Page 22 of The Truth Between

“Freedom is an illusion… and the scales must be balanced,” I whispered to myself as unease flowed from every pore in my body. Being out of the basement and having the ability to move around more was great, but I was still confined to this building.

I assumed there were some sort of security measures in place that would prevent me from walking out the front door. After all, since I was a captive, allowing me to just waltz out of here wouldn’t do. But that didn’t mean I couldn’t try. It would take some time and some careful planning though.

With that thought, I turned on my heel and made my way to the en suite bathroom. I turned on the showerhead and watched as the water cascaded down the tiles for a moment. As I undressed and stepped into the shower, the steam from the hot water enveloped me, wiping my stress away temporarily. This shower was heavenly and would be the only good memory I would have of this godforsaken place. Plus, I didn’t have Soren staring at me this time.

Once I finished, I wrapped myself in a plush towel and returned to the bedroom. The air was cooler on my skin due to it being damp, so I quickly checked the drawers in the dresser for some clothes I could change into.

My mouth dropped open in shock when I opened the top drawer. It was full of underwear that were all my size. I opened the other drawers and then the closet, and I was truly flabbergasted. Everything from dresses to skirts and even blouses had been neatly arranged, I assumed for me.

For a brief moment, I wondered if these were Eden Marsden Grant’s clothes, but while we might have looked alike, I had no idea if we were the same size. My question was answered when I found clothing tags hanging from the garments, confirming that these pieces were brand new. Unless she’d never worn them before.

The closet also contained various shoes that I could wear, but I immediately grabbed a pair of slippers and placed them on my feet. After that, I grabbed a pair of sneakers and placed them near my bed in case I had to make a run for it quickly as my escape plan came together.

Much like the baseball bat I’d bought to protect myself, I didn’t know how much good it would do, but it provided a small level of comfort I couldn’t describe. And that was all I could count on at the moment.

As I dressed in a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, I couldn’t shake off the feeling of being watched. I scanned the room, but nothing stood out to me. Maybe it was just my imagination running wild.

I walked over to the desk and picked up the notebook that I had found earlier. Flipping through the pages, I realized it was brand new. Why was this in here? Was it for me to use?

It might come in handy for anything that I might find since I was without a phone or any other device. But I needed to be careful about what I wrote in case someone came across the notebook and read its contents.

As I closed the notebook, I heard a soft sound I thought came from the hallway. I turned my head to face the door, wondering if I would hear the sound again to confirm that I hadn’t been hearing things.

I walked slowly toward the door and pressed my ear against it, straining to hear anything. At first, there was nothing but silence. Then I heard the soft rustling noise once more. I shifted my body so my hand was hovering over the doorknob.

Taking a deep breath, I turned the doorknob and cautiously opened the door. The hallway was empty. I stepped out of the room and closed the door quietly behind me.

As I stood in the hallway, the hairs on the back of my neck stood up as I scanned the area for any signs of life. I took a step forward as my heart pounded in my chest. Every inch of my body told me to turn back, to go back into my room and lock the door. But I couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off, and I needed to investigate now.

I took a couple more steps and heard the soft rustling sound again, and I realized it was coming from a door diagonally across the hall from me. I had no business being interested in this door. This wasn’t my home. It was my prison. Yet my curiosity had me drawn to it.

I walked to the door and reached for the doorknob. I had a second to turn back and ignore what I’d heard, but when I heard it again, something within me told me that I couldn’t. The doorknob turned in my hand, but the door didn’t move.

It was locked. But why?

I jiggled the doorknob again, but it wouldn’t budge. It wasn’t weird that someone would have a locked room in their home, but for some reason, Soren having one raised even more red flags.

The door was solid, with no visible cracks or seams. I pressed my ear against it, hoping to hear something, anything, that would give me a clue about what lay beyond the door.

I knocked softly, half expecting some sort of response. But the only thing I got was silence.

With a final glance at the door, I turned away. I walked back to my room, but my thoughts stayed on the locked door that was across the hall from me. What else did Soren have to hide?

13

IRIS

The next morning, I didn’t want to open my eyes. There was no confusion about where I was or how I’d gotten here, but the thought of opening my eyes to view the world around me seemed to be more trouble than it was worth. The reality of me being forced to stay here surrounded me constantly. It had a choke hold on me that only seemed to grow tighter by the day.

But if I was looking at the positives, at least I’d been able to sleep in a very warm and comfortable bed for the night, helping with the soreness that seemed to be a permanent fixture in my body at this point. As I lay here, feeling torn between the urge to sink further into these blankets or confront whatever was going to happen next, a tear escaped, rolling down the curve of my cheek.

I could hear faint sounds in the distance, maybe coming from downstairs. It was probably Franklin moving around, doing his job. It was comforting in a way, knowing that there was at least someone else in this place, even if he barely spoke to me.

I sighed when I came to terms with the fact that staying in bed was useless. I opened my eyes and stared up at the ceiling. I couldn’t stay in bed forever, nor did I want to in this house. The room was mostly dark, with a sliver of light peeking through the heavy curtains that covered the windows.

Pushing back the comforter, I swung my legs over the side of the bed and allowed my feet to touch the cool, hard wooden floor. For a moment, I just sat there, collecting my thoughts, bracing myself for the day ahead.

I slowly stood up and walked over to the window. I pulled back the curtain just a little, letting in the warmth of the sunlight. For being a cold December day, the sun was bright, but the grounds that this mansion sat on still had a creepy feel to them, one that I couldn’t shake no matter how hard I tried.

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