?" she asked.

"Yeah, it should. Ava and I did it one night."

"Isn't she dead?"

I stood up, and I could feel my heart race in my chest. I have tried to ignore the thoughts terrorizing me that Ava was dead. I wouldn't be able to grieve over until I got out of this. She would want me to get out of this house, and would not want be to be distracted. Blair mentioning her opened up the wound that I haven't let heal yet.

I picked up the alarm clock, and set it to go off throughout the night. I staggered the hours for it to go off so that there would be no pattern that could be detected.

I threw my pillow onto the floor and tossed a blanket down beside it.

"We better get to bed," I said. "It's going to be a long night."

--

It seemed like I was only asleep for minutes before the first alarm went off. I jumped up and turned it off before Dad or Jared heard it. Blair groaned and stretched her arms up over her head. I sat beside her and shook her shoulder. The moonlight through the bars left stripes of light to run across her face. I leaned down closer to her.

"I need you to scream something out," I whispered.

"Like what?"

"Stop. Please don't."