Page 64 of Can You Take It?

“No, please, don’t make me go in there,” I plead.

“Calm down,” the lady officer says. “You’re safe now. We just need to get you inside.”

But I can’t go inside. This is a life-and-death situation for me. I’m not going down without a fight. I sink my teeth into the lady officer’s arm, hoping to break free, but she yells in pain and tightens her grip on me.

“Let me go!” I shout.

The officer winces and retaliates by sinking her nails into my skin, holding me down with a bruising grip. “Stop fighting and calm down!” she barks.

Desperation takes over, and I shout at the top of my lungs, “Please, anyone, help me!”

The head officer steps out of the car and starts moving toward the house. My heart sinks as I spot the man who has haunted my nightmares for so long. The fear of the consequences that await me inside that dreaded house is suffocating.

He then orders the lady officer to bring me out. Panic surges through me, and I attempt to distance myself from her. In my frenzy, I scoot away so violently that I inadvertently bang my head against the window. The pain is sharp, but it’s a minor concern compared to the torment I anticipate once I’m inside that house.

The lady officer pulls me out of the car and starts guiding me toward the ominous entrance of Montclair Manor. I continue to struggle, but it’s a losing battle.

I know that once I step inside, there’s no escape from the horrors that await. I cry out one last time, “Please, you can’t do this! Please, let me go!”

But it’s too late. The doors of Montclair Manor loom before me, and I’m dragged inside, leaving behind the world I had fought so hard to escape.

I find myself face to face with the man who claims to be my grandfather. More tears stream down my face, and I’m overwhelmed with a sense of impending doom. Desperationwells up within me, and I cry out to the head officer one more time, pleading with all the strength I can muster.

“Please, you have to believe me. He’s not my grandfather. Don’t leave me here, please!”

But the head officer merely addresses the man who calls himself Mr. Montclair. “We’re sorry it took so long to find her,” he says, pulling my arm and guiding me towards the entrance of Montclair Manor. I resist, struggling to break free from his grip, but it’s futile.

“No worries, I get it. Isla can be very difficult. I appreciate your efforts.”

I give one last, desperate look to the head officer, and for a fleeting moment, his eyes seem to waver. It’s as though he wants to believe me, to save me from whatever horrors lie within this house. But then, he turns and leaves, the heavy door swinging shut behind him.

“Please, please don’t leave me here!” I scream, but my pleas are silenced as Victor Montclair closes the door.

A wave of panic washes over me, and I begin to scream for help, my cries echoing through the grand foyer. “Someone, anyone, please help me! I don’t belong here!”

But there’s no one to hear my pleas. The grand doors remain closed, sealing my fate within Montclair Manor.

“Because you and I both know who the Ghostface striker is.”

Luna’s words hit me hard, snapping me out of my reverie, and I’m suddenly scared shitless. I gave that police statement years ago, never imagining her father would hold onto it. I never thought Luna would know everything, but now she does, and it feels like the ground has been ripped out from under me. I want to run, to get the hell away from what’s about to come, but it’s like my body feels paralyzed.

Just as Luna’s about to speak, the front door swings open, and Richard walks in. My heart sinks even further. Luna’s going totell him everything, and I’m about to face the consequences of my lies. I can almost picture the anger and disappointment in Richard’s eyes, and I know that this time, he won’t be fucking me with his gun; he’ll be loading me with bullets before I can get away. He’ll know I’ve been lying to him all this time, that I’m not the victim I claimed to be, but a culprit.

Every little secret I’ve tried to hide, the darkest parts of my past, the truth about who I really am – it’s all about to come crashing down around me, and there’s no way I can dodge the storm that’s about to swallow me whole.

“What happened?” he demands.

Luna turns to him and lies for my sake. “I just mentioned the pattern with which the Ghostface Striker is attacking.”

I’m utterly shocked by her lie. Why is she covering for me? What’s her game? Maybe Luna’s giving me a chance to explain myself later. I know I’ve got some explaining to do.

With Luna’s fabricated story hanging in the air, Richard does what he does best—takes charge. He pulls me into his protective embrace, and I lean into him without thinking. I’m keenly aware that I’m harboring the biggest secret of all, and it’s eating me alive.

“Why the hell would you tell all this to her?”

Luna offers a quick, apologetic glance in my direction. “I thought she had a right to know, given the circumstances.”

His grip tightens around me. “You didn’t have the right to.”

---