Gabe's snoring filled the room. I had myself propped up on my elbow. I had been staring at the key on Gabe's chest for what seemed like hours. It was rising and falling with Gabe's rhythmic breathing. I chewed on my bottom lip as I watched my escape be so close.

There was no way that I could get the key off from around his neck without him noticing. If I tried to lift his head, that would wake him up. If he woke up I would have to try and explain myself and I would probably still be punished.

I squinted, trying to see better in the dark, at the key. The moonlight flooding past the bars provided some light onto Gabe's chest. My eyes scanned along the chain to see that there was a clasp.

That was it!

I would have to undo the clasp and pull the key off of the chain. I could most likely do that without waking up Gabe. By the way he was snoring, I could tell that he was in a deep sleep.

My heart was pounding as I looked around the room. I was naked under the blanket, and I did not want to try to run to freedom nude. The wedding dress was crumpled on the floor and Gabe's clothes were scattered around.

I lifted the corner of the blanket and stepped onto the floor. I tiptoed toward the closet. I stopped when the floorboards creaked under my foot. I looked behind me to see that Gabe was still asleep. I cursed myself with every step that I took. This old farm house was betraying me once again.

I grabbed the first pair of shorts and the first T-shirt I could find. I slipped them on and did not bother with trying to find underwear.

I crept back to the bed. I placed my knee down slowly onto the bed. I sucked in a deep breath as I reached toward the key. I let my hand hover over Gabe's chest for a moment.

I grabbed the chain and lifted it up. I gasped when Gabe stopped snoring and stirred in his sleep.

I could not do this. It was too dangerous. I was going to have to come up with a different plan. I could not imagine what kind of punishment would be waiting for me if he woke up. He cut me for finding me on top of Jenny. I had no idea what his plan would be if he saw me trying to escape.

I set the chain back down on his chest. I tried to be light with my touch, but Gabe's eyes fluttered open after I dropped the chain. I fell down onto my side and squeezed my eyes shut pretending to be asleep. He rolled onto his side to face me.

"Lindsay, what are you doing?" he asked.

Crap, I thought. He knew that I was awake.

"I was having trouble sleeping," I said.

"Why are you wearing clothes?" he asked.

"I was cold."

Gabe raised an eyebrow. He wiped the sweat off of his forehead with the back of his hand.

"It's August," he said. "It's ridiculously hot out."

"Sometimes I get a chill in the night," I said.

He ran his fingers through my sweaty hair and shook his head. He grabbed the bottom of my shirt. I held onto his wrist to stop him.

"What are you doing?" I asked.

"I don't want you overheating," he said. "Take this stuff off."

I sighed before pulling the shirt up over my head. It was better that I undress myself rather than have Gabe's hands on my body. I pulled down my shorts and kicked the clothes out of the bed. I rolled onto my side.

I felt Gabe's weight on the bed shift as he snaked his arm around my waist and pulled me into his chest. He nuzzled himself into my neck. The rough edges of the key dug into my back like they were taunting me.

--

In the morning, I picked my clothes up off of the floor. I was about to put them on when Gabe stopped me. He handed me another one of my sundresses and told me to go down the hall and take a shower.

I hurried into the bathroom. When I closed the door, I noticed there was a lock. This could be my one safe haven in this house.

I locked the door and took a quick shower. The water was icy cold and never warmed up. I scrubbed my body to try and get the lingering feeling of Gabe's assault off of my body.

Once I got out, I unraveled the wet gauze from around my arm. My wound was stinging from the shower. I searched the cupboard for a new roll of gauze to wrap my arm with. I was almost finished when there was a knock at the door.

"Are you done, Lindsay?" Gabe asked.

My heart was pounding. I did not want him to know that the door was locked. If he knew I was locking myself in, he may remove the lock and then the last bit of safety would be gone.

I opened the door and Gabe was standing there with his arms crossed over his chest. I was holding the end of the gauze in my hand. He looked down and took it out of my hand and tied it into a knot.

"How does it look?" he asked.

"It hurts," I said.

"Does it look infected?" he asked. "Do I need to clean it again?"

I raised an eyebrow. He was actually concerned about me getting an infection?

"It's okay," I said.

"Good," he said.

He put his arm around my shoulders and kissed my cheek. He kept his arm around me as we walked down the stairs and into the kitchen. Jenny already had breakfast on the table and the family was eating.

I stayed silent and picked at the eggs while everyone ate. Every time I looked up, Taylor and Dylan were staring at me from across the table. Gabe noticed this. He cleared his throat and they looked down at their plates.

Gabe kissed me multiple times before he left to go outside. He was the last one to leave. Jenny watched as he had his hands all over me. When he left, I turned to look over at Jenny.

"Lindsay, help me with the dishes," she said.

I nodded and she passed me a sponge. I washed the dishes as Jenny dried them and put them away in the cupboards.

"How was your night?" she asked.

It was hell. I did not want to tell her that in fears she would tell Gabe.

"I had trouble sleeping," I said.

"A new home is always hard to sleep in at first," she said. "You will be sleeping soundly in no time."

I stopped washing the dishes and looked up. Through the bars on the window, I could see Gabe and Noah standing by the barn talking. Gabe had a big smile on his face and ran his fingers through his hair. I wondered if they were talking about me.

I leaned back and looked at Jenny to see the antenna of the walkie-talkie sticking out from her back pocket. I may not be able to get the key off of Gabe, but I may be able to get the radio off of Jenny. I had to take it from her before she had the chance to call for help. I could run with the radio to the bathroom and lock myself in. I only had one chance to do it, so I had to wait for the perfect opportunity.

"How long did it take you to get used to it here?" I asked.

Jenny must have been sane at one point in time. I wondered how long it took them to break her mind. I wanted to know how much longer I had. I needed to know how fast I needed to get out of here.

Jenny thought for a moment before she shrugged her shoulders.

"I'm not sure," she said. "It's easy to lose track of time here."

I had not seen a calendar anywhere in the house. The only clock I had seen was Gabe's alarm clock on the nightstand.

"I was like you at first," Jenny said. "I was so scared because everything was so new. I would fight Noah and try to leave the house. I feel so dumb now. I think I have apologized to Noah about a million times."

Apologize was something I would never do to Gabe.

"You know what helped me settle in?" Jenny asked, but did not wait for a response. "Me being pregnant with my first child."

My eyes went wide. Pregnancy was not something that I thought about. I could be pregnant now from Gabe's assault. I could not carry a child in me, especially a child that would be half-evil.

Jenny noticed my reaction and laughed.

"Don't look so scared," she told me. "You will be given a baby when it is the right time."

"I don't want a baby," I said.

"It is part of your job to have a baby," she said. "You are going to be a wife and a mother."

I washed the last plate before taking my hands out of the water and drying them on the towel. Jenny turned so that she was leaning against the counter.

"Jenny, I have to get out," I said.

"Why do you say that?" she asked.

"I have people waiting for me," I said. "I have parents, sisters, and friends. I cannot stay here and be tortured."

"Tortured?"

"Yes, tortured."

Jenny laughed and shook her head.

"The boys do not torture us," she said. "They love us."

"Jenny, Gabe is hurting me," I said. "One day he is going to go too far."

"He is not going to kill you."

"He will, and I can not die in this house."

"Lindsay, we all die in this house."

I thought I was going to be sick when she said those words. I was going to be one of the many girls who died in this house and never got to go home.