Jessica

 

My head throbs and my eyes burn. My body is stiff from apparently lying in the same position. I try to peel my eyes open and groan. The throbbing is almost too much to handle. Dropping my head, I hear a chuckle that startles me. Everything that happened comes washing over me at once. I did it. I ran away from them, but Phoenix found me. He found me! As quickly as the joy jumped in, it slowly melted away at the vision of him sticking a needle into my neck. Jolting upright, I glance around the dim room trying to get my bearings. Phoenix sits on the chair near the bed, leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, and his hands clenched together in front of him.

“What did you do?” I ask him, my mouth feeling like it’s full of cotton. I swallow a few times before he moves his arm to pass me a glass of water. With my hands shaking, I take it and down the whole thing. Phoenix stays in his seat, watching me.

“Tell me what the hell all of those marks are on your body,” he demands. I jerk at the tone of his voice. How does he know what’s under my clothes? Did he look? Only then does the realization hit me that I’m sitting here naked. I drop the glass and fumble for the blanket, pulling it to my chest.

“I asked you a question,” he says. I keep my mouth closed, not willing to give him the satisfaction of hearing me say the words. Why should I? He knows exactly what Jake does to me.

“Ok. You don’t want to answer that one, tell me why you had these in your backpack?” reaching down he lifts a folder, my folder, in his hand and tosses it at me. My hands tremble as I realize what he’s found. He’s going to kill me. He’s going to give me back to Jake and Jake will kill me. This time he will, I know it. Every fiber of my being knows it. Shaking takes over my body as I try to fight the nightmare that just became my reality.

“I want answers, Jessica!” he screams. I open my mouth but to say what? That I have no idea what those are? Lie to him? What do I do? He knows Jake. He’s his best friend, and here I am with the proof sitting in front of me. Those pictures. God, I was so stupid to keep a copy, but I had no other choice. I was using them as a way out. I thought if I got evidence on Jake that his dad didn’t know–that he could stop him. I mailed them from another town when I went to visit with Diane, and we went shopping. I prayed that would be enough to make Jake stop.

“You were the one taking pictures and sending them to David.” Phoenix finally comes to the realization by himself. He swallows hard, but I still refuse to say a word.

“Do you know what you’re doing? Do you have any idea what the fuck is going on!” His roar sends jolts through my body. Fear licks its way up my spine as I hunch into myself. Phoenix watches me like he wants to slit my throat and maybe he does. I would let him. I would gladly let him take his anger out on me if it meant never having to see Jake again. His phone ringing is the only reprieve from his devastating glare. I curl up into myself as I watch him slide it out of his pocket and answer.

“What the fuck are you talking about?” he asks into the phone. My heart is thundering in my ears. My breathing is sporadic. I glance around for anything that I can use as a weapon to protect myself when the certainty of where I am hits me. I’m in his bed. I’m in Phoenix’s bed. Oh, my God. What the hell is happening? Why did he take me?

“She what?” he snaps, but his gaze isn’t on mine.

“Slow down. What do you mean by that?” His tone is off. I can hear someone screaming on the other end, but I can’t make out what they’re saying.

“Where would she go? Just wait a fucking minute. None of that makes sense, Jake!” His name shoots fear through my system. My eyes widen, watching Phoenix. When he turns his head and stops pacing, his eyes narrow on mine. Something sparks in those deep, nearly black eyes.

“Of course, I haven’t seen her.” His tone lightens, but his eyes stay on mine.

“No. I had a meeting with your dad and then talked with mine.”

“No, Jake. He wanted her, but I didn’t take her.” What the hell is he talking about? Is there another girl that someone wanted to be taken? The one-sided conversation goes on a little longer. I try to pick up on anything I can, but Phoenix doesn’t say a whole lot more. Aside from a few grunts, that’s all I get.

“Ok. I’ll head that way when I finish up with this problem first.” When he pulls the phone away from his ear and hangs up, his mouth hangs open. I know he wants to say something to me but what? What had Jake just told him?

“You were running away when I found you. Why?” Oh no. You won’t get any more information out of me. Nice try asshole.

“That was Jake. Do you want to know what he said to me?” His features turn to disgust as he looks me up and down.

“He said that you were a whore. You whored yourself out. Even to him. He also said that you belonged to him. That you love him.” Phoenix takes slow but deliberate steps toward me as emotions run rampant inside of me. It’s not bad enough that I’m sitting naked on his bed, but now I have to listen to every lie that Jake has ever told him. I can’t handle much more. I cross my arms, digging my nails painfully into my wrists just to feel something normal. The pinch and pain are welcomed with open arms. Phoenix leans down, his hands pressing into the mattress only a few inches from me. His breath is hot on my skin as he looks me in the eyes.

“Did you know that my dad was going to sell you too?” I jolt at that. Phoenix chuckles. “You didn’t know that part. I wonder how much you do know. What else do you know, Jessica?” God, help me. What did I get myself into with him and Jake? What did I do to deserve this kind of life?

“Well. You have taken on the silence of a goddamn nun now, so I don’t know who to believe. Jake wouldn’t lie to me. He’s my brother. My best friend. But I also find it strange the way he acts toward you. Did you want him inside of you? Kissing you? Touching you? You liked it, didn’t you? I can see it in your eyes.” No, you can’t see anything because I won’t let you! I won’t let you see what he’s done to me.

“I suppose while I get the answers I want, they probably shouldn’t know I have you. Or I could give you back to Jake. He truly is worried about you.” My body jerks at the mention of his name. Please don’t give me back. I’ll do anything not to go back. Sell me. Let your dad sell me–just please don’t take me back there. My silence is bothering him, and every thought that ran through my head wouldn’t come out of my mouth. I don’t know why I’m shutting down. Oh yes, I do. Phoenix just said it. Jake is his best friend. He wouldn’t lie to him, or so he thinks. Too bad Jake has lied to him, but he wouldn’t believe me if I tried to tell him that. He would turn it around, blame it all on me just like Jake does. Just like everyone does.

Phoenix’s eyes are angered beyond anything I’ve ever seen. He shoves off the bed and digs through the drawer next to it. Tossing some rope and a syringe onto it next to me, I panic. Getting to my hands and knees, I try to crawl away and scream at the same time. I don’t get far. Phoenix jumps on the bed behind me, grabbing me around the waist as I fight him. I kick and scream, thrashing to get him off me.

“Don’t touch me!” Finally, words come out of my mouth, but they don’t do me any good. Phoenix slams me onto the bed, his body looming over me.

“Calm the fuck down. Don’t make me hurt you.” The coldness in his tone stops my fighting. If Jake was evil, Phoenix is far worse. I can hear it in the warning he just issued. Rolling me onto my back, he grabs my wrists.

“Don’t scream,” he hisses. I swallow hard and close my eyes tightly as he wraps the rope around my wrists. Securing each one to the headboard, he moves to my ankles next. Once he’s satisfied that I won’t be going anywhere, he paces next to me, running his hand through his short, thick dark hair. My heart slams against my ribs as I watch him.

“You can speak, so answer me,” he finally says, turning his gaze to me.

“What the hell is going on? Why do you have those pictures and who the hell is beating on you?” His voice is like ice slipping on my skin. Chills race from my head to my toes but I clamp my mouth shut. I won’t tell him a damn thing. Not when he’s friends with Jake and surely not knowing he was just talking to him. I won’t help him help Jake. I won’t do it.

He reaches down, picking up the syringe. I watch him silently before it pricks into the side of my neck. My head starts to swim, all thoughts looping together. Nothing makes sense.

“Phoenix.”