Page 6 of Hunted Temptation
The house phone on the wall rings, and I inwardly roll my eyes because I know exactly who is on the other end of the line. Walking over, I reach for the handle, picking it up and placing it against my ear.
I’m not allowed to have a cell phone, and I’m not allowed to go anywhere without my father’s consent, so he knows where and how to reach me—always.
“Hello?”
“Tomorrow is going to be a busy day for you. Rest up.”
Closing my eyes slowly, I let out a long exhale. I don’t tell him that I don’t want to do it, even though every fiber of my being is screaming no. I don’t want to rest up. I don’t want a busy day. I want to vanish from here and never, not ever, come back.
“Okay,” I say.
He snorts, as if my response amuses him. I’m sure to a degree it does. He feels as if he’s broken me, and he loves that. Any time I say something that he doesn’t anticipate, he sees that as defiance and insubordination. Which in turn makes breaking me even more of a challenge. Which he loves.
“I’ll be home in the morning with instructions.”
The call ends, the line is dead, and I hang up the receiver. I look at the plate of food that I had started preparing, but suddenly don’t feel hungry anymore. Instead of finishing my meal, which was a meat, cheese, and vegetable plate with a side of several different types of chocolate bars, I put everything away.
Lying down on the sofa, I reach for the remote control and turn on the television as I bring my knees to my chest. I try not to think about what my father has planned for tomorrow, but unfortunately, it’s all I can think about, which I’m sure was his intention.
I turn on a movie and stare straight ahead, not even taking in a moment of what’s playing in front of me. Tears fill my eyes, and instead of biting them back, I let them fall. The realization of what is to become of me finally slams into me.
I’m stuck here. There isn’t going to be a college. There isn’t going to be freedom. I’m eighteen, and it hasn’t ended.
It’s never going to.
This is my life.
This is my future.
Chapter Two
ELODIE
A noise wakes me up.My eyes widen, but I don’t move. I fell asleep on the couch. The movie I had been watching is over, and the app I had been watching it on has timed out, so there is only a blank screen in front of me.
Pushing myself up to sitting, I scan the dark living room, trying to find the source of the sound. As I take in my surroundings, something causes me to pause. The house seems too still.
But there is no source of what woke me up.
I’m met with nothing but silence. Placing my feet flat on the floor, I stand. As I make my way to bed, I turn everything off in the house. I’m still a bit unnerved, even though I’m not sure if I heard a noise or if I dreamed it.
Sliding between my sheets, I lie back on the pillow, staring at the dark ceiling as I try to fall asleep… but sleep evades me. My body feels almost like it’s humming, and I’m not quite sure why.
It feels as if I’m on the precipice of something big, ready to tumble over into a whole new life or adventure. I know that can’tbe right. Shaking it off, I decide it’s just anxiety and general upset about college... about my future.
Sitting up again, I throw my legs over the side of my bed and stand. I walk over to the window to look out at the sidewalk. I don’t really see anything other than the darkness of the street in front of me.
But then something causes me to pause.
It catches my attention.
There is a light on in the house across the street. The upstairs bedroom light is on, and there is a shadow. I can’t make out from this distance if it’s a man or a woman, especially in the dark, but since I’ve never seen a person over there before, ever, I’m surprised.
Lifting my hand, I place my palm against the window, wondering who could be there and why. The house is a short-term rental, but I’ve never actually noticed anyone renting it before.
I wish I could fly over to that house and hide.Vanish.Disappear. I wish, among all wishes, that I could be in that house. That I could walk away from this life and walk into whatever that one is across the street.
I wouldn’t even care what it entailed. I would embrace it. I can’t imagine life would be any worse there than it is here. I know you’re not supposed to think of the grass being greener on the other side, but the grass I’m standing in is black and moldy.
