“We have a visitor, Pater. She must be important if you need me to be present. I shouldn’t keep her waiting,” I say softly.
He grunts in annoyance but he knows I’m right. Besides, the last thing I want right now is to have to lie on the bed while he uses me for however long he wants to. It’s fucking degrading that I have to be so subservient to him, but it’s how I stay alive. I’m willing to do it for as long as I need to be able to gain a safe escape for Eloy and Vaughn.
“Don’t forget to cover that shit up,” he warns, nodding at the cuts on my legs.
“Yes Pater,” I reply unhappily.
“Hey,” he says, turning me to face him and sliding his arms around my waist. Pater is a tall man so I’m staring unhappily into his chest, but he leans down to look into my eyes, cocking his head to the side so I can see his smile.
“I’m almost done with three of you. This won’t go on for much longer, then I’ll let you decide if you want to stay or go, okay? Smile for me, pretty baby,” he says as I glance up slowly into his golden brown eyes.
The stubble on his face is black and has some gray in it, matching his hair perfectly. He looks so fucking normal, like a loving father, but I know better.
We know better.
I force a smile on my face, which makes him stand back up to his full height and kiss me on the forehead.
“That’s my girl. Now get yourself cleaned up and come down as quick as you can. And keep that smile on your face; we’re a perfectly happy family and I want her to know it.”
I nod again, turn and grab the dress he picked out, and head toward the dresser. Once I’ve picked out some fresh underwear, I quickly make my way toward the bathroom and lock the door firmly behind me.
Fuck.
At least it’ll be over soon.
Chapter Two
Twenty minutes later, I’m rushing down the hallway. Normally, after a week in the oubliette, my showers last for at least an hour, but I know I don’t have enough time for that. As I round the corner into the kitchen, I quickly reach down and smooth out the hem of my dress, before plastering a huge smile on my face.
“There she is,” Pater says, holding out an arm toward me.
“I’m so sorry I’m late,” I reply brightly as I obediently walk over to him. He leans down and kisses me on the lips. It’s a firm kiss and far from gentle, but it’s hard for him to pretend he’s something he’s not.
“Laura, this is my wife, Jocelyn,” he says, holding me close against him.
“Pleasure to meet you,” she says with a warm smile.
“Likewise! Can I get you anything? Coffee? Water? Juice?” I ask, trying to remember what Pater lets me offer on the very rare occasion we have company.
“No thank you,” she says, crossing her arms, the top of the island separating her from the boys. “I’m just about done talking to them, then I’d like to speak to the two of you privately.”
“Oh, of course!”
Pater tightens his grip on me. Apparently, my acting is lacking today, but I was just in a fucking hole in the ground for six days. I’m hoping he’ll cut me some slack when she leaves - instead of just cutting me.
“Would you like to wrap up with them without us here?” Pater asks Laura.
“Actually, that would be great!” she replies with an enthusiastic nod.
“Alright, we’ll be just down the hallway then. One of you boys can bring her to the living room when you’re done in here, okay?” he says, walking over and putting a firm hand on each of their shoulders.
“I will,” Vaughn replies quietly, looking up at him.
Pater smiles at him and nods, before he turns and holds his hand out toward me. Without hesitation, I take it and let him lead me out of the kitchen, but I cast one last glance over my shoulder at the trio. Vaughn is speaking quietly to Laura, and Eloy glances at me with wide eyes. I shake my head once before I disappear from sight.
“So, who is she?” I ask Pater curiously as we head down the hallway.
“We’ll talk about that after she leaves,” he replies in an even tone.
Oh God, this can’t be good.
“Okay,” I agree softly.
Once we reach the living room, he walks over toward the window and pulls the curtain back. I watch him as he glances around until his eyes land on something and narrow. I won’t question him any more. I don’t even plan on speaking unless spoken to at this point. Something has Pater very angry and my leg is already shaking in anticipation of what it could possibly be.
Silence.
That’s the only thing that sits heavily in the air between us as he walks away from the window and falls into the spot next to me on the couch. He has nothing else to say to me because, by all rights, I shouldn’t even be in his sights until tomorrow night.
Pater irritably runs a hand over his mouth and crosses his arms behind his head.
“What the fuck could they possibly be talking about?” he mutters.
I don’t respond. I know he wasn’t speaking to me, and in his state of current anger, a response would most likely result in additional correction.
“It was so nice to meet the two of you.”
Laura’s voice finally echoes through the hallway as she’s led to us. “Remember, if you ever need anything, you can call me and I’ll do my best to help, okay?”
“Okay. Thank you,” Vaughn’s dejected voice responds. “Our parents should be in there. It was nice to meet you, too.”
A few seconds later, Laura enters the room. Pater gets to his feet to greet her and I stay right where I am as she settles onto the couch across from us.
“You have wonderful sons. You must be very proud of them,” she says brightly, taking a small notebook out of her purse.
“We are,” Pater replies.
“Speaking of children,” she says, turning her attention toward me, “Exactly how old are you? You don’t look old enough to be their mother.”
My body immediately begins to shake. My mouth opens and closes a couple of times, but nothing comes out.
“Old enough to have children,” Pater says, putting an arm around my shoulder and giving me a reassuring squeeze.
Even if they’re not mine.
“I’m sorry if I sounded intrusive. I was just hoping to get some beauty tips,” Laura jokes, as she flips her notebook open and then produces a pen. “I just have a couple of questions for you, and then I’ll be on my way.”
“Fire away,” he says, with that charming grin sitting on his face.
“Well, Eloy and Vaughn seem like sullen, but happy children. Are they usually like that?” she asks.
Pater squeezes my arm. He doesn’t know how to answer the question, because he’s never been near them unless it’s for some kind of sadistic need.
“Vaughn usually doesn’t have much to say; he’s the quiet studious type, you know? And Eloy hasn’t been feeling well lately so that could explain his mood,” I say, leaning forward and clasping my hands in my lap.
She nods in understanding as she jots something down in her notebook.
“How are their studies?”
“Great! Like I said, Vaughn likes to learn things. He’s very curious about how things work and if there’s meaning behind every function. I expect him to be a scientist or something similar,” I reply with a smile. “Eloy. Now, he likes his sports and he’s happiest when he’s outside exploring, so he’s kind of like his brother in that respect.”
Laura looks at me with a pleased smile on her face. Apparently, my answers are what she wants to hear, when I’m really just telling her the truth. I do teach them when I’m not in the fucking hole, and I try to make sure they understand basic educational studies.
“And my last question is actually about the two of you. I would like if you could both answer me,” she says, giving Pater a pointed glance. “How are things? Any worries you have that you may want to share with me? I’m not here to judge you, please understand that. I’m here out of concern and I want
to make sure that you’re both as equally happy as your children.”
“Concern?” I ask her in confusion.
She smiled warmly. “I’ll address that in a moment; first, I’d like to know how things are.”
“Honestly, I couldn’t be happier. Are things perfect? No, of course not. Perfection is a lie, an illusion. But my husband provides for us as best as he can and makes sure that we’re well taken care of. I can’t think of anything else I could possibly want,” I reply with a shrug. Except for you to take us with you when you leave.
“Yeah, I agree. My wife maintains a tidy home as you can see. She keeps our boys educated and I don’t think we’ve ever really had an argument. Any disagreements we actually have had have never been in front of our children, so I think we’re doing okay,” he adds, rubbing my back affectionately.
“Great!” Laura says as she jots what I assume to be her final thoughts about her trip into her notebook. I wait patiently, trying to still my jumping leg as she places her notebook back into her purse and looks up at us.
“So let me tell you the reason for my visit,” she says, looking from me to Pater. His hand comes to rest in the middle of my back, almost as if he’s expecting her to say it was my fault, so he could pull my spine out.
“For obvious reasons, any calls placed to me are anonymous, but I had a concerned parent reach out to me recently. It seems that Eloy has been spotted out in the woods behind your home, killing small animals. As a matter of fact, the parent that called me stated that they witnessed him skinning a snake and then attempting to eat it.”
I lean back in shock, but Pater chuckles almost immediately. “Aren’t snakes considered a delicacy somewhere around the world? What’s the harm in it? He’s just being a kid.”
Closing my eyes, I decide it’s best to let him handle this conversation because, judging by his response, I can tell that anything that comes out of his mouth next will be dripping with sugar. The only question I have remaining is whether Laura will buy it.
Well, maybe more than one question...
“Where did you say you were from again?” I asked her suspiciously.
“Oh, I’m just another concerned parent. I’m not tied to any official agency,” she says nervously.
“Then what the fuck are you doing in our home? When my son comes to your house and tries to skin and eat you, then you have my fucking permission to show up with ‘concern.’ Until then, you can get the fuck out of here!” I shout, jumping to my feet. My fists are balled at my sides and I can’t remember the last time I have ever been so angry.
Laura’s mouth jumps open at my sudden outburst, but Pater laughs in appreciation. I’m not protective over many things in this world, because I really don’t have anything, but those boys are my heart and he knows I would kill for them.
“I think you should listen to my wife,” he says, as he rises from the couch to stand next to me. “And tell your ‘concerned parent friends’ that they can come over and talk to us about our kids anytime they want. Tell them we’ll be waiting with an open door and a smile on our faces, because our boys are well fed, happy, cared for, and that’s all that matters to us.”
Laura nervously gets to her feet and nods, but as she begins to walk past us on her way toward the front door, something inside me tells me that if she makes it out, our entire family will be in danger.
And that’s why when I grab the lamp off the corner table and follow her toward the door, I know Pater will let me put her in the oubliette in my place.
Because while she’s now stumbling from the blow to her head, trying to stay on her feet, he knows what’s in my heart. And he’ll allow me to do everything I can for Eloy and Vaughn, even though I know he has to punish them first.
Chapter Three
“Why did you let her in?” I asked him as I begin to drag her back down toward the back door. “Did she show you some credentials?”
“Nah. I just thought it could be fun to fuck with the neighbors,” he replies with a smirk. “I knew she wasn’t anyone important. And you should be thankful I let her in. It got you out of the hole for a while and into a nice dress. As a matter of fact, a ‘thank you, Pater’ would actually be nice, instead of your bitching.”
“Thank you, Pater,” I say through gritted teeth. I take a deep breath and stand up straight for a moment, when the sudden severity of what I’ve done hits me.
“Oh shit. Oh fuck,” I say frantically. “I can’t believe I did that.”
“It’s ‘cause you want to protect our little family as much as I do,” he chuckles. “That’s why you’re my favorite of all the wives I’ve had. You would do anything to keep our secret and our boys safe, wouldn’t you?”
“Yes,” I reply softly.
“None of my other wives gave two shits about any kids we had. They all just wanted to fuck and stay out of the oubliette. It always got so boring. You, on the other hand,” he says, walking toward me and taking my face in between his strong hands, “couldn’t care less about fucking me. You’re more invested in being a good mother, and that’s why I appreciate you as much as I do. Now, if we could just do something about that mouth, maybe you wouldn’t spend so much time in the ground.”
It’s the oddest feeling that’s taken over me right now. Pride because of the praise I’m receiving as a mother, but anger because of the fact that I can’t protect them as much as I want to.
Pater narrows his eyes and smirks, “I can’t tell if that’s a scowl on your face or a smile, so I’ll just assume it’s a little bit of both and be okay with it.”
Laura moves next to us on the ground and begins her attempt to get to her feet, but I’m sure I hit her hard enough to keep her down a little while longer.
“What am I going to do with her?” I ask him quietly.
“Well. You got two choices. You can finish whatever it was you started...”
“Or?” I ask him, wringing my hands.
“I don’t think you’re going like this, but I think it could be fun,” he says, flashing me his wide grin. I raise an eyebrow and wait. If he wants to fuck her, that’s his prerogative, obviously, but I’m not joining in.
“Eloy!”
His voice booms throughout the house so unexpectedly that I jump in surprise and almost losing my footing.
“What are you doing?” I ask him curiously.
“Did you just ask me a question?” he asks, tilting his head, the grin widening on his face.
“No, Pater.”
“I didn’t think so,” he says, turning his attention toward the sound of footsteps quickly approaching. “Hey there, son.”
“Hello,” Eloy replies nervously.
“I didn’t know you liked to skin animals,” Pater says conversationally. “I used to be into that when I was a kid, too. I figure we could have a little bonding moment if you’re up for it. And to sweeten the deal, if you say yes to what I’m going to suggest, I’ll make sure your mom doesn’t have to serve the rest of her time in the oubliette.”
Eloy’s eyes widen hopefully as he glances quickly in my direction. He knows that the more time I spend above ground, the less time him and his brother are off Pater’s radar.
“I agree,” he immediately says.
Pater throws his head back and laughs. He knows that the boys need me as much as I need them, and that they’ll do anything to keep me above ground.
“Good. Then what I want for you to do is drag that piece of shit out back. Hit her as many times as you need to to keep her quiet. I’ll be out shortly. I just wanna finish talking with your mom,” he says to him as he glances at me.
“Okay,” he agrees, grabbing Laura by her hands and dragging her the rest of the way out of the house. A feeling of dread quickly cascades over me when it starts to set in. I have a terrible feeling that I know how he plans on bonding with Eloy.
“Listen, I can tell you’ve already got this figured out by the look on your face, but there’s something I want to tell you. I feel like I owe
it to you for being such a good mom,” he says, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
“Don’t hurt him,” I beg, reaching forward and grabbing his forearms. “I can talk to him and tell him to be more careful. Please?”
Pater looks down at my hands and waits for me to pull them away before he responds. “We’ll see what happens, alright? But I do need to punish him for being so fucking sloppy. You understand,” he says with a wink as he starts to make his way outside.
I run to the door as he closes it behind him and crack it open. He probably heard the door open again, because he shakes his head as he walks toward the woods.
I find myself secretly hoping that whoever saw Eloy skinning and eating the snake will catch Pater doing whatever the hell it is he has planned - but I also hope they don’t. My son shouldn’t be punished for behaving like an animal, since that’s how he’s pretty much been brought up under Pater. He’s only behaving as he’s been taught, the way his father has conditioned him to. And for that, a nosy neighbor is going to die, Eloy is going to be “punished”, and I have to sit here and hope for his life to be spared.
All because he blindly made a deal to keep me safe. Anything that happens to him will be my fault; Pater made that clear enough when he tricked Eloy by using me as a pawn.
I know I shouldn’t do this because we’re not allowed to without Pater, but I close the door and run as quickly as I can to the second floor of his home. I’ll get a better view of the woods from his bedroom window, and that’s how I’ll know for sure if anything happens to Eloy.
Or, more painful still, what will happen to Eloy. With a lump in my throat and a sickened feeling in my heart, I make my way up the stairs and down to his bedroom door at the end of the hall.
I hope he doesn’t see me because if he does, he’ll take out his anger on the boy. If he doesn’t, I’ll know how to avenge Eloy if necessary. When the opportunity presents itself.
Chapter Four
An eternity.
That’s how long I feel like I’ve been standing here, peeking through his bedroom window without a thing in sight, and I’m so fucking scared.
Inferno Page 2
