A loud crashing sound next to my head caused my eyes to snap open and my body to sit up straight reflexively. I scanned the area around me but could only see blackness with a tiny light shining near my feet. As my eyes adjusted, it all came back to me with a vengeance. The closet. My special place. Edward!
I jumped to my feet and winced as pain shot through every area of my body. My back hurt, my neck was stiff, and I had a horrible headache. My legs felt shaky as I locked my knees to keep myself from crashing back to the floor, and my arms were tingling from trying to wake up from sleeping at such a strange angle. He did it; he actually left me in the closet all night. I didn't really remember most of it, though I knew I screamed and yelled for what felt like hours, all to no avail. He either ignored my pleas or he simply didn't hear me. I even said the phrase that always made him happy with me, but that didn't work either. I kicked at the door until I couldn't find the strength anymore. The knob didn't budge either. I ended up exhausting myself to the point where I fell asleep propped up against the door.
My eyes were drawn down to the knob on the door as it rattled with force. I quickly backed away until my back hit the wall behind me, and squeezed my eyes tightly shut as the sun suddenly surrounded the tiny room.
"Do you have something to say to me?" Edward asked from somewhere in front of me.
I blinked against the light and breathed in deeply, willing myself not to cry in relief at the thought of finally getting out of the closet.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward," I said desperately, falling to my knees in front of him, my body shaking with sobs that I refused to release.
I kept my face buried in my hands, trying desperately to control my breathing. I felt rather than heard Edward bend down so that he was on my level.
"Sorry would have been enough, but that works, too," he said as I looked up at him. "Say it again."
I choked back a cry and took a deep breath.
"You are all I have," I whispered, my eyes filling with tears. "You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward."
A tear made its way down my cheek as Edward shook his head. "Don't say now anymore," he demanded. "Again."
I blinked in confusion for a moment, trying to understand what he wanted from me. I was hoping he would give me some indication of what he was expecting, but all he did was incline his head towards me, urging me to say what he wanted.
"You are all I have…" I said slowly. "You are all I need. You are my life, Edward," I said, praying that I had gotten that right.
Edward stood up suddenly, towering over me as I knelt frozen on my knees in front of him. Another tear slipped down my face as he crossed his arms. I didn't get it.
"Did I say something wrong?" I asked, my voice cracking.
"No," he said simply. "Do you like your special place?" he asked.
I shook my head back and forth quickly, more tears spilling out. Was he about to put me back in there?
"Why not?" he questioned, his tone even.
His last question caught me off guard and I lowered my head back into my hands. Was that the wrong answer? Was I supposed to like my 'special place'? I didn't know what to say.
"This closet was always too small for me to use," Edward said conversationally. "I'm glad it can finally fulfill its purpose."
I didn't say anything but my knees began to cramp up, and as I looked around, I saw that I was still in the doorway of the closet; it was the last place on Earth that I wanted to be right now.
"May I come out?" I asked, knowing I didn't want to spend another minute in this spot.
"No," he said as I instantly started to cry. "You were very bad while we were in the cabin. Why should I let you out?"
"Please?" I begged, looking up at him and beseeching him with my eyes, not caring how desperate I was sure I looked. "You made me sleep in a closet! Who does that to another human being?"
"Are you giving me an attitude?" he asked, cocking his eyebrow.
"Yes! No! I don't know," I said, palming my face with my hand. "You don't lock a person in the closet."
I heard Edward hum noncommittally and I knew that there was no way to win this war.
"I don't think you have learned your lesson," he said as I quickly grabbed ahold of the doorframe. He was not shutting me in again. Not without a fight this time.
"What you are doing is wrong!" I screamed, pushing my back into his chest, so that he couldn't push me in.
"Say it," he hissed, his breath hot on my ear.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life now, Edward!" I yelled, still pushing against him.
"Beep! Wrong," he said, giving a final push that sent me stumbling back into the closet.
I turned around just as he slammed the door shut behind me.
"I didn't say shit wrong! I hate you so much! I would rather die than be with you! I would rather live my whole life with my father than be with you!" I screamed through the door, banging against the wood with my fists.
I kicked the door a few more times before I sat back down on the floor, crying harder than I could ever remember doing in my life.
I had no idea how long I was left in the closet this time around, but I knew I wanted out. Every once in a while I would kick the door, but it did nothing other than give me a sore foot. After my anger wore off a bit and my adrenaline crashed, I began to finally think rationally. I needed to find a way to get help. Maybe Charlie would report me missing? No. I couldn't afford to think that way. I couldn't rely on anyone else to get me out of this situation. Charlie would probably just report me as a runaway. There would be no help there.
If I could just get him to let me outside, I would run and not stop. I was stupid when we were at the gas station; I should have screamed or done something. No one gave a rat's ass about me, so why should I have cared about the fate of the strange woman at the gas station? I couldn't worry about other people anymore; I was my number one.
Picking myself off the floor and trying the knob one more time, I dusted myself off and submitted myself to the idea that I had to play by his rules if I ever wanted to get out of the closet.
"Edward?" I yelled, putting my mouth against the door. "Are you out there? May I please come out? I really need to use the bathroom," I said as I leaned my ear against the wood, hoping to hear footsteps or something to indicate that he was nearby.
"Please?" I called. "I promise I'll be good."
"Say it," his voice demanded right next to my ear.
I jumped back in surprise but quickly pushed myself against the door again. I took a deep, cleansing breath before reciting the phrase that he loved to hear.
"You are all I have," I said against the wood. "You are all I need. You are my life, Edward," I repeated, being extra sure to leave off the 'now' this time like he requested.
"Again," he demanded.
I glared at the door, thankful that he couldn't see through it. I already knew that this was going to be a mind-numbing day. After repeating the phrase ten times, I felt like I was going slightly crazy. The words flowed from my mouth flawlessly; the emotion built behind them rang true. And for a moment, even I believed them.
The sound of a key entering the lock made me flinch, but I quickly stepped back and waited for the door to open. I mentally ran through a list of what to do and what not to do to keep myself in check.
Do as he says and don't argue with him. Remember that there is no 'now' after life. Smile. Act grateful.
Well at least the last one shouldn't give me any issues.
As the door opened, Edward was standing there with an expectant look on his face. He held out his hand, bringing my attention to a white bar of Dove soap. It looked new, like he had just taken it out of the package. He pushed his hand out further without saying a word and I silently took his offering, having no idea what he expected me to do with a bar of soap. Then he grabbed my wrist and walked us out of the bedroom and into the room next door: the bathroom. He walked us over to the sink and grabbed the soap from me, holding it up to my mouth. I flinched away, only to be stopped abruptly as his other hand went around my neck, holding my head in place.
"Bite it," he said as I covered my mouth with my hands immediately.
"Why?" I asked through my fingers, my eyes filling with tears.
"You swore," he replied easily.
I looked at him for a couple of seconds, begging him with my eyes to show me that was just one of his sick jokes…but his lips remained pressed in a tight line and his eyes continued to narrow. He was very serious. He wanted me to eat the soap. I gulped and moved my hands down to my sides. I was pretty sure I could handle some soap in my mouth; it was just not something I had been subjected to before. I opened my mouth and leaned forward, trying to take a small nibble of the bar, but Edward was having none of that. Before I could react, he had the bar shoved inside my mouth.
I gagged around the soap and tried to wiggle free from his grasp, but Edward only tightened his hold on me, forcing the bar further down my throat.
"Bite down," he growled as tears slipped from my eyes and onto the countertop.
I did as he said and felt my teeth slice into the soap like it was butter. The taste was revolting, and I could feel the flakes of soap getting caught in between my teeth. It would take me a long time to get all the soap and the flavor out of my mouth. When he finally pulled the soap out, I threw up in the sink.
"Water...may I have some water?" I asked when my gagging momentarily ceased.
"No," he said, gathering my hair in his hands and holding it out of the way.
He held my hair in one hand and rubbed the back of my neck with his other. His gesture might have actually meant something to me if he hadn't been the one to cause me to vomit in the first place.
"Please, Edward," I begged. "I will never swear again."
I cried as the taste seemed to multiply around my taste buds, causing me to dry heave.
Once I managed to get my stomach somewhat under control, I stood up straight, feeling Edward's hands drop from around my neck and hair, to graze his fingers down my back.
"Use the toilet," he said, stepping aside so I could scoot past him.
I did my best to keep my tongue pressed to the bottom of my mouth in order to keep from tasting the soap more than what was necessary. I emptied my bladder quickly in hopes that I could brush my teeth afterwards. He turned the water on for me, and I automatically washed my hands, looking to him for instruction as I finished.
"You may brush your teeth, Baby," he said, smiling at me like I was being rewarded.
I couldn't help the smile that I gave him in return as I reached out for the toothbrush. I was so happy for this little pleasure that I swear I could have hugged him at that moment. I quickly and efficiently scrubbed my teeth, overjoyed when the soap taste was out of my mouth.
"Thank you," I said, setting my toothbrush down and turning toward him once more.
"I want to show you something," he said, taking my hand once again and guiding us out of the bathroom.
He brought us back to the bedroom, and now that the room was lit up, my eyes wandered around my new surroundings. There was a king-sized bed sitting in the middle of the room, with a side table on the left that had a lamp and a couple of books on top of it. There was a dresser on the wall next to the closet I was kept in, along with two other closed doors.
"What's there?" I asked, pointing to the doors.
"A walk-closet in one and another bathroom in the other," Edward replied without looking.
Overall, the room was nice with tan walls and darker colors on the bed and curtains. About what you could expect from a man, I would guess.
At the foot of the bed there was a trunk, though, in which Edward was now sitting on, looking at me while patting his thigh.
Was he expecting me to sit on his lap?
"I want you to place yourself over my knees," he instructed as if he was reading my thoughts.
My mouth popped open, and I'm sure I looked like a fish as I gaped at him. He couldn't be serious.
"You can of course go back into the closet, instead," he offered, moving as if to get up.
"No!" I blurted, slapping a hand over my mouth. "I mean…that's alright."
I took a step forward and saw Edward sit back on the trunk, his knees at a ninety degree angle. I had to will myself to place one foot in front of the other and take those last three steps until I was near his feet.
"Over my lap, on your stomach," he reminded me.
I had a gut feeling of what was coming, but I prayed I was wrong.
"What are you doing?" I asked, my voice cracking in fear.
My hands were resting on the leather in front of me, and I was twisting my back and neck, trying to get a good look at him. His eyes met mine, and I saw no pity or remorse, or anything showing me that he was capable of being a decent human being. I only saw pure determination.
"You are getting a spanking," he replied coldly. "You have disobeyed me, talked back on numerous occasions, and have been acting very ungrateful toward me."
With that, his hand came down onto my covered bottom, a loud slapping sound penetrating the air. I screamed, more in shock than pain, but all Edward did was push on my back with his forearm, forcing me to lean down further before delivering another blow to my behind.
"Shi-!" I screamed again, only to be cut off as his palm connected harder than ever.
"You really liked that soap, huh?" he goaded as his hand connected with my ass once more.
I pursed my lips and forced myself to breathe through my nose. It would only make things a million times worse if I swore out loud. I was lucky I hadn't.
"No," I cried, burying my face in my hands.
He then delivered three sharp slaps in quick succession before using the same hand to rub out the sting. My mind was spinning and my emotions were out of control. My bottom hurt, but it didn't hurt as bad as I thought it would. That didn't stop me from crying, though, as I lay draped over Edward's lap with him rubbing my bottom, making shushing noises like he was trying to comfort a distraught child.
I didn't like being spanked like a child. I had never been spanked in my entire life, and I felt my cheeks heat up in horror. I think more than anything, he was trying to humiliate me. I felt myself being pulled up, and lowered my head as he had me stand in between his legs, his hands resting on my hips. I kept my arms crossed over my chest as he used his finger to tilt my head up so that I was looking him in the eyes. His eyes searched mine for a moment, like he was waiting for me to throw a fit; I wasn't that stupid, though.
"You are my girlfriend and we met while I was away at training. You came with me willingly," he said, continuing with where the conversation had left off in the car. "The man you left behind beat you for no reason. He made you bleed. He bruised you when you did nothing wrong. You cooked and cleaned and all he did was hit, punch, and kick the shit out of you. You are a good girl, and family members don't beat the ones they love," he continued on as I looked down.
He was being a hypocrite. Did he not just take his hand to me?
"What I do is discipline," he said, reading my mind yet again. "I am teaching you a lesson. There is a difference between discipline and abuse. Are you ever going to swear again?" he asked.
I shook my head no as I wiped the last of my tears away, and knew that I was telling the truth. Charlie used to beat me for my swear words, so I was used to being on guard in that aspect anyway. It looked like things with Edward would be no different. I escaped one monster only to be thrown into another one's lair.
"Good," he said with a nod. "Then lesson learned and I shouldn't have to do it again. Now we are going to go over your rules and what I expect from you, and after this talk, if you do break a rule or are out of line in any way, you will get a spanking. Depending on the infraction, you may spend some time in your closet, too. Do you understand?" he asked, lifting my chin again so he could see my face.
I nodded slowly as he smiled. Basically, once the ground rules were set, every one that was broken would lead to a spanking as punishment.
But then…
"Why did I get a spanking if I had already spent the night in the closet?" I blurted, confused more than ever.
"For your attitude at the cabin," he replied without missing a beat. "Four things will get you into trouble here." He continued on like I hadn't interrupted him. "Talking about your past, swearing, throwing fits, and not obeying me. The punishment will depend on the infraction. Using swear words will always get you a mouth full of soap and possible closet time and a spanking. Anything other than that will be either closet time or a spanking, depending on my mood. Do you understand me?"
Again I nodded hesitantly; there really wasn't anything I could say. No matter what, at the end of the day he was bigger and stronger, and he had the added advantage of knowing how to get out of this house. All I could do was play by his rules until an opportunity to escape arose.
"Say it," he said, standing up and looking down on me.
"You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life, Edward," I whispered.
"Do you have any questions?" he asked one last time.
I shook my head no, my eyes never leaving his.
"I'm all you have in this world," he said gently, running his fingers through my hair, his eyes looking into mine tenderly. "I'm your best friend and you can tell or ask me anything."
I nodded and licked my dry lips. Friend? Is this how friends treated each other? I wouldn't know. I had never had a friend before, and the thought of having one now stirred a longing inside me that I didn't even know existed. I knew he was waiting for me to speak, but there was nothing I could say that wouldn't end in a punishment of some sort.
"You have nothing to say?" he questioned, obviously disappointed.
I shook my head again. My best bet was to remain silent at this point. He chuckled and then nodded his head in return before taking my hand in his and rubbing the backs of my knuckles.
"Your father didn't love you," he said bluntly, holding up his hand when I opened my mouth to protest. "A father does not raise his hand to his child, no matter what. A father who loves their daughter doesn't sneak into her room late at night and get his jollies off by watching her sleep. A father doesn't ask his buddy to take you off his hands. A spanking is a form of discipline. A punch to the jaw is a form of abuse. Plain and simple. I have seen firsthand the abuse that you have suffered at the hands of your 'father' and I wasn't going to sit back and let it continue."
My palms were becoming sweaty and my breathing was picking up speed. My father did what? I thought I was going to be sick. Edward had witnessed what my father did to me? He had seen my shame with his own eyes? Tears pricked the corners of my eyes as blood pooled in my cheeks. I was embarrassed that my captor saw me get knocked around by my father. How fucked up was that?
"There's no reason for tears," he whispered, wiping them away with his thumbs before they could fall. "Family doesn't treat the ones they love the way your father treated you. Do you understand that?" he asked, willing me with his dark green eyes to believe him.
I knew what Charlie was doing was wrong, but I thought that I deserved what I got. I thought that it was God's way of punishing me for not being good. I thought that every kid got smacked around at least once in a while, if not all the time like me.
"You didn't deserve to be abused," he said, wrapping his arms around me as the tears flowed freely. "You deserve a life free from him. He was not your family. He didn't have your best interests at heart, but I do, Bella," he said, pulling back so that he could look at me once more.
"I love you, and I know what's best for you. Everything I do, I do out of love for you. Every punishment you get will be done out of love. Did Charlie ever tell you that he loved you?" he questioned.
I shook my head no again as a sob broke free, and I pulled Edward back to me, wrapping my arms back around his waist.
"Because he didn't love you," Edward insisted. "Because, to him, you weren't worthy of his love. But you are worthy of mine. I will take care of you. I will have your best interests at heart, and I know what's good for you, Sweet Girl," he said, rubbing his hands through my hair and down my back, soothing me in his own way.
"You are so strong, and so very brave, but you don't have to be alone any longer," he said firmly. "You will be taken care of and cherished, but you have to obey. You have to learn your rules and live by them daily. You have to know that I only want what's best for you. Do you understand?" he asked.
I looked into his eyes and saw so many emotions that I couldn't place swimming in them. They were warm and open, like he was willing me to see into his soul. Eyes that were the complete opposite of Charlie's.
"I understand," I whispered.
"Charlie never loved you," he repeated. "Say it."
I blinked as another tear fell down my cheek. I didn't want to say it. Even though he was right, I didn't want to say it and give in. I didn't want to admit it.
"Charlie didn't love me," I whispered brokenly.
"You didn't deserve to be abused," he stated, nodding his head to me to repeat.
Tears continued to fall and I kept my eyes closed as I repeated the words that had haunted my very soul for so many years.
"I didn't deserve to be abused."
"I want what's best for you," he added, gripping my hands in his.
I opened my eyes to see Edward leaning into me, his forehead almost touching my own.
"Say it," he whispered.
"You only want what's best for me," I repeated shakily.
This was so much to wrap my mind around that I could feel my brain slowly shutting down.
"I love you, Bella."
His eyes spoke volumes, and Edward was looking at me in a way that Charlie never once had. Was it possible?
"You love me," I repeated.
He wrapped his arms around me again, and I found my own arms immediately drawn to his back, clinging to his shirt. We stayed that way for a few minutes until my cries quieted down. This was just too much information for me right now. After another few minutes, I finally stopped crying, pulling away from him and drying my eyes with the palms of my hands.
"Are you hungry?" he asked gently, allowing me to pull away slightly, yet still keeping his hands on my hips.
I nodded and gave him a tiny smile in return as he led us from the bedroom and down the stairs. Once we were in the dining room, he set me in one of the chairs and made his way to the fridge, grabbing a box of cereal, a bowl, and the milk.
"We are going to have a great life together," he said as he poured the ingredients into the big, blue bowl.
It didn't escape my notice that he once again only poured a single bowl. That meant that he would still be feeding me, and that I was more than likely expected to ask for my food as well. I didn't respond as he sat down at the table right next to me, setting the bowl in front of him. Between spending the night in the closet, throwing up what little food I had in my stomach after the soap incident, my spanking, and the revelation that he gave me, I was suddenly starving and I wasn't surprised.
"May I have some, please?" I asked, licking my dry lips.
Edward's face immediately lit up with a smile as he nodded his head. He took a couple of bites for himself as I waited for him to feed me. I was so hungry, but I knew saying something would get me nowhere. I hated that he fed me, but I was still grateful for the food that I received. Edward pulled my chair over to his so that our legs were touching before picking up the spoon and bringing it to my mouth carefully. I wrapped my lips around the spoon, savoring the taste of the cereal. It felt like I hadn't eaten in a very long time. He pulled the spoon away to bring it back to the bowl before bringing it to my mouth once more. As he did that over and over, not once taking a bite for himself, I began to feel guilty. I hated feeling that way, telling myself that I should have had my own bowl, but now, with him feeding me the way he was, I felt selfish for wanting more.
"I'm full," I said after eating several more bites.
Edward looked surprised at that as his head snapped up.
"Are you sure? You really haven't eaten enough," he said, offering me another bite.
"My stomach is starting to hurt."
Edward shrugged and continued to finish off the bowl. Once he was done, I stood to take the empty bowl to the sink, but he stood up, pointed back to my chair, and walked to the sink without saying a word. I watched as he worked his way around the kitchen, surprised when he rinsed the bowl and placed it in the dishwasher instead of just leaving it in the sink the way Charlie always did.
"Um…I'm good at cleaning. I can pull my own weight around here," I said before biting my tongue.
Why would I say that?
"I know, Baby, you'll be doing it soon enough," he said, giving me a smile.
I didn't understand why I was feeding his delusion. I knew I was going to be compliant so I could get out, but offering to clean was a little extreme.
As soon as Edward had loaded the dishwasher, wiped down the counters and tabletop, he sat back down beside me.
"Make a list off all the classes you were taking," he said, handing me a piece of paper.
I furrowed my brows but did as I was told. When I was done, he looked over the paper and nodded.
"Let's get today started," he said before standing up.
"May I have a drink first?" I asked hesitantly. Was it wrong to ask for something when he obviously had something planned for us first?
I waited for his reprimand or a thump to the head, but nothing came. Instead, he simply handed me his coffee mug and pushed in his chair. I still didn't understand why I had to eat and drink after him; it was a little weird. Was it a fetish of his? I'd remind myself to ask him about it later…he did say I could ask him anything. I wrinkled my nose as the smell of coffee reached my senses. I hated coffee. If I wasn't desperate, I wouldn't even stoop to this level. As soon as the coffee hit my tongue, I swallowed and hoped I wouldn't taste it too much, but I wasn't going to complain. At least it was something to drink.
"I took a three week vacation from work," Edward said, leading us through the living room. "I haven't taken time off in ten years, so they had no problem with me taking it. I told all my buddies about you, and they are just happy I found someone to settle down with. Anyway, for the next three weeks, we will be on a strict schedule, but I'll go over that in a minute."
I gaped at Edward's back as he talked without seeming to even take a breath. As we moved out of the living room, we came to a small hallway that had a closed door on each side, and then another closed door at the very end. It looked to be an add-on. Edward didn't seem to be in the mood for a tour though, as he opened up the door on the right, leading us into a rather large room. Right away, my eyes were drawn to a big desk in the middle, in front of a window. The wall to the right of the desk was a bookshelf that went from the floor to the ceiling, every inch filled with books. On the left was a unique looking lamp, and in front of that was a little table that pulled out from the desk with a chair in front of it. It was the same height as the big desk, but only took up a small space in the middle.
Without missing a step, Edward made his way over to the big part of the desk and took a seat, gesturing for me to do the same. His eyes never left mine and he smiled as I sat down tentatively next to him at the smaller desk.
Once seated, I glanced quickly around me and noticed a small, plush couch to my left. That had to be more comfortable than this desk, I thought wryly.
"I'm a very strict man, and like to be on a schedule as much as possible. I feel like you will thrive better on a schedule, as well," Edward began, his head resting on his hand that was propped up by his elbow. He leaned toward me and I tried not to shy away. "As long as you can behave, this is how our day will go: we will get up and shower before eating breakfast. I'm going to home school you for the rest of the year, so after breakfast, we will come in here for three hours while we finish your school work. As long as we keep to a set curriculum, we should finish your year within the next three weeks. After your school is done, we will settle in for lunch before we start on our daily chores. For the next couple of weeks, I'll be here with you at all times to help you adjust and to show you what I expect of you once I start back to work."
He paused to look at me then, and all I could do was sit there, stunned. He just discussed half of our day with every hour planned out. Was that normal?
"We will be working on our relationship as well. After your chores are done, you will have an hour of free time to spend however you like while I do some work from home. Then we will continue on with whatever lessons you still need before cooking dinner together, eating, and then retiring to our room for the night. You will have more freedom here than you did at the cabin. There is no way you can get out of this house without my help, so please don't even try," he said.
"Any questions or concerns before we begin your school for today?" he asked, shuffling some papers around on his desk.
Too stunned to even form a coherent thought, I shook my head no.
"Very well," he said, reaching forward and placing a sheet of paper in front of me.
"What's this?" I asked, looking down after taking the offered pencil from him.
"That is your school work for today. You may not know everything, but I want to see how much you do know and how far you are into your school year," he said. "You have all day, so don't rush."
I looked down and my palms became sweaty. I flipped through the pages and immediately became overwhelmed. There were six pages, front and back, and then it seemed like the room was too quiet. Edward was sitting next to me working on his computer, so the only noise was the clicking of the keyboard. The test was very difficult, even for me, and at one point I laid my head down. I was frustrated and I wanted to cry again.
I jumped in surprise as I felt Edward's hand rubbing the back of my head.
"Say it," he whispered.
I kept my head down, but turned it to the side so that he could hear me. "You are all I have. You are all I need. You are my life, Edward," I said obediently.
"Good Girl," he praised, running his hand over the back of my hair one last time before resuming to his work.
"Don't get frustrated," he said gently. "I just need to see where you're at. If you don't know something, then skip it and maybe it will come to you later. Just keep going," he advised.
I picked up my pencil and looked back down at the test.
"It's too quiet in here," I whispered, looking up to see if I had upset him.
"I'm all you need to distract you, Bella," he replied. "You don't need anything else."
I nodded my head and went back to work. I couldn't tell how much time had passed since there wasn't a clock anywhere that I could see, but after a little while longer of just sitting and working, I became thirsty.
"May I have a drink?" I asked quietly, breaking the silence.
He looked down into his coffee mug and grimaced. "I'll be right back," he said, leaving the room to get more.
I was completely shocked that he left me in the room alone. The shock quickly wore off as I stood and went to the window. I pulled and pushed and pressed against the glass to no avail. Once again there was no way out. Fearing that he would return at any second, I turned and searched his desk desperately. I saw a phone and picked it up, but there was no dial tone. I tried the computer, but he had locked it and it required a password to start it up again. To my right, I noticed a television that I hadn't seen earlier mounted onto the wall with the remote sitting right beside the computer. Knowing it was my last chance, I clicked the power button, only to still be staring at a black screen. I didn't have time to figure out why it wouldn't come on as I heard Edward's steps coming towards the office. I quickly sat back down and continued with the test, willing my breathing to calm down. He walked in and handed me the coffee mug, which I accepted with a half-smile. If he knew I was snooping, he didn't mention it.
The test took me hours, and my head hurt by the end of it. I double checked over the parts I didn't know before, and handed Edward the finished product. He said nothing to me as he went over it, but I remained in my seat, instinctually knowing that I wouldn't be allowed to leave right now. My hands twisted in my lap as I waited to hear how I did, but instead of saying anything, he simply stood up and gestured for me to lead the way out of the study room.
I stood and reached my arms above my head, stretching out my stiff back. I groaned in relief as my back popped numerous times, blushing when Edward chuckled.
"Feel better?" he asked.
"Much," I replied. "Maybe next time we can take some breaks in between?" I suggested, questioningly.
One thing I was slowly learning from my time with Edward was that asking for things or permission usually made him happy. And when Edward was happy, he had a tendency to give me what I asked for. He wasn't completely unreasonable, I noticed. As soon as we were in the living room, I turned back to Edward to see where he expected me to go. I sat hesitantly beside him on the couch, and flinched as he turned to face me suddenly.
"I have something to show you," he said, "and then if you have any questions, you can ask them before we have lunch."
I watched as he stood up and brought out a large poster board that was decorated like a chart with kittens and puppies as the background theme of it. It looked like something you would use to help a child remember their chores…though the kittens were very cute. My immediate thought was that I liked it, but I quickly squashed that thought down and frowned. I didn't need to be liking anything here, yet this afternoon had been one of the nicest I had in a long time. There was no yelling, no hitting, no degrading, no running through the halls of a lifeless school to get to a class on time…there was just Edward and myself, sitting quietly in a room together while I worked on school work without other kids my own age to disrupt me or throw things at me. I didn't even realize it then, but I was actually calm throughout my time in his study, some part of my mind trusting Edward not to hurt me. And those were dangerous thoughts to have.
"I don't understand," I said.
"This is your very own chart," Edward began, setting it back down beside the couch and taking his place beside me once more. "It has a place for your chores, your attitude, and your behavior. For every day that you do your chores without a reminder, watch your attitude, and are on your best behavior, you will get a gold star in each section," he said, pointing to the sections he was referring to. "At the end of each week, if you have all gold star stickers, then you get a reward of your choice. If not, then we will add up your punishments. Do you understand?"
My voice cracked as I began to ask the question that I wasn't sure I wanted the answer to. "What do you mean a reward of my choice?"
Edward smiled and rubbed his hand against my cheek, causing the blood to rush to my face.
"I will have three rewards for you to choose from, and you can choose whichever one you want most at that time. They'll change up from week to week," he explained.
The walls felt like they were closing in and I had to force myself to breathe in through my nose and out through my mouth. I closed my eyes and cried tears of fear and frustration, with no one to bear witness to them.
Soap and vomit ran out of my mouth as tears flowed from my eyes. In that moment, I looked into the mirror and saw Edward looking at me, his eyes cold and hard, with no remorse for what he was putting me through.
Not even wanting my mind to drift back to the spanking, my eyes filled with tears and I buried my head in my hands. It was too much, too soon, and there were too many conflicting emotions. I didn't know how to handle it. I didn't know how to handle him.
"Why are you crying?" Edward asked, rubbing my back.
"It's too much," I hiccupped, "and I'm so tired."
I felt my body physically get smaller as I hunched over, my eyes refusing to open again.
"How about a nap?" Edward asked.
A nap sounded heavenly. It sounded like my chance to escape this nightmare in the only way my body knew how.
"Yes, please," I whispered, still sobbing.
My eyes snapped open as I felt my body being lifted from the couch, my arms immediately wrapping around Edward's neck as he carried me up the stairs. His spicy, cinnamon-y scent washed over me, and the last thing I remembered was the coldness of the cuff as he tightened it around my wrist before the soft clicking sound of the door closed behind him.
So, I'm just saying that if you think this chapter was bad and you couldn't handle it, you may not want to read the next couple of chapters. They are a little rough but after that they get better...well as better as this story is going to get. This will be a hea maybe not the fairytale ending, but Edward and Bella will end up together!
Thanks for all the reviews! We love them so much! Thanks to Kasi and Sally for all the hard work that give! Also, thanks to any of you that voted for Hardtail Curve winning Kasi and I the best cockblock award! It is up on jessandtat if anyone of you would like to read it!