Nightmare with the Neighbour

by Martha Greenwood

  "I know. That's why I'm winning this!" I violently pushed my foot on the accelerator. The car started forward with more momentum than I had anticipated. Ha. Lyle's time was nothing. In precisely 6 minutes 21 seconds he would be my eternal slave.

  Only...I made a slight miscalculation.

  I had never driven a car in my life before.

  What can I do? I'm still only seventeen and not entitled to a proper licence. I haven't even done the written test yet because, well, it's a test and it involves learning. I've never felt the need of a car anyway; I can get to any place I want simply by walking or hitch-hiking a ride on Daya's bike. That's the advantage of living in a small town like Sparrowick. Fortunately my mother can drive so if I want to go down to London that's fine (so long as I do plenty of chores in return).

  Of course, Lyle didn't know about my driving incapability. And I wasn't about to let him in on the secret because I didn't want him to think of me as a fool as well as a simpleton. If there's one thing I've come to hate, it's showing Lord Lyle my weaknesses. God knows what he'd do with them. He'd probably tear them to shreds and eat them with ketchup. Or blackmail me into slaving for him. I mean, this is Lyle we're talking about. I definitely did not want to see that supercilious half-smile of his.

  I figured driving a car couldn't be that difficult. It's hardly rocket science, and besides I had had plenty of practice with Need for Speed. I told myself I wouldn't touch the brakes as that would lose me time.

  Being in the passenger seat with Lyle was a nightmare, but at the wheel things didn't feel so scary. The trees whooshed by at tremendous speed (a quick peek at the headboard revealed I was doing 60 mph, not too bad is it?). Lyle was saying something but I couldn't hear him over the thrill of overtaking parked cars. I may have accidentally brushed against a car, but I had more important things to worry about.

  "LEA!" my nemesis screamed into my ear.

  "What?" I asked, turning to my right to face him. However, the car also swerved to the right, but I confidently corrected for it, after disturbing a poor kitty. "Sorry!" I said to the cat, hoping it could hear my apology through the closed car windows.

  "You should be, Lea. Calm down and slow down. Do you really want to get us killed? Or worse, ruin my Acura?" he asked warily.

  "What are you talking about? I'm doing this to win!" I replied, turning around a corner just a tad too sharply, driving right into a neighbour's flower bed. I also drove right out of it.

  "Lea, are you out of your mind? Stop driving now," Lyle commanded.

  I couldn't have even if I wanted to. My foot was tap-dancing with the accelerator and couldn't find the brake pedal.

  "Stop distracting me," I said, my eyes glued to the road.

  "No, really, Lea, you have to... well, fine. Have it your way," he conceded rather quickly.

  I was nearing the end. Driving had been fun, so I was a little disappointed. I hadn't expected to enjoy myself, and even better, I was sure I had won. All I had to do was race down the finishing stretch into the garage and bam, Bob's my uncle. At this point Lyle might have sensed he was losing, because he leaned into me and whispered in my ear.

  "Lea...what's 25 + 16?"

  It struck me that this questions was a little out of place. "Ummm..." I started thinking. My foot found the brake and the car diminished in speed gradually. This helped clear the clutter in my mind as I struggled with the problem. As I am sure you are aware, Maths is hardly my favourite subject at school. But I could feel the answer at the tip of my tongue and I really wanted to impress with my mental maths skills. The question of why I wanted to impress Lyle crossed my mind, but I ignored it.

  "It's 31...no wait...41!"

  "Correct. Now, what's 56 x 12?"

  That was a tough one. The car slowed down even more.

  "That's too difficult!" I protested. Lyle raised an eyebrow, "Ok Lea, I'll tell you. It's - "

  "No, no, don't say it! It's...560 plus something pi...no wait! That's not my answer! It's...672..."

  Lyle readjusted his torn and bloody shirt and a shiver passed through me again. I hoped my answer was right.

  "Correct again. You are on top of things aren't you? An even tougher one then... is 4795 divisible by 7? A simple 'yes' or 'no' will suffice."

  Divisible by 7? Was he bloody kidding me? There are divisibility rules for 2, 3, 5, 10 and some other random numbers, but I know from primary school that one for 7 doesn't exist. I should know, I failed that test. As I was pondering this, the Acura came to a complete standstill, but I hardly noticed it.

  "I don't know," I said softly, looking away from Lyle.

  "Speak up, woman, can't hear you."

  "I don't...no. No, it's not," I said finally.

  Lyle indulged in one of his dreadful smiles that sent spiders instead of butterflies to my stomach.

  "Wrong, Lea. 7 times 685 is 4795. There is a simple rule to prove it."

  "What? They never told us in class..."

  "Take the last digit. Double it. Subtract it from the remaining digits. If the answer is divisible by 7, then so is the number," he cut me off.

  I hardly followed what he said, but I believed him. I knew he had a knack for mathematical things, but I had no idea he had improved this much in five years. So he had good looks and a brain. Still, he didn't have a personality or a manageable garden. He hardly knew the difference between fertilizer and insecticide, and in my book that was pretty lame.

  "For example, 161. Double the units – 2. Take 2 away from 16 and you get 14, which is divisible by 7. It's one of my little inventions. You can close your mouth now, Lea," he added in passing.

  Much as I hated to admit it, I was amazed by him. My eyes met his dark abysses, and I said nothing, still a little in shock.

  "Now, get out of my car."

  I was rudely brought back to reality. The race!

  "What? No, I still have to finish, I can still win..." I said weakly.

  "6 minutes 23 seconds. Now get out before you destroy my car any more," he said with ice in his voice, a tone that had been absent for a while. The coldness could have competed with the chill of October outside.

  "No...I liked driving...I'll drive to the store, tell me where it is...I promise to be more careful..." I said stubbornly.

  A quiet anger was brewing, and I knew I would somehow pay for it. Lyle spoke quietly but menacingly.

  "Do you have any idea how much trouble you've caused? You ran over someone's garden, you broke a side mirror and you scratched my car. You don't have a licence, do you? Did you think I wouldn't notice after that display?"

  He was right, and I felt smaller than a millipede. The shame was overbearing, but I had to explain myself.

  "It was because...I had to win, Lyle! You don't understand..." I said stroking the wheel.

  "Hands off," he ordered. I pulled them off quickly, "I understand perfectly," he said, putting an arm on the head of my seat and leaning closer to me, "I know you want to beat me and feel good about yourself. I also know that you were seduced by my car. You are a completely egocentric, conceited girl. Am I right?"

  I couldn't handle it. Surely he was being too harsh? But I refused to cave in to the tears that had somehow made their way to my tear ducts.

  "Y-Yes," I merely replied, shutting my eyes, hoping that would shut him up.

  "You've been an extremely bad girl, and an overall disappointment to me."

  I wished he would stop belabouring the point, because every word he said cut right into my shame glands. It felt slightly like he was actively enjoying my misery, but I was more focused on my own problems.

  "I'm so sorry Lyle. I'll do anything - "

  "You think you have the right to apologise to me?" I gasped at his severity. "You lost, Lea. I can now command you as I like. The first thing I'm going to do is ask you to get me another shirt from my room. The second thing I'm going to do is punish you for your behaviour. Maybe then you'll learn some discipline," he said, voice cracking like a whip.

  I c
ouldn't ask for more. It was what I deserved after all. If only I hadn't got so carried away with the ecstasy of driving, I wouldn't be in this position. I got out of the car without uttering another word, just wanted to get on with my assignments.

  Sparrowick Castle felt deserted this time of morning (it being only half past five). I guessed that Mrs Parker and Steven were both pleasantly enjoying dreamland, and I sorely wished I could join them. Instead I had the agreeable job of being Lyle's personal slave. What else do you call someone who brings clothes to people? The climb to the West Tower, where Lyle resided, was a long one, but I went as silently as I could. The task was so demeaning that I just wanted to get it over with.

  To my surprise I found that his clothes were not located in his bedroom. I checked his room once (more out of curiosity than duty, but still) but all that was there was that godly soft bed we had once played Monopoly on. I strongly resisted the urge to lie down on it. My body was not accustomed to the sunless world outside, and I could feel my eyelids succumb to gravity. I cheered up and woke up when I saw what lay on his bedside table however. My Sailor Moon pyjamas had been neatly folded and kept aside. I imagined that he used them as a cuddly toy while sleeping, and I smiled derisively. But upon closer inspection, I saw a note had been placed on top of them. It read:

  "Stop picturing weird things Lea. You can take these back, as long as you return my shovel first."

  It felt like I had borrowed Lyle Parker's shovel an eternity ago, even though it had barely been one week. A time when I had no idea the Parkers were in fact noblemen, and when Lillian had not entered my life. A time when I did not feel unease about the circumstances surrounding my father's death, instead bravely accepting it. A time when I could simply come home from school to the smell of apple pie, avoid my homework, and get to my gardening. God those times were plain and easy.

  (And dare I say...boring...?)

  I walked to the room next door, which was essentially his clothes room. A walk-in closet so huge it would make any girl green with envy. There were separate sections for shirts, collared shirts, jeans, black jeans, trousers. There was a whole rack of his school's navy blue uniforms and blazers, and yet another rack bursting with suits he probably needed when fulfilling the duties of a lord-to-be. I picked a plain red T-shirt at random and prayed he wouldn't send me back for another if he was displeased.

  I trotted back down to the car and handed Lyle the shirt. He was outside, leaning on his precious vehicle.

  "I hope it's alright, I can go back and get another - " I started.

  "You shouldn't talk unless I give you permission to," he stated in a controlling manner. He peeled his bloodied shirt off right in front of me and snatched the red one out of my hands, putting it on. I vaguely wondered how he didn't feel cold changing outdoors, but then again, this was Lyle we were discussing. He probably wouldn't feel anything if you buried him under a snow avalanche. I averted my eyes and merely nodded my head.

  "Excellent. Now we are ready for some shopping. But before that, I think I'm forgetting something?" Lyle asked, cruelly teasing me. "Can you remind me, Lea?"

  I looked away defiantly.

  "I asked politely. Tell me," he repeated, more domineering than ever. I gave in.

  "My...my punishment..." I gave him what he asked for.

  "That's right. You're getting the hang of this, Lea. If you keep improving, I may even let you drive my car," he added tantalisingly. My eyes widened in anticipation. To feel the power of the engine and the smooth acceleration again would be nothing short of heaven. I looked at him eagerly, hoping in vain that he would change his mind about my chastisement.

  He led me to the back of his car and opened the boot to get something out. It looked like rope, but I couldn't really tell by the dim streetlamps. At least, I hope they were dim. Because me and rope were not best friends.

  "Turn around, sweetheart," he commanded. I decided I didn't like this 'sweetheart' thing. Lea is more than enough, and I didn't enjoy the sarcasm and mockery than came with the 'sweetheart'. It was difficult to disobey though, especially considering how tightly he was holding my wrists.

  "Just relax. Think of...apple pie or something."

  Apple Pie! I said to myself, and then cursed my short attention span. Guess who had quickly and masterfully tied ropes all along the length and width of my body, locking my wrists and waist together. And guess who was pulling each knot tighter so that the ropes achingly cut through my clothes as his breath tickled my neck.

  And then guess who lifted me up before I could protest and threw me in to the back of his car, locking the boot down.

  Chapter XIV: Exchanged

  * * *

  It certainly had been an eventful morning, and the sun hadn't even risen yet. I woke up at the crack of dawn to skin a pheasant I had hunted, I nearly got my car totalled and I taught my neighbour some basic mathematics while she was driving at break neck speeds.

  Not to mention I had just bound up my dream girl with ropes. Then I threw her into my car's boot like one hauls a dead body. After which I locked said boot.

  I wasn't quite sure what supernatural power made me act the way I did. I think it may have had something to do with the look Lea gave me a microsecond before she realised what I was about to do with her tied up body. A look that conveyed horror, disbelief and shock. It's remarkable how many emotions a human can go through in a single microsecond. Her widened eyes told me that I had gone too far this time, even after making allowances for my... distinctive personality.

  Maybe she was right. Maybe I am a monster. Maybe it is twisted to get pleasure from Lea writhing against her helplessness. The rest of the world expects me to act like some sort of courteous and elegant gentleman, and the only time I can truly lash out is when I'm with Lea. I can count on her not to complain. Or, to be more precise – I can count on others not to believe a word she says about me. People generally find it hard to take her seriously, and who can blame them when they see mud in her hair, or gardening gloves electrostatically stuck to her jumper.

  I proceeded to the front of the car and started the ignition. The car responded with a soft purr, than nearly drowned the sound of a muffled voice.

  "Lyle! What was that for? As a punishment, this is way too harsh. I'm about to die of asphyxiation...Have you started the car? Oh – Ow, you should really slow down at the speed bumps, if I get any more bruises I'll be mistaken for a blueberry. By the way, have you tried my mother's blueberry muffins? They're almost as good as her apple pie..."

  I had just made a classic rookie mistake. I forgot to gag my victim. And now she was going to do my head in with her useless chatter. I failed to understand how she could be so perky stuck in a claustrophobia-inducing space. She was as good as fettered in chains too.

  I braked harshly as a red light came into view.

  "You lost the game fair and square. You are bound by law to endure the punishment. And that includes shutting the hell up. You're only wasting oxygen, and I daresay there's a limited supply back there," I replied in my most frigid, strong voice. I anticipated her reply:

  "Yes," it came, meek and resigned. A tingle went up my spine knowing that she was obeying me like I was her one and only god.

  We had finally reached our destination, and I parked the car. Still, I wanted to play with Lea just a little bit more. Teasing Lea was like an incurable addiction to drugs. I cherished every single reaction she had, and maybe one day I would hit the jackpot and spot a tear down her cheek. If I pushed hard enough she was bound to crack. And yet everyday she was proving to be stronger than the last.

  "We're stuck in traffic, Lea," I said, trying to hold back a smile.

  "...Oh Lyle..." she replied plaintively after she had digested my lie. Her helplessness tasted like ice-cream in my mouth, "I can't do this anymore...just pull over and set mefree."

  "I can't do that. It's against the law to pull over for no good reason. Do you still insist on troubling the rest of the world too?"

  T
he words were coming out before my brain even had a chance of stopping them. Teasing Lea was so tantalizingly wrong, and yet it was when I felt the most alive. If I was the hunter, she was my prey. Just like last night when I caught the pheasant. My teasing was like the grains I would tactfully leave...and at the perfect moment I would pull the trigger and get my target, no wasteful movements.

  ...I was not entirely sure what that metaphor meant with regard to my relationship with Lea. It wasn't like me to go off on a tangent like that. I hoped her scatterbrain personality wasn't rubbing off on me...

  "I'll do anything you want!" came a desperate cry from the back of my vehicle.

  "You're my slave anyway, of course you will," I replied, "Though I might free you if you gave me a foot massage."

  I swear, for every day I spend with Lea, my tongue grows more and more brain cells. My mouth had a bad habit of talking without my permission. And it is common knowledge how I felt about discipline.

  I thought I heard something from the back. It sounded like a walrus giving birth.

  "Are you alright Lea?" I asked, feeling hesitant but making my voice sound impassive. It was probably time I ended this charade with her. Besides, the Halloween shopping wouldn't do itself.

  "I'm fine, just a scream of surprise. Um...ok about the foot massage I guess. I'm not really in a place to barter or be picky. As long as it's after the Halloween Fete."

  "Fine," I said shortly, partly surprised that she agreed so readily. But that's probably what one does when one is tightly bound with ropes and stuck in a claustrophobic car boot. I wouldn't know – I've never been on the receiving end of such a treatment thank God. I got out of the car and unlocked the boot, letting the rising sun's rays touch Lea's body. Helping her out would look a little too friendly, and the last thing I wanted was for Lea to believe that I had some sort of attachment towards her. That would be embarrassing. So I merely watched from the corner of my eye as she struggled out, creeping and twisting like a worm. I couldn't wait to see her face when she realised that we had been in front of the store all along.