Do You Even Know Me?

Their Reasons Why.

           I woke up again to hands shaking me, this time I didn't scream I just sat straight up. Ryan was standing over me and his jaw was clenched like he was fighting back emotions. I stared up at him. "What?" 

           "Ted wants you downstairs." His voice was rough and I flinched when he reached for my arm. 

            "Stop! I can walk myself." My voice was sarcastic, but I didn't even try to make it that way. He shot an incredulous look in my direction.

           I shrank back under Ryan's gaze but followed him to the door. He pulled out a key and unlocked it. I controlled my face but I was already hatching a plan. We walked down the stairs and he glanced back at me a couple times. My feet hit the hardwood floors at the bottom and I looked around. Ryan stopped in the dining room and motioned for me to sit. He had changed, too. He had sweatpants and a hoodie on. I missed my hoodie. It had gotten lost somewhere in the van. I sat in a chair and my leg bounced with anxiety. It felt like I had a million wires coursing through my veins. 

          Ted walked in and grunted, standing on the opposite side of the table from me. "This is Greenwich Manor." He said it like it meant something. 

          I looked at him and set my jaw. "And why the fuck am I at 'Greenwich Manor' you asshole?" My voice burned with anger and he looked surprised for half a second. And then he was furious. 

          "Because, The Family has business to attend to. And you are are exactly what they have been searching for. All these years..." Ted's eyes focused on something above me, but I didn't break my gaze.

          "What family? What business? What the fuck is going on!?" I screamed the last question. When Ted slammed his fist down on the table, I jumped a little. 

          Ryan cleared his throat and came up behind my chair. I stood up and he gripped my arms, I inhaled sharply. "They'll explain it to you tomorrow. Now Ryan, bring her back to her room before I lose my sh- my mind." Ted waved me away with his hand and I seethed with rage. 

          "Get your hands off of me." I shook Ryan away and pounded up the stairs to the attic. I realized right as I reached the door that he had the keys. I turned around to see him at the bottom of the stairs, staring up at me. One eyebrow raised and he started walking up. I crossed my arms and waited for him to unlock the door. When he didn't I felt my face get hot. "What are you doing?" 

          "You shouldn't be this upset. Being apart of The Family is a big deal, you know." Ryan looked like he was in awe of whoever "The Family" was. I flinched back as he reached for the door and stuck the key in. "Don't try to escape. It'll only make it worse." He turned and walked down the stairs, leaving the door open and unlocked. 

          "What the fuck." I sat on the bed and looked out the small circle window. There was no sign of neighbors. All I saw was grass. Grass and trees. I pressed my face against the glass and saw the van I had been transported here in. I bit my lip and looked at my door. A thought skipped across my mind and I wondered if Frannie knew I was gone. Maybe she just thought I was out late with a friend. No, she knew me too well. I didn't have any friends. My vision blurred as I thought about it. I felt a tear slide down my face and I let myself fall so I was laying on my side, knees hugged to my chest. 

            When I was done crying I sat up and wiped my face. I walked over the the little closet and opened it. I exhaled in relief when I saw sweatpants and hoodies lined up on the floor. I don't think I've ever changed my clothes that fast in my life. I put on dark green sweats and a black hoodie with the word "Hope" on the back. I didn't know what it meant but I didn't care. I had real clothes. I twisted my hair into a messy bun and slipped some slides I found under the bed. Then I froze. It dawned on me that these clothes might have belonged to somebody else. I shuddered and then set my jaw. I was going to get out. For the people that might've been here before me. I didn't know if they were alive or not but, I was going to escape. I promised myself that. 

             I tiptoed towards the door and winced every time my foot touched the carpet. I opened the door and held my breath until the opening was big enough for me to slip out onto the stairs. I stepped out, creeping down the creaky stairs. When I reached the floor, I realized that the door was right in front of me. Heart thundering in my ears, I pushed it open and started sprinting down the lawn. I had no idea where I was going but I was free. Until I heard footsteps behind me, almost twice as fast as me. My breath hitched in my throat, making me choke. I tumbled down a muddy hill and screamed, I hit the ground head first and saw stars. I wasn't going down without a fight. I kept clawing at the ground as three sets of hands pick me up and start pulling me back towards the house. 

            "Stop! Please! Stop!" I screamed and my hand lashed out, scratching soft skin in front of me. I heard a low grunt and smirked. Something hit my head, and then I was gone. 

             While I was out, I dreamed. Well, I didn't dream so much as float in and out of consciousness. One second, I was in the room in the attic again and the next there were hands pulling me through the mud again. Out of nowhere, I shot up in bed. I swung my head towards the door and my eyes widened. It wasn't there. Where the door used to be, there was just the frame. No door, nothing. Just an open entry-way. I tried to stand but I fell, my legs felt like Jello. Pushing myself forward, I looked in the vanity mirror and touched my face in surprise. My bottom lip was split and there was a dark bruise under my right eye. Dirt covered my clothes and my skin. Scratches ran up and down my arms and when I twisted to look at my side, I whimpered in pain. I lifted up the hoodie and saw a dark, hand shaped bruise on my right rib cage. I shivered and sat on the floor, screaming. 

             "Fuck you! Whoever the fuck you are, FUCK YOU!!" I didn't stop screaming until I saw Ryan standing behind me in the mirror. "What do you want you piece of shit." 

             "They're not doing it to hurt you. The Family is good for you, I promise." As he spoke I saw a flash of doubt cross his eyes, like he didn't really trust exactly what he was saying. 

              I looked up at him and sniffed, "Who even is the family?" My voice broke and he sat down next to me, playing with the carpet. He seemed so vulnerable. He had shaved, his jawline sharper than ever. I stopped myself. I was not going to swoon over my fucking kidnapper. 

             "They're good people. They tell us all that we're going to go to the Eternal Life with them if we listen. The rules are simple; Don't try to run. Don't disobey. Don't step out of line. And you'll succeed." His voice was low and I wondered how much he actually believed from these people. 

             "But why do they need me? I don't understand." I pulled my knees to my chest and rested my forehead on them. 

             His voice was muffled, "You're the pagan goddess." Ryan said these four words like they were completely normal. 

             My eyes widened and I stood. "No. No way. I'm not doing that shit. Find another girl." Ryan stood up too and gripped my shoulders, holding me in place. 

             "Relax. Emilee, please. Take a shower and I'll be back." He didn't break eye contact with me as he walked towards the doorway. Then he was gone. 

             My breath shuddered and I walked to the closet, grabbing a pair of leggings and a cropped hoodie. I twisted the knob on the shower to the hottest setting and got in. Sitting on the floor of the claw-foot tub, I let the water burn my skin, hugging my knees and letting tears slip down. I cried for so long that after a while, I couldn't tell the difference between shower water and tears. I washed my hair, rinsed and got out. 

             I changed into the clothes and sat on the floor again. While I stared at the door, I found myself dozing off. Soon, I was asleep.