"Zoey." a man's voice whispered. "Wake up." the voice was muffled and unclear. More were in the background. She recognised those voices! It was her parents! And EJ's! They were talking to her!

"C'mon stay with us!" her dad said lightly.

"Yeah." her mum agreed. "It'll be fun."

"Zoey." the unknown voice repeated. She shrunk away for some reason.

"Daddy?" she murmured moved her head slightly. "I had this really bad dream dad." her eyes opened.

The star of her nightmare was over her.

"Your ok Zoey I took care of you!"

Zoey looked around and saw her phone on a bedside cabinet. That's where her parents voice came from. He was playing a video EJ had recorded last year. She had been having a tantrum coz she was being forced to go on holiday when she wanted to stay with her friends.

God for a second she thought she was free. Home. She felt tears gather. Her throat constricted tightly.

"I thought their voices might make you get better." he told her softly.

Not quite, now she felt sui-freaking-cidal!

"I'm gonna carry on taking care of you til your back to normal. I'm so sorry I went too far with you. Can you ever forgive me?"

She looked at him. Felt herself nod. She was frightened of the reply if she said no.

"O thank you!" he gushed. "Your gonna be ok I promise."

"I was ok. Til I ….." she quieted. Last time she cheeked him he almost killed her. She was quiet and pondered that possibility for a few moments. She supposed she should be grateful he hadn't killed her yet. I mean he could at any moment! Technically he is the only thing keeping her alive! She frowned taken aback. Wow did that mean he protected her? Her head hurt and she was confused. She knew she didn't want to die anymore. Earlier she had been sure he was gonna kill her and it upset her coz it meant she would never see her family again. She did wants to see them some day.

"Zoey?" he asked breaking her thoughts.

She nodded. "I'm good."

"Look Zoey…."

"It's ok. I understand." she whispered and was surprised to know she meant it. "Look you take care of me and I was ungrateful. I'm really sorry. You were being nice trying to give me a treat and I was…..just a bitch about it really. I shouldn't have done that to you."

He smiled. Could see she was serious. You couldn't act that sincerity! "You finally understand. That's all I want Zoey. To take care of you. Not like your parents. See if they had taken better care of you then Swift wouldn't have been able to take you to that crack house!"

Zoey frowned. He was right! When she ran off they had been arguing - again. If they had paid more attention to her instead of screaming at each other she wouldn't have got away!

She looked around a sparsely decorated room. Just a bed and a dresser. "Where am I?" she whispered.

He smiled. "The spare room. Your room now. I'll keep a lock on it for a little while but I'm sure that will come off in no time."

Zoey was lost in pensive thought.

"We're very alike you and I. Kindred spirits. We were destined to meet. I wasn't even supposed to be at that den that day. I'm so happy I was. I met the love of my life." he gushed.

Zoey stayed quiet. Felt uncomfortable with his thoughts.

"The same happened to me as you. I've told you. The bosses father had my mother and father killed but now I don't care. They deserved it. They crossed him. He was gonna kill me too coz I was evil to him. Threatened to kill him coz of what he done to my parents. I even fought him. He was persuaded by Mike that I could be useful. Mike kept me. Took care of me with his wife Connie. I came around eventually. See how alike we are? Like 2 peas."

She nodded. Thinking intensely.

"You keep me alive don't you?" she asked.

He smiled widely. "Yes. I should have ended your life but I didn't. I keep you alive."

She nodded understandingly. "I get it now." she whispered.

"I'm so happy you do Zoey."

"And I do stuff for you, like tidying and stuff to show appreciation?" she asked.

He clapped happily. "I knew my Zoey was smart!" he gushed. "Now that I know I can trust you ill telly you my name. I'm William."

"Nice." she whispered.

"William and Zoey has a lovely ring don't you think?"

She nodded absently. Lost in thought about her parents. This was their fault! As usual they had been arguing. Thinking only of themselves! Now William was taking care of her. He kept her alive by simply not killing her. She should be grateful to him for that. If he hadn't brought her here then she'd be lying in a shallow grave somewhere in the bush! Or with Swift off her face on drugs. Or overdosed. Yeah she was grateful to William, but how could she ever repay a debt that was as big as her life? Coz as soon as she did he'd let her go home…right?

(X)

A month later they were sat having dinner.

"Here Zoey drink this." William said. He poured her some vodka straight.

"I'll just have water if you don't mind." she replied.

"Zoey, what do you call me?"

"Master." she added.

I'd really like you to have it." he told her sweetly.

She reached across and took the glass. Looked at the clear liquid and lifted it. The pungent odour assaulted her nose. She winced and looked at him. He nodded eagerly. She took a sip and almost spat it back out. She choked and coughed as she swallowed. It burned her throat. She inhaled deeply to stop the vomit from rising.

"Was that good Zo? Did you enjoy it?"

She nodded. Lying. It had been freaking awful. She'd rather eat grass! She told him what he wanted to hear.

"Have them another drink then." he urged.

She had been afraid of this. If he knew she didn't like it he'd force her to drink it til she did. If he thought she did like it he might of took it away. He didn't like her to have to many 'treats'. Not this time. He wanted to get her drunk! God knew why. And she wasn't asking the thought scared her.

"I've had enough thanks." she told him thankfully.

"Zoey!" he fumed.

"No I don't want to." she told him. "You can't keep telling me what to do!" her passion showed itself once again. Afterwards she mentally berated herself for the outburst.

"Has your gratitude ran out already?" he asked angrily.

"O God they were gonna fight again. She could see it!

He stood up. "Drink it Zoey. In one mouthful!"

"I can't, I'll be sick!" she told him. "Please don't make me."

"You leave me no choice then Zoey!" he went in his pocket pulled a clear packet. It contained a pill. She looked at it. He sat down. Placed it on the table. His fist impacted the table with a thud. "Take it!" he fumed.

"What is it?" she asked worriedly.

"A little LSD. Don't worry it's not addictive."

"NO I don't do drugs!" she said going to push it away.

"Take it!" he repeated angrily.

She shook her head.

He stood again and took a threatening step towards her. "OK OK!" she picked the clear packet up and opened it. Put the small pill in her hand. He watched her. She suddenly ran to the sink and put it down there then quickly tried to run out of the door. He was beside her in a second with a roar of outrage. Grabbed her hair.

"You shouldn't have done that Zoey!" he hissed.

"I don't do drugs!" she said pleading.

"You need to be doubly punished for disobeying me twice!" he fumed.

He spotted the litre vodka bottle and smiled. He flung her to the floor and was above her. He grabbed it. He sat on her chest and clamped her head between his knees so she couldn't move.

She kept her mouth firmly closed. He held her nose so she held her breath. Seconds ticked into minutes. Zoey's face had slowly gone bright red.

"You can't hold your breath forever Zoey!" he warned. And he was right. She was blue in the face when she involuntarily gasped. He had the bottle ready and poured it into her mouth. She shut her mouth but some vodka went down and she choked. Swallowed it down and gasped again. He poured even more liquid down her throat. He released her nose as she gagged.

William meanwhile went into his pocket and pulled out a clear packet which held 2 pills. She bucked and fought trying to get him off her but he was much heavier then her little frame.

"These two are much stronger then the previous one!" he hissed happily. Held her nose again. She eventually gasped again he put a little vodka in her mouth then dropped the pills in. Clamped his mouth over her mouth tightly.

"Swallow now Zoey!" he hissed.

She held off for as long as she could but she couldn't hold her breath forever. The vodka and pills went down. He removed his hand but still held her nose. She gasped once again and he poured the rest of the vodka down her throat. Climbed off her after she swallowed it.

"Get up!" he yelled at her.

The room was spinning. She couldn't move. She was gonna be sick!

"Get up now!" he shouted.

She rolled over and rested her forehead against the floor. Christ please let the room stop spinning.

William meanwhile sick of waiting for her compliance picked her up by the collar of her jumper. Jerked her upright. She swayed drunkenly.

"This house is filthy. Sort it out!"

William's voice had slowed right down. It sounded like he was talking to her in slow motion.

"I'm going out it better be clean when I get back!" he warned.

He released her and she half fell on the table. She used it for support.

She hadn't understood a word he said. He left her and she stood. She began to move. Using the counters as a crutch she walked towards the living room. Fell over the back of the settee. Put her head in her hands till the room stopped spinning. She sat there for a while. Felt her head getting lighter gradually.

The room finally slowed and stopped. She stood up and looked around. Everything shimmered with a glow. It was full of weird things. She walked around and studied them intently. Giggled for no reason. She walked up to a cuckoo clock. With every tick she nodded her head. It chimed as it hit the hour. Doors opened. She smiled. A bird came out.

"Hello birdie!" she whispered.

"Cuckoo Cuckoo."

Zoey jumped. Then smiled.

"You said hello!" clapped. "Do it again!"

"Cuckoo. Kill you!" the bird hissed.

A wing as sharp as a blade swung out and aimed at her face.

Zoey screamed and ran upstairs to her bedroom. Hid under her bed and covered her face. That bird was gonna kill her! Underneath her bed she was safe where that demented bird couldn't get her! She almost sighed in relief. A spider scurried past. It's skin cracked, a larger spider emerged. Then again. And again. She crawled from under her bed and backed off. The spider approached her. it's millions of eyes all zeroed on her face. It's fangs dripping with fluid. It kept getting bigger. It was filling the room. She had to get away! She left the room.

As she passed the toilet she glanced in and saw the seat was up. The handle grew to mammoth proportions and it tried to grab her wrist. It gripped her and tried to pull her towards the bowl. It's seat began to open and close quickly water spewed everywhere. Like it was eager for her to be it's meal. She was going to be flushed to the depths of the sewer she pulled her arm free and looked around frantic. The toilet wanted to eat her. The spider in her room to maul her. She went to run downstairs.

"Cuckoo kill you!" the bird repeated. As she was halfway down stairs. She forgot he locked and bolted the doors. She was back up the stairs in seconds. Ran into the bathroom nowhere to hide in here, then saw the bath was full of red fluid. A red figure rose from the water.

"BOO!" it screamed. She recognised the figure as herself. She screamed terrified.

She ran into William's room and hid in the wardrobe. She covered her face with her hands. The hangers clattered and hissed above her but she ignored them. She rocked back and forth muttering incoherently to herself.

"No one will find you or hurt you in here!" she used her free hand to clutch the door closed.

She heard the things that wanted to hurt her scratching and clawing at the doors. She blanked them.

After a little while she heard a voice. "ZOEY!"

She kept her eyes closed and rocked back and forth.

"Don't hide from me Zoey!" his voice was slurred. He'd been drinking.

He searched the house and finally found her. Pulled the doors open angrily.

"I warned you! I told you to sort this place out! I told you NEVER to hide from me. More punishment!"

He dragged her from the wardrobe and threw her on his bed.

A/N what he did at the beginning was really cruel. with her family and the phone. she thought she was home :( and now with the LSD trip :(
What else is she gonna go through?