Author's Note: This ending might not be enjoyable to many people, but I kind of like it. It made me nod my head and snicker. Still, if it bothers you, I apologize.
***
The containers and foils full of pills that were handed to Pearl all were sealed, new things. This was a mild comfort. She was pretty sure nobody was going to poison her. Then again, if anyone wanted to poison her they'd have gone after her food first.
Some of the pills made her feel understandably drowsy. They were known side effects. Pearl chose to use this time for a quick nap. When she woke up, she didn't feel that she'd killed enough time, and that made her almost wish she could sleep for days.
And as the days went on, that wish only grew stronger.
Most of the time, she was alone. Sometimes she heard voices, mostly Spanish voices, downstairs. Those guys that seemed to work for Shawn might not have been allowed upstairs very often. Sometimes she heard heavy footsteps around from Shawn. Other times there were the lighter footsteps from Catalina.
Whenever she had a visitor, it was either Catalina or Shawn. Catalina would only give her food and take the dirty dishes. Shawn would do that too, but he liked to hang around.
Being kind of sick really did turn out to be a good thing. Shawn held her hand on occasion, but he seemed to politely, if such a word could be appropriate in this situation, keep a certain distance.
He never did explain why he'd kidnapped and kept her. It was like he thought Pearl knew everything and he didn't see the point in giving out any details.
How much time had passed? How many days? Pearl had tried to keep count. She was pretty sure it was maybe three days. Shawn was probably responding to her parents' occasional texts, pretending to be her, giving excuses for not answering phone calls. Her phone's passcode probably meant nothing to him. He'd either figured it out on his own or was able to get someone to peek over her shoulder in secret in public.
Whatever illness Pearl had was probably a nasty cold. Her sinuses were always playing stupid games and her throat was too sensitive. The coughing was practically a habit. Sometimes mucus came out of her throat, but it was thankfully clear. She didn't have a fever. No nausea. No aches nor pains. Honey and lemon tea, steaming and in coffee mugs, was often served to her. She'd also been given plenty of hot saltwater for gargling.
But Shawn still hadn't tried anything sexual with her. Pearl thought he didn't want anything to do with her cold.
She hoped she wouldn't be stuck in this place in spring, but she was grateful that fate hadn't allowed any violence just yet. There were a lot of people in similar predicaments that were nowhere near as fortunate.
After dinner on the third day, after Shawn had put away the dishes, he stood a short distance away from the desk. Generally unsure, Pearl decided to behave as if nothing interesting was going on. She sat in the desk chair with her hands gently folded in her lap. The expression she held as she looked up at Shawn was notably emotionless.
From a back pocket, Shawn pulled out a phone. Pearl recognized it. It was hers. Smiling, almost looking mischievous, the man tapped the screen with his fingertip and said, "Darren's simmered long enough. Let's get him to talk to you."
A moment or so later, Shawn had the phone at his ear.
He waited.
And waited.
His smile narrowed into nothing. His brow wrinkled.
He dialed again.
One of his feet tapped on the floor.
Nothing.
One of his lower eyelids twitched so much he might as well have been winking.
Then, in what Pearl could only call a miffed huff, Shawn cursed, marched to the door, slammed it open and closed, and cursed some more as he slid the lock in place. Pearl heard him hiss something like, "The hell's wrong with him?"
She wondered about the peculiar scene, even when she was desperately trying to sleep later in the night.
Darren wasn't answering his phone. Did he even have his phone? Had he abandoned it? Why? Didn't he want to keep a way to contact her?
She hugged her pillow and dug her fingernails into it. Then she sniffed as her face warmed.
What if he'd given up?
She scratched at the pillowcase.
No. He wouldn't dare to even consider that. He'd do everything he could. He must be doing everything he could!
What if he thought his phone was too dangerous to keep, a way for Shawn to find him? Hacking and tracking are concepts that really do exist.
Thinking back on how pissed off Shawn was, Pearl's fingers relaxed and she had a smile for the first time in a good, long while. That might've been part of Darren's plan, whatever it was.
Yes. Everything would fall into place soon. Darren would rescue her and Shawn would be put down.
***
It was officially the fourth day. Technically, it was morning. Pearl could tell by the footsteps that Catalina wasn't the one about to serve her breakfast. Shawn was indeed the one to unlock and open the door. He had a loaded tray. A glass of orange juice and a glass of milk. A bowl of thick, buttery grits. Egg in a nest (an egg that had been fried in a hole in a buttery, grilled slice of bread). A thick, fluffy biscuit. And chunky sausages. Shawn put the tray on the desk, and Pearl wordlessly took her seat there.
He had such an wrinkled expression, reminding her of Darren back when he was struggling with hiding Reese.
Standing over her, hands on his hips, he asked Pearl in a tight tone, "What did he tell you?"
Ignoring the fear popping in her stomach, Pearl put a fork in her egg and bread. As she picked up a knife, she calmly and gently said, "I don't know what you mean."
"Darren!" He spat that name out. "What did he tell you?!"
"I haven't spoken with him since before I was taken here." Pearl was slicing through the egg and bread. The yolk was runny. She wanted to ask what the issue was, but she had a feeling that might rile him up. That was a dangerous idea.
"You don't know where he is?" He bent over just a tad. His pinkened eyes narrowed down at her.
