Captive of Desire

ARIA I pressed the book to my chest and inhaled deeply, as if I could breathe in its greatness. The Song of Achilles. It was an incredible book, I let my thoughts drift, replaying everything that I had just read. Books had always been my escape from reality, from fear, from the things I didn’t yet have words for. If I could, I would live inside a library forever, surrounded by stories, never needing to return to the outside world. College had been hectic and the spring break gave me a few days to breathe and dive into stories like old times. A knock on my door interrupted my thoughts. I blinked, pulled out of my trance, just as my parents stepped into my room. My mother held a cup of steaming tea, her hand trembling slightly. Her face looked tired in a way that sleep could never fix, eyes faintly stained as though she’d been crying. My father followed behind her, his face blank and unreadable. I knew they were struggling. The financial strain had settled into our home like a constant ache, pressing down on all of us. I could see how hard they were trying, trying to stay strong, trying to protect me from the weight of it all. They loved me, that much had never been in doubt. Even on the days frustration seeped into their voices, even when tempers ran thin, love was still there. They both sat on edge of my bed, mum handed me the cup of tea while dad planted a soft kiss on my head. “How are you doing sweetie?” Mum asked, brushing her palm through my hair. She smiled but it didn’t quite reach her eyes. I hated seeing them like this, pretending that everything was fine just for my sake. “I’m okay,” I answered. “I just finished the Song of Achilles” I gestured to the book which was now resting on my lap. I took a sip from the tea that mum had brought me. It tasted different from what I was used to, but I welcomed the taste with two more sips. “That’s lovely, sweetie”, Mum said softly. She always did most of the talking. Dad simply watched me.“We just came to kiss you goodnight” “And tell you that we love you,” Dad added. Nothing unusual, it had been their routine occasionally since I was little. “Don’t stay up too late okay?” Mum said as they stood to leave. The door clicked shut behind them. I took more sips of my weird tasting tea and grabbed another book from the stack on my shelf. Stories had always been there for me when the world felt too heavy. Time to escape reality again. I made it through two pages before the words blurred, the book slipping from my fingers as sleep pulled me under. *** Thump, Thud! Something fell on my head. I gasped as my eyes flew open, my vision swimming. Cold air brushed against my skin, carrying dust and something metallic. I blinked rapidly, my head pounding as the world slowly came into focus. A cardboard box lay beside my head. It must have fallen. I tried to move, but the darkness pressed in, thick and suffocating, and an unfamiliar smell filled my nose. I sucked in a shaky breath, my head throbbing. No. My room smelled like lilies and vanilla. This smelled like rust, oil, and dirt. And my bed.. my bed wasn’t this hard, or this cold. Or.. Moving? The realization that hit made my body sway without my command. I tried to sit up, but my head spun violently, the world tilting sideways. My limbs felt heavy, uncooperative, like they didn’t belong to me. What the hell… I pressed my palms against the floor, the surface cold and rough beneath my fingers. The motion made my vision blur again, but I forced my eyes open, scanning my surroundings. Metal walls, pile of boxes, darkness. I wasn’t in my room. I was in a van. A moving van. My breath caught painfully in my throat. Tiny holes lined the walls of the van, barely letting in slivers of light. I crawled toward one, ignoring the dizziness clawing at my skull, and pressed my eye to a hole. The road rushed past. Trees. Asphalt. Motion. We were in the outskirts of the city. My heart slammed against my ribs as fear creeped in. I sucked in a sharp breath, panic flooding my veins as the truth settled like a weight on my chest. I was being kidnapped. “Hello?” I called out, my voice trembling, too loud in the enclosed space. The van didn’t slow. Fear burned behind my eyes, hot and overwhelming. I banged my fists weakly against the metal walls, the sound dull and useless. “Hello?” My voice cracked. “Please…wh..where are you taking me?” Nothing. Only the hum of the engine and the rattle of cargo. Tears spilled down my cheeks as I tried to stand, but my legs buckled beneath me, sending me crashing back to the floor. “Help!” I cried, the word tearing out of me. “Please!” I banged again, “Hello!” “Keep your voice down.” The voice wasn’t mine. I thought I had imagined it. I froze. “You’ll make them angry.” It was a girl’s voice, soft, strained, terrified. I turned toward the sound, my heart pounding wildly. “Who?” I whispered. “Please… where are they taking me?” I cried. I dragged myself across the floor, my movements clumsy and slow. The light from the holes revealed her face little by little. She couldn’t have been much older than me. She was curled into herself in the far corner of the van, arms wrapped tightly around her knees, shoulders shaking. Her face was pale, and her lips trembled as though she was trying not to cry. She met my gaze, and something broke inside me. I wasn’t alone. And I wasn’t going anywhere good. We were both being kidnapped.