I WASN'T a hundred percent sure, but I could've sworn I saw someone go down here.
My lips pursed as I stared down the basement door, my eyes following the soft bits of light that vanished into darkness.
It was so spooky.
I clutched onto the brownie that Cookie made me and watched the ground below so carefully.
Taking a bite of the brownie, I just walked into the staircase, my eyes flowing around the room curiously as I chewed the goodies.
It was so dark and grainy... the walls... reminding me of black smoke or the shadows of broken glass.
After making my way to the basement, I finally made it to the last step, and I walked into the area.
My lips pursed.
It was a big room filled with other rooms... it was so weird. They were like those jail cells that I saw in Zootopia. With the glass windows covering an empty room... a toilet in the middle.
Oh... this was the place where Cookie did all his experiments. For one of his classes! The people here volunteered to be here, that's what he told me.
I stepped casually forward, looking around curiously before I found a cell with a person in it.
I gasped excitedly and ran over, setting my hands on the glass.
I could witness one of his experiments!
There was a girl in here... she looked no older than me. Her eyes were glassy as she stared off into the distance, and she just sat on the bed, her arms settled on her knees.
I smiled sweetly, knocking on the glass.
Her eyes immediately snapped to mine, and the glisten in her eyes returned, as if seeing me brought her to life again.
Was I really such a ball of sunshine?
"Hey," she said, rushing over to me and kneeling by the glass, "did you come to get me out?"
My brows drew together. "Get you out? I don't understand."
I thought she wanted to be in here. Like all of Cookie's experiments.
Why did she look so scared? I was nice, wasn't I?
"How did you get in here?" she asked me then, her voice quiet.
"Oh, they found me and took me in. They've been taking care of me."
She just straightened her face and gazed down at me. "Look... these guys are not good. They're holding you captive."
No. Cookie said that he's taking care of me until my house is ready.
"Cookie wouldn't do that," I said sweetly.
"Okay, just..." she breathed shakily before looking up at the stairs, "I need you to get me out of here."
My brows drew together. "Out? But why?"
"I want to go home," she said to me, her voice desperate.
"Oh..." I said then, smiling, "okay."
I wanted to go home, too.
Maybe she was tired of the experiment. It would make sense. Experimenting could be exhausting.
I just gazed up and stood on my tiptoes, pressing my hands to the glass. "How do I get you out, friend?"
"There's a key," she said to me, gesturing to the right where a small hook on the wall rested. "Go grab it."
I blinked and gazed over, sinking down onto my feet before padding over to the hook.
Standing on my tiptoes again, I captured the keychain, smiling as I padded back over to her cage.
Very carefully, I inserted the key into the hole and twisted it.
The lock disengaged, and the door came swinging open.
I giggled sweetly and sank back down onto my feet, gazing up at her. "You're free now."
She just smiled, about to walk off but then paused.
She glanced back at me. "You should come with."
I shook my head. "No. Cookie is supposed to take care of me until my house is ready."
"He's not a good person," she told me desperately. "You need to come with. Please, come with me."
Slam!
I just glanced up at the staircase, finding the door swinging open and crashing against the wall.
I then looked back to the woman, finding her immediately gone and running the direction of the exit.
Oh... I guess she didn't really want me to come with.
Almost seconds later, footsteps stormed down the steps until three male figures came into the area.
Cookie immediately saw me, his sight moving to the open cage.
His eyes immediately hardened. "What did you just do?"
I looked up at him, my breaths stilling at his angry expression.
Oh... he's mad?
But, I... I didn't mean to...
He just looked over to his friends. "Find her! She couldn't have gone far!"
They all nodded and ran off, leaving me in the room alone with him.
I stared up at him helplessly as he watched me, his eyes darker than night itself as he stopped, his face looming down at me.
By his hardened expression, I knew he was really mad.
"I told you," he growled, "no basement! That bitch hit her daughter! She's here—in a cage—for a reason!"
I just felt tears warm my eyes, and I breathed shakily as they rolled down my cheeks. "I'm sorry! I didn't know she was supposed to stay! I thought she was a friend!"
His anger immediately faltered, and he just closed his eyes tightly, sighing.
I just sniffled, my eyes watering.
"Come here." He knelt to my level, opening his arms.
I sniffed before listening, stepping over to him and walking into his grip.
Cookie wrapped his arms around me and gently rubbed my back, and I sniffled, burying my face in his shoulder.
"It's alright..." he calmed his voice now, making more tears roll down my cheeks. "You didn't know."
I just caught onto his shirt tightly. "I'm sorry."
"Don't cry," he said, running his hand down my head. "Be a good girl and stop crying, okay?"
I nodded, struggling to wipe my tears away.
He just pulled away slightly, running his thumbs under my eyes. "How's your head? Your bruises look better."
"It hurts less now," I said quietly.
He nodded, brushing some hair away from my eyes. "You know I'll always protect you, right?"
"Yes." I sniffled, wiping my eyes.
"Good," he replied. "Come here."
I walked into his arms again, and he held onto me, burying his face in my neck.
"You need your meds again. You're shaking." He just pulled a bottle out from his pocket, uncapping it before slipping out a tablet. "Take it, okay?"
I nodded, opening my mouth.
He placed it on my tongue, and I swallowed it again, wincing as it went down my throat.
And then instantly, I felt loopy again... but it came slow.
How did it work so fast...?
At first, I thought I was seeing clear, but then the lights warped and the walls shifted, starting to swirl around my sight.
And then seconds later, I fell down, but Cookie caught me.
My head tipped back when I stared lazily off into the distance, watching my world twist and turn as the fuzziness spread through my entire head.
The meds always made me feel weird, but after it wore off, I didn't feel so scared anymore.
Cookie scooped me up, holding onto me tightly as he carried me back upstairs.
I felt my mouth drop open, my eyes rolling as I attempted to capture the light but it was moving too fast.
"Sir, we found her," a voice echoed through the fuzziness, making my head spin.
"Good," Cookie replied, his tone muffled. "We're going to have to keep Cameron close by. That was too close of a call."
➿⭐︎➿⭐︎➿
I COULDN'T believe that she'd do that.
Honestly... I had no fucking idea she'd try to release a prisoner. That was beyond my expectations.
I had to be careful with this one.
Cameron's head dangled off my arm as I carried her to her room, her eyes open and searching the walls mindlessly.
I sighed, making my way into the guest bedroom, where she usually slept.
Cameron's breath came out in whimpers as I lowered her back onto the bed.
"I know," I whispered. "Go to sleep. Don't fight it."
She just sank into the mattress, her lashes fluttering shut the moment her back met the bed.
I pulled the covers over her, tucking them in at her arms to make sure she was comfortable.
But her words echoed through my thoughts:
I'm sorry!
I thought she was friend!
My eyes darkened as I watched her.
God... after just had been running from whoever hurt her, her trauma was so severe and tragic her mind was left open... fresh and waiting to be molded like clay.
I could've shaped her into what I wanted her to be; if I wanted her to cook me anything I wanted, I could make her become that. If I wanted her to learn how to sing—to express her anger by breaking glasses—if I wanted her to be afraid, I could mold her into that.
But I didn't want any of that. I wanted her to be her, and I wanted the satisfaction knowing that I owned that. That I claimed that, that "he" never owned her.
He didn't deserve her.
I wanted her to become her own person, but also know for a fact that she belonged to me.
She did ever since the night she stepped foot in my house.
As I watched her drift off into her dreams, I couldn't help but smile, backing off to the door before leaving the room.
I need a drink.
After the day I had, I was desperate to feel the spice of whiskey.
I finally made it to my drinking room (it was more of a lounge space, but I drank in here a lot), and I kindly stepped over to the cart that held my most expensive liquors.
I picked up a thirty-year-old whiskey and popped it open, pouring some into a glass until it was filled halfway with butterscotch-colored liquid.
I settled onto a couch then, sighing as I kicked up my legs.
And I tipped my head back, slipping some liquor into my lips and letting it burn my tongue.
After swallowing, I looked back out into the distance, deciding to enjoy the rest of my night.
I had sat there for an hour... maybe two, and it was peacefully quiet in here—just the sound of the crackling fireplace, baking this room into a soft gold.
And then—very slightly—I heard soft footsteps padding onto the tile just outside the doors of the room.
I glanced over curiously, smirking.
Cameron stood there, her eyes droopy and tired as she rubbed them, and her hair was surprisingly tame despite her previous sleep.
She wore the same sweatshirt and shorts that I gave her earlier, as well as the fuzzy socks that covered her to her ankles.
I sat up. "Hey, baby. What's up?"
She just stepped into the room, still looking very tired, and walked over to me. "I can't sleep."
You did for a while there. The anxiety meds must be wearing off.
I watched with ease as she crawled onto the couch beside me and sat down.
I immediately knew what she wanted, so I shifted to the side, setting my drink down on the table beside me.
"Rest your head on my thigh," I said gently.
She listened, clearly too tired to argue, and shuffled down, snuggling her cheek into my pantleg. "Promise to stay," she whispered.
Adorable.
"I'll stay," I said to her.
She then closed her eyes, getting comfy.
I just pulled a blanket over her, tucking it around her as she let out a soft sigh.
"Are you still mad at me...?" she said quietly.
I just ran my fingers through her hair. "No."
I can't ever stay mad at you. It's like getting angry at a table after stubbing your toe, it's pointless. Plus, you fascinate me too much.
"But you have to promise not to do something like that again, understand?" I questioned her.
She nodded into my pantleg. "Yes."
"Good." I softened my voice because she was clearly too comfortable.
I just brushed some of her hair away from her face. "You must be tired still from the medicine, huh?"
She nodded lazily.
"Go back to sleep," I instructed her.
She sniffed and snuggled closer into my jeans, her stance relaxing.
I couldn't help but smile, my eyes glowing in amusement.
After picking up my drink, I just kept one hand on her head, mindlessly stroking her hair.
She's mine. And she knows it.
Word Count: 2114
a/n
Hello! I am back again with yet another chapter.
Just so you know, I changed the "sedative" thing, because it wasn't really working for me. So now it's anxiety medicine that makes her incredibly loopy.
Honestly, I wasn't a hundred percent sure about her personality in this one, but I decided to go with it anyway.
She did recently suffer a severe trauma and that's why she's extremely vulnerable and childish in the past, as well as innocent.
I hope you enjoyed this chapter and there will be more coming soon!
Yippee!
- Aspen
8Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf0iZ9wQlBx
