Jess was finally getting herself together. This was definitely what she needed -- a fresh start in a fresh town where nobody knew who she was or what she'd been through. She could totally reinvent herself and begin a new life.
As she walked back to her new home from the supermarket, weighed down by moving in essentials, Jess's mind wandered back to the previous year. Her parents and little sister had been killed in a motorway pile up and just a few months after that her beloved Gran, her last surviving relative, died of a broken heart. Jess's boyfriend had been unable to cope with her depression. He couldn't understand why she didn't just snap out of it and return to the happy go lucky girl he knew and loved. Jess blamed herself -- it was like she wanted to be miserable. She would pick fights with him over trivial things to justify the tears that were always just below the surface. All she wanted was for him to take control. She needed him to put her back together again with a firm hand and an understanding heart but she had asked too much and he left. Her friends tried to help but she couldn't look at them without seeing the pity in their eyes. She stopped returning calls. She stopped answering the door. She stopped going to work. Eventually they stopped worrying.
Four months on she realized that she couldn't stay in a house, street and town that was full of memories and people who knew her business. She sold up, got a job in the big city and moved to a small flat. So far she hadn't met any neighbors or potential friends but this was only the first day and she was hopeful that her new job in a big sociable office would help her in that department. She'd met her boss, Alex, when she went for the interview -- if he was anything to go by then she was sure that everyone would be bubbly and friendly. She cringed as she remembered his question about why she'd left her previous job and had been out of work for six months. She'd had to be honest with him and had bravely fought back the tears as she explained in as little detail as possible what had happened but she knew he'd seen the emotion in her eyes. At least he hadn't pressed her on it or said anything sympathetic.
The winter night breeze bit at her nose and she would be glad to get inside and put the kettle on. Jess turned the corner into her new street and shifted her bags a bit. She was sure her arms would be a few inches longer by the time she got in. It was a clear night but she noticed it was harder to see the stars in the city. The street lights caused too much of a glare. She stopped, putting her bags down as she fished around for her keys and fumbled with the lock. The door swung open and as she bent to pick up her bags again, he struck. She hadn't heard him. She'd had no idea there was anyone around at all. He plunged a syringe into her shoulder as he pushed her into the flat.
"What the hell...?!!!" Jess exclaimed as she fell to the floor. The milk bottle exploded and she was sure all of her eggs would be broken. She was more annoyed than frightened at this point but as she looked up at her attacker, her heart stopped and she froze. He was wearing a mask under his black hoodie and as he closed the door behind him she saw the leather gloves that would leave no trace he had ever been there.
"What do... wha do you... wan..." Jess slurred. The drug was quick. She felt it coursing through her veins, stopping her muscles from responding and her brain from working. He didn't answer. As she slipped into oblivion she saw him bend and reach for her, his black gloved fingers spread wide and moving so slowly towards her face.
Sleep.
As Jess became conscious her first thought was how comfortable her new bed was. She kept her eyes closed and concentrated on the feel of the cool sheets around her. She could feel them with every cell of her skin which was odd because she didn't usually sleep naked. She sighed and stretched out like a cat causing the sheet to slip from the top half of her body exposing her breasts to the cool wintery air. But it wasn't cool at all. In fact it was very warm and why did her head ache so much? She hadn't been drinking last night. Slowly Jess's memory kicked in and she recalled last night's events. Her eyes snapped open and she bolted upright.
Jess found herself sitting in the middle of a huge king sized bed in the most luxurious room she'd ever seen. It was shaped like half a dome and had strange thinly spaced golden bars running down the curved walls from the ceiling. There was a door in the centre of the curved wall and she ran to it only to find there was no handle -- it had one of those electric key swipes and she guessed it would open automatically when triggered. She turned to face the opposite flat wall and was amazed to see that it was completely made of smooth, thick glass. There was a sliding door which she tried but it wouldn't budge. Jess was trapped.
She felt herself start to panic and took some deep breaths. "There's no point getting into a state -- this is probably just some misunderstanding." she told herself. Lied to herself. She examined the room further looking for a hidden way out or perhaps an electric key. Opposite the bed there was a fire place stocked with logs though why anyone would need it in this heat she didn't know. There was an expensive looking chair facing the fire which reminded her of a throne and soft animal skins thrown on the smooth wooden floors in front of it. A small table stood next to the throne and Jess was disappointed to see that it had nothing sitting on its polished surface. She could see huge floor cushions scattered around and 2 ottomans on either side of the fire. She found a screened off area which contained a huge bath, open shower, toilet and sink. There were curved bookshelves fitted to the walls on either side of the door but Jess had no time for books as she turned her attention back to the huge wall of glass.
On second glance she could see that the odd golden bars continued out into the open curving at the top to create a complete enclosure. The bars ran up to another building which Jess could see was the same shape and size as the room she was in now. It was the opposite half of her dome and while it was clear that it also had glass in the front, the sun was at the wrong angle and Jess couldn't see inside. Between the two halves of the dome, Jess was astonished to see a beautiful swimming pool surrounded by the same wooden decking that was in her room. To the left of the pool she could see two palm trees with a hammock strung between it and on the furthest side of the pool a table with 2 chairs and a large sun parasol. To the right she could see 2 sun loungers and a soft circular sun-mattress with a pull up hood to keep the sun at bay. There was enough room on either side to walk around the pool but the quickest way to get from her room to the other was to go over the ornate golden bridge that spanned it.
It was clear that she was in a tropical country from the trees and bushes that surrounded the cage. Cage... there was no other word. A huge, beautiful, terrifying, gilded cage.
