My eyes burst open in a frenzy. Standing above me, Carson's glowing eyes danced in the darkness. He was just standing there, watching me, his eyes piercing through my soul. It made me want to turn my head in the other direction or at the very least, close them, so I didn't have to see his gruesome grin.
"Hello, Maddy, love," he said, still maintaining that smile of his.
What was he up to?
"I wanted to have a little chat."
This couldn't be good.
"How about it?"
NO! I don't want to talk to you. You've taken my whole life away from me. Why would I want to converse with you let alone look you in the eye?
I nodded my head and said a small, "Yes."
"Sit up, then, Maddy," he told me. "I've freed you from your handcuffs."
I sat up, hesitantly. Drawing my legs to my stomach, I held myself. My chin dropped to my knees, and I looked at my captor with sullen eyes. I felt unclean just being in the same room as him. Wondering if I would ever feel clean again, I had begun taking advantage of our 6 a.m. shower sessions. But even the water didn't seem to cleanse me anymore. Nothing could... except my freedom. However, after three and a half months of my imprisonment, my optimism had depleted. And who could blame me?
"Our time together has certainly been..." Carson searched for the right word. "Engaging," he finally decided upon. "But I don't believe that we've made much progress in our overall relationship."
What the fuck was he talking about? Our relationship?! That had ended even before he imprisoned me. Did he refuse to accept it? Had he blocked out the memories? I stared at him confusedly.
Carson came closer to me. He took a seat on my bed and placed a hand on my calf. He ran his fingers up and down my skin; a shiver tore down my spine. Then, he said, "I know that you still somewhat resent me, Maddy. I'm not blind. I can tell that you don't particularly enjoy being trapped in a basement... especially one that's not furnished."
The bastard chuckled at that. He became serious again. "But, Maddy, love, it's all for your own good. You see, in order for our relationship to develop properly, I wanted you to be isolated for a while. I wanted ME to be your only focus. That way, you could clear your head and stop thinking so much."
He smiled lightly. "I know how much you think, Maddy. Don't take me for a fool. Remember in class, you would always be the one asking the best questions. But then, taking an analytical role -- always so amusing, of course -- you would answer your question before you would even allow me to it. Sometimes, Maddy, love, you over-think things. That's what I wanted you to stop doing. And if I'm right, it's worked. You've calmed down quite a bit since you first arrived. I've noticed a change in you."
Yes, I wanted to say. What you've noticed is my hope dying...
Carson continued stroking my calf. He said, "But I want to reward you now. You know, for all the progress that you've made."
Admittedly, the thought of a reward made me both nervous and incredibly excited. He had never used that word around me. Reward. It was always some kind of punishment -- whether sexually, physically, or mentally. Never rewards. Until now.
I dared to ask, "What kind of reward?"
Carson leaned in close, and I could feel his breath on me. Looking deep into my eyes, the hand that had been on my calf, traced around my skin and landed on my thigh. I could tell that he was getting turned on as his fingers ran across my panties. He could feel the heat radiating from my pussy. I tensed a little, more curious about the reward than about him raping me again.
Carson whispered one word, "Friends."
That night, I contemplated the idea of "friends." What could Carson have meant by that? I had a few ideas, but they were all horrible. If he meant what I thought, then I didn't want to have friends. I didn't want more girls to be imprisoned down here like me. But then again... would he be that stupid? Maybe the two of us could figure out a way to get out of here. And besides, that would really entice the police to search even harder for me since the girl would probably go to Brunswick High as well. As I drifted off to sleep, I smiled to myself for the first time in a long while. The more I thought about having a "friend" down here with me, the more I grew to actually like the idea. Little did I know, I was in for a very big surprise.
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