A Thousand Lies

Chapter 33

Chapter name: a new place

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Temperance

"Who the fuck Is this?"

My heart drops as I hear a booming voice. I turn around and come face to face with a large man that has features like my father.

A young woman stands behind him.

"Th-this is Temperance. Your niece." Kenli speaks up. I can tell she is afraid.

My palms begin to sweat as I start shaking. My heart is thumping in my ears.

Chris grabs my sweaty palm and squeezes it.

He's like the big brother I've always wanted. The big brother I've always dreamed of having. Even though I barely knew him, I felt this sort of connection with him. Like I can count on him to protect me.

Then my mind falls back to Alec.

I miss him so much.

My heart aches without him. I want to be with him in his arms.

The man snaps in my face focusing my attention back on him.

"I'm Austin. You will address me as 'sir'; if you forget, you will be punished. This is Vicki, my wife. You will address her as 'ma'am'." Austin's tone is harsh. He meant what he said.

"Explain the rest of the rules with her. We have to go to the police station." Austin rolls his eyes after glaring at me, then spins around with Vicki following after him.

Once they are gone Kenli and Chris sigh in frustration.

"The rules suck ass," Chris rubs his hand on his forehead.

"We all have to follow them. If we don't, we get beat and locked in the basement." Kenli shivers as she speaks about the basement. She obviously doesn't like the basement. She's probably been in there a lot.

"Don't look at them in the eyes. Don't talk unless you are spoken to. Ask to go to the restroom, eat, and leave the house unless going to school. Stay in the room at all times when they are home unless they call you out. We make dinner for them every night at seven. We also go to the grocery store with the money we earn from..... jobs. They don't give a single fuck about us. So don't try to connect with them. That's basically it." Chris takes a deep breath after explaining the rules.

I take a deep breath, trying to take it all in. I have to remember all of this.

It isn't hard. It's like it was when I lived with my father. But I had more beatings then they got.

"D-do you have a phone?" I ask them.

They point towards the house phone, and I walk over towards it, grabbing it.

"I'll be right back." I step outside and start dialing Alec's number that he forced me to read aloud until I knew it by heart...

I put the phone to my ear, listening to it ring.

Pick up. Pick up. Pick up.