The Good Girl (6 page)

“Grandma is going to come get you, we have to make sure you are all clean for her.” Grandma? Why was grandma coming? Didn’t Mommy wanna spend any time with me? I am her good girl.

When I came to, I was wrapped in a towel crying on the bathroom floor and the green eyed man was just looking at me. His stare was pure pity, before he turned and walked out of the bathroom without another fucking word.

I shuddered despite the warmth of the terry cloth towel because, once again, I was left alone with my demons.

Chapter Eight

~ Gabriel ~

I locked her in the room after she blacked out. Unable to deal with whatever nightmares she was reliving, I sought out the vacancy of the living room, the loneliness of a house too large for one family - much less one man. I couldn’t help staring at her in the bathroom – the flesh of her hips and breasts – the ink that made her like a living piece of art. I focused on the angel on her leg. It bothered me. I wanted to know why she wanted that particular image permanently marked on her body.

When I pulled her out, she panicked almost immediately. Her reaction was a surprise because I hadn’t done anything but touch a towel to her skin. Her eyes were empty, her body trembled and then she cried for a woman I knew was no longer alive to answer her calls. Why did she hold onto two people who chose drugs over her? Why did she cry for someone that did nothing but hurt and disappoint her?

And how could she live so fully when the only family she’d known had deserted her?

It was a mask – I knew that. But it was still something. I had nothing – no drive, no happiness, no hope – no soul. If it wasn’t for the money my parents left behind, I’d probably be homeless or dead. Life was monotonous and routine. My inability to live was one of the reasons I admired infamous men. Not for their rage, but for their capacity to break the pattern, to do something natural to them instead of acting like a pet monkey to society.

I didn’t admire their violence, but I did admire thinking outside of the box. A girl like Eleni – she was almost always stepping outside of those four socially acceptable walls. In fact, it was better to say she barely stepped inside them. She wasn’t like me. I was the type that avoided the box altogether.

Laughing to myself about some of the posts and photos I remembered of her, I walked into the kitchen to fix toast while mentally categorizing the images and information I’d seen of her online – the wall of shame, as I liked to think of it.

Very soon, I was lost in thought, but dragged from them again by the sound of the toast popping up. I tossed both pieces on a plate, leaving it plain so they would absorb the acid in her sick stomach. Her shaking body was obvious when I’d found her, the first effects of detox from the lack of alcohol in her system. It was disgusting that at such a young age, she’d already become so dependent on the substance.

After pouring a glass of ginger ale, I returned to her room and opened the door to find her lying on the bed. She was holding her stomach and I watched her when I shut the door behind me. Placing the tray on the bedside table, I sat on the side of the mattress.

“You need to eat.”

“No thanks.”

Her voice was weak when she answered and it annoyed the crap out of me. She was making herself sick between the lack of alcohol flooding her system and the emotions running through her from being held against her will. The last thing she needed was to dehydrate. It wasn’t exactly like I could take her to a hospital.

“I said you need to eat, Eleni. Your stomach won’t improve unless you get it to calm down.”

She was lying on her back with her eyes closed, but as soon as I told her to calm down, they opened. Her body shook with humorless laughter.

“You’re fucking kidding me, right? You’ve kidnapped me, you’re keeping me trapped in your house and you’ve probably already raped me – and now you’re telling me to calm down? Wow. Okay. You’re a fucking freak.”

The tension in my body jacked up in response to her words and I stretched my neck to ease the pain. I kept my tone calm and level – too afraid that I’d lose control with her and hurt her more than I already had. “If you don’t eat on your own – I’ll force feed you. Do you understand? I’m not playing with you.”

She pushed up on her elbows, her eyes staring out at the fireplace on the other side of the room. “Did you fuck me last night?” She paused and turned to look at me. “What’s your name, anyway? If I’m going to be raped and killed by a psychopath, I might as well know what his name is.” Her eyes drifted back to the fireplace and I stared at her for a few seconds before responding.

“Fine. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”

Standing up from the bed, I left the room again. After retrieving some thin rope and zip ties I kept in the garage, I returned to her room and walked calmly around the bed. She didn’t look at me and I knew it was her little act of rebellion. I wasn’t concerned because I knew she’d be paying attention soon enough.

When I grabbed her wrist, she weakly swung at me. Her effort only served to make it easier for me to grab both arms. My large hand had no problem wrapping around both of her wrists and within a second I had her bound with a plastic zip tie. She continued to struggle against me, but her illness had made her weak and easily handled. I pulled her arms above her head and used the rope to secure them to the headboard. Once that was accomplished, I moved for her legs. She was kicking like a trapped animal by that point so I slapped her, open-handed in the abdomen. She went into a partial fetal position almost immediately and I took the opportunity to grab her ankles before she could recover. After zip tying her legs, I secured them to the footboard.

I stood silently above her for several seconds to catch my breath. I couldn’t help but smile at how pathetic and helpless she looked. When she finally stopped struggling against the bindings she had no hope of breaking, I spoke again.

“Now, as I was saying - You’re going to eat food and you’re going to like it. If you don’t, I leave you strapped down and I’ll do unspeakable and gross things to your body. Do you get what I’m telling you, beautiful? I’m sick of you toying around with me. I don’t play games – not with little girls anyway.”

“What the fuck? You piece of fucking shit!”

In retrospect, I realized I should have used a gag as well, but that would have prevented me from force-feeding her.

Shaking my head at her continued bullshit, I stepped around the bed to grab the toast. When I was standing over her again, I reached down, slipping my thumb into her mouth and pulling her jaw down. My fingers shoved the toast inside and she tried to push it out with her tongue. It reminded me of force-feeding medication to a dog.

I reached my thumb in her mouth again and pushed her tongue down over her bottom teeth hard enough to draw blood. She screamed and I smiled.

“We can do this the easy way or the hard way. I have no preference to either; however, you might. So, I’ll give you one more chance to respond correctly. You. Need. To. Eat.” My voice was flat and emotionless when I made my demand. I still had her jaw and tongue held in place and, after a few seconds, her body relaxed and she nodded her head ‘yes’. A single tear rolled slowly down her cheek and I reached up to wipe it away.

The tension in my body relaxed in response to her compliance. I released her jaw and placed a piece of toast in her mouth. She bit and chewed, her throat working hard to swallow down the dry substance.

I got up again to grab the glass of ginger ale. Holding it to her lips, I tilted the glass to allow the clear, bubbly liquid to flows over her lips. She swallowed easier this time, but the liquid still escaped her mouth due to the fact that she was lying down.

It took a few minutes, but she ate one piece and drank half the glass. I looked down at her and smiled.

“I’ll untie you if you think you can behave from now on. Can you do that?”

She nodded.

I smiled again. “Good girl.”

Chapter Nine

~ Eleni ~

After unbinding my wrists, and legs he left. I couldn’t believe he tied me up to force feed me toast. What kind of fucked up kidnapper was he? He wouldn’t talk to me or let me go, but he made sure I was fed and my body was taken care of? I couldn’t wrap my mind around it. Why not just kill me – get it over with?

I would be more comfortable with it all if he started cutting off my limbs. At least I would know exactly what he wanted from me. Instead he was hot and cold - caring and callous - and I couldn’t really get a read on him or a grip on the fucking situation. I was scared of him one minute and certain I could overpower him in the next; maybe not physically, but mentally. It was clear his demons were much bigger than mine, if that was at all possible.

Rubbing my wrists, I padded barefoot into the bathroom and ran some cool water over them. I rinsed my mouth with some mouthwash I found and it fucking stung where my teeth had cut my tongue. The taste of blood was making my stomach turn again. Fucking asshole.

Finally returning to the bedroom, I paced back and forth in front of the door. What should I do? Should I tempt him? Should I unleash all the shit I was feeling? Should I curl back up in the bed, and go to sleep only praying he left me be for the night? I fought internally for a while, only coming up with one conclusion: I was going to call him out on being the asshole he was. It was who I was. I didn’t hold back for anyone normally, and I wasn’t about to start holding back because of him. I didn’t give a rat’s ass who he was and where I was.

Fuck him. Fuck this room, and fuck the world.

“HEY ASSHOLE!” I screamed at the top of my lungs as my fists pounded against the door. I summoned every ounce of energy, or lack thereof within my body to create as much noise as I possibly could. I wanted to disturb him and his creepy peaceful house. I wanted my voice to replay in his ears all night long. I wanted my shrieks to terrify him in his fucking sleep.

“I bet you kidnapped me because you have no real friends, right? Why would someone want to be around you? You are such a fuckin’ nut case you have to kidnap people for friends!” I was praying I would strike a nerve. Whether I was right or wrong, it didn’t matter. I was pushing him anyway I could.

“I bet your dick doesn’t even work. That’s why you didn’t fuck me. Limp dick!” As the word dick left my mouth, the door flew open, striking me right in the fucking face. The wood was loud as it cracked against on my nose. Instantly, I could feel blood dripping down my face as his strong hand wrapped around my throat. My breathing slowed as his fingers gripped my neck tighter and tighter. The door slammed in the distance and I found myself thrown against the bed.

Blood was beginning to cloud my vision. I blinked my eyes rapidly but my vision only got worse. I was left with my sense of hearing and touch. Everything else was failing me. The sound of his steps moved around the bed as I lay in the fetal position waiting for him to strike. Feeling stupid suddenly, I realized I shouldn’t have pushed him. He was going to make me pay now, and I was pretty sure I deserved whatever was coming.

“Why can’t you simply obey and be my good girl, Eleni? It would make things so much easier for you.” His voice was quiet, but lacked remorse. I didn’t think he wanted me to hear him, as if he is talking to himself, but I couldn’t be sure. You never understand how important your vision is until the one simple sense is taken away. I was panicking, my face was pounding and I was pretty fucking sure my nose was broken. I needed a doctor - I needed something - but I realized I was only going to suffer alone in this posh prison.

“I asked you a fucking QUESTION!” His voice boomed. He was close and screaming.

I felt the bed dip under his weight. He was coming for me and my body was convulsing with sickness and fear. I couldn’t stop shaking as hard as I was trying. The first thing I felt were his fingers wrapping around my neck again. My body was pushed up the bed and I begin to cry. My tears mixed with the drying blood as I felt his lips press down against my temple.

“You beautiful little bitch. Why do you push me like you do? Do you want me to hurt you, Eleni?” Even though my face was fucking broken, I could smell him. Irish Spring soap and Axe body spray. I could make them both out clear as day, because I’d smelled them on so many men in my life. I tried not to be turned on at the scent, but it didn’t work. I was scared shitless and horny as fuck, which officially made me the most insane bitch on planet Earth. I am just as fucked up as he was.

“I’m sorry,” I lie - and he knows it.

“You aren’t sorry, Eleni. I know better.” His tongue ran along the dried blood starting to cover my mouth, and that was when he took me off guard, pulling my hands above my head forcefully. I tried to thrash, but I was no match for his size or strength. Whatever he was going to do to me, I had no option but to take it. No one could hear my screams for help and I was helpless against him.

His knees pinned my legs to the bed. I attempted to pull from his grasp again, but the harder I fought to free myself, the harder he held me down. I finally stopped fighting. It is all fucking pointless. He was going to rape me.

“Please, don’t.” I cried, tears slipping from my eyes once again.

I can feel his free hand run over my body, and I whimpered. I was sure that only served to turn him on more. Willing my mind to disappear somewhere far off, I attempted to think of happier times, but who the fuck was I fooling? I’d never had any happy times in my crapshoot life.

The visions returned and I started to think about my mother. She was the one trigger in the world that could send me into a complete blackout; the bath, the towel - the thoughts of her handing me over without a second thought to a virtual stranger so she could enjoy her life without any complications.

“Mommy… Mommy… Not Grandma… Mommy, I’ll be your good girl.”

And like that, I am gone again.

Chapter Ten