Chapter 11:

The thundering of horses' hooves diminished until it came to a slow walk. We were here.

I looked up at the house before me and shuddered. Who knew what was going to happen in that house. I sure didn't.

Jarrett stopped in front of the house and dismounted. Holding up his hand, he looked at the horse's shoulder, refusing to look at me.

I sighed and took his hand before sliding down the side of the horse, fixing my dress once both of my feet had touched the ground.

Jarrett turned and silently walked up to the house, expecting me to follow him. I faced the woods, thinking that I could at least try to get a mile away, but all my thoughts of running vanished when I felt someone watching at me (which felt like someone was trying to stab daggers into my back). I looked up at the house and stared at Jordan, who in turn was staring at me with his frozen purple ice wasteland, he calls eyes.

I shivered as my blood chilled and ran to the house and then didn't stop until I got inside to meet a frowning Jarrett, who was still refusing to talk to me; not seeing Jordan's frown and his eyes grow a little bit softer before they hardened again and turning his back from the courtyard.

I looked at the floor, not knowing what to do. A silence fell over us, nothing made a sound, and the only sound that resounded in the room was our breathing. I didn't want to break the silence, I would likely sound like an idiot, so I was grateful when Jarrett said lifelessly, "Follow me; we will go get those scratches and cuts taken cared of and then you can go get a shower so that way you will be presentable to go see Jordan." He tried to lighten his tone at the end, but it only made it seem like this "meeting" was going to be the end of me. So, I only nodded like a little kid who knew she had gotten caught taking a cookie out of the cookie jar and followed Jarrett down the hall behind him. Keeping my eyes on the tiled floor, I let my thoughts blanket my mind like fog and ignored the walls, which were decorated with handmade sketches, self painted portraits, and pictures of all kind, looking like a timeline from the time when you sketched with a pencil to the present, where you only press a button to capture a memory. Among the many pieces on the wall were sketches, paintings, and pictures of a blonde, blue-eyed woman that looked just like me.

There was a sketch of the woman staring at a leaf that was floating and following the river's downwards current. There was a portrait of the girl sitting in an overstuffed, deep red, wing backed chair reading a dark green covered book with gold lettering that spelled, Cinderella, and then there was a picture of the same girl sitting on the lip of a fountain, smiling at the water as the sunlight was reflected, making the water all shiny like blue aluminum.

As we walked, Jarrett started babbling to himself like he does when he is anxious or nervous, and I was so engrossed with my thoughts that I didn't see him stop in front of a dark wood door; so I ran right into him. Falling down and landing on my butt with an, "Oomph", I looked up to see his serious, dull façade be replaced with a luminous, mischievous smile.

Scowling, I said brusquely and defensively, "What are you looking at?"

"At you, Miss Klutz."

I smiled, banishing my depressing mood off to the deep, darkest corner of my mind and said, "Oh really, Mr. Serious? Why?"

"Because looking at you on the floor is entertaining."

I laughed a little and got up, wiping the dust off my dress once I made sure it didn't rip. Jarrett chuckled before walking into the room in front of him. Walking in after him, I looked around the small room. It was decorated like any other room in the house, the same bright red paint and the same white trimming, maybe a little bit less time was spent on this room because there was as much detail as there was in the other rooms.

Against the left wall was a small cot with a bronze metal frame and a nice looking mattress. On the right side of the room was an antique cabinet made of wood that looked like it was hand made. The doors were intricately designed, the doors had roses carved into them, and were painted a faint red and the stems were painted a somewhat dark green.

Opening up the doors, Jarrett peered into it and then started combing threw it, trying to find something(s). I looked around the room for a couple minutes, not really focusing on anything at the moment, while I debated whether or not I should go help him or should I sit down on the bed, which was looking pretty good right then.

Choosing to help Jarrett, I started walking over to where he was. But, as I got halfway there, Jarrett said, "Go over and sit on the bed Jessica; I'm almost done." Shaking my head, I walked over and stood next to him and looked into the cabinet as well. "What are ya' looking for?" He started to open up his mouth, but the door opened and the worn out, sullen looking man from before came in. He looked at me with steel grey eyes that were as hard as diamonds that was drenched in indifference. I shuddered before turning away and sitting on the bed, watching him suspiciously from my spot. He nodded curtly at me before walking over to where Jarrett sat looking through the cabinet. I sighed and stared at the floor in front of me as the two men where talking to each other in whispers as I traced the intricate patterns of the wood grains with my eyes.

After a million of the tiny patterns and a sigh or two later, they got up and walked over to me, The man's arms full of bandages and ointments and other supplies that were needed apparently. The strange man set them down on the somewhat big nightstand next to the bed and nodded to Jarrett before leaving the room. Jarrett and I listened to his footsteps before Jarrett turned to me and said, "What are you going to do Jessica?" I looked at him and answered honestly, "I don't know. I honestly don't know. I have no idea what he wants to do with me." His fist clenched together until it had turned white and he growled through his clenched teeth, "I think I know what he wants." I looked at him curiously before saying, "What is it Jarrett?" He was silent for a minute before he said, "Jessica, think back to what he was telling you in the mansion." I looked at him confused and waiting for more before sighing, knowing I wasn't going to get anything more out of him, and starting to think back.

I thought about my couple hours there, from the horse ride with Cassandra and Lia to when Jordan had my cut up back pressed against the ancient, dusty wall of the attic. I replayed his words in my head, and then froze. "Holy crap," I said, "He plans on raping me, doesn't he?" Jarrett nodded his head and looked (more like glared) at the wall behind me while I sat on the bed, not moving, just staring at the wall behind Jarrett.

Wolfe came back in moments later, with a bowl of water in his hands and two towels on his arms, and saw us. "Jarrett?" he asked, his voice as gruff as his body suggested, "Is something wrong?" Jarrett shook his head and came back from his thoughts saying, "What? Oh, nothing is wrong Wolfe. Please, set the bowl down and we can start cleaning up Jessica for Mr. Jordan's 'talk' with her." I still watched the wall as Wolfe nodded and set the bowl on the bed gently. He then looked at Jarrett expectantly and waited for something. Jarrett cleared his throat and said, "Jessica? You still alive?" I came back to the present and said, "What?" Jarrett smiled and chuckled before saying, "You okay Jessie?" I scowled at him and said, "Yes, I'm perfectly alright, Jarry, now what is it?" He chuckled again and said, "Good to see I have your attention Jessica, because I really would've thought you would like to know that you have to take off the top of your dress so then we can look at your back." He said it quickly and I stared at him perplexedly and said, "Huh?" He smiled and said; "I guess we didn't have your full attention then. Because I said, '.......Back.'" I stared at him again before I said, "Yeah, right. You are kidding right?" Wolfe looked at me for a minute before turning away. Jarrett shook his head and said, "Now Jessica…" I completely ignored him and said, "If you think for one minute I'm going to let you do that, you are sorely mistaken, I will not allow it, I-," I was cut off when Wolfe interrupted me. "If you don't, then we can't make sure your back is disinfected or not, and then you could possibly die. So, I suggest you lay down and let us look at your back." I stared at him for a minute, trying to remember where I had heard that voice before. After a couple minutes I gave up the search for later while I said, "You two go outside. Now." Wolfe nodded and went outside, but Jarrett stood where he was for a minute before nodding his head as well and walking outside, shutting the door silently. I turned and looked at the top of my dress and sighed thinking, This will be interesting.

AN: I know, this is kind of short and is probably filling your anxiousness to the point you are about to explode, but I swear it is because at this point I have no idea what to write next. I'm sorry.

Also, I'm writing the second draft of Caged, which is different from this one a little bit, it is the same plot, but I added and took away a couple things xD But, I won't be posting it on the site, I'm sorry but it is because I have a small chance of getting it published, so I'm working on that, wish me luck xD

I'll hopefully have chapter 12 up soon, but it might take sometime.

Thanks,

Twi :D