She beat him out of bed the next morning and when he emerged from the bedroom he found her balanced precariously on a bar stool trying to coax the cat down from its perch atop the kitchen cupboards.
"Hannah!" he cried out and she startled, loosing her balance. He caught her just in time to break her fall and he shook his head at her disapprovingly. "I should have known the two of you would be nothing but trouble." The cat's ears perked up and the girl squirmed her way out of his arms.
"That may just do it. Come here Trouble, come on down you silly kitty." To his surprise, after giving him a disdainful glance the cat leapt from its perch to the counter, overturning a potted plant in the process. He sighed, spotting a bowl of cat food by the patio doors.
"I see you've made the cat breakfast but not me."
"I'm tired of cold cereal, figured I'd wait for you to cook something." She intentionally brushed dirt from the counter onto the floor.
"Are you trying to annoy me on purpose?"
She grinned, "Is it working?"
"You're very effective," he admitted, wondering if he should take her over his knee before she became any naughtier. He decided to hold off until he had a better idea of her intent.
"Good to know." Satisfied she headed to the pantry where she retrieved a broom to clean up the mess while he pulled eggs out of the fridge to prepare a simple omelette. After eating she rose to clear the table and began washing the dishes without being asked, leaving him to wonder if he had passed some type of pop quiz.
The cat sat expectantly in front of the patio doors and the girl turned to address him. "Can she go out?"
"Sure, give me a minute and I'll disarm the alarm."
He did so and when he returned to the room the doors were open with no sign of the cat. The girl was standing looking at the sunny deck longingly. "Can I? I haven't been outside for weeks."
He felt a moment of sadness, followed by anger realizing that in many ways his home was nothing more than a gilded cage. At that moment he wished desperately he could give her the freedom she obviously craved.
"You're welcome to go out. It's still cold out there even in the sun, so borrow my jacket. I'm sorry I didn't think to get you one. There are some boots that hopefully will fit okay. You can wander, but stay in sight of the house. I'll leave the alarm off, come find me when you come in so I can reset it. At this point I'm less concerned about you getting out than I am by the possibility of uninvited company coming in."
Breathing in the crisp outside air was refreshing, and the sun on her face felt wonderful. She hadn't realized how much she had missed her evening strolls, but wondered if she would ever truly feel safe again walking down a quiet neighborhood street. Maybe when this all was over she'd get a dog to keep Trouble company. A big, scary looking dog. Feeling safe enough to think about a possible future without captivity was reassuring, even though she realized it wasn't likely going to happen any time soon.
Mindful to keep the house in sight she wandered toward a grove of trees. She saw signs of deer, tracks and scat on the snow. Trouble was nowhere to be found. She brushed the dusting of snow off a tree trunk and sat down, his jacket was long enough to easily draw under her to keep her sweatpants dry. Drawing in a deep breath, she allowed herself a moment to wonder what had become of her prior life, the life she'd carefully made for herself after graduating from college a couple years earlier.
After finishing her undergraduate degree she had debated about going further with her education, but had found she no longer had interest in studying. She'd stayed in the small college town out of lack of desire to decide where else to go. Returning to her hometown to be near her family had never been considered.
Working with people on a day to day basis had taken too much effort so aside from a few temporary office positions she'd focused on things she could do from home, the most common being medical transcriptions. The pay was crummy, but she managed to cover the rent on her tiny studio apartment along with her other basic needs.
She wasn't a sentimental person so there wasn't really anything she actually missed. Her lease had been month to month so she presumed her few belongings had been packed away, likely shipped to her parents. She'd been surprised, shocked actually, to learn they had cared about her disappearance. While studying she had gone home during breaks, mainly out of a sense of obligation since her parents paid her tuition. After graduating she'd sent cards on birthdays and holidays and spent them at home alone.
Reminiscing wasn't helping, and she found herself questioning what appeal a future of freedom actually held. Back to the routine of mindless work to pay the bills, lonely evenings spent wandering the streets to escape the haunting dreams. The monotony broken only by her online dalliance with the sadistic creep who had eventually betrayed her.
The mood in the quiet clearing had been ruined and her vacillating thoughts and feelings were bound to drive her insane if she focused on them too long. Besides, the chill had settled in. She walked back to the house, almost eager to continue training. Trouble was sitting by the double doors waiting to be let in.
After kicking off the boots and hanging the jacket up to dry she headed toward the master bedroom, finding the door closed. She could hear his voice through the door and realized he was on the phone. She was trying to decide if she should knock, but before she made up her mind she heard him curse, followed by a loud thump she correctly presumed was him hitting the wall. Taking a risk she opened the door herself, finding him sitting on the edge of the bed, his head in his hands.
"It was him, wasn't it?"
He grimly looked up at her. "One of his lackeys. Looks like the alarm isn't going to keep out unwelcome visitors after all. He said he happens to be coming our way a couple days from now and he'd like to stop in and see how things are coming along. He even had the audacity to invite himself to spend the night. Nobody happens to be this far out of town, they suspect something. It's far too soon, you're not even close to ready for this. But I can't refuse."
"Then we'll get ready. I can do this. What's it going to take?"
Her determination pleased him, though he still had his doubts.
"You're not going to like it."
She stared him down and he decided to push her, find out how much she could really take under pressure. He hated himself before giving the order, wondered if she would eventually forgive him. Desperate times, desperate measures he reminded himself firmly.
"Fine. Strip, right here. Lay on the bed, spread your legs and show me how you finger fuck yourself. Don't stop until you cum."
She closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and trying to calm her racing mind.
