Page 63 of Taking Adalisa

Matthias hasn’t been home all morning. He left a note saying I needed to eat breakfast and to drink water, but I didn’t pay attention to any of that. Did he really think I was going to eat something that Nala prepared for me?

No.

I may have done something unusual yesterday, but I am not going to do that today. Once was enough for me.

Now I am trying to find ways to escape. I first need to figure out how to get out of the house, and then I’ll figure out how to get out of the compound. One step at a time. I need to rush this.

Margery is coming at the end of the week, and I so desperately want to see her again, but I don’t want to meet Ethan. I don’t want to see Margery and have her try to convinceme to stay with Matthias. Maybe Margery will be able to help me get out of here if I stay.

I can’t risk it.

I look out the window, trying to see if any guards are walking by, and when none do, I smile to myself. This could definitely be a window I crawl out of. It’s close to the ground.

“I wouldn’t go out of that window if I were you,” Nala announces.

Screaming, I bang my head against the wall as I turn toward her. I hold my head as tears pool in my eyes.

“Ouch. Ouchie,” I whimper, sitting on the ground as I lean forward with my hand still on my head where I hit it.

A sharp ache radiates across my head. I don’t want to let go, but I need to get away from Nala before she tells someone what I was doing. I can’t get caught. Not again.

“Oh, sweetie. Let me look at it,” Nala soothingly says.

I shake my head, keeping my hand on the hurt spot and not looking at her. I don’t want to let go and have Nala look at it. What if she pokes and prods at it?

No.

Not happening.

“Come on, sweetie. I’m not going to do anything. Everything is going to be all right. Just let me take a little look so I can see if it’s bleeding,” she soothes.

I shake my head once again and look at her. “Not bleeding.”

I would know since I am currently holding my head.

“Let me take a look at it to make sure. I don’t want anything happening or getting infected,” Nala insists.

My eyes go wide. Infected? Does she really think my head was going to get infected by something? I shake my head once again and wince. It has stopped hurting by now, but I don’t know Nala, and I don’t want her to do anything to me.

Nope. That is definitely not going to happen. I am not going to let her anywhere near my head.

“I don’t think I want to know what just went through your head,” she mutters and sits in front of me. “I’m not going to hurt you. I promise, Adalisa. You mean something to Matthias, and I love him like he is my own son. The fact that he came into the kitchen this morning, knowing it is my domain and no one else cooks in it, to ask if you could and explain a little bit about why… You mean a lot to him. I’ve never seen him act like that with someone before. I’ve never seen him be so interested in the person’s well-being and making sure they are eating.”

My mouth falls open as I stare at her. I knew Matthias was going to talk to her this morning, but I didn’t think it would mean that much. I thought it was something simple, but I was wrong… again.

Matthias really cares about me. I thought he was just obsessed with me for some weird reason and didn’t want to let me go until he got bored with me. But to think that he actually cares and other people are saying he does… that is something completely different.

No.

I close my eyes. I cannot think about this. I can’t have them try to make me change my mind about staying here. “What are you two doing on the floor?” Matthias asks from the end of the hallway.

I take a deep breath in. He cares about me, and I can see it more as he looks up and down my body, a light worry in his eyes.

“Why is Adalisa holding her head?” he asks, walking toward us. “Adalisa, what’s happened? Are you okay?”

“I scared her, and she hit her head on the wall.” Nala winks at me.

What is she doing? I don’t need Matthias coming to check on me. My head is fine now, I just forgot to take my hand off it.

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