Aurora's Point Of View

Seven full days had gone by. The fact that I was now here for a week, was fucking terrifying. I had thought I could managed to escape by day two or three, but nothing was working. Shame on me for not knowing kidnapping-escape tactics. Arlan truly was set on keeping me here for good, and so was everyone else.

I was praying to God every night, trying to get closer to Elise in hopes she'd sneak me out. I've been eating every meal to get on Nate's good side-but nothing. Nothing was aiding my process in escaping.

It was past noon and Arlan had left early morning for work. To cope with my feelings, I was currently drawing a sad girl in my sketch book when a buzzing sound caught my attention.

Peering up, Arlan's cell phone was vibrating on the desk.

He left his phone here?!?! Oh my God!

I sprung up and felt relief flood into every ounce of my body, tears filling my eyes. I could call the police! Only when I peered down, I felt confused.

It didn't look like a normal phone-it looked like an intimidating and complicated mafia gadget to comminucate secretly. I had never paid much attention to Arlan using it, so I would know how to, and cursed myself. What the hell was this little black gadget?!

I picked it up and anxiously pressed random buttons, but the screen was locked. I tried pressing numbers, maybe there's a passcode to unlock? Nothing. Suddenly, the screen flashed to a red color and I froze, eyes widening. That didn't seem right, how do I get rid of that!?

"Were you looking through my phone?" A voice growled.

I jumped and turned, the phone clattering to the floor, quickly hugging myself in a weak attempt to make myself feel safe. Arlan's pronounced brow shadowed over his black pupils. Why was he home so early?

"Aurora, I asked you a motherfucking question."

I didn't say anything, quietly beginning to sob and backing away into the wall.

His chest was now rising and falling quickly. He began to approach me.

"N-no I wasn't," I whisper.

"Oh, no? Hm? Then why is it on the floor? And why was it in your hand?"

"I-I was looking for pencils, to sk-sketch."

"Hm," he laughed, a single dimple indenting, stopping in his tracks. He seemed to ponder. "Okay princess, I trust you."

Was I off the hook? My breathing slowed slightly and my skin quivering reduced but I was still on guard.

"My phone has special fingerprint detection so it'll be able to tell me if anyone but me has touched it, we'll just see for ourselves."

My face paled. He was playing me. I prayed that somehow my fingerprint wouldn't show but I knew it was a lost cause. A mafia man like him surely had elite technology to keep his private things safe. My fingerprint would show.

"W-what are you doing home so early?"

He didn't respond, just sauntered over and picked up his cell phone, his tattooed forearms flexing from under his rolled up collared shirt.

He clicked it open with his thumbprint and a voice sounded off.

"Unfamiliar printing detected...two minutes ago"

Fresh tears spring into my eyes and I peered nervously at him, whimpering loudly, my breathing starting to pant.

"A-Arlan, I just wanted to hear Dacie's voice," I quickly tried to cover my tracks, trembling.

He chuckled once, looking off and rolling a tongue over his teeth.I squinted, finding it hard to see through my tears. He stood up now and slowly sauntered to me. His body pressed right up against mine and his weight and domineering height had me quivering. A slow, ring-covered finger traced the curve of my face before he dropped his head into my neck, my skin turning icy feeling his breath near my ear.

"You're so cute," he mumbled. I whimpered.

"Please."

"Please what? He murmured, delicately kissing the crook of my neck and I whimpered.

"Please..I don't know," my brain was fogged with fear and I couldn't find words, I just knew I needed to plead.

"Aurora," he said gently, and I relaxed only slightly. Why was he being so gentle, calm, nurturing?

I quieted down softly.

Slam.

His hand encased my neck and shoved me against the wall as my eyes enlargened and I cried in pain. Before I could blink, he lifted my neck and slammed me, again, against the wall, while I made a strangled, pathetic noise of shock and pain.

"Don't ever fucking go through my shit again, okay? There is top information on there that could ruin my entire job! I'm fucking furious with you right now and your snooping ass! What the fuck is wrong with you that you think you can deliberality go against my wishes? I told you to never touch my personal items, ESPECIALLY my God damn phone!"

All I could focus on was trying to desperately get air in as his hand squeezed the sides of my neck mercilessly.

"I-I'm sorry, I'll never ever eever ever, do it again Arlan. neveer."

He released me, stepped back, and turned away from me and I remained still.

He opened a drawer and when he came back, he had a hairbrush. Why would I need to brush my hair, for what reason would I need to fix my appearance..? Who was I going to see? No one in the house would care if I looked distraught, they knew how angering Arlan could get and wouldn't spare me any sympathy or help.

"See this?" He gestured.

I looked at it nervously, then him. What was his angle here? I nodded yes, once.

His slacked jaw rolled and he licked his bottom lip.

"This is not for those pretty little locks of yours, Aurora. It's for your ass."

A fresh sob crumpled out of me as it dawned on me he was going to use it for pain and I backed against the wall, instinctively hugged myself.

"Spare me the water works, this isn't fucking Disney world. And believe me, I could do some motherfucking worse things to you. But you're lucky I have some weird soft spot for you. Lay down on the bed."

"Y-you..."-

"I SAID LAY DOWN!" He beseeched and I flinched, sobbed harder.

Everything was shaking. My arms, my jaw, my knees and legs.

"You said y-you'd never hurt me," it was hard to get words out.

"And you promised never to go through my personal items," he countered.

I sobbed even harder. He wasn't understanding me. I couldn't handle this.

"Arlan.." I barely got out.

"Aurora, this is teaching you a lesson to behave, not hurting you."

"You promised," I whispered just barely, closing my eyes and letting out a whine. I couldn't take the fear, the tremors my body was trembling with were going to make me pass out. I felt weak.

"You said I was safer here," I whispered.

He seemed to think for a moment, probably taking in my state of pure terror and fear. Was he going to grab me?

Wiith a gruff, the hairbrush clattered down to the floor.

"Meet me downstairs for dinner," He murmured bitterly, stomping out.

When I opened my teary eyes, he was gone.

I came into the kitchen which I had not been in since the last time Arlan I hung out normally before my kidnapping. It was strange to be out of his bedroom for the first time in a week. Older maids were setting out bread, salad, and fettucini with seitan meatballs. I sat down quietly and began to fill my plate, before attempting to rise with it.

"Don't move," Arlan seethed, gripping my thigh and not looking at me, making me tense up and freeze.

"I want you to stay here and eat with me, you've done enough bad today that doesn't warrant you eating alone." His cruel green eyes flashed to mine.

"You said at dinner I could have space from you," I weakly mumbled, desperately wanting some away time.

"That was before you deliberately took advantage of my kindness," Arlan seethed, fingernails gripping into my thigh deeper making me whimper. He pulled my chair with his other hand, so that now our thighs were touching.

"I'm sorry," I whispered lowly, looking down

"Look at me."

I slowly lifted my head, hair covering my eyes.

"Things are gonna change around here until I feel I can trust you again. Don't behave stupidly or you get things taken away, didn't you ever learn that as a child?!"

I looked away now, my childhood was a sensitive topic.

"Hey," he gripped my chin. "Stop looking away."

"Okay!" I weakly said in defense, not caring about the attitude I had. I just couldn't take the constant tugging and pulling and grabbing and on top of that he brought up mixed feelings with his remark about my childhood. No, no one taught me right from wrong. I didn't have parents, I bounced around foster homes until the age of seven. I taught myself everything right and wrong, and look where that got me. Before he could do anything to retaliate against my remark, I began eating. He growled out a sigh and began eating too.