Chapter 8:

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For the next few days, things were equally monotonous and terrifying. I stayed in the spare room most of the time, which I discovered had a bolt on the outside of it on the way back from the ‘tour’.

I would lay on the bed, waiting; I don’t know what for. Radley would come up with food and a drink. He’d watch me like a hawk while I picked and poked at my food half-heartedly. Eventually one day he snapped, ‘Is there any point in me even bringing you food?’

I pushed the plate away, turning to face the wall.

‘For pity’s sake,’ he cried. I shrank away, my shoulders tensing. I had my back to him; for all I knew he could be producing a knife from his pocket. Thankfully, all he did was took my plate away and left the room.

He let me go to the bathroom regularly. He always provided me with soft, fresh towels and clean clothing. He’d even bought me a toothbrush. He’d clearly put a lot of thought into this kidnapping, which disturbed me. While I showered, he must have waited outside, for whenever I left the room he was always stood there, waiting for me, his eyes burning into my damp body, hidden under my clothes.

Apart from that, I rarely saw him. He left me to my own devices – which weren’t a lot. He’d stopped strapping my wrists together and covering my mouth, but there still wasn’t much to do in that tiny room.

His previous jokes still scorched my mind. I had visions of me being his personal slave, of my body roasting on his fire. But after three days of being stuck in his house, I began to wonder if he really was dangerous. He’d said things – but he hadn’t actually done anything. Maybe he was just trying to assert his authority in the beginning, so I’d continue to be obedient for the remainder of my stay?

On the fourth day, Radley came up for no reason at all. He was empty-handed; without food, without water. He slipped into the room and stared at me for a moment.

‘I’ve just emailed your dad,’ he said, after about two minutes of slicing silence.

I sat up immediately, licking my dry lips. ‘Really? What did you say? Has he replied? Did you…?’

Radley closed his eyes, as if irritated by my voice, then opened them again once I’d shut up.

‘Thank you,’ he said, sounding like an annoyed teacher. He took a deep breath before continuing. ‘I told him I’d heard about your disappearance, and was concerned about him and your mother. I sent my regards, and that was all.’

I sank back, realising he wasn’t planning on demanding money any time soon. Radley smiled at me. It seemed like a friendly, genuinely smile, and if it had been aimed at me in any other context I’d have returned it automatically.

‘Has he replied?’ I asked eventually.

‘Not yet,’ Radley answered. He leant against the wall. ‘I just thought I’d let him know he’s always got his best friend there for him.’

I scoffed before I could even think about what I was doing. Once I’d started, I couldn’t stop. ‘What kind of friend kidnaps someone’s daughter and wants two and a half million pounds?’

Without hesitation, Radley answered, ‘A betrayed one.’

I rolled my eyes. ‘It’s not my dad’s fault you got fired, and you know that. He hardly gets to make every single big decision in the company.’

Radley chuckled. ‘That just goes to show how much you know about your dad,’ he said softly. He looked at me, into me, his eyes glittering. ‘Your dad could have easily stopped me from being fired. He could have lowered my pay a little or something. He got to choose who was fired. And he chose me, his best friend.’ His jaw clenched, then unclenched as he carried on, ‘So tell me, Veronica, what kind of friend fires their best friend, leaving him completely defenceless?’

I scoffed. ‘I wouldn’t call you completely defenceless.’

Radley smiled. ‘You’re right,’ he said. ‘I had one last weapon up my sleeve – you.’

I coiled away from him. ‘Well, sometimes weapons work against you,’ I hissed.

‘Not in your case, though,’ he protested. ‘You came right to me. Don’t you remember? All it took was a few words from me and you were eating right out of my hand. Or maybe eating’s the wrong word – maybe we should try looking at it and then gagging slightly, before letting a few crumbs slide down your throat.’

‘Shut up,’ I said, quietly, weakly.

‘Isn’t it ironic, though? The one thing you need to eat, food, you won’t touch. The one thing you shouldn’t have even listened to, my lies, you ate right up. One leads to life but you avoid it and slowly kill yourself. The other leads to…well, lack of life, and you jump right at it.’

‘That’s not how it is!’ I yelled, my cheeks burning as I glared at him.

Radley just smiled smugly. ‘Trust me, Veronica,’ he said quietly. ‘That’s exactly how it is.’

Submitted: March 14, 2012

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