feed me, and then that’s it? I get to just… go?”
Ben steepled his fingers in front of him.
“Was there something more you wanted?”
“Wanted? No. Expecting? Yeah, you could say that.”
“Well I’m sorry to disappoint. This is all I have to offer.”
“No, no,” she said quickly, straightening out the covers.
“Not a disappointment. Just surprised, is all. Pleasantly surprised.”
Ben nodded and stood.
“Rest up. Eat if you can. You’ll be out of here in no time.”
“Thank you,” she said as he moved the chair back to the wall.
“You’re too welcome,” he said, and smiled over his shoulder to her before leaving.
As she watched him go, a massive wave of fatigue washed over her. Scooting down and settling her head on the pillow again, she couldn’t help but smile.
Ever since her mother first started seeing the man that would become her stepfather, Kathleen didn’t feel safe. The guy was creepy to begin with, and Kathleen did everything she could to try and protect her mother from him, but she was lonely.
Kathleen couldn’t compete with loneliness.
When he moved in, she didn’t have another good night of sleep again. It was horrible to feel uncomfortable in your own bed, in your own home.
If home wasn’t safe, there was nothing left. Home should’ve been the one place she could be comfortable, but he took that away.
Kathleen nuzzled her face against the soft pillowcase and sighed. This, here, was safe. Muscles that had been tense for the last three years let go, and she breathed with the relief of it.
Sleep came easily after that, and she didn’t wake again until that evening. Ben didn’t come again while she was awake, but there was fresh food on the table beside her. She wasn’t able to eat all of it, but it felt good to have food in her stomach again.
After examining the room, her body’s need to recover soon overtook her and she fell back to sleep.
Days passed in the dreary haze of a healing sleep, only waking long enough to eat something, contemplate the strangeness of her days, and fall back to sleep.
At first, her sleep was mostly dreamless, with only the occasional flicker of images to occupy it accompanied by emotion. Anxiety. Panic. These were commonplace, sending her into fits of startled wakefulness. The dreams made her concerned to fall back to sleep, but waking was always a pleasant experience once she’d calmed down.
There was always fresh food beside her bed, somehow steaming or pleasantly chilled. It never had the taste of having sat out for hours.
How did he know when she’d wake up?
As she healed and could think more clearly, she realized the food he left always coincided to what time of day it was.
Fruit, oatmeal, or cereal in the mornings. Soup and sandwiches in the afternoon. Chicken, steak, potatoes in the evening. There were always crackers available for when she wasn’t feeling up to a full meal, or the occasional cookie as a treat.
Once she’d had a dream he was trying to fatten her up to eat her, but the absurdity of it struck her the moment she woke up.
She’d yet been able to finish a whole meal. If he was trying to fatten her up, he was doing a terrible job of it.
That is, other than what she already carried on her.
Her stepfather always made sure to remind her that she was far from the ideal weight. He and his friends frequently made jokes at her expense, despite the fact that she ate perfectly healthy food. Some people just weren’t meant to be pencil-thin.
Four days passed, if the meals were any indication. She woke, as she normally did, and ate breakfast. Still unable to eat all of it lest she get nauseated, she settled in for the usual drowsiness to overcome her.
Yet, it didn’t.
Chapter 4
Kathleen used to lie in bed, awake, staring at the ceiling. It was almost a disappointment. She’d
Ben steepled his fingers in front of him.
“Was there something more you wanted?”
“Wanted? No. Expecting? Yeah, you could say that.”
“Well I’m sorry to disappoint. This is all I have to offer.”
“No, no,” she said quickly, straightening out the covers.
“Not a disappointment. Just surprised, is all. Pleasantly surprised.”
Ben nodded and stood.
“Rest up. Eat if you can. You’ll be out of here in no time.”
“Thank you,” she said as he moved the chair back to the wall.
“You’re too welcome,” he said, and smiled over his shoulder to her before leaving.
As she watched him go, a massive wave of fatigue washed over her. Scooting down and settling her head on the pillow again, she couldn’t help but smile.
Ever since her mother first started seeing the man that would become her stepfather, Kathleen didn’t feel safe. The guy was creepy to begin with, and Kathleen did everything she could to try and protect her mother from him, but she was lonely.
Kathleen couldn’t compete with loneliness.
When he moved in, she didn’t have another good night of sleep again. It was horrible to feel uncomfortable in your own bed, in your own home.
If home wasn’t safe, there was nothing left. Home should’ve been the one place she could be comfortable, but he took that away.
Kathleen nuzzled her face against the soft pillowcase and sighed. This, here, was safe. Muscles that had been tense for the last three years let go, and she breathed with the relief of it.
Sleep came easily after that, and she didn’t wake again until that evening. Ben didn’t come again while she was awake, but there was fresh food on the table beside her. She wasn’t able to eat all of it, but it felt good to have food in her stomach again.
After examining the room, her body’s need to recover soon overtook her and she fell back to sleep.
Days passed in the dreary haze of a healing sleep, only waking long enough to eat something, contemplate the strangeness of her days, and fall back to sleep.
At first, her sleep was mostly dreamless, with only the occasional flicker of images to occupy it accompanied by emotion. Anxiety. Panic. These were commonplace, sending her into fits of startled wakefulness. The dreams made her concerned to fall back to sleep, but waking was always a pleasant experience once she’d calmed down.
There was always fresh food beside her bed, somehow steaming or pleasantly chilled. It never had the taste of having sat out for hours.
How did he know when she’d wake up?
As she healed and could think more clearly, she realized the food he left always coincided to what time of day it was.
Fruit, oatmeal, or cereal in the mornings. Soup and sandwiches in the afternoon. Chicken, steak, potatoes in the evening. There were always crackers available for when she wasn’t feeling up to a full meal, or the occasional cookie as a treat.
Once she’d had a dream he was trying to fatten her up to eat her, but the absurdity of it struck her the moment she woke up.
She’d yet been able to finish a whole meal. If he was trying to fatten her up, he was doing a terrible job of it.
That is, other than what she already carried on her.
Her stepfather always made sure to remind her that she was far from the ideal weight. He and his friends frequently made jokes at her expense, despite the fact that she ate perfectly healthy food. Some people just weren’t meant to be pencil-thin.
Four days passed, if the meals were any indication. She woke, as she normally did, and ate breakfast. Still unable to eat all of it lest she get nauseated, she settled in for the usual drowsiness to overcome her.
Yet, it didn’t.
Chapter 4
Kathleen used to lie in bed, awake, staring at the ceiling. It was almost a disappointment. She’d
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