Sadistically Sweet (Watty Awards Finalist 2012)

Whisper in My Ear

We finished eating in silence. Well, they had finished eating; I had only picked at my three, slightly burnt pancakes. Most of my time was spent staring at Francis, glaring would be a better word. He chewed slowly, looking back at me. His eyes were cold and uninviting. That didn't stop me from staring straight into them.

"Daddy, I'm done! Can I go show Haitlin my stuffed animals?" Olivia questioned.

Francis's eyes beamed at his daughter before he pinned them on me again.

"Did you clean your room?" he asked.

"No, but I want to show her Kevin the Unicorn!" she declared.

"That can wait until you finish cleaning your room. Go on now," he urged.

"No."

"Olivia Lauren, go do what I told you to," Francis demanded. His voice indicated there was not going to be a negotiation.

"Okay Daddy," Olivia agreed in a whisper.

Apparently using her middle name made her surrender. Olivia Lauren. It sounded better than Haitlin Elizabeth.

Olivia scooted her chair back and slid onto the tiled floor. She pushed in her chair and took her plate to the sink before I heard her bare feet pad up the stairs. My body had grown tense, and my heart started to race. I hated being alone with any guy, especially this one.

Since I was old enough to understand, my mom has been drilling me; never to trust anyone, never to be alone in a room with a man. 'He could be a bad person' she used to tell me. I never really understood that until I found the Lifetime Movie Network. Movies full of kidnappers, liars and deceivers, no wonder why she told me that stuff. It was for my own good.

No doubt Francis was bad, though. There was nothing that could ever excuse his actions. Snatching innocent girls up while they walked home, no rational person does that. I felt I should have known, though, and that killed me inside. What was I expecting from a kidnapper? A white van with tinted windows? No, I got a beat up pick-up truck that I voluntarily got into. Stupid me, I should have known better!

My throat tightened as I held back my anger toward myself, and the man staring straight at me. I couldn't take it anymore.

"What?" I spat.

"Watch your tone Miss," he snapped back.

I clenched my teeth together as he pushed his chair back. His eyes didn't leave mine when he took our plates and stacked them in the sink. He slowly moved towards me, and I flew out of my chair.

"Stay away from me," I barked.

"Never."

My eyes widened and I darted out of the kitchen, but got tackled before I even made it over the threshold. The impact took my breath away. We slid into the small hall and my head decided to make enemies with the wall. My head throbbed as my vision went black for a second.

My upper back was up against the unforgiving wall and I struggled to get out of his arms. I really started to hate this pinning me against things, it gave him an unfair advantage. He had his legs on either side of me and held me tightly to the wall.

"Get off me!" I hissed through clenched teeth.

"I'm the one who gives orders around here! Now shut up and listen to me," he growled.

"Don't you dare to tell me to shut up!" I snapped. It was probably not the best thing to say, but I hated when people said that, it was rude and disrespectful. I wouldn't expect him to have manners, but still.