Page 41 of Drama Queen

With that, he turns and leaves, locking the door behind him. Neither Anders nor I move until both sets of retreating steps are gone.

Anders grabs his tray and digs in, practically inhaling the fast food piled on the tray. Maybe they have been starving him. Maybe we’ve been here for days, but they have kept me fed somehow. I check my arms for needle wounds, but aside from some redness still around my wrists from the bonds, I can’t see any blemishes.

Nothing on the tray appears tampered with. A wrapped burrito, an apple, a small packet of salted chips, a bottle of orange juice, and another bottle of water.

I take a sniff of the burrito once it is open, but I can’t smell anything off. I dart my tongue out to taste the fillings, but nothing tastes strange. I don’t feel overly hungry, but I pick through the first half of the burrito before grabbing the apple and juice, then I shift back to sit cross-legged on the frame.

I look over at Anders, who has practically licked his tray clean during this time, and is eyeing off the other half of my burrito. I raise my eyebrows in question, and he nods vigorously, so I carefully wrap the half back up, and toss the burrito over to him. He catches it and barely gets the wrapping open before descending on it like a starved wolf.

I have had multiple meals with Anders over the last few months, and whilst he has never been shy about his appetite, I haveneverseen him consume this much food in one sitting, let alone so quickly. It has me on edge, and even more concerned about the amount of time we have been here. My mum must be losing her mind!

Sixteen

I finishmy apple and give my chips to Anders, who wolfs them down in one go. I offer him my second bottle of water as well, but he insists I keep it. When we have both eaten and drunk our fill, we settle onto the floor facing each other, leaning against our respective frames. I guess it’s time for our little talk.

“So . . .”

“Do you . . .”

We both laugh.

“Do you know what he wants?” Anders asks.

“That guy, he hasn’t asked for anything,” I hedge, knowing I need to tell him what is really going on, and how him being caught up in all this is my fault. But I haven’t worked out where to start yet, so I stall for a few moments before I begin.

“The man you saw... I don’t know him. I don’t think I have ever seen him before. He hasn’t given any indication of the specific motivation for us being brought here.”

“What about the other guy? Did he explain? If you can just give him what he wants, maybe he will let us go.” His voice rises with each question, though he is trying to still stay hushed. I can hear the panic coming through.

“He hasn’t told me what he wants from me yet, but I’m sure it’s coming.”

“What the hell does that mean? What did he tell you?”

“It’s not like that. He hasn’t said anything about where we are, or what he wants in order for us to leave. I genuinely have no clue what the actual fuck is going on here!”

As my voice raises, Anders turns to watch the door, like he thinks someone is listening or would come running from hearing our conversation.

“He must have said something, Aria,” he insists. “Influential people like him don’t just go around kidnapping their own daughters without a reason. Think! Tell me everything he told you and we can work it out together.” Anders’s voice is so desperate that it takes a moment for his words to sink in.

“I didn’t tell you there was another guy, Anders. Or that my father was behind this.”

His eyes snap to mine. “Aria, I . . .”

I wait. I wait for his assurance that I have misunderstood. I wait for the explanation that I am so sure is coming. Anders lowers his eyes to the floor, runs his hands through his hair, and takes a shaking breath. My heart sinks. I haven’t misunderstood at all. There will be no explanation. Anders knew my father was behind this.

I close my eyes against the shattering pain. I let my head fall back against the frame.

“When?” I ask.

“When, what?”

“Now is not the time to play me, Anders. When did you know who I was? Who I was to him, and him to me?”

His silence causes me to tilt my head back down to look at him. His eyes are still on the ground.

“Since before your first day,” he says eventually.

I go numb. The shock is too much to bear.

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