My Cursed Love

Chapter 4: Am I really safe?

*Elena’s POV*

“If you don’t feel well enough, then I’m sure you can stay longer!”

My aunt kept telling me, as I got dressed and ready to go, that I should keep staying in the hospital. She didn’t do it directly, but she kept dropping hints.

I was tired of this place. I was tired of the doctors and nurses constantly coming up to me, asking if I was okay. For the one hundred thousand time:

I AM OKAY!

But I didn’t blame them. Of course, they were asking me all the time, afraid I would have a nervous breakdown any second now. And my aunt wasn’t any better. She was constantly hovering over me, ready to protect me and acting like the danger was just right behind the white door.

She was wrong. The danger was there but far away, for now. The first nights here, I was afraid. I didn’t dare sleep, too afraid they would come into the hospital and kidnap me, maybe even kill my aunt. But then I noticed the men in uniforms outside my room. Police. I had been gone for over 5 months and now that I was back, they needed to keep me safe so they could question me. They knew just like me, danger was still out there. Why? Because I wasn’t the only one who disappeared that night.

12 other girls were still missing and I was sad to say that they were never going to find them, and if they somehow did. Then they weren’t going to find 12 girls…9 if they were lucky, but since I got away I didn’t know if any of them had suffered his wrath. It’s not like I didn’t want to help the girls, because I did! But I had no idea where they were and even if I did, how did I explain that they needed to get those silver bullets ready and maybe a tank? They would think I was crazy, maybe delusional from the dehydration and starvation and they were all going to be killed. I truly had no power…

No, that was not completely true. I did get away! I made the choice of ending it all, not him! Yet I survived and day by day, the fear came crawling. I knew I might feel a bit more safe now with the police and everything, but soon they weren’t going to be there anymore. It made a cold shiver crawl down my spine as I thought about him and that place. I still had nightmares about it. Waking up screaming, so maybe I did kind of understand why the doctors and nurses always looked at me as if I was broken or close to be. I was broken. All of that fear was still in my head. And my aunt. She had looked like hell and she always looked nice before I disappeared. She was a lawyer at a huge law firm and she was a tough one, but I guess losing me was the one thing, except for my mother’s death, that was able to bring her down. I hated knowing that it was my disappearing that had made her like this and I hated them even more for doing this to her.

I just knew in my heart that all my energy was going into protecting her! She was never going to suffer again. I promised myself that.

“I’m alright auntie. Don’t worry about me, okay?” I said while smiling a sweet smile at her.

I was starting to brush my hair as I heard her sigh. I turned to look at her. She was looking at the ground with a sad face. It took a few seconds before she wanted to look at me and when she did, I was shocked by the worry in her voice.

“I am always going to worry about you, Elena. I love you so much and after your mother’s death I promised her to protect you…” She had tears in her eyes. “And I f-failed.”

She almost broke down right there. I ran to her and put my arms around her. No! You haven’t failed me. These people are sick and not ordinary. You couldn’t have done anything!

But I didn’t say any of that. I just held her close, trying to reassure her with my hug. She then suddenly pulled away, turning her back on me and wiped her tears away. When she turned back, she was the same old auntie Jane I knew. She had her tough lawyer look going on.

“Well then, didn’t you want to get out of here?” She asked me and winked.

I smiled back and nodded like crazy. She smiled at me and led us both out of here. As we walked down the hallways, the nurses that had taken care of me and the doctor all wished me well and welcomed me home. It was so weird. I was actually home!

I couldn’t count how many times I had wished for this, yet as I felt happy about being home, I also felt terrified. Would they come after me? I tried to shake that thought away as I focused on my aunt. She walked side by side with me, smiling friendly at the hospital staff.

“So I told the police you needed more time before you would come down to the police station and tell them about your disappearance…”

I interrupted her before she could say more and stopped us from walking. I looked her in the eyes surprised.

“What? Why did you do that?” I asked.

I just really wanted to get that part over with. The girls’ parents needed to grieve. They needed to let go, because face it ... They were never going to see them again.

“Elena, you need more time!” She said, a bit shocked by my question.

I shook my head no. She sighed.

“Elena,”

I shook my head again.

“I can do this, auntie!” I protested.

She sighed again, putting both her hands on her hips. She started shaking her head, no, like this wasn’t a discussion we were going to have, but I just couldn’t let it go on. I had to get this done and I had to do it now.

“Please, auntie Jeeeenna!” I said with a voice I used as a kid whenever I was begging her.

She kept shaking her head, yet a smile spread across her face. I smiled back at her. She sighed and lifted her hand up to brush some of my hair behind my ear.

“If you think you are strong enough…”

I cut her off again.

“I know I am!”

Liar

I was never going to be ready, but I had to do it. I knew I seemed like a coward or selfish for not fighting for the girls, but all my energy went into protecting my aunt and myself. I was never going back! Ever! And those guys were mad and crazy at fighting. They were never just going to give up the girls and there would be without a doubt a bloodbath. And I was going to be the cause of it. I didn’t think I could do that.

“Fine then, but I will be in the room with you and if they ask you anything you are not comfortable answering, then I will make sure they know to keep in line!” She said with a confident lawyer-face.

I laughed a small laugh and nodded. We continued walking again and soon we were outside. I couldn’t help but stop and smell the air. This was freedom, I thought.

“Come on, the car is just down here,” I heard my aunt say as she pulled me out of my thoughts.

I ran after her down the stairs and to the parking lot. A nice black Audi stood parked a little further away from the rest of the cars, which also meant further from the hospital. My aunt was making sure no one scratched her baby. It almost made me laugh. God, it was good to be home.

As I got in the car, my aunt started it up but didn’t drive away. I looked at her confused. Why wasn’t she driving?

“I called your sister,” she said.

My blood turned cold and I knew my face lost all color. My stomach turned into a knot and I felt like throwing up, not that I had a lot in my stomach. I hadn’t eaten much since I got back. I guess that is what starving does to you.

My sister.

I hadn’t seen her in years, not since my parents died. She left because the loss was too much and seeing me every day just reminded her that I got out alive while they didn’t and then she hated herself for hating me for being alive. It was a real struggle for her. I knew that but I blamed myself too. They wouldn’t have been in that car crash if I hadn’t asked them to pick me up that day.

“Why?” I asked in a low voice.

“She is your sister. She at least needs to know,” my aunt said, trying to defend herself.

She hadn’t seen my sister either, but still kept a bit in touch over email. She was the one who helped my sister get out of town and stay with some of her old friends.

“She doesn’t care,” was all I said.

“You know that is not true!”

I just looked outside the window.

“She almost had another breakdown when she heard about your kidnapping,” my aunt told me.

I just shook my head.

“Or maybe she was just happy I finally got what I deserved,” I said in a cold voice.

“Stop that, Elena. You know she would never think that. She was in a bad place at the time, but she is better now. I’m sure she wants to get a chance to see you and see for herself that you are alright.”

I just shook my head no. I only had enough strength to defend one family member. And defend her I would! With teeth and claws. My sister suddenly entering my life like that ... I wasn’t strong enough for that. I barely held it together right now.

“Fine. I understand. The time is not right,” my aunt said as she started the car.

***

Arriving at the police station a little later, we were escorted inside while my aunt was constantly asking me

“Are you okay?”

And

“Feeling any pain?”

And

“How is your ankle?”

I just kept telling her I was okay and she didn’t need to worry. As we got inside, a lot of eyes found me. Seemed like the police station had been busy looking for me and the others. Many had given up after a few weeks without a lead but others still kept going, maybe because some of the people that worked here were parents to some of those girls. I knew they hoped I could give them answers and leads to their whereabouts and I hated that I had to disappoint them, but there was nothing I could do. It made my heart ache in pain.

I’m so sorry.

I really was sorry and if I could do more I would have. But as I kept telling myself. These people weren’t ordinary.

A detective, probably in his late thirties, came over to us. He had a friendly smile and brown eyes with short brown hair. It was clear that he was very muscular, as his tight white shirt showed it to everyone. I could clearly see some of the female workers here not being able to take their eyes off him and I did catch my aunt being a bit shaken before finding the lawyer in her.

“You must be Elena Wilson,” he said, and offered me his hand.

My hands got a bit sweaty. I didn’t like being touched, not after coming back anyway, and just the thought of shaking someone’s hand made my heart beat faster. He saw me just staring at his hand and how uncomfortable I got. He took his hand back looking at me, just like my aunt had and the nurses and doctors, like I was broken. My aunt then got into motion.

“I was very against coming down here today, yet my niece insisted on it.”

He looked at my aunt and nodded.

“Well, I’m glad she is eager to help with the search,” he said, and shortly I looked at me, but I kept my eyes on the ground. I was no hero.

“Yes, but I will be there for the interrogation and making sure that no one will be pressuring her into saying anything against her own wishes. And don’t think about pushing me here or I will have your balls served to you!” She said sternly while crossing her arms.

I looked at her with shocked eyes and almost asked her to take her words back, when I heard the detective trying to keep a laugh in. He just smiled at my aunt and for a second I could swear his eyes scanned her a bit further down than I liked. Yet it was so fast I wasn’t even sure it had happened.

“Ma’am, this is not an interrogation. I am just going to ask Elena some questions that might help us find the rest of the girls,” he said while trying to keep a straight face.

“Well then, I will be making sure that you keep to your words. So lead the way.”

The detective nodded and started walking to his desk. We followed closely behind. I looked at my aunt, who kept her lawyer-facade, but again, I saw something I really didn’t like. Was my aunt checking out the detective’s ass? God I hoped not.

I just tried to look away. This was not something I wanted to even know about. As we walked to the detective’s desk, eyes followed me closely and I felt more and more uncomfortable and my heart was now racing like crazy. Why couldn’t they just stop looking at me? I couldn’t help them and that already killed me. I didn’t need them to look at me like I was their last hope.

We sat down at the detective’s desk. I sat in front of him with my aunt close to my side. She sat down elegantly, crossing her legs and arms and had a stern look on her face as she watched the detective. And for some reason he didn’t seem to mind! Seriously? What was going on here? He then focused on me. He had his laptop close to his side, ready with questions for me.

“So why don’t you take me to the beginning, Elena?” he said in a gentle voice, not forcing me to answer right away.

I just nodded.

“It was a party,” I started. “A beach party. My friend Erica told me about it.”

“Yes, we talked to her two days after your disappearance,” the detective told me.

I just nodded again. I was glad nothing had happened to her. I had known her since we were kids and it would have killed me if I knew she had gotten hurt somehow.

“The party wasn’t private,” I said, continuing the story, yet I didn’t get far as the detective asked me a new question.

“Did you know who had arranged this party?”

I shook my head no.

Liar!

It was one of them. One of those awful guys that had tortured me. But at that time, everyone just thought it was some rich man living by the beach.

“I don’t,” I said as the detective looked at me with searching eyes. Didn’t he believe me?

“Then what happened?”

“We partied, I guess. Me and my friends. At some point, I got separated among the party people and I remember feeling a bit dizzy.”

“Do you think someone drugged you?”

I nodded. That thought had occurred to me, but why me? Had they really just randomly chosen me among all those other beautiful girls? Or maybe they had to go more ordinary, because who would miss a girl like that?

“Then it just all went dark and the next thing I know I wake up in a van with the other girls,” I told him.

The detective was now focused on his laptop, quickly writing it all down, not even looking at me as he asked me the next question.

“Could you see the drivers?”

I shook my head no.

“We then came to a hold and we were dragged out,”

He cut me off with a new question.

“Did you see where they were dragging you to?”

I shook my head no

Liar, again. I saw it. It was some kind of old castle, but what was that going to help with?

“I was blindfolded as they pulled us out,” I told him, feeling even more nervous now.

God, why were my hands so sweaty?

“Then?”

“Then we were taken inside and thrown in a small disgusting, cold and dark room, and that is where they kept us all the time,” I said, ending my story quickly.

I could see why he was a detective. He had that look in his eyes that felt like when he was looking at you, he could see right through you and you just felt like telling him everything.

“You were just kept there?” he asked while leaning back in his chair and rubbing his chin.

I nodded but of course I was lying. I had been taken to the alpha. They had made us all sit on our knees looking at the ground as he presented himself, telling us how this was our new home and the rules that followed, and if we broke them that punishment would follow. He also stated how powerful he was and that he would kill us if we did not make sure him and his men were pleased. Then we were brought to the dark and cold attic where dusty old matrasses were lying around. It was truly hell.

“Are you certain?” he asked again, locking eyes with me.

I gulped and I felt like brushing sweat off my brow, but I knew that made me seem suspicious. To my luck, my aunt quickly stepped in.

“What do you mean by “are you certain”? This was not supposed to be an interrogation!” she said, angrily, and with her powerful presence, demanded that he looked at her. And he did.

“It just seems to me a bit weird that they would just keep you there for no reason. That is all ma’am,” he said while looking from my aunt to me and back to my aunt.

“This is what Elena experienced. Why would she know anything about the reason behind their sick plans?” my aunt said, defending me.

“But the parents received no threatening letters demanding ransom,” he explained to my aunt.

She just gave him a cold look and I could see he knew he wasn’t going to win over her. He just sighed and nodded.

“How did you escape then?” he asked.

“One night they got really drunk and I made a run for it,” I said.

Really? That was the best I could come up with? It was so ridiculous even to my ears. And I could see the detective didn’t buy any of it. He then looked quickly at my aunt and knew he shouldn’t even start questioning me about my weird escape.

“Then what?” he just said while leaning back again and looking at me.

“I didn’t look where I ran to. I just had to get away and before I knew it I slipped off a cliff and fell into the water.”

God, I was truly the worse storyteller. No one was ever going to buy that. I wouldn’t even buy that. The detective just sighed, not even wanting to waste energy on writing down my ridiculous story.

“Well, thank you Elena for taking your time to come down here. I know you must be tired,” he said while smiling at me.

I knew he had hoped for more, but I just couldn’t tell him the truth. I was scared and I had to protect my aunt. I breathed out deeply, realizing I had held my breath. He noticed that.

“Relax,” he said. “You are safe now.”

He then got up but before he left us, I asked him:

“Am I really safe?”

He stopped in his tracks, looking back at me. This time I dared to look into his eyes. He looked shocked and instead of giving me the reassuring lie, saying I really was safe, he just smiled at me and went away.