The Rogue

five - make believe

When I was startled awake in the morning, something was different.

It was the light. I was still in my small wardrobe room, but it was lighter. I realized the door was open, letting in light from the window in the bedroom.

I jumped up eager to see how far my freedom within the confines of the order extended and then groaned in dismay.

“Rise and shine” Adam was sitting on the end of his bed, his hair is still damp hanging limply framing his face. He’s wearing a short sleeve black T-shirt exposing the intricate black tattoos wrapping around his forearms and dark wash jeans. I rubbed my eyes as they adjust to the light.

“It would be easier to rise and shine if I was at home” I grumbled.

“Don’t be so grumpy, you have your first job today”

“When?”

“Your boyfriend called asking to see you” Adam laughs at the visible horror that sweeps across my face. Maybe I would be trying the device out on him after all.

“He’s not my boyfriend but he’s probably been freaking out!” it hadn’t occurred to me, that the hotel had gone up in flames but I had been MIA at the time.

“Relax no one is none the wiser to your location, you sent them all text messages the other night. Now come on you stink” Adam teases and I follow as he rushes out the door.

“You sent everyone messages off my phone?”

“Yup” Adam is leading me back through the house; all the doors were shut, in the white halls nothing to distinguish anything.

“Did you go through my phone?”

“Of course.. It was curious though as there’s nothing on there. No photos except of study notes. Few phone numbers and texts but nothing.. of value.. nothing of entertainment”

“Sorry to bore you” Adam smiled at me and I fought back a smile. What had seemed like his usual stone-faced demeanor disappeared and he seemed like a different person.

We stopped at a door.

“Bathrooms in here, the toilet is the door to the left, Megan has left you some clothes” I don’t ask who Megan is I just slip in the bathroom and am thankful to get out of this dress.

“I’ll be right out here” Adam called from behind the door. I should have known that he wouldn’t stray far; he seemed to always need to be close to me. Maybe once I gathered him some information he would trust me more and give me some breathing space.

The bathroom was a plain as the rest of the house. A towel sat folded on the vanity next to a pile of clothes. Someone, Megan I assumed had left me a toothbrush and toothpaste and some shampoo and conditioner. I made a note to thank Megan if I was to ever meet her.

The hot water of the shower felt like heaven after the last couple of days. In the shower I examined the mark on my arm from the tracker, it was healing well but this would always mark me. I lingered in the shower as long as I could, preparing myself for whatever was to come. I didn’t know if I could trust these people, but I didn’t have a choice. I tried not to dwell on how much my life had changed in an instant, and tried to focus on how I could get back on track as fast as I could.

The clothes Megan left me were not my usual style. High waist black skinny jeans and a body-hugging olive green turtleneck knit top. The Sleeves were a tad long on my arms, but they mostly fit. I was pleasantly surprised by how they suited me.

Adam was waiting for me when I left the bathroom. Before I could speak he dashed into the kitchen, taking a seat at the table. I took a seat next to him as he slid a piece of paper and pen towards me.

“What’s this?”

“It’s your official contract and non-disclosure agreement.” my eyes skim over the pages, nothing on it makes sense except ‘penalty of death’.

“You weren’t kidding on the death penalty thing,” I mumble skimming through the pages. Before signing on the line. I know I should have read it more thoroughly but it’s either this or be a prisoner. At least in choosing this path I can maintain most of my freedom and I can get some revenge for what my father did to me. At least I think I can.

“Here is your phone.” Adam slid it towards me I take it cautiously.

“What’s the catch?”

“We’ve added some things to it.” Adam shrugged.

“You’ve tapped it.”

“It’s yours for use but it’s just another way to monitor you.” They don’t trust me, my word and a contract aren’t enough. My stomach sinks I don’t think I’m getting out of this before next semester starts.

“Really it’s to help keep you safe” Seth chimes in as he takes a seat at the table with two bowls of cereal, he pushes one to me and I give him a smile. He’s the most friendly of all of them I’ve met. I take a bite of cereal, with everything going on, I don’t have much of an appetite, but I don’t want them to know how scared I am, I need them to trust me.

“Unfortunately, this house is currently full. So you’ll still be bunking in the wardrobe but I’ll take you to retrieve some belongings today.”

“How many people are in this house?” I was sure I had met them all last night but just to be sure.

“Myself, Alessia she is our head IT tech, Seth here another IT nerd, Bryce. Other people stop in from time to time” Adam lists off casually.

“Other people as in?”

“Other people” he smiled, taunting me. I catch Seth rolling his eyes. Adam was irritating but intriguing. I didn’t bother asking again. Instead, I unlocked my phone and dialed a number I didn’t expect to ever need to dial.

Adam and Seth looked at me as I waited for the call to connect. Adam mouthed, “what are you doing” but I held up a finger to stop him. Thankfully, Evan answered on the fourth ring.

“Good morning Ivy, How are you? Are you feeling better?” I wasn’t sure what he was referring too, I assume it was to do with Adams's excuse he sent them Friday night for my disappearance.

“Yeah I am, I slept it off”

“Glad to hear. Your Dad asked me to pick you up tonight I just wasn’t sure what time?”

“Tonight…”

“Dinner at your Dad's for his birthday?”

I vaguely recalled my father mentioning a dinner at his place a few weeks back but in the hectic schedule of the end of the semester, I hadn’t given much thought to confirm it.

“Oh right, 5 pm at my university dorm would be great”

“Easy done, I'll see you then… Oh, an Ivy about Friday night…”

“It's fine Evan. I'll see you tonight” I ended the call before he could continue. I didn’t feel like rehashing Friday night’s events.

“You move fast” Seth laughed; Adam was looking at me seriously again. I had hoped his more playful attitude would have stuck around longer, I much preferred it to the seriously hard-to-read Adam who made me nervous.

“Of course. I don’t want to be stuck here any longer than necessary.”

“Well, we better hurry then.” Adam huffed before sauntering out of the kitchen. I looked to Seth who gave me an apologetic look before waving me off. I hurried After Adam. He made a quick exit through one of the closed doors in the hallway, into a garage. The black SUV he bought me here was parked waiting; a black motorbike was parked in the corner. Looking at Adam and to the bike, I could picture him racing around the city on that I just hoped it wasn’t what he was going to be driving me around on.

“I’m not taking you on that, you don’t have any shoes.” He said as he opened the front passenger door to the SUV. “As much as you’d love it.”

“I wouldn’t” I blushed as I brushed past him into the SUV. He shut the door behind me. The SUV was nice, certainly not a cheap vehicle. I wondered if it was Adams or just a “work car”.

The engine revved as he drove us out of the garage and into what appeared to be a rather higher-class suburban area. As he drove the outside world played by like a movie. Families walking their dogs, people out on a jog, attending their gardens, daily life carrying on, it all felt so distant now. Routine, safety, normality; Everything I thought I had, was merely just an illusion, that was shattered leaving me to try and make a new image of my life out of the pieces. I wasn’t ready to think about that, I just needed to take it moment by moment. In an attempt to distract myself I turned on the radio, the music upbeat and catchy was a song I knew; I bopped along, trying to keep my head clear.

Adam however didn’t enjoy it. He turned the volume right down and grunted.

“You don’t like music?”

“I do, just not that” he spoke as if the music left a sour taste in his mouth. I didn’t try to turn it up for the remainder of the drive. When he pulled into my university housing garage. I didn’t bother waiting for him. I hurried back to my small apartment; he could run after me this time.

I took a deep breath before I entered. Inside I could hear Jess’ music. I knew I was about to be hit with 20 questions.

Adam entered my tiny room lying down on my bed, as I walked in, it seemed barely bigger than my wardrobe room he had kept me in the previous two nights.

“Nice decorating.”

“It’s more decorated than your house” I start shoving some clothes in my backpack. A phone charger, a couple of books I planned on reading over semester break.

“Seriously, what girl lives in a start white room with no pictures, no décor...”

“I don’t need distractions,” I mumble shoving my toiletry bag in my backpack, It's hard to know what to pack as I don’t know how long Adam intends to keep me captive.

“Id argue that you do.” He smirks.

“Look, I don’t know what the f**k it is that you really do, but I came to this city for one thing; to get my degree and then never return. You however are getting in the way and I don’t find it funny.” Red heat burns my cheeks as I snap at Adam. He seems surprised but doesn’t respond as his gaze drifts behind me.

Jess is standing in my doorway, her jaw hanging as she takes in the sight of Adam sitting on my small bed. She looks at Adam and then back to me, her shock replaced by a Cheshire cat grin.

“Hey I’m Evan” Adam introduced himself to jess.

“Evan... Oh right, Evan! I’m jess.. ivy ill chat to you later.”

“Actually we are going out tonight, and I’m going to stay at Evans for a little bit, just while on semester break…” I can tell she is about ready to burst with excitement at my lie, though she’d definitely explode if I told her the truth.

“Have fun” She smiled then shutting the door. I bury my head in my hands.

“She’s never seen you with a man before has she?” Adams laughing.

“As I said I am here for one thing, so no she hasn’t” I slump down on the end of my bed. Checking my phone time, it's still hours until Evan will be here to get me.

I glance at Adam; he seems so relaxed while I feel like I’m going to snap on the inside. It’s a familiar feeling, one I hoped id never feel again, a panic simmering, building ready to boil over at any moment.

“Don’t be so nervous you’ll be fine”

“I’m not nervous” I lie.

“You’re fidgeting and avoiding my gaze.” 

“Do you blame me?” I wrap my arms around my waist in an attempt to control the fidgeting.

He sits up and shuffles next to me, our shoulders just touching.

“No, I don’t blame you. Friday night was a lot, then being confronted with that video last night, honestly, I’m surprised you are holding it together as well as you are.” He looks me up and down, examining me, looking for any sign I’m going to lose it.

“I’m good at bottling things up, and shutting things out I don’t know how’d you do it though if this weekend is just a sample, I don’t think I want to know all the things you’ve seen a done.” I look into his green eyes, and I remember the first time, on the deck under the stars, and how captivating they were, if only I knew then what I knew now, maybe I wouldn’t have thought as much.

“life's a big game of make-believe Ivy. You can choose who you want to be and how you react to any situation, once you master that, it's easy.”

“so what I just make-believe my father didn’t almost kill me by experimenting on me and pretend I wasn’t assaulted then kidnapped, tortured, and then coerced into signing away my life?”

“Touché. However, you can choose how you react, Your father almost killed you, but now you are going to destroy him, use the guy that hurt you and make a much better life for yourself” He smiled, and my breath caught in my chest. I’m sure he was aiming to reassure me, but I was more terrified than before.

“You make it all sound simple.” I sigh lying down on my bed.

“I’ve had more practice.” He smiled and jumped up from my bed before sitting on the ground with his back against my door. “You look wrecked still, get some sleep. You’ll be safe.” I don’t bother arguing, and curl up on my bed, turning against the wall away from Adam. Closing my eyes, I was acutely aware of Adams presence, but his words repeated in my mind “you’ll be safe”

I really hoped he was right.