Caught in the Middle

Chapter 4

I was crying again, but this time I didn't know why.  I was sitting in a dark closet looking out a hole that was at the bottom of the door.  I was scared, and shaking, and cold.  The door to the closet suddenly swung open and I gazed into the black eyes of the devil, but in reality, he was my foster dad.  I started screaming and kicking as the stuffed animal I was holding was pulled away from me and thrown across the room.

"Shut up!"  He screamed at me backhanding me across the face.   Completely in shock I raised my hand to my now burning cheek seeing starts.  He yanked me up by my hair twisting his hand making a better grip for him.  I yelped in pain again causing him to slap me and throw me on the bed.  He stalked closer as I pulled my knees up to my chest wrapping my arms around them closing my eyes.  I looked up at him just in time to see him grab me by the waist and pull me towards him.

"So pretty."  He whispered in my hair stroking it lightly, his breath smelled of liquor and cigarettes. 

I tried to pull away making him hit me again but this time the blow stunned me for a second making me see spots around my vision.  My vision cleared just in time to see him pull my pants off roughly.  Silent tears dripped down my face and I screamed again only to be punched harder in the face, and everything went black.

**************

I gasped sitting straight up in bed looking around wildly.

"What is it?"

I heard someone say and I glanced down to see Gavin laying beside me in bed.  Then everything that happened yesterday came crashing back.

Before I could answer, Paul came barging in the room with a wide smile on his face.  He glanced at us back and forth his smile growing bigger.  I blushed looking down at the blankets that were wrapped around my body from struggling in my sleep.  Guess Gavin was a heavy sleeper, which I mentally took note of.

"Paul!  Get Out!"  Gavin screamed taking a pillow and throwing it at him.

Pauls face fell, making him look like a lost puppy, "Oh, man I was hoping to walk in on some action." 

I blushed even harder knowing my face was flaming red.

"I'm going to kill you Paul!"  Gavin said throwing another pillow, "Get out!"

Paul put his hands up in surrender, "Okay, okay, geesh don't have a cow."  Then he looked at me grinning, "If you want a real man, I'll be downstairs."  With that he turned quickly and left just missing another pillow that Gavin had thrown at him and hit the wall instead.

 I turned to Gavin sheepishly who put his hands over his face sighing loudly.

"um..."  I said not really sure what to say, yet wondering why he was sleeping in the same bed as me.

He pulled his hands down and glanced at me, suddenly realizing that we were in bed together.

"Sorry,"  He said getting out of bed, "I wouldn't have got into bed with you but..."  he paused looking worriedly at me.

"What?"  I asked totally confused, what would be so bad that he would have to get in bed with me.

"You started screaming."  He peered at me a troubled expression on his face.

I blanched and glanced back at the covers nervously, "Did I... Did I say anything?"

"No, just, you kept saying no and stop a lot though."  He paused as I glanced at him.

"I'm sorry, I have vivid nightmares." 

He nodded, "I see that, and that's why I got into bed with you.  You calmed down when I pulled you to me."  He said nonchalantly like it wasn't a big deal.

I however, thought it was a big deal, sleeping in the arms of a man I had just met, a man that was keeping me as a prisoner.

"Well I'm going to take a shower, then I'll go see if Emily stayed the night."  He peered at me, "You are smaller than her, but maybe she will have something that will fit you."  He walked into the bathroom and shut the door and a second later I heard the water running.  I sighed falling back down on the pillows, he had a lot of pillows.  My thoughts raced as I thought about everything that was happening.  My mind kept coming back to the dream and I wondered exactly what Gavin heard.  I could tell he was lying when he told me I just kept saying two words, otherwise he wouldn't have looked so concerned.  Why would he be concerned anyways?  My kidnapper concerned?  Yeah right.  The bathroom door opened and Gavin came out in only a towel.  I blushed as I averted my gaze and he went to his closet looking for clothes.

He glanced at me and smirked, "Like what you see?" He asked making me glance at him.  His body was tan and he had an eight pack, water ran down his chest making me want to go over to him and lick it off with my tongue.  I shook my head, what in the hell was I thinking? 

He smirked harder and I turned my head away and quickly got out of bed and went into the bathroom and shut the door leaning against it with a sigh.

I could hear Gavin laughing through the door, making me blush once again.  I had to stop doing that.

I looked at myself in the mirror and noticed that my dreams are not good for my hair.  I grabbed a comb and quickly brushed out all the tangles and brushed my teeth.  Once I was finished there was a knock at the door.

"I've got you some clothes to wear."  I heard Gavin say.

I opened the door and took the clothes from Gavin, quickly closing the door shut again. 

I unfolded the clothes to see a pair of jeans, a button up shirt with a white shirt to go underneath, and a bra that looked a little small for me but was glad to have something either way.  I quickly put the clothes on, the jeans fit loosely and the bra too tight but was content to be out of baggy clothes.  I opened the bathroom door and walked right into Gavin.

"Sorry."  I murmured rubbing my nose.

He smiled down at me, "hungry?"

"Starved."  I said a small smile on my face.

He nodded, "The guys made breakfast, so I'm sorry if anything tastes weird."

He was being very nice and I was instantly becoming suspicious at his polite behavior.

We walked down the steps and through the living room into the kitchen.  Everyone was sitting around the table talking but they all stopped as we came in through the walk way.

"Guys, this is Julia."  Gavin said taking my hand in his which instantly made me feel better, kidnapper or not. 

A girl about my age, probably older smiled at me.  She was pretty with bright blonde hair and a curvy figure. 

"Hey, glad to see my clothes fit." 

I look down and a blush creeps onto my face, "Yea, thank you."  I say softly.

Gavin pulled me to the table and we sat in empty chairs.  I quickly found out I was sitting beside Silas, he had blonde curly hair and a stocky build.  He was very nice and charming, and he could hold a nice conversation.  Paul kept trying to flirt with me even as he sat across the table from Gavin and I. 

"Shut up Paul!"  Gavin yelled, making Emily roll her eyes at me.

"You'll get used to all this chaos eventually, but you still haven't met Mason yet have you?"  She asked smiling.

The name brought back painful memories but I quickly pushed them aside and smiled, "No I haven't"

Before she could get up and go after him and guy with brown hair came into the kitchen holding a coffee mug.  He looked vaguely familiar, yet I couldn't place where I had seen him before.

"Hey baby," Emily said getting up and giving him a hug, "I was about to come get you.  Gavin brought a friend over last night."  She turned to me and his eyes fell on mine, "Mace, this is Julia."  As she was saying this the coffee cup seemed to slip from his fingers and crashed in the floor.  I stared wide eyed at Mason, because I realized where I had seen him before.  He was my stepbrother.