Chapter 3
"Nova," Elias said softly. I blinked my eyes open and tried to sit up. My bones didn't scream at me as I pushed up on my hands. It was actually fairly easy besides a little soreness. I sat up and looked around. Elias took my hand in his.
"How are you feeling?" he asked me. I yawned and stretched my limbs.
"I feel... fine. How is it that I feel so must better after a blood transfusion and a nap. A blood transfusion wouldn't magically heal my bones," I asked. Elias rubbed his thumb over the back of my hand.
"You're better now; that's all that matters," he said. I pulled my hand away from his and looked at the sheets.
"I want to go home," I said softly.
"Why?" he asked. "Do you not feel comfortable with me? Don't you think that it's for a reason?" he asked. I shook my head as tears threatened to fall.
"My dad needs to know I'm alive. He can't loose me, too. He just can't," I cried.
"Why are you so insistent on this?" he asked.
"Because he's already lost my mom to the woods. He can't lose me too," I said.
"What happened?" he asked quietly. I sighed before I fiddled with my fingers. Logic told me not to tell him, but I wanted to.
"She was murdered; mutilated by animals. She went out one night to try to find our dog, Shipmate. He wandered out into the woods near our house and... she never came back. The next morning we went looking for her and... and we found her. She was shredded to pieces and there was so much blood. My dad went into shock. We called the police and they determined it was some kind of animal. A wild dog, or pack of wolves or something. Shipmate was found cowering in a hole in a tree. Apparently the hole was too small for the animal to get into. They only got my mom. My dad, he cried for so long. He grieved for so long. He can't lose me too. He has to know that I'm alive. He has to know that I'm not dead. He'll lose it again if I don't," I tried to explain. Elias sighed and closed his eyes briefly.
"Okay, but I have to be with you and you can't tell him what's really going on," he said. I chuckled humorlessly.
"I don't even know what's going on," I said. He sighed and ran his hand over my arm.
"Do you feel that?" he asked. I hesitated.
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"That spark... the warm fuzzy feeling. It's a connection to each other. It'll only grow with time," he explained. I didn't understand what he was getting at. I pulled my arm away and looked at the sheets.
"Stop... please," I whispered as a light blush covered my cheeks. "I don't know you. You kidnapped me and you're keeping me here against my will. Now you want me to believe that you did it because we're meant for each other. That doesn't make any sense," I said. He sighed and moved away from me.
"When do you want to go see your father?" he asked changing the subject.
"When can I go?" I countered.
"Whenever Dr. Michael releases you... and based on your remarkable recovery, it'll probably be soon," he answered.
I was released by the end of the day. I was handed new clothes and put them on gratefully. Though, I did wonder how Elias guessed my size correctly. He led me by the small of my back outside and to a car. I got in the passenger side and we were off. I found myself staring out my window at the passing town. The town seemed happy. There were children running around. Couples were outside together, watching the children, having conversations. They all looked deliriously happy. And I noticed that there were always coupled up, rarely was there one without the other. It almost seemed unreal.
"Everyone's together," I noted.
"We'll be there one day," Elias muttered under his breath, but I heard him anyway. I ignored it and continued watching the passing town. I would never be so deliriously happy with my kidnapper.
"What's the town's name?" I asked. He hesitated before he gave in.
"Rigor Moon," he said. I found myself rolling my eyes. That was a silly name for a town. We came upon a house eventually. It was a pure white stucco mansion with brick detailing. I admired the house as the car pulled into a u-shaped driveway.
"This is your house?" I asked astonished. He only chuckled as he parked the car.
"It's our house," he corrected. I was only even more shocked as I got out of the car. Elias came around to my side and led my up the walkway to the giant mahogany double doors. Pushing it open, the inside of the house looked like something out of a millionaire’s guide to perfect houses. There was a giant glass chandelier welcoming us at the entrance. I paused and looked at the double winding staircase and balcony.
"This is unreal," I whispered. The marble tile, the glass tables, the prestige wood, everything about the house was beautiful and over the top. This must have been the house I was in originally in. This entire entrance alone explained why I fell from a third story.
"Your room is upstairs for the time being. It's the one you were in before I had to take you to the hospital," he confirmed. I couldn't help but to blush.
"Honestly, I wasn't going to jump to hurt myself. I was trying to escape," I said quickly. He only sighed.
"I know, and that's my fault," he said, taking my hand and leading me to another room on the first floor. The living room had plush black suede couches and a giant television. The living room had a smooth closed transition into the kitchen. It looked like the kitchen had never been used before. All chrome and silver accessories and grey marble counters. The floor was white tile and the refrigerator and freezer were industrial sized. There were a few televisions in the corners of the kitchen as well. I was in heaven. I loved cooking, and this was incredible. I grazed my fingers over the countertop on the island.
"Wow," I breathed. I opened the refrigerator to see that it was fully stocked with every food imaginable. I fished through the walk-in pantry and wasn't surprised on its depth based on the rest of the house, but I was pleasantly surprised to find hat the back wall was covered in candy. My smile widened as I saw my absolute favorite; Lindor milk chocolate truffles with sea salt. I grabbed a few bags and sat on the floor as I started popping them open and shoving them in my mouth. I sighed happily and closed my eyes as I ate bag after bag.
"Nova, where did you-"
Elias stopped when he saw me covered in chocolate wrappers. He laughed and crossed his arms as he leaned against a post. "I think I found your kryptonite," he joked. I glared and brought the chocolate closer to me.
"It’s mine," I said before I snuggled closer to my chocolate. Elias sat there and watched me as I ate myself into oblivion.
"Are you going to want to see the rest of the house before we go see your dad, or do you want to stay here for the rest of the day?" he joked. I thought about it before I put what little chocolate was left back in the proper space and stood.
"Tour please," I said. Elias chuckled and wiped a bit of chocolate off of my cheek with his thumb. He stuck his thumb in his mouth, tasting the chocolate before he grabbed my hand and led me through the house. It had numerous extravagant rooms and bathrooms that went up four stories. The fourth floor was a giant bedroom in itself. It was Elias's room. The connecting bathroom was better than any of the other ones in the house. It had a deep Jacuzzi tub and a walk-in steam shower. There were two sinks and a walk in closet. It was huge. Everything about the room and bathroom were amazing. The color scheme was black, gray, and white with a hint of green. It was perfect. The bed was a giant canopy bed, super-California king sized. It was temper-pedic as well. I tested it.
"This is amazing," I smiled.
"It's yours too, whenever you want it. It's our room. I just put you in the other room until you're comfortable enough to be with me," he explained. I paused and just looked at him. He was being completely serious, and I wanted to take him up on the offer, but I wanted to refrain. I knew I couldn't do that. No matter what Elias said, I felt like I couldn't do it.
"M-my dad?" I asked, changing the subject.
"We can go now," he said.