Playing House - Spencer Reid

Chapter Three

Chapter Three

 

 

 

        Ash woke up to a deep seeded throb in the back of her skull. If she drank, this is what she imagined a hangover to be like. Squeezing her eyes shut tighter, she reached for her warm comforter to block out the chilly air. When her fingers met nothing but a scratchy sheet, she froze. Her eyes flew open and Ash sat up with a start, the breath ripping from her chest.

        A wave of nausea and dizziness swept over her and she fell back against the lone, flat pillow to catch her breath. Everything came rushing back to her in a blur of terror. Chest rising and falling rapidly, her first instinct was to scream. Ash would too, if she could get the air into her lungs. It felt like someone was sitting on her chest, smothering her. The second thought that flew into her head was Matt. Her little brother had disappeared shortly before her own kidnapping.

        Kidnapping. The word itself made Ashlyn want to throw her head over the side of the small bed and vomit. It had always been a lightly used word in her world. A joke and there was no way that would happen to her. But it did, and she had no idea what to do about it. Protect Matt. That’s what she had to do, at all costs.

        Slowly, Ash sat up and finally took in her surroundings. It was a small dark room consisting of four square walls, no windows. The bed sat parallel to the door and a small table with an old lamp at the foot of the bed. The wall paper was yellowed with old age and the walls were scratched. Timidly, Ash placed her feet on the cold wood floor and tried to stand. At first, she fell. Her legs were shaking so bad it was hard to keep steady. After a few calming breaths, she finally stayed on her feet. The floor creaked eerily with each step, Ashlyn held her breath as if that could stop the sounds.

        She reached a trembling hand out to the old doorknob and slowly turned. It was locked. Tears pricked the back of her eyes in panic. It was at that moment that the doorknob began to shake as a key was inserted into the lock. Terrified, Ash threw herself back onto the bed and pulled her knees into her chest. She pressed her back into the wall, hoping to disappear as the lock clicked open.

        The door squeaked open slowly and the shadow of a man lumbered into the doorframe. What surprised Ash the most was how extremely ordinary the man looked. He was the man you smiled at  out of politeness in the grocery store, or the man you didn’t feel weird about starting an awkward conversation  in a line. He had a scruffy ginger beard and smile lines around his eyes. He wore a green flannel button down and worn out jeans. The smell of Old Spice wafted into the room when he entered. Any other situation, he would be friendly. But right then, he was nowhere close to that.

He walked slowly towards Ash with a small smile on her face. Looking back, the scariest part was that it wasn’t a sinister smile it was genuine and kind.

“Morning sunshine. We’ve been waiting for you to wake up.”

Ash wanted to scream and run but she bit her tongue and stayed silent.

“Are you hungry?” He asked, unfazed. “There’s dinner downtstairs and everyone is super excited to meet you.”

She finally met his gaze and choked out, “Where’s my brother?”

The man laughed, “Which one?”

This was not what Ashlyn expected to hear. Which brother? Her only brother of course.

“Where is Matthew?” Her voice was stronger now, not loud but strong.

“You mean Jeremy? He’s still sleeping, he should wake up soon though. Now would you come on! Your mother is getting worried.”

Ash’s head shot up. Her mother! Did they have her too? What about her dad?

            “My mother? Where is she? What have you done to her!”

            A shadow passed over the man’s face. “Don’t use that tone of voice with me young lady. There will be consequences.” Ashlyn shrank back once more, all the nerve she once had was gone. The man took a deep breath and the mask of calm returned.

            “Your mother is downstairs cleaning up from dinner. I haven’t done anything to her, nor have I ever. Now let’s go downstairs Jenny. This little game of yours is getting old.”

            Jenny? Who the hell was Jenny?

            “My name’s Ashlyn! Not Jenny.”

            “Cut it out Jenny. I have no idea what has gotten into you.”

            Ash decided to bite her tongue and play along. But one prominent question still burned in her mind. As the man turned to leave, the question found its way out of her mouth and into the air.

            “Who are you?”

            He stopped and turned to face her.

            “Honestly Jenny. This is getting old. You know who I am. I’m your father.”

Hi everybody! Im sorry for the long wait but I decided to finish my novel and took a break for Wattpad. I will try to update more frequently now that I’m finished! Thank you all for the nice comments and votes, they are highly appreciated! Love you all!

 

-Hannah

PS - Would you read my novel if I posted it on here? I am looking for an editor (not professional just want some fresh eyes) if anyone is interested! Keep me posted!