Page 110 of Stay With Me
Did they get to Ann or one of the girls?
I’m handed off to two women I’ve never seen before. Both look at me with disgust. They lead me into a room, and I look around. I take in the dingy white walls with peeling paint and the lone mattress in the corner.
“Here is your dress. You must change,” the woman with blond hair says and pushes a garment into my hands.
I hold the dress and just stare at them.
“Now,” the one with the shorter brown hair snaps.
“Well, can you turn around?” I ask.
“No. You will change, and we will make sure you look perfect.”
With shaking hands, I set the dress on the bed. I peel my sundress off, and the women huddle closer together, talking between themselves without taking their eyes off me.
I hear their broken sentences and move faster to just get this over with.
“…ungrateful.”
“She…lucky.”
I want to yell that they can have him if they want him.
I don’t.
I want to go home to Noah and Jess. Tears well in my eyes as I think about them. They must be so worried about me. I should have listened to Noah. I was so silly for thinking it would be okay for me to run out to the truck alone.
I pull the plain white dress with no sleeves over my head, and the women approach me again and fix my dress, then direct me to the bed to sit down.
As I do, they pull my hair into a simple bun. I squeeze my eyes shut and try to think of how I’m going to get out of this.
With a final tug on my hair, they finish and tell me they’ll be back soon for the start of the ceremony.
The moment the door clicks shut, I stand and scan the room.
Do I stay and hope Noah finds me? Or do I try my luck and attempt to get away?
My heart pounds in my ears as I grapple with whether I should stay or go?.?.?. I close my eyes and struggle to pull in a deep breath, weighing my options.
I need to go.
Staying here isn’t a choice. If this ceremony happens as they plan, I’ll never get away.
Spinning in a circle, I take in the room again. The door is out. Even if no one is standing outside it, I don’t know the home layout. The window is the best option.
I don’t have to go far. I just have to stay hidden for long enough to buy me some time.
I look down at my shoes.Do I take them off?
From my time sneaking around when I lived with The Family, I could be quieter without them on, but I haven’t gone without shoes in so long, I don’t know if my feet can handle it.
Okay, my shoes stay on.
I tie my dress at my knees and walk up to the window. Running my fingers across the thin layer of dust, I realize this window hasn’t been opened in a long time, and my heart sinks.
I wipe my palms on the dress, and, seeing that the latch is already flipped, I push with shaking hands. A creak fills the room, and I freeze and look over my shoulder.
Voices come from the other side of the door, and I sit back on the bed as the door creaks open.
