Trapped

Consciousness came slowly. It didn't help that I didn't want to wake up. My head, my whole body actually, ached something awful. The deep, forced sleep I had been trapped in had been much more comfortable. However, there was no escaping back no matter how long I struggled to return to it. I had no choice but to lay there for who knows how long waiting as the pain slowly eased away while attempting not to panic. My mind was still working far too well to even consider pretending what had happened was all simply a dream. Silas had unexpectedly showed up not long after I called Elemir asking him to come over. I had assumed Silas merely wanted to talk to me. Then, before I had any idea what was happening, he had knocked me out. I can't recall whether it was by a drug or him hitting me in the head. It somehow feels as if he did both. Perhaps he tried to drug me, and when it took longer than he planned he resorted to force? It makes sense enough, I suppose.

As I woke up further, it was obvious I was somewhere completely foreign. I kept my eyes closed, and continued to lay there long after the pain fully subsided. It wasn't too hard to work out what had happened, but I wasn't ready to deal with it yet. It had obviously been hard enough for me to handle everything that had been going on with naneth. The last thing I had needed was to be kidnapped. I took comfort in the fact that Silas had at least brought me somewhere that felt comfortable. The bed I was resting on was softer than my one at home. Considering how much money I spent on that bed, this one surely had to be even more expensive.

I finally opened my eyes and sat up when my body grew stiff from being so still. I knew right away that I should have glanced at my surroundings slower. There was so much to take in and digest that my head began to spin and hurt again. At first, I was utterly and completely confused. I swore I was back at home. Like, in the elven lands home. So much of the architecture and designs were almost identical to the buildings in my memories. I was partly relieved and partly scared thinking I was home. Nostalgia made me tear up, but I was unsure what being home meant for me and the order. The more I thought about it though, the more I realized I was most likely not back in the elven lands. No one at the airport would have let Silas on a plane with me being unconscious, and it would have taken him at least a week to drive to one of the towns closest to the wall. It was absolutely ridiculous to believe I had been unconscious that long. No, I still had to be on the human side.

With that determined, I took a look at myself. I was in a new dress. Silas must have changed me. I couldn't believe he had had the audacity to undress me, but considering I had slept with the man I couldn't complain too much. He wouldn't have seen anything he wasn't already well familiarized with. The dress was also beautiful. Quickly spotting the wardrobe nearby, I took a look after I steadied myself when standing to find it full of equally beautiful clothes. I became more confused. The truth that Silas had to have been planning on taking me for a long time entered my mind. There was no way he had prepared all of this in the few weeks we had known each other. So just how long had he been watching me before we formally met?

I was still a bit weak on my feet from whatever method had been used to knock me out. I stumbled the several steps towards the archway that led out of the bedroom area, but I gained my footing after that. A quick glance about the room proved that I was definitely not in the elven lands. There was a television and computer. Those things would never be in a building at home. Naturally, I rushed over to the large wooden door as soon as I spotted it. It was not surprising in the slightest to find that it was locked tight. I pounded on it hard, and called for Silas for a few minutes. There was no response even after I waited for several more minutes. Couldn't my kidnapper at least have the decency to make an appearance?

The next thing on my list after checking out the door was to turn on the computer. My heart raced as I waited for it to boot up. It felt like it took an eternity to reach the home screen. It was those moments where I wished that Silas wouldn't show up. I hoped with all that I had that he had overlooked blocking the internet access. I had absolutely no idea where I was, but if I could just manage to message one of my children I knew there were ways the police could trace it back to my position. I was certain the police were already on the case. Elemir would have known something was wrong when I wouldn't have been there at the house after calling him over, especially when he would have discovered that Thoronton had been left alone. Then Maldor would have been alerted. I wondered if news of the situation would have reached Eloril and naneth. I figured not as they surely would have been well on their way back home before the full truth was discovered. It hurt me thinking of how Eloril would react when he would be told I had been taken so soon after he departed. If I had only just kept myself composed for that extra two hours he would've been at the house to prevent all of this. My heart then sunk when I discovered that Silas had been smart enough to cut off the computer from the internet. There were many movies, videos, songs, games, and other such things which could entertain me for hours, but there was no way to communicate with anyone. I sighed, and turned the computer off.

Realizing Silas had gone about stealing me properly, I mildly resigned to my fate and began exploring my surroundings in more depth. The smaller room to the right of the desk was the washroom. It really was scary how closely everything resembled the structure of the features at home. It was beyond me how he had managed to replicate so much so accurately. I would have to ask him whenever he showed up.

I then took a few curious steps through the door that led outside. The tall two-story stone wall instantly caught my attention. It kept me safely in, and everything else out. The balcony caught my attention next. There didn't seem to be a way to actually get on it. Decoration was its only purpose. Excitement began to flutter within my chest. With the design of the arches supporting the balcony, it would be incredibly easy to climb onto the balcony. From there I could reach the top of the wall. But what would getting to the top of the wall accomplish? I highly doubted there would be anything on the other side which I could use to climb down. What would I do then? Jump and break both my legs? Sit there pathetically until Silas found me, brought me back, and took away the bit of freedom he had provided? It seemed wiser to wait things out and play by his rules for the moment. My best hope was that I could reason with him.

The outside area he had created was gorgeous for what it was. The flowers in full bloom left a soft, sweet aroma wafting on the air. It helped to calm me down. I went around the corner of the house, and discovered a little pond near the edge of the wall. Well, it was a glorified puddle really. It was entrancing in a way though. Clearly having nothing better to do with my time, I sat down by that glorified puddle for a long while. The shock and surprise of being left in such a nice place was wearing off. Fear began to consume me instead. I worried for myself and for my children. It was already killing me to not be near Thoronton. Thanks to naneth's distractions, I hadn't bonded with him as much as I wanted. Now I had no idea how long it was going to take me to get away from here or when I would see him again. I could only wish it wouldn't be too long. I was already struggling to keep myself composed.

Silas made his appearance about thirty minutes later. It was hard to keep up with the proper passage of the hours. Looking at the computer's clock was the only way of knowing what time it was. I had come back inside by the time he walked through the door. I jumped in fright when I noticed he had arrived. He had entered so quietly I hadn't realized the door had been opened. Silas gave me a bright smile when he saw me. He then began talking to me as if nothing was wrong. I simply stood there for a minute ignoring him entirely. I couldn't believe him. He hadn't mentioned at all what he had done.

And I know I had said it would be wiser to be play by his rules, but I wasn't in the mood to be wise at that moment. My emotions, and maybe my sanity, were already on edge after hearing the truth from naneth. It was rapidly clear it wouldn't take much to set me off anymore, and Silas had definitely set me off. I don't think he had any idea just how strong I can be. He collapsed the second I jumped at him- the back of his head smacking painfully into the door behind him.

However, I would not prove victor in our little scuffle. Silas was not Mr. Clemens. This time the kidnapper was skilled. I had the advantage until Silas saw that I was going for the door he had left unlocked. That's when he got truly rough with me. Like Mr. Clemens though, the man had a lot of muscle on him. I had been too distracted in my attempt to reach the door, and that mistake led to my loss. Silas knew exactly how to bring me down. He slammed his knee powerfully into my leg over and over. I began crying out in pain, and I honestly thought he was trying to break the bone. Blessedly, he stopped and was satisfied with throwing me to the floor. I managed to sit up somewhat, and tried to appear to not be too hurt even though I clutched at my throbbing leg. Silas stood up, now towering over me. He didn't look as angry as I expected, but he was certainly not pleased. What made everything worse was that he didn't have to say a single word to bring me in line, for he nonchalantly moved his shirt to show off the gun I hadn't noticed. I asked him if he would really use such a thing against me. If he had to, was his response. He would never dare to kill me, but a shot through the hand or the foot wouldn't kill me. He had enough medical experience to deal with those kind of injuries. Silas hoped things wouldn't come to that though. I promised him they wouldn't.

Silas' mood changed instantly after that. It was if there was a completely different person in front of me. He offered me his hand to help me stand, which I hesitantly accepted. My leg threatened to give out, but I was determined to show him he hadn't hurt me as much as he actually had. Keeping my voice steady, I next asked him why he brought me here. Silas answered me, but he talked so enthusiastically you would think he was a three-year-old on the worst sugar high imaginable.

He had always loved the elves and our culture. He had gone to visit multiple times the remnants of our past on this side of the wall that the ancient humans hadn't destroyed. Silas hated how much had been destroyed, and was angry at his race for causing all the terrible events they caused. His work, whatever it was- he wouldn't say, had him passing through Twinbrook often. He hadn't been able to believe his eyes when he saw a beautiful elf woman about. However, after watching me quietly for several years Silas had realized the human men in the town had corrupted me. Why else would a pure one such as me willingly sleep with so many men and bear their children? I tried to explain the task, but he told I didn't need to make excuses.

Growing frustrated with what he saw, Silas had realized he could make a difference. He had used all his savings to have this place built for me, and when it had been completed he had approached me. Then he had brought me here. In this place, I could be safe from the taint of the humans. In this place, I would remain pure forever. I scoffed, rolled my eyes, and reminded Silas that he had slept with me as well. Why, if he was trying to make me "pure", had he done that? Silas explained that him sleeping with me had been a cleansing process. As he had slept with me with the intention to save me, our time together had not been dirty or sinful. Now I could start over fresh as no man would ever touch me again.

This idiot was nuttier than a bag of trail mix! I couldn't believe I had let myself be fooled by him! Naneth had been absolutely right! Now that I was looking at Silas properly, it was more than easy to sense how off his rocker he was. It should have been something I noticed even before he began spouting all his nonsense at me, but I had been so narrow-minded and willing to go against whatever naneth wanted that I blinded myself to the truth. Naneth had warned me bad things would come about if I got involved with Silas. Now look where I was! She had this one on me, and I bet I would never hear the end of it once I got away. I wouldn't get mad at her if she did go off at me. A lot of this was my fault as a lot of what happened with Mr. Clemens had been my fault. I ignored my instincts in both cases, and the result was the same situation- only with different players this time around.

Trying to keep my calm, I asked Silas why he hadn't just brought me to the elven lands. Wouldn't taking me to the real place make more sense than bringing me to an imitation? Silas answered that he knew if he took me home that I would come right back over the wall. Here, he could be sure I would stay put. Here, he could make sure I remained clean. I pointed out that he was going to die eventually. There was no way he could watch over me eternally. Silas was aware of this. That's why he was going to teach our child how important it was to keep me safe. He or she would take on the job of protecting me here when he died, and their child would take over when he or she passed, and so on and so on. I had to pause for a moment. I had forgotten a child would most likely be a result from our time together. I hadn't failed to conceive yet in all my other attempts. Why would this instance be any different?

Silas must've taken my sudden silence as a submission, or Goddess forbid, and agreement of his idea. He steered the conversation to a different topic before I could say another word. I was turned around, and he asked what I thought about my room. I almost went on about how I hated it here, but those words became caught in my throat for a variety of reasons. Firstly, I actually did like the room. It was beautiful, spacious, and nostalgic. Being kidnapped, I really couldn't have asked for a better cell. Silas could have locked me in a dark and dirty basement. He had instead spent a lot of time, money, and effort providing me a place I could be comfortable in. That lead me to the second reason I couldn't say I hated it. The way Silas asked me what I thought about the room had been asked almost...innocently. The way he spoke now made me think he was like a child. He was so eager to please me, and he cared greatly about what I thought. I could just imagine the look of heartbroken disappointment that would have spread across his face if I reacted negatively. Having calmed down, I reminded myself again it was better to try to get along with him. Silas was a lot different than Mr. Clemens. If he really was so eager to make me happy, I really had a strong chance of convincing him to let me go if I got closer to him.

I told the truth that I adored the room. Silas was ecstatic.

Surprisingly, he left soon after that. I had wanted to ask him some more questions. However, he placed a bag on the floor, said it was some things for me, and rapidly departed. The sound of the lock being turned was distinct as he had stuck me in my room again. I curiously checked the bag. Mostly it was full of vanity items- combs, several toothbrushes, an assortment of toiletries, and other such things. What interested me the most was the bottle of rich bubble bath. I definitely needed a way to relax after how the past few days had gone. My bathtub was filled with hot water and a layer of thick bubbles before you could blink. I stayed in there for over an hour, not caring how wrinkled my fingers got.

When I did get out, I realized it was much later in the day than I had anticipated. The sun had practically set during the time I had been bathing. I felt refreshed, but my stomach growled loudly. Since I had no idea how long I had been asleep, I had no idea how long it had been since I had eaten. Given that I hadn't eaten that night or morning after hearing naneth's confession, I was desperate for anything that could fill my stomach. Silas eventually showed up with a plate full of a wonderful salad. I began eating right away, but stopped for a moment when I saw Silas leaving. Wasn't he at least going to dine with me? Silas shocked me by saying I wouldn't be seeing much of him. He would bring me my meals, and make occasional appearances to hear if I had any requests for items to keep me entertained. Other than that, I would be left on my own. I didn't get the opportunity to ask why he was going to be so distant as he promptly departed again. I sighed with a bit of defeat. Getting close to him was going to be quite the challenge indeed if he was never around. I went back to my salad mulling over other plans of escape.

After I finished eating, I grew bored. The silence was beginning to grow suffocating. Silas must have thought he was doing me a favor by leaving me be, but at that moment I would rather have even him around than be alone. I knew there was the television and computer, but they weren't the same as having an actual person nearby. It would have also been too much too to see the barriers of the screens between me and the actors of whatever movie or show I could have watched. I was already trapped enough. The last thing I needed was to have yet another thing separating me from the others of the world. Requiring some distraction though, I searched around the parts of the room I hadn't paid much attention to before. I was highly pleased when I found a violin sitting on one of the end tables tucked away in a corner. I took the instrument, and went outside. Being in the open air made me feel much less confined than being inside. I had a feeling in the little yard was where I would be spending most of my time for however long I ended up remaining at this place. Silas was so confident he would have me here forever, but I knew better. I pushed Silas out of my thoughts though as I began to play. The violin was something I had been taught when I was young. I haven't practiced it since I was an adolescent, but it didn't take too long for the memories of my lessons to return. The screeches I made at first transformed into smooth lullabies. The night world was quiet save for my songs. I felt at peace.

But peacefully was not how my night would end. My fingers ached after a while. My stamina for playing was not what it used to be. The night was getting late as well. I returned the violin to its case before my attention was drawn to the area of the room I had been avoiding all day. Having a child with me must have always been a part of Silas' plan. It was the only reason to explain why he had added a small nursery. I stared at the crib for a long time. I ran my fingers over the wood.

I was really having a child with him. It had been perhaps two days at the very least since we had slept together so there was no explainable way for me to know for sure that I was pregnant, but I could still feel it. The quieter the room grew the more I could almost physically feel the changes that were starting to take place within my body. That was when fear truly grasped me. I was so scared that I began to shake. I wanted my brother. I wanted my ada. I even wanted naneth. Silas was treating me fine for the moment, but what could I do if his obsession with me grew dark? He had made a point that he would use his gun on me if he had to. What if his behavior took a drastic turn for the worse? I would have no option but to do whatever he wanted. What if I was still here when the child was born? Would he use him or her against me?

I lost the strength to stand. I couldn't even make it to the rocking chair nearby. Overwhelmed, I was most comforted by lying there on the floor crying. Why did so much have to happen to me? If the task I was doing was critically important to the world, why didn't the Goddess do more to help me out? After every other pain I've been struck with, why couldn't I just live a simple life?

I had no idea how long I was lying there for. One thing was certain to me though. I had to get out of here before the child within me grew too much. There had to be some weakness in this place I could exploit. And if there wasn't...I was going to have to trust my family to break through Silas' defenses. I desperately needed to go home before I began to fall apart and desired it all to stop again......