Captive{ated}

Thirty-Eight: Speechless

You helped me from the chair, my knees wobbling. Steadying myself, I grabbed onto you for support. Eyes endearing, you studied me. "Are you okay?"

My head spun, my breath short. I nodded, struggling to find words. "Yes," I weakly managed. The terror I felt moments before started to overwhelm me. "You had me really convinced there. I- I thought for sure that I was g-going to-"

"Shhh," you stopped me from finishing my thought. My whole body trembling, you wrapped your arms around me and held me close. I felt so small in them. Your heart was racing nearly as fast as mine. "I didn't mean to scare you so, but I needed to convince him, too. If you weren't scared, he would've caught on and never drank the wine. He would've acted before the drug took effect. I had to take care of him before I could take care of you. It was the only option once he found out."

My eyes cast down toward your unmoving father. Laying there so powerless, this was the only time he didn't intimidate me. You continued, "I'm sorry I had to put you through that and-"

Now it was my turn to stop you. "Thank you for choosing me," I whispered with so much emotion as I gripped you, my lifeline, tighter.

Your body stiffened before relaxing. I don't think you expected me to say those words, but how couldn't I? Whether I lived or died came down to you, and here I stood still. You nodded in response, probably not knowing what to say. I knew that had to be a hard decision for you. You betrayed your father for me, the man you had looked up to all your life. You betrayed him for a girl, an Outsider of the Village. A girl whom you loved more than your own life.

"There's not much time now. As much as I'd love to stay like this, we have to go," you told me as you composed yourself. "But first, there's something we must do."

Without question, I did as you instructed.

We carried your father's unconscious body up the stairs, binding and gagging him while under the drugged stupor. There was a certain kind of poetic justice seeing him like that. It became only sweeter when we locked him in the same room he locked me in for weeks. He'd wake completely powerless and betrayed by his own son in the dark.

I hoped he was just as scared of it as me.

And I hoped it hurt one hundred times as much.

Once you turned the key, locking the door with a click, you turned to me, reached behind me, and opened the door to our bedroom. Joy bounded out of the room, running to me instantly with a whimper. You laughed lightly as I pet her. The air was so tense that this brief reprieve made it easier to breathe. "I figured you'd want to say goodbye to her," you crouched beside me and pet her as I hugged the dog. "Why are you crying?" You whispered as you wiped my tears away.

I didn't realize I was. "It's- it's just a lot all at once," I confessed.

Brushing a stray piece of hair behind my ear, you gazed at me with a soft smile. "It's just a goodbye for now. After all, she's your dog. She's crazy about you." Sniffling, I nodded in response. "Listen, Evelyn," you paused, seeming to have as hard of a time as me. "It's not about to get any easier, but I promise you, you'll walk out of this okay. Besides, Joy will be waiting for you. We can't let her down, right?"

The Pitbull mix licked me. "Right," I croaked, my lips slightly upturned.

Standing up, you offered your hand to me yet again. You held us both together. While you smiled, there was no denying the pain in your eyes as I took your hand.

I'm sorry I couldn't help you more.

You led me downstairs, grabbing a picnic basket from the closet. It was already fully packed, covered with red fabric. "Grab a light cloak," you instructed, "you may need it. It gets a bit chilly at night."