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CHLOE

T he crisp fall air caressed my skin, and I pulled my sweater closer to my body. Every year, my sister and I made the trip to the family cabin to enjoy the way the leaves turned from their forest green to darker shades of yellow and crimson reds. The fresh air rejuvenated us and allowed a chance to clear our minds. The mountainous land and dipping valleys were always home to me.

Despite the blazing inferno in front of us, the soft rain drummed against my cheeks in a soft rhythm. We hadn’t been getting along and wanted to use this time to talk it out.

Her cheeks puffed out, and her mouth opened and closed a few times, striking my curiosity. Instead, she jabbed at the fire with a branch, her movements sharp and forced. Sighing,I rubbed the droplets away with the back of my hand.

Just say what you need to say…

The night would be ending for us soon and she would make the trek home while I stayed a few more days to enjoy the peace and quiet. No city noise and barking dogs next door. No painful reminders or tagging along to work with my father.

“So, any plans to settle down?” She asked curiously. “These posts you make are dangerous, and I don’t want you to get hurt.” Her voice showed genuine concern, but the underlying tension in her tone was unmistakable.

“The way I choose to live my life isn’t anyone’s business.” The words left my mouth before my brain had the chance to process them. I personally researched everyone before I met them. Endless amounts of money spent on background checks, STD checks. I left no stone unturned. “I promise you. I’m as careful and precise as possible. Nothing will happen to me.”

Her face contorted to one of concern, and she hummed her disapproval, as if she was the older sister. She rolled her shirt tight in her hands, faster and faster, and I couldn’t help but to feel suspicious. She was a confident person, able to decide what she wanted and take it. This was out of character.

“You know what I mean,” she continued. “Don’t you want to get married, or have a family? It’s great you're focusing on yourself, and I’m overjoyed you take measures to look into these mysterious strangers properly. You had the perfect life though, and a fiancé that would’ve given you the world. Tried to.”

“Is that what they’re calling it?” I scoffed. “He was a monster, Maya. He threw me in a cage and locked me away from the world. I don’t want that life. I’m free now.” My voice cracked, and I found myself drifting back to a place I didn’t want to be.

The psychotic look in his darkened eyes made my skin crawl as he backed me against the wall. One arm at the side of my head, caging me in like a rabid animal. While the other squeezed the life from me, coiled around my neck like a snake.

“You’ve embarrassed me for the last time, Chloe. I don’t ask for much. All I asked for was your obedience, and to stay fucking quiet. You never learn, and now I’m going to punish you.”

My eyes darted around the room, already forming a plan to escape if needed. Falling on the open door just down the hall from us, he followed my eyes. His gaze landed on the door that was slightly ajar, and he smirked evilly.

Snapping his fingers, a couple of his men strode down the hall and slammed the door harshly before locking it from the outside.

“You were given to me. That means you obey me, you dress how I order you to, you fuck who I want you to. You keep your mouth shut, or I will remove your vocal cords myself. I don’t want or need a wife, but I do need what your family has.” A lone tear fell down my face, knowing this was my life now and I needed to accept it. “I will keep punishing you until you get the hint. Got it?”

The fear gripped me as tight as the hand that held me hostage against the wall, leaving me speechless. Forced to choose between a few heaving breaths and the courage to speak up. His nostrils flared as he spoke threateningly, and the smell of nicotine engulfed my nostrils the further his nails dug into the skin of my neck.

The pounding and yelling from down the hall caught my attention, and I turned my head toward the noise. Gripping my chin harshly, Ezra returned my focus to his dangerous eyes.

“You’re done skating, and if I find out you’re continuing to sneak out for those private lessons with him, you’ll be sorry.” A sinister smile

formed upon his twisted face as I clawed at him, trying desperately to fill my lungs with air.

“Th-t-there’s n-noo private less–ons, I swe–ar,” I choked out against his grip. “W-we volunteer with the k-kids.” He watched in

satisfaction as I sputtered, taking in deep breaths before being pushed into a stronger pair of arms that gripped me painfully and hoisted me over their shoulder.

“Not anymore. What you’re going to do now is please my men while I watch.” I cried out as a hand came down hard on my asscheek, spreading a ripple of pain throughout the delicate flesh. I sobbed, my pleas falling on deaf ears.

She struck a nerve, and I started to regret opening up the conversation. Yes, traveling was lonely sometimes, but it was better than what I had endured. I would never go back. Not for all the money in the world. “That freedom is worth something to me, and I’m never going back.”

This was a constant fight within my family, and I hardly attended functions due to it. I have no regrets about the life I chose for myself. The only one brave enough to escape the chains. While everyone else

hid in a secret world of arranged marriages and flexing blood money to get out of trouble. A small attempt to exit the conversation dawned on me and I yawned, moving my glasses further up my face.

“I think I might call it a night. I’ll be up late tomorrow stargazing. Will you stay?” I asked with a slightly melancholy tone.

Despite the slight snap, I didn’t want our weekend to end so abruptly. Growing up, Maya and I shared a lot of the same interests, and one of them was our love for the stars.

“I’ll let you look in the telescope first, and I’ll even set it up, too.” The awkward laughter erupted from my body, but died down quickly; noticing her almost mischievous stare.

Why doesn’t she just stick her demon claws down my throat and take my soul while she’s at it?

“I can’t this time,” she said, pinching her eyebrows together. If she kept doing it, the creases in her perfect face of plastic would crack under the pressure. “Ezra wasn’t the only one you left behind. Other people suffered from his abuse.”

Guilt welled up in me at her statement, but I stayed quiet, pouring the rest of my water bottle onto the fire. Watching it fizzle to ash before throwing it to the trash can at the side of the cabin.

A shiver clawed at my spine, hearing movement from the brush of the forest. Sometimes we had wild animals, coyotes, bears, things of that sort, so I really didn’t think much of it.

“Why do I have to save everyone?”

My chest clenched, and I played ignorant to it, storming inside to hide the tears that threatened to fall. Back then I never cried this much, but now it’s like the weight of the world was crushing me. In times like this, I wish I had someone to hold me and tell me everything was going to be alright, even if it was a flat-out lie. The cabin was old, and the wood started to rot at the foundation, but it gave me the privacy needed.

Hidden among a throng of trees and thick brush. It had three bedrooms and a bathroom with a medium-sized kitchenette. I loved the place dearly and would soak up as many years as possible before it needed a complete renovation. I always made the drive here to relax when the hustle of the city became too loud.

“Stay safe! You never know what’s lurking out here!” She yelled from the window of her SUV.

The sound of tires spinning in the wet earth grabbed my attention, and I watched as her truck became a speck on the horizon. My eyes landed on the dusty turntable that adorned the corner of the room, and I padded across the itchy carpet. Placing the needle right on the edge of the vinyl. Part of me hoped it still worked.

After some scratching, the soft melody of ‘(You’re the) devil in disguise’ by Elvis sounded from the singular speaker. Drowning out the sounds around me, I swayed to the music, letting it flow through my veins, feeling transported back in time.

The same feeling I used to have on the ice. Closing my eyes softly, I inhaled the foreign scent of the rink, watching everyone skate around, and helping those who wanted to learn. There’s nothing quite like it. The smell of ice that was freshly smoothed over ten minutes before your skate touched it.

Relaxation washed over at the memories, and I smiled, heading over to the kitchen to grab some snacks and a nice glass of wine. The rain tattered on the old mossy roof, and the patter gave the song an added beat. Past conversations were at the forefront of my mind again, and I tried to shake them away.

Why would she try to gaslight me like that? My parents were disappointed when I left, and because I didn't trust them, I never told the full truth of what I went through. Not that they cared anyway.

Plus, I’d always craved a different type of lifestyle, and sometimes shame crept to the surface. People always assume in my world, especially those on the outside looking in. It hasn’t gotten me in

trouble yet, and oh, do I love to play. Each conversation meticulously planned out, right down to what color the paint on my toes was.

I’d gone out on dates and attempted to share my life with someone I thought loved me, but the truth is I’m selfish, and I’ve created safety within myself. I rose from the ashes, and I’d be damned if anyone took that away.

I have a particular set of needs that can only be fulfilled by those willing to cross a threshold most are afraid of. Which is understandable, yet drab, to say the least.

The smell of buttery goodness permeated the air as I reached for the wineglass, tempted to drink it right from the bottle. Flashbacks and memories flooding my mind in a haze. Making my heart flutter from anxiousness. I was never keen on alcohol, but at this moment I wanted to forget before it completely ruined my night.

Making my way over to the small chair, I grabbed the fuzzy blanket that laid across the top and set out to enjoy my snacks and curl up in a good book. The fourth in the series, and what I’ve been waiting for. All I needed to do was relax.

Leaning back in the chair, sleep pricked at my eyes, and I started to doze off with the book draped lazily at my side. A shiver crept its way up my back, and my body jolted as the needle zig-zagged. An uneasy feeling claimed the room as the song to skip and restart the same line.

You’re…

The Devil…

The Devil…

The Devil….

It was eerie to say the least, and I chalked it up to the multiple scratches that record has gained due to the years of overuse. All I had to do was fix the needle and the soft melody would penetrate my ears. Flowing through my brain once more. My arms raised above my head, stretching each muscle to the max before they rested in my lap.

I rolled my eyes and rose from the couch with the glass of wine in my hand, and the floor creaked ominously as I headed towards the turntable. An unmistakable thump came from the back room, and my breath hitched. Goosebumps pricked at my skin, and I agonizingly waited, a sense of dread washing over me.

Then came the footsteps, and the old wood creaked under the intruder’s feet. I froze, and the wineglass slipped from my fingers, shattering to the floor as I tried to push down the rapidly growing lump in my throat.

Someone was inside…watching me…or were they outside, trying to get in?

I peered through the window with my hand over my face, pleading with the rising vomit to not spill. My breathing stilled, escaping in wisps through my fingers as panic rose within. I couldn’t see anyone through the crisp frost of the window.

Not one breath Chloe . If I can get to my keys on the table, it might be possible to make a run for it.

I jumped halfway out of my skin, hearing three knocks sharply pound against the door and furrowed my brow in confusion. Maya would be home by now.

Again.

My head whipped toward left at the harsh knocks, and I moved toward the front door to investigate. They continued to almost rhythmically sound like morse code. Sending a message to those inside. What the hell?

The floor creaked ominously beneath my shaking feet. It's hard to believe that anyone could be out here at this time of night, in the middle of nowhere during a rainstorm. The dirt was practically

quicksand at this point. My ears perked, focusing on the lingering sounds. My heart thundered against my chest and I swallowed thickly.

“What the fuck is happening right now?” I muttered to myself, placing a shaky hand on the knob, but stilled. My body refused to move another step.