Faith had begun to lose track of time in this place. She had no phone, no watch, and it turned out that even the TV didn't work. Spencer had broken it at some point, apparently, before she'd gotten here, so now she couldn't use it to see if her parents were on the news looking for her, or even to drown out the screaming from outside between Spencer and Rowan, when Rowan had left the room to try to sneak both of them some food. That was likely her fault, since she had been the one to ask for it--she was so hungry she was beginning to feel sick. Rowan had also said he couldn't find her phone, and that Spencer had likely broken that too. When she wasn't trying to make conversation with Rowan, she was in and out of sleep, trying not to let anxiety completely overtake her, or Rowan for that matter.
The one time she'd gotten to leave the room to go to the bathroom, Rowan had snuck her there across the hall with great reluctance. She'd briefly entertained the thought of taking the chance to make a break for it, but she'd made a promise to help Rowan leave with her, and also, she didn't know her way around--one wrong turn and it could be the end for her. While in there, she had looked around the bathroom for anything they could use to their advantage that Rowan may have missed, but found nothing.
Faith had learned from him that this empty room she was being kept in wasn't actually Rowan's room, but that he wanted to stay with her and keep her safe from Spencer and his plans, and that he hadn't had anyone to talk to ever since his brother left. Rowan had later managed to sneak her a piece of bread and a partially-eaten can of chocolate frosting, but as for a chance of escape, he said he was still working on that.
She must have gone back to sleep after finally getting to eat something, because the next thing she knew, she was being jolted awake by a deep, gruff voice. "You. Wake up."
Faith jumped, her eyes snapping open to see a heavyset older man looking in her and Rowan's direction. Spencer certainly matched the 'mad scientist' description, with buttons that weren't in their correct places and unkempt hair that was beginning to turn gray and thin out, but he also appeared a bit less intimidating in the light. "Look, um, there's been a terrible misunderstanding here."
"M--misunderstanding?" Faith stayed pressed against the wall, while Rowan glared at him.
"I'm afraid so. I had no idea my grandson was keeping a young lady locked up in an empty room like this, and telling you all of these wild stories. You just need to go on home now." When she looked closer, he almost appeared anxious himself, like he was a normal (well, maybe semi-normal) man who was shocked to see this stranger in his house.
"Wait... You're saying I--I can just leave?" None of this was adding up, especially the fact that her kidnapper was trying to blame Rowan for this and play innocent all of a sudden, but she wouldn't question him out loud about that part. Maybe he underestimated how much she really remembered; she'd had plenty of time to get her recent memories back. She wasn't sure what to do, especially if he was trying to trick her somehow.
"I'll show you to the door. And once you leave, I promise I'll teach that crazy boy a lesson that he will NEVER forget, after putting you through this whole ordeal." He then returned the glare that Rowan was giving him.
"Liar!" Rowan suddenly spat out. "You said you were gonna kill her that night! You knocked her out and then threw her in this room! I saw you!"
Ignoring Rowan's protests, Spencer now gently beckoned for her to get up and follow him. "Come on. It's alright. But your little friend Rowan will have to stay behind, after everything he's done."
Faith slowly got up, looking back at Rowan fearfully.
"Don't trust him, Faith!" Rowan yelled, his eyes now brimming with tears.
Faith's mind raced along with her heart as the old man led her down a hallway and into a living room that looked to be in disrepair, with empty bottles, some of them broken, strewn about. She'd been afraid that if she hadn't gone along with him, whatever mask of kindness Spencer had put on could easily fall off again. A picture of what appeared to be a middle-aged couple hung crookedly on one of the walls, the glass part of the frame cracked. Judging by the light shining through the blinds, it was dawn or dusk, one or the other.
Even if this was a trick, Faith saw a chance to run now. She wondered if she had time to get in contact with the police by herself, and then bring them back here to straighten out the rest before it was too late for Rowan. "I'm going to have to ask that you forget about this whole thing," Spencer continued, as if reading her mind. "I know all of this has probably been...confusing at best, but you have to understand--if the police came here, it would complicate things too much. They would try to blame me and lock me up, and probably put my grandson in a mental hospital with the way he acts most of the time."
Before Faith could respond, Rowan had followed them out there and picked up one of the bottles that had been laying on the floor...and he was aiming it for Spencer's head. It looked like the deal was still on after all. Any fear Rowan must have initially had of his grandfather was now gone, and it wasn't coming back any time soon.
Trying to appear as natural as was humanly possible in these circumstances, she nodded and said quietly, "I understand..." before whipping around and giving Spencer a swift kick between his legs. Racing toward the nearest door she saw leading outside, she yelled, "NOW!"
The crashing sound that followed was one she'd never heard before--it was both traumatizing and relieving, all at once, as Spencer hit the floor. "I hate being a part of that company!" Rowan was yelling. "But most of all, I hate being related to you!"
As Spencer was groaning and attempting to get up, Faith yelled, "Hurry, while he's still down!"
She swung the door open, grabbing Rowan's arm so hard she hoped she hadn't broken it, and raced with him down the porch steps, never daring to look back the entire way to Sherm's house.
"Are you ready?" Faith called out as she headed into the living room toward the front door the following Wednesday. Wednesdays were her typical shopping day, so she figured it was time to start letting Rowan out more. She would start with just the store or the festival, if he decided on going. It would be good for him, and she could keep a better eye on him this way.
"I've been ready for the past hour," Rowan complained, already standing by the door waiting for her. "Can we please just go?"
"You know, you're cute when you're impatient," Faith commented, gently pinching his cheek. "And yes, now I'm ready. I just wanted to make sure everything was locked before we left." She wasn't sure, but maybe she had been stalling to some extent. It would be Rowan's first time seeing the sticker, after all.
The odd thing was, Faith noticed that while he seemed to be directly eyeing the windshield as they first walked out to the driveway, he didn't actually ask about it until they were halfway to the supermarket. "That's a cute sticker up there. Where'd you get it from?"
"Oh, that cheesy thing? Yeah, I meant to tell you about it earlier," Faith began, having rehearsed what her answer would be to that question in her head over and over. "It's just for some small ice cream shop that hasn't done very well. Sheena got me in on it. She knows the staff, and these stickers were sort of a last-ditch effort to promote the business and try to keep it going."
"Still, it's not like you to slap something like this on your car," he commented. "So why didn't you take me, or at least bring me back some? You know I love ice cream." He smiled at her quizzically, but she knew his mood could flip-flop in a matter of seconds.
"I was going to, but..." She lowered her voice to a playful whisper. "...It tasted kind of freezer-burnt. I'm thinking that's why they're probably gonna have to close."
"Oh," Rowan said, eyebrows raised. "That's a shame."
"And you're definitely right--it's not my style," Faith added, wanting to include at least one true statement in what she'd been telling him. "And needless to say, that sticker's coming off really soon. I'd say in a couple of weeks."
Rowan nodded, and yet another uncomfortable silence followed, though it wasn't long before Faith took it upon herself to break it as usual.
"So uh, about this list...we might not be able to get as much as we normally do," she said as they pulled into the store parking lot and found a parking space. "It won't be like this forever though. Things'll be back to normal again soon."
She could feel him giving her an uncomfortable stare as she turned off the car and dropped her keys into her purse. She had expected him to ask why they were still cutting back, but instead he just looked away and said, "I'm sorry again...about all of this. About costing you so much money and putting you in these situations."
This was going to be even harder than she'd thought. "I'm not sure what you're talking about," she said, continuing to try to sound as cordial as possible. "I mean, it's really not that bad. We're making it just fine. We just need to cut back for a few more weeks."
"Cutting back's not what I'm upset about," Rowan huffed as he got out of the car.
Faith was beginning to get frustrated again. Why couldn't he just let her manage this? Why couldn't he just stay in their safe little bubble and let her make sure it never popped? She knew she should ask him what he meant, but knowing she wasn't all that great at these confrontations much anymore and not wanting to say anything she might regret, she simply said nothing.
After getting out of the car as well and locking it, she quickly took out her list and pretended to study it as they walked, but Rowan snatched it away.
"Could you please stop trying to act like everything is all normal and okay when it isn't?" he sighed, glaring at her. "You're trying way too hard right now. It scares me when you're like this--when you put on that fake pleasant voice of yours."
Finally turning around to face him and placing her hands on his shoulders, she responded icily, "Because compared to how things could have been all of those years ago, it is okay. And of course it's still hard for me, and I know it's even harder for you. But if I didn't pretend sometimes, I would lose my mind completely." Releasing her grip, she added, "So, I've told you the truth. Happy now, sweetheart?" Ugh, great. Now I sound like Aaron. She continued to walk towards the store's entrance, but didn't walk ahead of him--she needed to make sure he didn't have one of his episodes and run off.
"Not all of it, you haven't," he said, almost tauntingly.
Faith could not understand why he was choosing this store for a confrontation, of all places. "Rowan, listen to me. I understand that you don't care what others think, even in a public place, but here is not a good time or place for causing a scene." If he was going to mock her, two could play at that game. It wasn't as if being nice was doing any good.
Rowan looked away. "Don't you get it? I do care about what others think. But I have anxiety, and you've been-- You know what? Forget it. I give up."
"Okay Rowan," Faith sighed, softening her voice as she pulled out a cart. "I'd hoped it wouldn't come to this, but...when we get home, we can talk about all of this. I'll tell you whatever you want to know. I promise."
Finally, that had seemed to placate him. "Okay..."
"But for right now, I'll need your help picking some of this stuff out, because..." She wasn't sure how to finish her sentence, being no stranger to anxiety herself, especially right now. Of course there was really nothing anxiety-inducing about grocery shopping itself for her, but thinking about their conversation that was to come, on the other hand, would make it extremely hard to focus on even the simplest tasks. For some reason, the fact that she would be telling him things she'd already planned to tell him to begin with didn't calm her.
"It's okay. I'm supposed to help you, too...not just the other way around, you know." He smiled sweetly at her now, reaching over to move some of her long feathered bangs out of her eyes. "I just wish you could've realized that sooner."
"I know," Faith said quietly, unable to meet his eyes. How much did he already know, if anything?
"Oh, and here." He handed her list back to her and asked, "We can still get cookies...right?"
Just like that, he's back to being happy again... I don't know how he does it. "Y--yeah... Preferably the store brand, though."
"Got it. I'll be quick. Then I can help with the rest." As he headed to the cookie section, Faith would try to focus on finding some cheap ingredients to make homemade panini sandwiches tonight. She was getting somewhat tired of those Ramen noodles.
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