In Time

Mae rushed into work and met her bosses disapproving glance.

"I know I know, I don't want to hear it." Mae sighed.

She tied her apron on and scribbled in her notepad as her coworker Jeremy told her which tables were hers tonight.

"Late and an attitude?" Her boss, Jack, sharply said.

"I thought I said I didnt want to hear it?"

"Then get to work already"

The hours passed as Mae took orders, avoided graby hands, delivered food, and dealt with any complaints that followed. Mae was 25 and she felt like she was only going through the motions of life and barely getting by at that.

After the final table left for the night she helpedthe others in closing. She listened as Jeremiah complained about a table they had.

"Would rather deal with anyone else then them again."

"Even Jack?!" Mae said light-heartedly and loud enough for her boss to hear. In truth she liked her boss, he was the owner of the restaurant but liked to work and manage things. He kicked out patrons if they were too rude to the employees and paid a fair wage so the employees didn't have to rely on tips.

"I can't be that bad, can I?" Jack said from across the room.

"mmmm I wouldn't hold your breath."

"When it comes to you I never can."

They both laughed easily as they teased each other lightly.

Mae was tasked with locking up since whe was last to arrive. She walked out into the street after locking up and headed to her car. The nights were getting warmer but still held the chill of spring. Opening her car door she looked in the back seat as she shut the door. It was empty. As she went to lock the door, it opened suddenly and someone grabbed her arm.

Mae screamed as she pressed down on her horn as many times as she could before the rough hands pulled her completely out of the car. She kicked and screamed and fought as hard as she could. Mae's back was flush against the persons stomach and her head went to their shoulders. One hand covered Mae's mouth as she continued to scream and fight. She bit the hand that was covering her mouth, which only made the hand press into her mouth, making her gag. She realized she still had her keys in her hand. On her keychain was pepperspray. She tried to angle the pepperspray towards the assailant but with their other arm they pinned down both of hers. She attacked their hand and arm with her keys as she continued to kick and try to push out of her grip.

Suddenly their were more arms putting ducktape over her mouth as the other hand released it and a bag over her head. They both worked on moving her and she panicked and fought harder than ever. "Never let them get you to a second location." Mae thought in her mind as she willed herself to keep fighting.

Eventually her small size against the towering figures bested her, she was no match no matter how hard she struggled. They managed to tie her arms behind her back and threw her in the trunk of what felt like a suv. Breathing rapidly she tried to feel around looking for the trunk opening but when she found it, it wouldnt budge. When she went to try to get over the seats, her head met with a corded cage that gently sprung her back. A curve made her lurch onto her face in the carpeted trunk. She sat back up and huddled into a corner silently sobbing, the tape over her mouth covering her whimpers.

Mae's body and mind had become numb in fear and she had lost track of the hours they spent driving. Mae felt completely disoriented but had a feeling they were far from the city as the traffic was light and it had become even darker from the fractured light she could see from the hood covering her face.

The car finally stopped and the trunk opened. Mae was completley frozen, she told herself to fight but her body was not listening to her. After waiting to see if Mae would do anything, someone finally picked her up and carried her along what sounded like a gravelly path.

Mae was taken inside someplace, through multiple doors, until she was placed down on what felt like a bed. Someone quickly released her arms from their ropes and walked away shutting a door behind them.

Mae slowly took off the hood from around her head and the tape off of her mouth. She was in a room with the only item being the bed she was currently sitting on. There were no windows only blank walls and three doors. She tried one but it was locked. The other doors opened up to a bathroom and an empty closet.

Her body wouldn't stop shaking and she wrapped herself in the blanket on the bed even though she knew it wasn't from the cold. She tried to get her mind to focus, to come up with a plan, but she couldn't. She waited and waited and waited. Fatigue started to creep around her eyes dragging them down, but she didn't want to sleep. Couldn't sleep. Not here. Sleep eventually found her though, just another thing added to the list of what she couldn't fight.

When Mae woke up she immediately felt uneasy, remembering where she was. She made a trip to the bathroom and came back to see eggs and toast on the floor in front of her bed. At the end of the bed a large man, and recognition dawned on her as he turned her face towards her with a small smile.

"You?" Mae whispered and tears threatened her eyes.

"Come eat sweet girl" came the words from her boss Jack.

Mae couldnt move she just stood staring at him. She felt like she might throw up and pass out all at once. She felt her heart in her chest and her breathing loud in her ears.

Jack stood up and suddenly Mae's body reacted even if her mind hadn't caught up yet. Mae backed up into the wall with her arms wrapped around her.

"Its okay sweet girl. I'm not going to hurt you. It's just me." Jack spoke as if he were speaking to a wounded animal or frightened cat, and in a way he was.

"I heard you put up quite the fight. I can see by all the bruises on you." Jacks eyes appraised her body, but the look had more concern than hunger.

"You should see the other guy." It came quickly out of Mae's mouth and her eyes widened as she covered her mouth with her hand. Not believing it came from her. It was a quick defensive reaction. In fact Mae hadn't even seen the other guy, and when she looked down at her bruises and scratches. she didn't think her statement held much at all.

Jack however laughed warmly at this. "Oh I have."

"So you know what I can do to you then." Mae challenged. Her mind still was frozen but her body and mouth were catching up.

Jack held his smile but his eyes darkened "I would be more concerned about what I can do to you little girl."

Mae's fear slapped her back into reality at his words and her eyes stung with tears.

"Come and eat now. Eggs are not good cold." Jack urged Mae but she only shook her head. After prolonged silence as Jack stared at Mae and Mae stared at the ground, Mae finally voiced her question.

"Why?"

"If you eat we can talk." Mae only shook her head.

"Mae I've been nice so far haven't I? I don't think you want to see me be mean over something so simple as eating." It was the first time he said her name since he entered the room. He was right, besides the whole kidnapping thing, he had been nice so far, but his nice and calm manner had seemed even more alarming to Mae. As if this were a normal day and they were finishing up at the restaurant.

Jack raised his eyebrows and took a step closer to Mae. She flinched and then quickly stepped back into the bathroom closing the door quicky behind her. It didn't have a lock so she pressed her body against the door as she slid to the ground.

She expected for Jack to try and open the door but instead all she heard was the other door open and shut. She waited for what felt like years until she was sure he wasn't trying to trick her. She opened the door a crack and peaked through. Finding the room empy Mae walked back to the bed but stopped. She went to try the locked door again and found it still locked. Sighing Mae made it back over to the bed and wrapped herself in the blanket again. Mae tried to come up with a logical plan. Fighting back against him wouldn't work, she could try to run but she had to have a good opportunity. After mulling through several ideas she decided she would pretend to start to cooperate until she built up his trust and found an good opportunity to escape.

Mae realized that started with eating. While the thought of eating now made her nauseous she bent down and grabbed the plate. The eggs had gone cold and she didnt think she could stomach them anyways. One by one Mae ate the two pieces of toast provided for her. Once finished she set the plate back upon the ground. Mae waited.

Frustrated after what felt like a long time had passed Mae started to grow bored and uneasy. There wasn't exactly a lot to do in her room with only a bed. She tried knocking on the locked door, and then pulling it, and the shoving it, and then kicking and screaming at it but nothing happened. Her heart sank as a thought dawned on her. Maybe she had to eat the eggs as well. She nearly gagged just thinking about it. "No" Mae thought "I will pretend but I'm not playing these sick mind games." Instead she decided to take a shower, something she had been avoiding because she had a unsettling feeling he had been watching her.

When she finished the shower and came back to an empty room with the plate of eggs still on the floor her heart sank a bit.

She ignored her feelings and crawled into bed. Her body and mind seemed to be at war with itself. A part of her wanting to fight, another part wanting to give in and an entirely different part that felt frozen and made her feel like she was fading from herself.

The latter part won for the time being, laying herself down, motionless and numb as she stared at the light wooden floor.

After hours of laying like this Jack entered. She did not move away from him or even glance in his direction. He picked up the plate,

"In future, I will except you to eat all that is on your plate. I hate wasted food and have no tolerance for it."

A memory of Jack giving leftover food from the restaurant to unhoused people popped into Mae's memory. He had said the same thing then.

Jack left with the plate and came back with a new dish of penne pasta. Which he knew was Mae's favorite. He put it on the bed next to her arms. Mae still did not move.

"I understand this must be overwhelming for you. I will do my best to make this process as easy and painless for you as possible. It being easy and painless is as much up to me as it is up to you. I have certain rules I expect you to follow and if you don't you will be given corrections. The first week's corrections will be minor and after the first week, once you have a better grasp on the rules and expectations your corrections will become more intense." Jack paused as silent tears began streaming down Mae's face.

"If you're a good girl, follow the rules, do as your told, and make progress than you can get rewards. These can range from clothes, to coloring books, and eventually leaving this room and maybe even the house."

At this Mae's eyes wandered over to meet Jack's. They held kindess and understanding and it made her quickly look away.

"You'll learn rules as we get to them, and I won't give you corrections for breaking a rule you don't know. For now the two most important rules are that you eat and that you call me Sir. Okay sweet girl?" Mae simply nodded, which Jack accepted for now. In a daze she slowly sat up and started to eat the penne pasta.

Jack smiled warmly at Mae "Good girl. You're being a very good girl for me." It made warmth pool in Mae's stomach but her brain was screaming at his condescension. She reminded herself of her plan. Play along. Be good, earn rewards to leave this place. Mae still felt slightly frozen though and couldn't lean into that role as quickly as she wanted to.

Jack left the room, promising to be right back. In his hands was a box, it contained a coloring book with crayons, several different clothes, and Mae noticed her stuffed monkey from her apartment. Yes she was a grown woman and yes she still slept with her stuffed monkey which had been worn from years of love.

"See what you get when you're a good girl for me?" Although she hated him she was grateful in this moment to be holding her stuffed monkey, giving her comfort in this hell.

"Thank you sir." She managed to whisper and he beamed.

"You're very welcome."

With her monkey giving her the courage to talk while she desperately held on to him she asked after she finished eating, "What do you want from me?"

Jack smiled a half smile, "It's not so much what I want from you, but what I want for you. I know you've been struggling in life, I see your pain and I want to help you. I can provide everything for you so you don't have to worry anymore, I will help guide you and you will be mine."

"I will never be yours." So much for playing along Mae chided herself, but the words were out before she could stop them. Not even saying these words made his smile slip.

"In time. You will be in time. All mine in time."

Goosebumps raised on Mae's arms as she felt she was going to be sick.

"Will you ever let me go?"

"I wouldn't hold your breath."

*Authors Note*

I'm sorry for the long intro chapter, I usually hate long intro chapters but they may be a necessary evil. Anyways whoever read this I hope you enjoyed! Please no negative feedback. :)