It was me that caught her at the end of the rabbit hole. She had this look in her eye, I could not decipher it. Was it lonliness? Regret? Either way, I will be the Wonderland that makes her forget everything except for the exquisite taste of her own surprise.
Bella awoke alone. A splitting headache tore at her temples, making even the sound of her own breath sound loud. Her eyes were crusted with tears, and her throat hurt as though she had been screaming. What day was it today? Sunday? What about yesterday? Friday? No. It had to be Saturday today. Last night she had played a concert, and she always played on Friday nights.
What the hell happened last night? A quick inventory of the memory brought nothing but the monotone faces of the audience, and their indifferent standing ovation.
An eye peeked open. Red drapery over her head, a ceiling that billowed like the ocean. A huge expanse above her. The other eye quickly followed suit. Bella became aware of the satin sheets covering her body. And the sheets were all. Bella stretched, and sat up.
Red walls, and more red curtains. Did the hotel decide to do something in celebration of Christmas? It was that time of year after all.
Are you lost?
The fear set in now, cold as ever. Her chest tightened and her breath became shallow. The red satin sheets were brought to cover everything exposed. Suddenly, it was as though the empty room had taken a breath and fixed a stare straight at her. There was nothing else in the room. Not even a door. It came to Bella's attention that the room had no windows, but the drapes were still there. The billowing ceiling would have perfect for a violin to resonate in. She would explore the room despite the fact that there was obviously nothing in it. Fashioning one of the sheets into an overly large toga, Bella brought her legs over the bed. Her toes came into contact with a pleasantly warm floor.
The walls held no imprint of a door when Bella ran her fingers around the vicinity. There were no hidden nooks nor cameras. A room built around her, just for her.
I was the impression that you were.
Teeth. A set of perfectly white teeth and a symmetrical smile flitted through Bella's mind. Jesus, did she go home with a stranger? Why would she do that? She had a big concert in a couple days time and she needed the practice. She wouldn't do something as stupid as that, would she? Oh yeah. There was the whole virginity complex too. But the conductor would positively kill her. He had a hard time trusting her already after bailing a concert to hide from James.
The drapes were velvet and soft. Bella sat down against one of them, trying to figure out if anything had happened on that bed. Nope. Nothing came to mind. Just a darkness, and a complete absence of emotion.
Bella sat for a long time. Hours, days, seconds. It wouldn't have mattered. Bella started going over pieces in her mind, thinking of fingerings and bowings. She was going to lose her job after this, that she was sure of. She might have already lost it. Who knows.
Bella brought her knees to her chest, wondering what next. What next? Back to Harrison for directions to her hotel? Nope. That was on the other side of the city. Or country. Only God knows.
She hoped the stranger payed well if this was a monetary affair. It was a disgusting thought but she would need the money.
Bella felt tired, the headache had gotten worse and she was afraid that if she spoke she would rip her very throat apart.
You tempt me like no other. I will never let you go.
Bella rubbed her eyes, leaning back into the wall which also radiated a pleasant heat. Well, whatever had become of her, she would have to realize it later. Bella slept.
The stage was cold, and even the black velvet dress did nothing to protect her bony body from the shaft of air that came from an open window in the church. There were very few people sittinf in the pews. All dressed in black, faces as emotionless as she barren tundra outside. The violin was a tad too large for her nine-year old body but it was the only thing that her mother had left her.
"I will play this for mother. I hope she will inderstand from heaven."
Bella had only started playing months before under the careful instruction of her mom. The violin rasped and coughed under Bella's shaking guidance. She scratched, she completely missed notes, but there was desperation with each pull and push of the bow. This was the only farewell Bella thought was worthy of her mother.
The audience mustered sympathetic looks but not understanding. The violin was pried away from small child and put aside. Bella was ushered outside because her wailing would disrupt the priest. These were not tantrum tears. These were a different type of tears altogether.
"Your mother understands."
A boy no older than herself appeared in front of her. He was not from the village. He was too well dressed. Bella vaguely remembered word of a wealthy family staying in the village near the church.
"You think?" Bella's body jolted rythmically with her sobs.
The boy smiled, a row of perfectly white teeth showing. It was a nice pure smile.
"I know, angel."
He was gone then, scampering off after a dog. Bella realized that she was longer sobbing.
"Wake, my darling angel."
"No."
The bed was warm. The pillows soft and the sheets even softer The hotel came with nice recordings in their alarm clocks. Truly attractive voices, really.
"Defy me again." The tone was teasing.
"No, it's too goddamn early." This time Bella turned away from the source of the voice.
A pair of hands turned her back over. A gasp escaped Bella as she finally opened her eyes.
A man was lying next to her. A very attractive man. He was also presumably the one who kidnapped her. Or gave her money in exhchange for her body. The room was still the same, red. Golden curls and pale skin. Lips so perfect Bella wanted to touch them to see if they were real.
Bella pushed herself away from him. The natural insitinct of fear came to the forefront. He was dangerous. Red alert dangerous.
"No need for alarm, Angel. This is only the place you will spend the rest of eternity in."
"Huh?" Bella could only stare in shock and examine him.
"I am the man that you will spend the rest of eternity with. You are mine."
Mine.
Bella pulled the covers over her naked body, hiding what she could. He had probably already seen all that he wanted to. Taken all he wanted.
It was all too much. At once.
"No." Bella said the word again, the word her whole existence was hanging on to. This wasn't real.
The man tugged the sheet away, and sucessfully wrestled it away from her.
"You will not need clothes anymore. I will provide you with some, but I assure you that you will spend a majority of eternity naked." A mischevious grin appeared on the man's face. The shock finally wore off, the deer bounded away from the headlights.
"A fucking majority of eternity? Who the hell do you think you are? And give me some goddamn clothes now!"
No. Bella would not be used in this way. She would be out and back into her other hotel as soon as she found her way out of this room. The man advanced towards her. Bella stumbled backwards, but only found herself pinned to the mattress by her wrists. He was over her, the ultimate dominance.
He was strong.
"Fucking is correct. Hell is exactly what I am, and damned by god your clothes will be."
"Give them to me now, I am cold," Bella said. "Please."
Suddenly the temperature in the room increased by a solid ten degrees. So, excuses did not work for this man.
"What the fuck?" Bella tried wiggling out, she did not meet the man's gaze. Detachment and disinterest. Solid tactics.
"Please do not swear, it is not becoming on you."
"Fuck you. Damn you." Bella started to chant. "This is not fucking real. "
"You will feel your defiance in perspective later, angel."
Bella stopped chanting at those words, and became silent. He leaned into her, taking a deep breath in.
"Today I am being patient. I believe in getting acquianted."
His lips were too close and the gap could have been breached by a single thought of going upwards. Bella wished that he was repungent, that he smelled bad or had acne. Something to invalidate all the things he made her body feel. The things he obvously knew she felt. He also invoked no small feeling of hatred. Who was he to pluck her out of her life like that? There's nothing worse than an unfinished sentence. What the hell? Her mind had never been in such disarray before.
"Acquianted?" Bella scoffed at that. Kidnappers do not get aqcuianted. They use and throw away. She hoped he was like that. She would endure and keep living.
"Yes. You are making the process entirely too difficult for me," said the man. Bella tried to knee him in the stomach, but hand was lightning. He effectively blocked his groin but not the slap. Bella couldn't get much force into it but the intention was clear. He recoiled, although Bella had a feeling out of habit and not neccesity.
"And why not? I have eternity, do I not? And preferably some clothes before anything else happens." Bella finally looked at him, smiling tiumphantly.
He only placed a knee gently on her stomach, and his hand back where it was. God, he was patient. Slaps were not a deterrent.
"Defiance has a price, angel."
"What do you even want that I am denying you?"
"Just a kiss."
His lips were so close that hers were tingling. Fine. Kiss. Bella lifted her head as quickly as possible and pecked. He did not respond.
"Happy?"
"No. A kiss of want. You my dear have to want it for me to be satified."
"But I wanted that," protested Bella, scrunching up her nose.
"Lie again and I will punish you right now."
"Dear god, you're crazy. Kiss me, then. Show me what want is." Bella closed her eyes expectantly.
"No. It must be a want of yours."
His lips were indeed driving her crazy. Not that admitting it would help her argument. One more taste, her body begged.
You drive me crazy, Bella. You truly drive the devil crazy.
"Tell me why, then. Tell me why I want to kiss you," Bella whispered, looking into suddenly red eyes. Weren't they orange before? Ah hell, she didn't care.
"Because I will wait for you. I have waited for you," the man whispered as though it was a secret he had been garding.
He let go of her hands. Bella wrapped her arms around him and kissed. At first, it was reminiscent of the peck. Lips shut, eyes closed. He responded to her question, using gentle nudges to pry her mouth open, to let her in but at the same time giving his own.
His arms were warm, and comforting?
It was Bella who broke the kiss, looking away and detaching herself. She had not wanted it to end, and that scared her even more than the kiss.
"Who are you," she finally said, pulling the covers back over her body.
The smile on his face an uncensored one.
"I am the Devil himself, ruler of Hell and realms beyond. But you, my angel, you will call me Jasper."
Thanks for reading!
Thoughts?
Oooh yes, there will be lemons and darkness. This is my warning. M for reason not because I am Mistaken.
The darkness must darken before the end of the rabbit hole.
M.E.