Page 17 of Twisted
I pick at the rest of my food, finish my coffee and then do a quick workout.Moving and staying in shape has always been important to me, and even though this looks like a fancy, social media trending room, it’s also my prison.
Pacing around the room, I start to feel a little exhausted.I really should sleep so I can stay focused, but the chance of relaxing enough to actually fall asleep is slim to none.Instead, I open my bag and take the photo of my parents out and put it on the nightstand.
“I don’t know what you’d hoped for me, but this life isn’t it,” I whisper.Not just being here, kept as a vampire’s captive, but being a hunter.I lay down on the bed, hating how comfortable it is, and pull the folded pink blanket from the foot up around my shoulders.I close my eyes and do my practiced meditations, letting my body rest even if I can’t sleep.
Thinking about how different my life could have been, I eventually drift to sleep.
* * *
A knockat the door startles me awake.I sit up, blinking, and look around.Nope.It wasn’t all a bad dream.
“Miss Russo?Are you awake?”a woman on the other side of the door calls.She has a thick southern accent.“Mr.Xavier has requested I take you shopping for a new wardrobe.”
“I’m up,” I say and wonder how long I’ve been asleep.With no natural light, it’s hard to tell.
“May I come in?”
“Sure,” I reply, knowing I don’t have much choice.The door opens and a woman who looks to be in her early forties comes in.She’s dressed casually, in pinstriped linen pants and a white top.Her brown hair is pulled back in a tight French braid and she has a headset on with a tiny earpiece in.
“Mr.Xavier has requested you wear this,” she goes on, holding up a bracelet.It’s some sort of thick bangle that clips—and locks—into place.I roll my eyes.It’s a GPS tracker that won’t come off easily.“He also wants me to remind you that Gia’s favorite color is Persian Pink…whatever that means.”
I clench my jaw, knowing it very well means he’s threatening me.He knows my family and knows hurting Gia would hurt me the most.He’s telling me I better not step out of line.
“Do you want to get changed?”the woman asks.
“No,” I tell her, looking down at what I’m wearing.“This is fine.I’m Wren, by the way.”
“Nina, it’s a pleasure to meet you.”She holds out the bracelet and I oblige, lifting my arm so she can clip the tracker to me.This itself isn’t enough to stop me, though I’m sure the Malus family has people everywhere in the city, both human and vampires.
“Where are we going?”I ask, shaking my wrist so the bracelet moves down by my hand.This thing is fucking uncomfortable.
“Wherever you’d like, miss.I find that SouthPark Mall has a nice variety.”
“I don’t have any money,” I tell her.I really don’t, and I’m about twenty grand in credit card debt.Being an Order member doesn’t pay that well, and since I’ve never been fully accepted, I get substantially less than my siblings.
“Mr.Xavier is buying,” she tells me and I perk up.
“Okay then.I’ll follow you.”
She nods, seemingly relieved that I’m not putting up a fight.I grab my knife without her seeing on our way out.We go the same way we came in, and all the metal curtains are closed again.I get a better look into the kitchen this time, and feel weirded out to see a large light-up photo hung over one of the windows, making it look like you’re able to see out into the day.
We get into a Mercedes and a different driver takes us downtown, dropping us off at the entrance to the mall, where we are greeted by one of Xavier’s bodyguards.It’s another warning, I’m sure, to remind me that I won’t get away with it if I try to escape.
Sometimes you have to play the long game and right now…I don’t know where I’d go if I were to make a run for it.I wouldn’t go back home, not to the people who sold me out.
“Is this how you normally dress?”Nina asks me as we walk into the mall.
“Yeah.It’s practical.”
“Maybe we can try a style a little more…feminine.”
“I’ll try,” I say with a shrug and feel like Vivian Ward fromPretty Womanwhen I walk into the first high-end designer store.I’ve always dressed like a hunter on a day to day basis.But I’ve played roles to gain access to places where monsters hide, and I secretly always liked getting to dress up.So while I’d never admit it to my brothers, I’m having fun trying on dress after expensive dress.
Hours later, we leave the store with dozens of shopping bags.I’ve gotten good at compartmentalizing, and I tried to allow myself to enjoy the fact that I spent thousands of dollars of someone else’s money.But the reality has been hanging above me and the pain of betrayal hurts too bad to ignore.
“What’s it like working for the Malus family?”I ask Nina when we get into the car, smoothies in hand.
“They’re very nice to work for,” she says in a monotone voice,
