Chapter 2

You wake up in his room. This is where he keeps you when he wants to play with you later. You don't know much about him but he hasn't been to the house very often and for that you are thankful. He has a very demanding job that you think had something to do with singing. He told you once but you forgot. This house makes you forget a lot of things. You notice the water and bread next to you and it takes a while before you can maneuver yourself to be able to eat. Your hands are still handcuffed but to a different pole set back to the corner of his room. The food tastes so good you almost feel happy for a few seconds. Almost.

You hear the door downstairs open. You're still amazed how well the sounds travel in this huge mansion. In the months you've been there you still haven't seen every room, been down every hallway. Some things you just don't want to see. Voices float up the staircase and you know he's not alone. Brought a few friends along with him. As the footsteps near your fear rises. He nonchalantly walks in with another man, laughing and talking about some other guy. The second man stops and stares at you. You close your eyes and push yourself as far into the corner as possible although you can never reach the wall. That's what you were taught. Stay invisible.

Justin pats the dark haired man on the back. "You look like you've seen a ghost." The man turns slightly and blinks a few time before his eyes fall on Justin.

"Who is that?" he croaks out, his voice soft as a whisper. It's beautiful.

"That?" Justin asks, the confusion written on his face as he points to you. You're used to being called 'that' or 'it'.

"Yes, her. Justin... I thought you stopped doing... Doing this kind of stuff." The dark haired man is slowly making his way over to you and you don't know what to do. You can see Justin watching you intently, waiting to see if you were going to say anything. The warning is evident in every feature on his face.

Justin follows the man, speaking carefully as if to not offend him. "I tried but you know... They're just so useful."

The dark haired man kneels down in front of you. Your eyes clamp shut again and you whimper as you try to escape his touch. "Shhh..." he whispers. You feel his hands gently touch your bruised cheek and you wince. "Justin, if I told you this once, I've told you a million times. This. Is. Not. Right."

He shrugs and smiles brightly at you. "But it's just so much fun." Your eyes slowly open to focus on the dark haired man, now glaring back at Justin. He takes one last look at you before he stands. "Let's go," Justin persuades. The two start to walk towards the door but the man watches you for a little longer. You feel uneasy under his stare. You shift uncomfortably. He shakes his head sadly and walks out. You sigh deeply when he leaves. He was so gorgeous. Like an angel. He was your angel.

You thought he would leave you alone that night. You thought he would just let you be. You thought wrong. He glides in alone this time, and stares at you for a long while before he comes over. You try your best to shy away from him but there's no where to go. He grabs your arm and pulls your forward, your face only inches from his. "You better watch yourself when my friends are over," he sneers. You can only nod your head, unsure of what else to do. He rolls his eyes and backhands you before he stands up, kicking you a few times for good measure. You visibly relax when he leaves. You thought it would be worse.

No one comes in for a few hours and you are thankful for the loneliness. When the door opens, you immediately shrink back again. Justin enters with the dark haired man. He yawns and runs his hand over his face. "You can stay with her tonight if you want. I thought you were against this but... whatever you want man. I'm not up for it tonight anyway." The man nods and sends a silent glance at you. You can't help your fear. He looks so much stronger than Justin. Older too. He hands him the pill and you tremble, letting out a soft whimper.

The man looks at you then back at Justin. "What is this for?"

Justin yawns again and nods in your direction. "Calms her down. Sometimes she hallucinates and sees stuff. It's pretty cool. She's a rough one... Hard to control without that stuff." He lifts his shirt up and points to the long scratches there. "See? I didn't give one to her yesterday and she like tried to kill me." You shudder. You paid dearly for that.

The man stares at him. "She was defending herself."

Justin looks slightly shocked but then brushes it off. "Anyway, give her the pill and she'll calm down and practically do anything you tell her too. It messes with their minds, makes them obey you and stuff. I don't know-"

"How can I get those undone?" He is looking at you know, nodding towards the pole.

He grins, his curls bouncing on his head as he laughs and pats the man on the back. "Planning on getting a little rough tonight are you?" The man says nothing, just watches you. Justin clears his throat and hands him the keys from his pocket. "Be careful man. She's a wild one." The man nods and waits for him to leave the room before he approaches you. You try to back away but can't reach the wall. You know that was done on purpose, never giving you the pleasure of cover or something to lean against.

The man approaches you slowly, like he would an injured animal. He kneels in front of you and looks you over. You close your eyes and lower your head to avoid his gaze. He gently lifts your chin up, forcing your eyes to open curiously. He examines your beaten face over and sighs. "What is your name?"

You immediately lower your head. "Kayla," you whisper.

He shakes his head and tries to make you look at him, his blue eyes piercing through you. "No, your real name."

Your forehead furrows in concentration as you think. You haven't used your real name in... In months. "I-I don't know."

"How could you not know your real name?" he asks. You lick your lips and fear ebbs into you when you hear his voice rise in anger. You quickly run through everything in your mind. You could lie.

"I-I don't know sir. I just... No one has..." You look up at him for help but his expression is emotionless. "I don't have a real name sir. I am Kayla."

He sighs and leans back, letting her head fall from his hands. "That is not your real name. Don't let him force you to believe that. And don't call me sir."

"I am sorry."

He stares at you for a long time but you act like you don't notice. He finally reaches for your hands. "You aren't going to hurt me are you?" he asks. All you can do is shake your head no. You don't have enough energy to cause him any harm anyway. The metal is released from around your wrists and you scamper into the corner, holding her hands against your chest protectively. He cocks his head to the side as he watches you, slowly inching his way forward. Your eyes close as his fingers gently land on your bruised cheek. If you have learned anything at your stay here it is that you let them do what they wish. You regret forgetting that rule last night. He sighs. "You are truly beautiful." You don't know what to say so you don't answer. He pets your hair gently, letting his fingers run through the soft tresses. You attempt to look up, confused by his actions and are shocked to see him staring back at you, his blue eyes soft and... caring. He runs his hand down your face to comfort you. He was being so kind. Kindness... You haven't felt that in so long that you find yourself leaning into his touch.

Flashbacks from the night before shoot back into your brain. Justin was always extra nice before he did something horrible. You let out a cry of fear and fall back again, now suddenly scared of the man. "What? Did I hurt you?" You stay silent. "Kayla... Did... I... Hurt... You?" He speaks to you as if you were a child and in a way, you are. You shake your head no. "Then why did you jump away like that?"

"I am sorry."

"No, don't apologize. I'm not going to hurt you. Just calm hunny. I just want to help you ok? Just calm down." He whispers quietly as he coaxes you over to him. You move slowly, still unsure of his actions. When your close enough, he cautiously wraps his arms around you in a strong hold. At first you stay tense, not used to this feeling of almost... love. You eventually relax into his arms. It feels so good to be held again. To be cared for. "I'm so sorry this is happening to you Kayla. I didn't know it was this bad. I'm so sorry..." he says over and over. You blankly wonder what he is sorry for. He didn't do this to you. He pulls away and brushes the hair from your eyes. "I will get you out of here alright? I promise you that. I will get you out of here." You don't know what to make of his words of promise, they mean nothing. You just nod. He pulls you back in and everything feels alright again. Even if it was just for those few moments, you felt loved. Your angel was going to save you.

Your angel lets you sleep in the bed with him. He's gentle when he's near you and understands when you sleep on the edge of the bed furthest from him, flinching whenever he moves. You allow him to rub your hand. "How old are you?" he asks as you lay there that night.

"I am... I am... I think... I think I am fourteen. Maybe fifteen."

He sits up and looks at you. "You're only fourteen?" You're frightened by the tone of his voice and lean against the headboard. He sighs and lays his head on the pillow. "I'm sorry. I just... I thought you were older than that." You swallow hard and try to loosen up. After all, he seems to be a very nice man.

"How old are you?" you whisper meekly.  He doesn't say anything for a long time and you begin to fear that you overstepped your boundaries but he eventually answers.

"Twenty-three." You cautiously look him over, the gorgeous man next to you. He stares up at the ceiling, his muscular arms folded behind his head. Yeah, you think, he does look twenty three.

"Um... I-I um..." He props his head up with his elbow as he watches you stammer.

"You what?"

You take a deep breath. "Wh-what does Justin do? For a living I mean." Your voice is quiet, barely above a whisper.

He looks over at you again, shock written all over his features. "You mean you don't know?" You shift uncomfortably and look at anything but his eyes.

"I-I well... He told me once... I think. Yes, he..." You sigh. "I don't remember much of anything anymore." You look away from him, ashamed. He drops the subject and you don't bring it up again. You really don't want to know anymore.

You sleep soundly for the first time in weeks. For once, you're warm.

Justin's laughter wakes you up the next morning. The cruel smile strikes fear into your heart. Your angel groans next to you as he fights to wake up. You fold your knees up to your chest and lay your head down. He comes by and ruffles your hair. You whimper but say nothing. "Have a good night man?" Your angel grumbles something then stands up to stretch. Justin chuckles and yanks your head back by your hair to examine your face. "Took it easy on the girl?" You see the man nod as Justin lets go. "Was she good?" Your angel looks at you before grinning broadly.

"Great." Your eyebrows merge with confusion. He never touched you. His eyes plead with you and you understand.

Justin grins and looks back to you, his fingers roughly grazing your throat. You swallow nervously. "Were you good to him Kayla?" Your eyes move to the man's but Justin violently shakes your neck. "I asked you a question. Not him."

"Yes."

He leans forward and smirks, his fingers tightening around your neck. "Yes what Kayla?"

Your voice emits a frightened sound as you try to pry his hands away. You look to your angel again and he looks away. "Yes sir, I was very good to him last night sir," you croak out. He shakes you one last time before he lets go. You sniffle and curl up into a fetal position.

"It didn't try anything did it?" You flinch. It. The man shakes his head no, his eyes never leaving yours. Justin looks back and forth between the two of you before he yawns and grabs you by the arm, dragging you back to the pole. You struggle for a little but he soon has you handcuffed again. "Be ready in twenty minutes C."

C? You ask yourself. That must be his name. Who would name their kid C? It must be a nickname you finally conclude. He starts to gather his things and walks into the bathroom. The shower runs for a while and he soon returns looking fresh and twenty times better than he did before if that was possible. He softly pads over to you and sits down. Your suddenly a little frightened. "Are you ok Kayla?" You nod. "I'm sorry about what I said but Justin would freak if I said anything else." You smile slightly and open your mouth to speak but even that little movement causes you pain. He grimaces and lifts your head up to examine the bruises on your neck. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry Kay. It will all get better soon. I promise." He smiles sadly at you before he stands to leave.

"Wait," you call out.

He turns back to you from the doorway. "What's up?"

"What's your name?" you ask quietly.

He grins. "Joshua. But everyone calls me Jc." With that, he leaves you. You say the name to yourself. Joshua. You like Angel better.