His Daughter

Chapter 2

I heard him fumble for his keys, and unlock the door. He pushed it open, and then walked inside. He turned around and locked it, then walked straight to a couch. The house was small, with faded yellow walls and carpeting throughout. He threw me onto the couch, which was uncomfortable and itchy. This is it, I thought, he's going to rape and kill me. "Wait here," the man said, and walked out of the room. I couldn't move, so I wouldn't have been able to escape even if I tried. I heard footsteps walking up the stairs. I held my breath for a few minutes, not knowing what was going on.

After few minutes, I heard a few sets of footsteps descending the stairs. My chest tightened. Around the corner appeared the man, and two girls. They both seemed to be about my age. One was tall, and had long brown hair that reached the small of her back. She had pale skin and blue/grey eyes. The other was shorter, and had slightly darker skin, with bob length brown hair and dark brown eyes. They both looked very different than me, with blonde hair and bright green eyes.

"Analise has returned, isn't it wonderful?" The man's eyes lit up with amusement.

"Yes, it is," the tall one said. The man turned to me.

"These are your sisters, Lydia and Scarlett, remember?" the man said, gesturing to the girls.I hope you girls get along, I wouldn't want to have to punish you." With that, he left, leaving me and the two girls alone.

"I'm Scarlett, and this Lydia," the tall girl said, gesturing to the shorter girl.

"M-My name isn't Analise, it's Joana."

"Oh silly, Analise is your name now," Scarlett said, leaning down to touch my knee. I had regained my movement, and had curled up in a ball.

"W-What do you mean?" I asked her, my voice trembling.

"Well you see," Lydia piped in, "he thinks we're his daughters, and that our names are different."

"Lydia! Stop saying that. We are his daughters, and these are our names. Talking in such lies will get you punished." Scarlett pinched the bridge of her nose.

"We should take you to your room, we'll explain the rules there." Lydia reached out for my hand, and pulled me off the couch. I stumbled a bit as they walked towards the stairs. They led me to the 2nd floor, and we turned into the first room on the right.

"This is your room, Analise. It's a bit snug, but it'll do," Scarlett starts. The room was baby blue, with a twin sized bed and a dresser. The only decor it had was a sign on the wall that said 'Analise'.

"You are free to visit Lydia or I's room anytime before 10. After that, it's lights out and you can only go into our rooms if it's an emergency. Understand?" I nodded my head quickly.

"Ok, now for the formal list of rules. 1, You wake up at 7:00, never later, unless you're ill. 2, You will pick out your outfits the night before to avoid hassle in the mornings. 3, You will help prepare breakfast for Father before he wakes up at 8. Oh, I forgot. You must call him Father. He gets very upset when you don't. Speaking of, 4, Never disobey him. You will be punished, and depending on the rule you broke, the severity of the punishment changes."

"The worst for me was no food for 3 days," Lydia piped in. No food for 3 days? I thought, That's just torture!

Scarlett, ignoring Lydia, continued on. " 5, never go outside of the house. Ever. 6, never speak badly of Father. 7, no fighting with your siblings. 8, no electronics aside from non cable tv. 9, you are required to read 1 book a week, and tell him about it at dinner on Fridays. 9, you will tell Father about your day at dinner. 10, you will always help prepare lunch and dinner. 11, no sugar after 9 pm. 12, never go in the door that's on the left side of the hallway. It's deadbolted shut, and you will get punished severely for even attempting to go in. I believe that's all of them... we can make a sign to hang on your wall to remind you of the rules if you wish. Lydia and I need to make dinner, you can either stay here in your room or help us with dinner."

"Um... I think I'll help you guys." I cleared my throat.

"Wonderful!" Scarlet clapped her hands together and jumped up and down. "Come on down! Father will be so glad to hear that you're settling in!"