Trust [h.s.]

II

I awoke to a throbbing-no, pounding-headahce. My limbs were cramped and my muscles were sore. I released a soft groan as I lazily blinked my eyes open, confusion settling upon me as I took in the room unfamiliar to me. I tried to sit up, but was held back with a sharp retraction. My eyes quickly found the source of the preventative element, and they welled up with heavy tears as the realization struck.

"Oh God." I whispered in a shaky breath. I tugged and pulled and scratched at the metal cuffs that bound me to a strange bed, my vision blurring with tears as I recognized my inevitable outcome. I was going to die.

Suddenly the door to the random bedroom burst open, revealing a strange man. He swiped his brown curly locks away from their position on his forehead, and dampened his pink lips as he made his entrance. His eyes met mine; the magnetic pull of his sparkling emerald irises evoked a gasp from the back of my throat, seeing as I remembered them clearly as my last memory before I passed out.

He took long strides into the bedroom, holding an emotionless expression as his chilling glare never strayed from my own. A new round of tears poured excessively from my blinking eyes, a choked-up sob erupting from the back of my throat at his now close proximity.

"D-don't come any closer!" I blubbered, scrambling my contained body up towards the headboard. My breaths were uneven and shaky, my sobbing was uncontrollable and fierce, my heart raced so quickly in my chest that I assumed it would burst at any moment.

"Ellie," His low and raspy voice spoke clearly, causing me to jump and produce an embarrassing squeak. In a meek attempt to run away, I hopped from the bed, only to be roughly pulled back by my withheld arm. The sudden jerking motion befuddled me, causing me to crash into the bedside table, and break the lamp in my wake. My head was drumming, my brain pounding against my skull, as crimson droplets of blood formed where I hit my head. Still, I didn't care, because my adrenaline was ripping through my veins like the overpowering current of a river, diminishing all pain that I was causing myself.

The stranger knelt down, positioning himself so that he sat eye-level with me. I released feeble whimpers and cries, and he pushed my locks of brown hair from my forehead, examining my raw wound.

"I need you to calm down." He spoke calmly. I shook my head, and buried my face into my shoulder, releasing loud and deafening sobs. "Ellie," He warned, his blazing eyes growing dark in impatience.

"How do you know my name!?" I cried, much louder than expected.

"If you'd calm down, I could explain everything to you!" He raised his voice, frightening me even further, and causing me to recoil back into my shoulder. He sighed, furrowing his brow as he tried again. "Ellie," He spoke in a hushed tone. "Can you calm down for me? I can get you cleaned up and explain everything to you, okay?" The genuine concern and nurturing in his gentle voice surprised me, and I in-took a few deep breaths in an attempt to do as told.

~*~

I sat propped up on the rim on the sink, my legs dangling over the edge as the strange boy dabbed a damp cloth to my forehead. The only sound heard was that of my heavy breaths, straining for composure every time his body came nearer to mine. Once he finished cleaning my wound, he took a few steps back, catching my gaze and staring intently into my eyes.

"Okay," He heaved a sigh. "I'm going to explain everything now, okay?" I nodded obediently. "My name is Harry. Last night you witnessed something that you weren't supposed to, and the men that I work with wanted to kill you." I gulped at his straightforward sentence, wondering where he could possibly be going with this. "You're lucky, though, because I was there, and I convinced them not to kill you."

"How did you do that?" I interrupted, and was met with his challenging glare.

"That's not important."

"Then, how do you know my name?"

"Your ID was in your wallet." He said like it was obvious.

"Why did you have my wallet?" I spoke louder, growing more impatient, and momentarily forgetting my fear towards this stranger.

"Why do you ask so many questions?"

"Because I was taken into a stranger's home and handcuffed to his bed! I need answers!" I shrieked, gripping the edge of the sink tightly.

"But you're asking the wrong questions." He mocked me with an irritating smirk.

"Why did you have my wallet?" I tried again, this time more forceful.

"Because I confiscated it."

"And why did you do that?" I raised a brow, growing infuriated with his immature, and vague answers.

"If you're going to live here, you can't be in contact with anyone from your old life, so I took you wallet, cellphone, and all other personal objects." He explained thoughtfully. I hopped from the counter.

"Live here!? My old life!?" I shrieked, completely dumbfounded. "What the hell are you talking about!?" I waved my arms in the air as though I was having a psychotic breakdown, which, if I'm being honest, I was not far from.

"Hey, watch your tone." He warned lowly, the sparkle in his eye diminishing as the irises grew darker. My shield of strength evaporated into thin air at that moment, leaving me with nothing to protect myself with. The fear came rushing back, overpowering every one of my senses in a quick motion.

"I wanna go home." My voice cracked, tears spilling from my eyes for the second time that morning.

"You can't," Harry responded calmly. "You live here now." I shook my head rapidly, tears staining my cheeks as an outburst of cries burst from me like a bag of popped air. We exchanged no further words, for I turned away from him, and sprinted back into the previous bedroom. I threw myself onto the bed, buried my face in the mountain of pillows, and sobbed myself to sleep.