The next morning I woke up to a clanging sound that was much too close for comfort. It was so loud that I jumped up, scrambling to get out of my bed, thinking that Charlie was in my room. Instead, I felt a burning sensation in my ankle and tumbled halfway out of the bed, my leg stuck in place. I cried out in pain and was immediately wrapped up in a pair of warm, strong arms that pulled me from the edge of the bed and placed me securely back in the middle.
My eyes scanned the room quickly, looking for something - anything - to show me that last night was just a figment of my imagination. Instead, I found a pair of light green eyes and tousled bronze hair staring back at me.
"No," I groaned, putting my head into my hands. "No, no, no, no, no."
It wasn't a dream...or a nightmare, actually. It was all real. Edward kidnapped me and brought me to this god-forsaken cabin in the middle of nowhere. Edward's hand touching my back lightly caused me to jump in alarm. The clanging sound rang again and fire shot through my ankle. I screamed in pain this time, tears springing to my eyes.
"What is it?" Edward asked alarmed.
I opened my eyes and did my best to breathe through the pain.
"My ankle," I whimpered. "I think I sprained it."
Having had to run from Charlie on numerous occasions, and being a naturally clumsy person, I've had my fair share of sprained ankles from falling when trying to avoid a beating. So yeah, I knew what one felt like. I also knew the recovery process for one.
"It fucking hurts," I cried as Edward's hand immediately went to my ankle to check the damages.
I squeezed my eyes shut once more and was surprised when I felt his finger connect with the side of my mouth…again.
He flicked me again!
My eyes sprung open and I saw his lips pressed in a firm line, his own eyes narrowed.
"Swearing makes you ugly. If you insist on continuing to use that kind of language then I'll wash your mouth out with soap," he threatened.
"I'm sorry," I whispered.
I was in too much pain to argue that point. Living with Charlie all these years had taught me to pick and choose my battles carefully. With the sharp pains shooting up and down my leg, this particular battle could be fought another time.
"I think you're right," Edward sighed. "It looks sprained. I need to get the cuff off to be able to know for sure though."
I winced as Edward pulled out a key and unlocked the cuff around my ankle carefully. His fingers felt cool on my skin, but I could already see the swelling.
"Dammit," Edward mumbled. "This will complicate things a bit."
"Complicate what?" I asked.
Instead of answering me, Edward looked at me once and then quickly rose from the bed. I let out a short scream as he suddenly swooped down and scooped me into his arms as if I weighed nothing.
"What are you doing?" I asked, wiggling around and trying to get him to put me back down.
"Carrying you to the couch," he said, pinching my thigh. "Stop squirming. I need to make breakfast for us and we need to talk. Since your foot is now out of commission, I will be carrying you wherever you need to go until the swelling goes down."
My hand that was grasping Edward's neck fell slack and I curled my other hand into a fist on my lap. Luckily the walk to the couch only took a few seconds. I looked at it and reached out, expecting to be placed down on it. Edward apparently had other ideas.
I looked back up to him to see an expectant look on his face.
"You can put me down, now," I said pointing to the sofa.
"And you can remember your manners," he said pinching my thigh again.
I hissed and immediately rubbed the area his fingers had just vacated. "Will you stop pinching me? That fucking hurts!"
I squealed as Edward's arms shifted beneath my legs so he was supporting me with only one arm. Suddenly his palm connected forcefully with my bottom, a muffled slapping sound echoing around the room. I cried out in surprise and a bit of pain as my hand immediately covered the area he had just smacked.
"You have lived with your Father your entire life and know what happens when you curse," Edward growled. "I've already given you your only warning. Next time you will get the soap on top of a spanking."
I knew my eyes had to have been huge as I took in Edward's demeanor carefully. He wasn't playing around.
"You spanked me?" I asked, still in quite a bit of shock.
"And I will do it again," he confirmed.
We stood there glaring at one another until I realized uncomfortably that not only was I still being held by this mad man, but I also needed to use the restroom…and immediately. Remembering that this whole thing started off because of my 'lack of manners,' I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.
"I need to use the restroom," I said evenly.
There. That was full of manners in my opinion. I didn't demand that he set me down so I could walk to the bathroom, and I didn't raise my voice or kick him where I really wanted to. To me, that was an accomplishment. To Edward though, it wasn't enough.
"Okay," he said simply but didn't move an inch.
"Okay…" I trailed off.
I knew what Edward wanted, but I refused to give it to him so easily. I knew that he would more than likely break me of my attitude, but I was going to fight for as long as I could.
"Say it," Edward demanded suddenly, catching me off guard.
Before my mind could even register the thought to argue or remain silent, my mouth took off on its own. "You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward."
I gasped in surprise and covered my mouth, but it was too late. The damage had already been done. Edward's face broke into a wide grin and he hugged me even closer to his body.
"You are such a good girl," he praised. "What do you say if you need to go to the restroom?" he asked.
Closing my eyes once more, I thought about my options. Trying to escape after knocking him out cold was no longer part of the plan. I wouldn't get very far on a crippled ankle, and my focus needed to be on staying alive for right now. Sure, he said he wouldn't kill me, but the man had already kidnapped me from inside my own home. He was obviously unstable and therefore I couldn't trust his word. Already angry beyond belief at myself for slipping and giving into what he demanded so easily, I knew that I would have to bide my time and continue to keep him happy.
"May I please go to the restroom, Edward?" I whispered.
"You may," he said. His voice was showing just how happy he was with me in that moment.
I felt a flutter in my stomach from the pleased tone in his voice: the pride; something I had never heard from my own father, even with all my accomplishments. But Edward, a complete stranger, gets happy over me asking for permission for something? I wasn't sure why I felt pleased from his reaction but I did. I was sure this wasn't completely right, but I was going to do what I needed to. He confused me when he went back to the bedroom and grabbed the hand cuffs and key instead of bringing me straight to the bathroom, but I sighed and resigned myself to the fact that he was probably going to cuff me to the couch or something after I finished taking care of my bodily needs.
This morning went much like the night before. Edward stood in the doorway of the restroom, leaning against the door while I did my business. Only this time, when I finished and limped over to him, he cuffed my wrist and his own. I gasped in shock when he led me back to the toilet and pulled his penis out.
"You have got to be kidding me!" I said horrified, turning my head towards the door immediately.
I flinched and could feel my cheeks heating up at the sound of him relieving himself. This was a new creepy low for him. I heard the sound of his zipper and then felt a slight tug on my hand. Without a word, he handed me a tooth brush and I took the hint to brush my teeth. Edward squeezed some toothpaste onto the pink brush he handed me, and side-by-side, we scrubbed our teeth together. It really was refreshing to have a clean mouth. Once he was finished, he carried me back to the living room, placed me on the couch, and took the key out of his pocket to un-cuff himself. I wasn't all that surprised when he cuffed me to the arm rest of the couch. It wasn't like I was going to go anywhere and even if I tried he would be able to catch me quickly. Once I was cuffed to his liking, he took a pillow and propped my foot up before bringing me a bag of ice wrapped in a small hand towel.
I know when we were in the bedroom he said that we were going to eat, but my growling stomach reminded me that I hadn't received any food. Suddenly, Edward was back in front of me with a big bowl of cereal in hand. He sat down at the other end of the sofa, careful not to jostle my ankle. I watched as he fed himself spoonful after spoonful, never once offering me a bowl. As he continued to make satisfied noises, my hopes fell. It hit me then that he was waiting for me to ask for permission to eat, or to at least ask him for food. I was hungry, but I refused to ask for my food, and I just knew that was what he wanted. I groaned lightly and laid my head back against the cushion, doing my best to ignore him. If he wasn't going to give me any food, then I would escape him through death by starvation.
By noon I was going crazy. It was too quiet. The only time Edward talked to me was to demand that I say his stupid saying over and over again. I didn't understand what his obsession was with it, but I found myself saying it without thinking, and that scared me. He was getting to me and I didn't know how to stop it.
By mid-afternoon my voice was scratchy from lack of use and my lips were dry. I had to force my mouth to make extra saliva just to be able to continue telling him what he wanted to hear.
"You are my life now, Edward," I said scratchily for what felt like the hundredth time.
"Good Girl," he praised for the hundredth time as well. "Again."
"You are all I have."
I waited a beat for what I knew was coming.
"Excellent. And?" he asked, taking a drink of his ice water.
I licked my lips as I watched beads of water run down the outside of his glass.
"You are all I need," I whispered, watching as his Adam's apple bobbed as he drank heavily from the cup.
"Perfect, Little Girl," he praised, licking his lips and setting his cup down.
I couldn't take it any longer.
"May I have something to eat?" I blurted desperately.
Edward smirked at me and stood up from the couch.
"Sure," he said easily as he set off for the kitchen.
My bottom lip trembled and I rubbed my face with my hands, willing myself not to cry. I was hungry and overemotional right now, and that wasn't a very good combination. I gratefully took the glass of ice water from Edward with whispered thanks, chugging down its contents quickly. Once the water was gone, I set it on the table beside the sofa.
"So do I have to ask nicely for everything?" I questioned wearily.
"Wouldn't you anyway?" he countered.
I really hated it when people answered questions with a question. I didn't answer him. Instead we stared at each other and I was sitting down looking up at him expectantly.
"I don't have to make lunch for you," he said as I slouched into the couch. "Say it."
"Why? Do you get off by me saying that…whatever it is?" I asked.
"Say it," he said in a scary, sinister voice.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward," I said listlessly.
"Again, but mean it," he growled.
Fire suddenly coursed through my veins and I sat up. "You are all I have," I said throwing my hands in the air. "You are all I need," I shouted, emphasizing the word need. "You are my life now, Edward," I stated, throwing myself back to the couch dramatically.
"Do you think you're funny?" he asked with a chuckle.
"You think so," I retorted.
"That is enough!" he yelled as I jumped back. "Say it again, and if you say it any other way than what I want, you won't eat for days," he threatened, his voice taking on a whole new edge to it that I had never heard before.
I swallowed noisily and nodded my head; I was scared.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward," I whispered.
He scared me enough to say it the way he wanted, and I wasn't dumb enough to keep pressing his buttons. After saying it like I meant it, he decided to carry on a conversation with me like nothing had happened. At least I knew he could talk to me like a person.
"Ya know, I should be surprised that you didn't cry more with your hurt ankle," Edward said while he worked around the small kitchen, "but I'm not. You've always been ridiculously clumsy. A sprained ankle won't keep you down for long, though."
"May I sit at the table to eat?" I asked as he made his way to me.
He smiled at me as he picked me up from the sofa and placed me at the kitchen table. After I was seated, he placed food at the empty seat, but none in front of me. I was sure I would never understand anything he was doing. It never ceased to amaze me; I asked for permission to be set down at the table for lunch, and you would have thought that Edward just won the lottery or something. Ever since then he's had a wide smile plastered to his face, talking nonstop about how brave I've been. I knew that as long as I was polite to his standards, he would give me anything. I would have to keep that in mind. He sat at the table and I still didn't have any food in front of me.
"So," he started as he took a sip of his drink. "This how everything is going to go. If you want to eat, I will feed you after you have asked me to." I narrowed my eyes at him not understand what he was saying.
"Why?"
"Because this is how it is," he said simply. He started to eat as I started at him. I was too hungry to argue, so I asked for food. I thought I was going to cry so I started to talk.
"How did you know I was a clumsy person? Was it you that had been watching me?" I asked as we sat together at the small table.
"Your Father was a despicable man for ever laying a hand on you," Edward seethed. "But you didn't let that stop you from reaching your own goals in life. You're a straight A student, and your teachers all thought very highly of you," he praised.
I gave a slight jerk of my head, feeling uncomfortable with the turn in conversation.
"Was?" I mumbled. "Wait. How do you know all these things?"
He answered me without missing a beat. "I watched you, of course."
I felt my eyes well up with tears again. I knew I wasn't crazy. I knew that the feeling of someone watching me was real. I should have trusted my gut instinct.
"For how long?" I whispered, suddenly no longer hungry.
"A couple of months. Maybe a little longer," he said looking directly at me.
My mouth fell open. Months? That was even longer than I realized.
"Why?"
"Why what?" Edward asked, looking completely confused now.
"Why me?" I specified. "Why were you watching me?"
"Because you needed me."
"I was doing just fine on my own!" I yelled. "I didn't need you to stalk me and take me away."
Edward dropped his spoon and pointed his finger at me. "You are a very brave, very strong little girl," he agreed. "But you needed someone. You needed help."
"And you decided to play God and volunteer yourself as that someone?" I asked shakily.
"I decided to do what was right," he countered, picking the spoon back up. "Eat," he said shoving the spoon at my mouth.
"I'm not hungry," I grumbled, crossing my arms across my chest.
"Look, you've said it yourself," Edward said with a knowing smirk. "I am all you will ever need again. And you will have no reasons to want any longer. I will care for you and be your provider. You will have everything you could ever need with me."
My stomach sank and I didn't know what to think or feel anymore. I sat in the chair with my arms crossed over my stomach. I didn't want to eat, sleep, or use the bathroom with this man. This wasn't right. There was no way he was a police officer. A policeman was supposed to uphold the law, and this man was doing everything he could to break it.
"You need to eat," he said holding up a spoonful of soup.
"I'm not hungry," I repeated, swallowing hard.
I flinched reflexively as Edward stood up abruptly and walked to the edge of the table. He gripped the end of it in his hands and flipped the whole thing onto its side before I could even fully grasp that he had moved. I quickly moved from my chair and limped over to the couch, trying to get away from him. I couldn't stop the tears from falling, my breathing coming out in small pants as fear overtook my body.
"I'm sorry," I said quickly as he made his way to me. "Edward, I'm so sorry," I said as I tried to limp my way to the sofa.
"Why would you ask for something to eat and then not eat it?" he yelled, standing in front of me and blocking my path to the couch.
"I'm sorry," I said again through my tears.
I turned my back on him and as I did, his arms gripped me around the middle and he picked me up off the ground.
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," I sobbed over and over again, trying to get out of his grip.
He brought us back into the bedroom with me kicking and sobbing the whole way there. Once the door was shut behind us, he threw me down on the bed.
"Move and you will regret it," he said as his chest heaved up and down.
I watched in fear as he went over to a little desk in the corner of the room and pulled out a piece of paper. I didn't remove my eyes from his back as he wrote something down before turning to me.
"You're in for a treat when we get home."
"What?" I asked, not understanding what he meant.
"When we get home I have special plans for you," he said as my heart started to race. "You will have your own special place to serve out your punishments. These punishments will only be served at home. From here on out, when you are bad I will write it down, and when we get home you won't see daylight for a while. Hopefully you're a fast learner."
What did he mean by home? Were we not staying here in the cabin? Was home even here in Oregon? I cried into my hands, not even fully knowing what I was crying for. I was terrified in this moment of the unknown future. As I sat on the bed and cried, he left me in the room with the door open and I knew that at this point I would do anything to get away from him. I carefully got off the bed and limped to the door. I saw him pacing in the living room, pinching the bridge of his nose in what I knew was his sign of frustration. Knowing that this was probably my only chance, I made my way to the small and only window in the bedroom. My hands shook as I tried to open it, but it was painted shut. I cried as I pushed at the window desperately before looking around the room for something hard to break the glass with. I was cut short when an arm wrapped around my waist.
"You really can't wait to be home and in your special place, can you?" Edward asked icily before placing a quick kiss to my cheek.
I froze as his lips left my skin. My instincts were kicking in at full force, telling me to fight him with all I had left.
"Oh my God! You're going to rape me!" I screamed in terror.
For some reason that pissed him off even more, and he threw me back on the bed with a bounce. He gripped one of my wrists in his as my other hand went on the attack. My fingers dug into every inch of his skin that I could reach: pinching, hitting, and scratching wherever my fingers could find purchase.
"You really want to piss me off today!" he yelled, grabbing my other hand in his and cuffing both of my hands to the bed. "I'm done with you today."
I cried loudly, struggling against the cuffs as he got off the bed and went to add more to the list that he had made earlier. He had mentioned a special place for me and me alone, and I knew that wherever that special punishment place was, it would be better than being in the same room as him.
"I'm glad you think so little of me!" Edward said suddenly, standing at the end of the bed and glowering down on me. "If I was going to rape you, don't you think I would have done that last night? But don't worry; I won't have to rape you. When the time comes, you will be very willing."
With that, he turned off the light and left the room. Sobs overtook my body as I thought about what he had just said. What did he mean 'when the time comes'? Did that mean that he did plan on having sex with me? That thought only made me cry harder.
I would never be willing…never.
~~~~~…..~~~~~
I moaned into my pillow, pushing my head further into the fingers that were rubbing my scalp. I blinked the sleep from my eyes and looked up to see Edward looking down on me; his fingers paused in my hair.
"What are you doing?" I croaked.
"I brought you some fruit to snack on until dinner," Edward said as he resumed his rubbing.
He un-cuffed one of my wrists and then secured the cuff to the headboard. I sat up stiffly, maneuvering my shoulders around the handcuffs so I didn't pop anything out of place. I was surprised to see a plate of diced cheese and some fruit sitting at the end of the bed near Edward's knee. My stomach growled loudly then, reminding me that I hadn't eaten anything in almost twenty-four hours. I blushed and eyed the fruit longingly, licking my lips. A gesture that Edward didn't miss.
"What do I have to do for it?" I asked quietly, already knowing that I would give him what he wanted.
"Tell me what I want to hear," he replied, holding up a green grape between his fingertips.
This time I said those dreaded words with the feeling that I knew he wanted to hear. I said them without thinking twice, knowing that once they were out there, he would hold true to his word and would give me what I wanted - what I needed.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward," I whispered, licking my lips and holding out my hand palm up.
Not to my surprise, Edward shifted slightly closer to me so that our knees were touching as he held the grape up to my lips. I opened my mouth hesitantly and watched him closely as he gently placed the piece fruit on my tongue. I closed my eyes as the flavor exploded across my taste buds, the tart juice sliding down my throat. I was disappointed when it was gone, and opened my eyes to see Edward watching me intently.
"May I have another one, please?" I asked on instinct.
Edward's smile lit up the room as he grabbed a piece of cheese and held it out in front of my lips just like he had done with the grape. I opened my mouth again, wider this time, and kept my eyes on his as he placed it on my tongue. Our eyes remained on one another until the plate was empty; the only words spoken were when I would ask for more food. As soon as the fruit was gone, Edward gently un-cuffed me from the bed and picked me up bridal style, setting me down at the dining room table. No other words were spoken as he set the table. My stomach still rumbled from hunger, and as I wanted to dig in, but I knew he wasn't going to let me eat on my own. I looked across the table to see Edward staring at me intently, like he was trying to figure out a puzzle.
"May I please have some food?" I asked. It didn't hurt to try.
"No. I told you I would give you everything you need," he said as he started to feed me. I felt humiliated in a way, but I was too emotionally drained to argue.
"Thank you," I said sincerely as he continued to feed me.
Was this my life now? Was I ever going to have the happy life that I thought I deserved? Was that life going to be with Edward?
Hope you all are still hanging in with this crazy ride. Thanks so much for the reviews! We love them so much.
Thanks to the girls for all their help! See you next Monday!