Rose with a Thorn

CHAPTER FOUR

Wow did my head ever hurt. I tried to take account of all my limbs before opening my eyes. I could feel my body in one piece, but I couldn't move anything too much.

Those assholes tied me to a chair!

Before I could even begin to panic, a door behind me opened and the room was filled with light. I heard footsteps coming closer, but I knew they put my back towards the door for a reason... so I couldn’t see who was doing this to me.

“Nice to see you again, Rose. Sorry things had to be this way.” I was still fairly groggy but I knew I recognized that voice. Who the hell was it? Ugh... if only my brain would function properly.

“It’s been a long time. I’m sure you’d love to see my face but I’m not quite sure I want to show you yet. Do you maybe want to take a guess, my sweet Rose?”

I didn’t say a word, I didn’t make a sound, and I certainly was not going to move a muscle. I felt his hand run through my hair.

“I’ve always thought you were such a pretty girl. Although you never did care about your appearance to others. It's a shame, really. They have no idea what kind of a gem you really are.”

I laughed. A small laugh, that sounded more like a hiccup. I could feel the panic rising in my chest, as my laugh got louder and more manic. I heard nothing but my own voice that was slowly turning into sobs. No, Rose. You will not cry. Not here. Not until you knew who this was and what they wanted from you.

“Awe, come on Rose. There's no need to cry. I'm not going to hurt you.”

“What do you want!?” I screamed. “Please... just let me go.”

“Tsk, tsk, Rose. I didn’t watch and wait all this time just to let you go. I need a favor from you. And if you do this one tiny thing for me, I'll untie you from the chair, okay?”

“No.”

“Oh, come on... don’t play shy now! You are all tied up in this room, you know. No one can hear you scream; no one is going to come looking for you. Every time you do what I ask, you’ll get a little something in return. How does a nice hot shower sound? Or some food to fill that grumbling tummy of yours? Maybe a drink of water, or maybe it would be enough not to be stuck to the chair you’re sitting on for the next 6 months?”

My whole body tensed and my breathing stopped. 6 months? There was no way I could stay here for 6 whole months!

“What do you want?” I asked in a whisper.

“Oh, my dear Rose, it’s simple really. But I think I'll leave you alone for a while to think about what I said. Maybe in the meantime, you might be able to figure out who I am.” I heard his footsteps quickly retreat out of the room, slamming the door and locking it behind him.

I couldn’t take it anymore. I burst into tears, uncontrollable and probably hideous. How was I going to last 6 months when I couldn’t even make it through a 10-minute conversation without losing it. I couldn’t even wipe my own eyes! I continued to cry while my mind was working a mile a minute trying to piece together the voice of who it could be. I had nothing, and it sounded like I had nothing but time either.

I didn’t know how long had passed but I suddenly woke up, stiff as a board, still tied to this damn chair. I thought for sure it had to be a dream, or another one of those panic attacks I kept getting. But no, I was still here. And I wasn’t alone. I could feel someone else sitting on the floor beside me. What are they doing? Are they wiping me?

“Sorry ma’am, I didn’t mean to bother you. It seems like you’ve had an accident and I wanted to clean you up before the Boss came back.”

“Please untie me,” were the first words out of my mouth. The look on the woman’s face seemed apologetic. She quickly looked away, shaking her head.

“I can’t do that; the Boss would be really mad. Please I’ll just clean you up and be on my way. I don’t want any trouble.”

“You don’t want any trouble!?” I suddenly yelled. “You’re not the one tied to a bloody chair, God knows where, or with someone you don’t even know!”

She flinched at my tone of voice, but I didn’t care. She slowly stood up, leaving the bucket and cloth beside me, and backed towards the exit. Just as she was about to leave, I heard her whisper, “I’m sorry.”

I must’ve fallen asleep again, because the next thing I knew I was being woken up. This time as I slowly opened my eyes, someone was crouched down in front of me, their elbows on my knees.

“Hello there, Rose. I couldn’t wait any longer to see your face up close again. You truly are such a beautiful girl.”

He reached up to move the hair out of my face. I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. I couldn’t believe who was sitting right in front of me.

Only one name was coming to my mind, with thousands of memories flashing before me. Before I even knew what I was doing, I called him how I always knew him, before darkness completely took over.

“Keith.”