Free Break Through by Amber Garza

“You never need to be scared of me.”
     
    I had been at his house for six months before he told me why he took me. It was evening when he came into my room. The sky had darkened, pink tinging the bottom of the clouds. I still spent most of my days staring up at the sky through the bars in the windows. Every night I dreamt of trees, flowers, large fields of grass. Freedom. But my days were spent inside this room. I was sick of the white walls and deranged looking stuffed animals.
    He didn’t close the door behind him this time, and m y pulse quickened.
    “You don’t need to be scared of me. I’m not going to hurt you.” It was like this was his mantra. He said it all the time, but I knew it was a lie. He was hurting me by keeping me here. He hurt me every day he didn’t let me out of this room. Every second he kept me away from the family that loved me. The family I belonged to. “Do you think you can be a good girl if I let you come downstairs?”
    This perked my interest. I wasn’t sure if it was smart to go anywhere with him , but the idea of getting out of this room was tempting. Slowly, I nodded. He held out his hand and my stomach soured.
    “C’mon.” His tone was starting to take on that dark quality it got when I rejected him.
    So I quickly tucked my hand in his. The mere act made me want to puke, but I resisted the urge. Taking deep breaths, I allowed him to lead me downstairs. I had only seen the house once that first day he brought me here. But I didn’t notice anything specific. At the time I was more interested in what time my parents would be by to pick me up. If only I hadn’t let him lure me upstairs to the “playroom” maybe I could have escaped and none of this would have happened.
    When we reached the family room I was struck with how normal it looked. To anyone peering in the window we would look like father and daughter about to enjoy a quiet evening watching TV or playing board games. I didn’t know what I expected, but for some reason the fact that his house was clean and cozy sickened me. How could he act like a normal member of society when he had a child locked in a room upstairs?
    The TV played quietly in the background and I could smell something baking in the oven. Despite my best efforts, my stomach growled.
    “You hungry?” he asked.
    Reluctantly, I nodded. I hated giving in to him, but the truth was that I was starving. He hadn’t brought me anything to eat yet today. Some days he did that. It didn’t bother me as much as it should because I enjoyed not having to see him.
    “I can let go of your hand if you promise to stay put.” He squeezed tightly to my hand. So tight it hurt. As if I needed him to drive home the point. “If you try anything at all I’ll never let you out of the room again. Do you understand?”
    I nodded, having no doubt he was serious. As much as I hated being with him, I did like it down here. I felt less claustrophobic.
    He released my hand , and the flesh tingled as feeling returned. “You can sit on the couch and watch TV while I get dinner on the table.”
    It all sounded so normal. Like a typical night with a typical family. It turned my stomach. But I nodded and obediently made my way to the couch.
    “I hate keeping you in that bedroom, but I had to make sure I could trust you before I let you out.” He spoke in a soothing tone. “You understand, right? I would never want to hurt my own daughter intentionally.”
    Daughter? I froze as the word registered.

NINE
    I stepped out onto the front porch while Carter hoisted a bicycle out of a truck. Usually he drove a little compact car so I had no idea where this truck came from. Another bike still sat in the bed. After putting the bike down, he set up the kickstand and then reached for the other one. He had a backpack strapped to his back, a plastic water bottle nestled in the little pouch on the side.
    “What’s going on?” I bounded down the porch steps to meet him in the gravel. “I