The Cunning

17

The world was on its side when Madison woke for the second time that day. Janine and Sam weren't on the sofa in front of her, there was no sofa in front of her. She was back in the bedroom with no recollection of how she got there. A muffled rumble of chatter and music seeped under the door. Sam had said they were having people over. And her door wasn't locked.

Lily hadn't come to do her make-up, so she assumed it wasn't like a showing, but she figured it wouldn't look good on Jase if one of the girls came downstairs looking like a slob. Her goal was to stay on his good side. The clothes Lily delivered were hanging with Jase's, all primarily dark colours. Blacks, reds, and greys.

After routing through, trying to find something that didn't expose too much flesh or make her look like a child, she opted for a grey vest, jeans, and a cropped knitted cardigan.

There were at least forty people in the house, even a few girls. Madison didn't see Jase in the living room. She went into the kitchen where he was talking to someone she hadn't seen at the showing. Jase's eyes flickered to her in the doorway. Her cardigan was hanging off one shoulder, nails between her teeth. Still talking, Jase opened the fridge beside him, took out a fruity drink, and held it out to her. Madison shuffled into the room, accepting the bottle as the men finished their conversation.

"She's new," the stranger said, nodding at Madison standing sheepishly beside Jase. She was on edge after what had happened with Charlie.

"She's been here just over a week," Jase replied. It felt considerably longer than a week. Madison offered a polite smile but didn't speak, trying to make it clear she knew her place. "She got high for the first time earlier," he looked down at her, "how are you feeling?"

The question threw her. It wasn't something she expected to hear from Jase's lips. As if he cared. She studied him for a second, not trusting the sincerity in his voice. Nothing about his expression gave him away, however, his body language was slightly more animated. Then she noticed the size of his pupils. They were half the size of hers, lost in the deep green of his iris.

"Sluggish, tired, a little lightheaded," she replied cautiously. The men laughed.

Jase took a swig of beer. "I've got something that will sort you out, come on." He excused himself from the conversation and gestured for Madison to go ahead of him. "Upstairs." They made their way to the bedroom. Jase closed the door, placing his drink on the chest of drawers. Madison watched as he reached into his back pocket, pulling out a small zip-lock full of white powder.

"I'm assuming if you've never smoked weed before, you've never done cocaine either?" he asked, looking at her, his eyes dark and mischievous. At that point, Madison worked out he'd already had a few lines and it was probably to blame for his friendly demeanour. She shook her head. Jase took out his wallet and a bank card, using a key to scoop out the powder. Madison read his full name on the side of the card as he worked, meticulously setting up two thin slivers on the screen of his phone.

"How is this going to make me feel?" she asked, genuinely nervous now. What if she couldn't control herself? What if she had a bad reaction? She didn't like how many 'what if's' the situation brought about.

"It's just going to revive you a bit." Jase noticed her discomfort and his smile softened. A brand new expression she was now exposed to, making him seem almost human. Then Annabelle flashed through her mind and a new caution was unlocked; was he trying to get her hooked on cocaine? It didn't exactly have the same effect as heroin. Though she hadn't done it before, from what she'd heard, it didn't turn you into a zombie. The exact opposite, in fact. "You don't have to do it if you don't want to," he assured. Madison relaxed. It was oddly endearing when he was sincere, even if it was due to substance abuse.

"I'll try it," she decided, stepping towards him. She was willing to put her sanity on the line if it allowed her to build some sort of twisted rapport with her captor. She would have to take bigger risks than a line of cocaine to get out of the house.

Jase rolled up a twenty-pound note, handing it over. The gap between them had shrunk at some point. She could smell his deodorant, the shampoo he used for the curls hanging dishevelled by his ears, and a mixture of beer and cigarettes. She expected it to turn her stomach the same way it had when Benny got in her face but it didn't.

He was looking down at her, leaning against the drawers, ankles crossed. The short sleeves of his white t-shirt strained against his upper arms. Veins ran like rivers under his tan, a reminder of the summer just passed, down his forearms and over his hands casually gripping the edge of the drawers.

When he licked his lower lip, Madison realised she had been standing there holding the note for what was probably a suspicious amount of time. The hint of an amused smile on his face confirmed her worries. She'd seen people do cocaine on television enough times. Covering one nostril, she leaned over the phone and sniffed.

The rush was instant. Her whole system rebooted, jumpstarting her pulse, sending it into a delirious frenzy. She tipped her head back as the ground stilled beneath her.

"Wow." The word shuddered from her lips. Jase nodded.

"Yep," was all he said, taking the note from her and proceeding to inhale his line. Madison sat on the bed. Jase wiped his phone on the inside of his t-shirt, putting everything back in his pockets. A burnt plastic taste formed in the back of Madison's throat, thick phlegm congealed at the base of her tongue.

"Ugh, that's horrible." She grimaced. Jase handed her drink over. She took a few gulps to wash down the unpleasantness and Jase did the same. Madison was experiencing the sensation of prickles all over her body – the feeling was the opposite to how she had felt after smoking a joint. Jase was right, it had revived her. "Are they all customers down there?" she asked when the vibrating in her fingertips dulled. He shook his head, lowering the bottle from his lips,

"Not really. Some are. Most of them are friends." Friends. Madison couldn't wrap her head around the fact that people were friends with these men.

"So, they're all safe?"

Jase smirked. "As far as safety goes in this house, sure." Madison's heartbeat had calmed and accelerated again. As far as safety went in the house didn't sound very reassuring. Jase picked up on her discomfort and continued. "If you mean is anyone going to act up like Charlie, the answer is no. They're a relatively respectful bunch, and you're not working anyway, so," he shrugged, lifting his beer bottle again, "it doesn't matter." Madison narrowed her eyes at him. He was looser, not dangerously intoxicated but intoxicated nonetheless. If she was going to get clear-cut answers from him, tonight was the night she would try her luck. First, she needed a little more courage and a better feel for his mood on stimulants.