Page 15 of Unbidden

I consider her words. She’s right. Maybe one of these shops tomorrow will be hiring so I can get a job and make my own money.

“Don’t argue with her, S. She always wins. Just smile and nod. It’s the only option,” Victoria whispers to me.

“Thanks, Alice. I would love that,” I respond and wink at Victoria.

If only they knew my plans.

Chapter Three

When I woke up this morning, a feeling of dread had settled in my chest. A restless night of sleep resulted in a small headache forming in the front of my head. But that wasn’t the only cause of my tight chest.

Images from my nightmare creep in.

“Come, little fox. Let’s have some fun.” Flirty green eyes stare at me as the man in question starts to circle me.

His amused gaze follows my movements as I take an involuntary step backward.

“You can run, but you can’t hide.”

I turn to flee but run into a hard chest. Glancing up, I meet another pair of familiar green eyes. These hold no humor though.

“Where do you think you’re going? We’ve only begun.”

Chatter surrounding me draws my eyes from Reed’s. My head swivels from left to right over and over until hands on my shoulders stop me.

“Baby girl, breathe.”

My mother's calming voice washes over me.

“You can’t trust any of these people. Keep your head about you. Get out as soon as you can.”

A voice in my ear pulls my attention from my mom.

“Little fox, are you ready?” Keaton’s voice calls.

I look back to my mom, only to find her gone. Vanished into thin air.

“Mom?Mom!” I begin shouting at the space where she was just standing.

“Mommy dearest can’t save you now. Now you’re in my world. You belong to me.”

A knock on my door pulls me from the dark place my mind had gone.

“You ready for breakfast?” Victoria calls out.

“Not yet. I’m hopping in the shower. Be down in a couple of minutes,” I call back as I shake off the lingering chill in my body.

Getting up, I hurry through a shower. Dressing in the school uniform, I sigh. Wearing skirts or slacks daily is really going to damper my mood. My only saving grace is the shoes. I found out yesterday that while black heels are common, they aren’t required. Some of the girls wore black flats. While I don’t own a pair of black flats, I plan to buy some on our shopping trip today.

Reminding myself that I only have one more day in these awful heels, I slip them on before turning to the mirror.

My eyes look tired, and there’s a slight darkening around them, but otherwise I look fine. Brushing my wet hair, I pull it up into a pony before twisting it in a bun. Victoria informed me yesterday that as long as our hair looked clean and well maintained, they didn’t care how we wore it, though she also said that a messy bun, aka my normal hairstyle, is looked down upon.

I take one last glance in the mirror. I look passable, but part of me still regrets having to conform.

It’s only day two.

I groan inwardly. Grabbing my old, tattered backpack, I leave my room. Walking into the kitchen, I smile when I notice the small breakfast laid out. I actually expected them to be in the connected dining room, but I’m glad they’re in here.

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