The Touch

by Lisa Olsen

  “Allie… this is crazy, you’ve got to let us go. How long do you think you can keep us here?” Lexi began, trying to reason with her in a steady tone of voice.

  “Long enough,” the clipped answer came as she set the tray down, removing the cloth covering it with a flourish. “Now then, who would like cakes and tea?” she asked brightly.

  Talk about déjà vu… it was all eerily reminiscent of the vision she’d seen of the other little girls trapped in that very room. It was if history was repeating itself for some freaky reason. Only instead of continuing with the script, Chloe didn’t give the expected response. “Don’t eat that, it’ll make you sick,” she warned.

  “Don’t be silly, I made them just for you and they’re delicious,” Allie waved the caution away.

  “No really, they’ll make your stomach hurt,” Chloe insisted adamantly, speaking from experience.

  Allie bent over Chloe’s slight form, fingers lightly stroking her hair. “Now, now my lovely, mother would never do anything to hurt you,” she punctuated her statement with a sharp tug of hair until Chloe’s face tipped up to meet hers. “You must eat your cakes and tea if you want to grow up big and strong,” Allie smiled sweetly.

  “Allie…” Lexi called out sharply, trying to divert her attention. “Leave her alone, you’re hurting her.”

  Allison released her hold on Chloe’s hair, eyes glittering in the lamplight as she approached Lexi. “Would you like some tea, my dear? You must be parched.”

  “Yeah, yeah I could use some tea, thanks. How about you untie my hands so I can have some? And cakes too, I can’t eat them all tied up like this.”

  “You think me a great fool, don’t you?” Allie’s eyes narrowed. “Release will not come so easily, cara mia. First there will be games, many games for my Piccola.” She reached out to lightly stroke the hair on the doll propped up at the table. “Play by the rules or there will be punishments,” her accent grew more pronounced, an Italian lilt to her words.

  “You’re not Allie,” Lexi gasped in horror at the stranger looking out of her sister’s eyes.

  “I am now,” Allie replied serenely.

  “Sophia?” Lexi hazarded a guess, “Is that you?”

  Allie’s smile widened at the recognition. “I like this body. So strong and full of life. I am beautiful again,” she ran a hand over the curves of her body. “Now Jack will come home to me.”

  Was that what she wanted? To be reunited with her dead husband? “Sophia listen to me, you can see Jack again. You just have to move on from this place; let go and move on into the light and then you, Jack and Bianca can all be together again. You can be a family.”

  “A family…together…” Allison murmured; her eyes unfocused.

  “Yes, just let go of Allie and leave, be free…” Lexi coaxed her, having no idea how such a thing was done. Could it be that simple? She had to believe that once Allie was in control of herself again she’d let them out, there had to be that part of her buried deep inside that knew right from wrong.

  Instead, her attention snapped back to the present with a scowl. “There is no light,” she hissed. “Do not speak to me of such things. We will play games, lovely games, my Bianca and her new friends until Papa comes home and then we will be together. Now, drink your tea before it grows cold.”

  “Untie me,” Lexi replied through clenched teeth.

  “Dio mio, what kind of hostess am I? I will help you my dear,” Allison’s smile grew hard and brittle as she approached Lexi’s place setting and poured out a steaming cup. The aroma of sweet tea wafted through the air as Lexi watched her warily, not quite certain what to expect. She sure as hell wasn’t going to drink any of the stuff. “Open wide, time for tea.”

  “No thank you,” Lexi bit out, clamping her lips shut as Allie lifted the dirty cup to her mouth. Allie wasted no time prying her lips open and some of the tea splashed into her mouth. Hard fingers clamped down on her jaw like a vice, forcing it closed. A flare of panic swept through Lexi as she started to choke, the hot tea burning the soft palate of her mouth as she coughed and sputtered, forced to swallow in order to breathe.

  “There now, isn’t that good?” Allie smiled sweetly, immediately forcing another swallow and again until all of the tea was gone, though some spilled down the front of her shirt. Lexi fell back against the chair as she was released, still coughing, her eyes red and streaming from nearly choking on the vile drink.

  Almost immediately her stomach warmed; the same feeling as after a dose of Nyquil, or maybe a shot of good whiskey and Lexi wondered, exactly what was in the tea? “I don’t understand… why are you doing this?” she demanded in a raspy voice.

  If she even knew the answer to the question, Allie gave no response. Instead her head cocked to one side, as though listening. “We have company. Be good children, I’ll be back to play soon.” Without a backwards glance, she left them trussed up, shutting the door behind her.

  “Come on, make as much noise as you can,” Lexi encouraged the second Allie was gone but Chloe looked skeptical.

  “She’ll punish us if we make noise.”

  “I don’t care; this is our best bet at getting out of here, attracting someone else’s attention. Now come on, put those lungs of yours to good use.” Screaming as loud as she could, Lexi paused to catch her breath after a while, swallowing back a wave of nausea as Chloe continued to yell for all she was worth. Having no clue if anyone heard them or was even still near the house, Lexi took a deep breath for a second wave of screams. After several minutes, the only thing she had to show for it was a sore throat and a ringing in her ears. “Okay okay, we can stop now,” she croaked, seeing that Chloe showed definite signs of fatigue as well, her cries no longer as strong.

  “Do you think someone heard us?”

  “I don’t know,” she answered honestly. “But at least we tried. Hey, thanks for the heads up on the cakes by the way. Does the tea make you sick too?” Her stomach was starting to roil, but Lexi wasn’t sure if it was from a real cause or just nerves.

  Chloe shook her head weakly. “Just sleepy. That’s when she moves you.”

  “Moves you?”

  “Yeah, from the table to the bed or back. She always leaves me tied up when she leaves the room now, after I tried to get away.”

  Lexi couldn’t help but smile at the little girl’s spunk. “Listen, I’ve got a plan,” she swallowed again, tongue feeling thick. “The next time she comes in, let’s try and get her to untie us to play a game. Then you make a run for the door while I keep her distracted, okay?”

  “What if I can’t run?”

  She’d forgotten about Chloe’s feet… “Just do your best, okay? I’ll try to wait a little bit to give you some time to get the circulation going again. In fact, that’ll lull her into a false sense of security. Can you do that for me?”

  “I’ll try,” Chloe nodded. “Lexi… are you okay?”

  Lexi’s head started to droop, eyelids heavy. “Yeah, I’m fine, just a little tired is all.” The phone in her pocked buzzed and she jumped, wondering if she could manage a way to answer it without the use of her hands, but no amount of wiggling could maneuver her pocket to accomplish it. So near and yet so far away… But if everything went according to plan she’d be able to call for help, hopefully from outside the house with Chloe by her side.

  The next thing she knew, her head was jolting up as she startled awake, still foggy with dreams that weren’t her own. “Chloe?” Lexi called out, heart thudding loudly in her ears. “Did I fall asleep?” Chloe made a soft sound, not quite stirring to wakefulness right away. How much time had passed was unclear, the house was quiet, and there was no sign of Allie or Sophia… whoever she was. “Chloe…” she called again, disturbed that her niece didn’t respond. “Wake up!”

  Chloe’s head came up, eyes bleary and blinking. “I wanna sleep…” she murmured.

  Unsure if she should force the issue to keep their wits about them or let the little girl get the rest wh
ile she could, Lexi finally nodded, leaving her in silence. Time ceased to have all meaning as she sat bound to the chair across the sad little tea party. Dozing off and on, the growling of her stomach woke her from time to time, a reminder that she’d missed lunch and possibly dinner by now. The sight of the little frosted tea cakes were enough to make her mouth water; even though she knew they would make her feel sick if Chloe was right. Lexi tried to push the thought from her mind, it would be a while before she had to worry about truly starving and Allie must have been feeding Chloe regular food and water or she would have been in much worse shape by now.

  When the door clicked, Lexi’s eyes immediately popped open, adrenaline giving her the surge needed to shake away some of the cobwebs left in the corners of her mind from the tea. What little she could see of the doorway when Allie opened it showed it was dark outside, but that could have been the closed closet door for all she knew. Forcing cheer into her voice, she pasted a smile on her face, determined to play this game from the start. “Oh good, you’re back. I was hoping to get a drink of water if you please, Zia Sophia,” she began, using the name she’d heard from the vision.

  Allie’s eyes widened in surprise before they crinkled in happiness, a ready smile springing to her lips. A large wicker basket hung over one arm and she was dressed as if going to a summer picnic, complete with a pair of sunglasses tucked into her dark hair. “I have lemonade here and sandwiches,” she patted the basket. “I thought we could take a walk along the shore for a picnic and I could read to you today.”

  The woman’s smile made Lexi’s skin crawl, knowing that they were going to do none of those things; it was all a sick fantasy in her mind. “That sounds like fun, doesn’t it Chloe? I haven’t been on a picnic in ages,” she smiled enthusiastically. Especially if she did actually untie them for part of this fancy. “Maybe we can sing songs and play games with Bianca? You’d like that, wouldn’t you Chloe?”

  Chloe nodded weakly, unable to muster much enthusiasm for the plan, but she managed a faint smile. “Yeah, we’ll play all of Bianca’s favorite games. You want to, Bianca?” The last was addressed to the doll sitting at the head of the table who offered the same silent smile and vacant stare, thank goodness. If the doll had actually moved or spoken at any point, Lexi thought she might lose her mind.

  “Magnifico! We shall have such fun, a real party at last,” Allie beamed. Setting down the basket, she retrieved a checkered table cloth and spread it out on the ground, producing other items from the basket to set out atop it.

  “Untie Chloe then, she’ll get us started with Bianca’s favorite game,” Lexi prompted, daring to hope that they might be able to use the woman’s delusions against her.

  “In a moment, I want to make sure everything is just right.” Allie bent over the picnic, adjusting the placement of the food and drink until it conformed to whatever picture was in her mind. “I want to make sure everything is perfect for when Papa comes home.”

  “He isn’t coming,” Chloe replied in a flat voice.

  “Chloe!” Lexi hissed. A comment like that wasn’t likely to get them into Sophia’s good books.

  “Bianca told me he can’t come here anymore, not for a long, long time,” the little girl insisted.

  “Bianca knows nothing. He’ll come if we make everything perfect. There now, bellisimo.” Allie rose, a long sharp kitchen knife clutched in one hand. “Now then, where were we? Chloe, my dove?” Approaching the little girl, she laid the flat of the blade against her cheek, eliciting a whimper from Chloe. “We won’t have a repeat of the last time I brought you to the sea shore, will we?” Her eyes glittered dangerously in the flicker of lamplight.

  “N-no Zia S-Sophia,” she stuttered, eyes bulging wide at the cool steel against her skin.

  “Good, I would hate to have to punish you again,” Allison smiled, smoothing the blade down to her throat.

  “Don’t…” Lexi cried out, unable to keep still. “We just want to play with Bianca. We like to play games, don’t we Chloe?” The knife continued its downward path and Lexi worried that the girl might be cut if she flinched the wrong way. “London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down. London Bridge is falling down, my fair lady,” she began to sing, seeking to distract her from this terrible reminder of who had the power in this situation. “Come on Chloe, sing with me,” Lexi urged her. “Take the keys and lock her up…” she began again, gratified to see Chloe start to sing along weakly.

  Allie relaxed her hold on the knife, a pleased smile tilting her lips as she brought it to the cords binding Chloe’s arms. “Very nice, sing along Bianca,” she bid the doll as the knife sliced through the bonds. Lexi kept the song going, starting again at the beginning for fear that if she stopped, the spell would be broken and Allison might not finish cutting them loose. But soon Chloe’s legs were freed and she curled up into a little ball with a whimper. Lexi tensed as Allie approached, knife in hand, the song faltering as the knife was pressed to her throat. “You sing beautifully,” she smiled down at her.

  “Thank you,” Lexi whispered, unsure if she should keep singing or if there would be more conversation. “I know lots of songs we can all sing together. We can sing all day if you like,” she swallowed.

  “Don’t stop, Bianca is enjoying the song.”

  Lexi began the children’s song again, already tiring of the simple melody, but it seemed to do the trick, and the knife moved on to her wrists, slicing through the cord easily. Careful not to make any sudden moves, she held perfectly still, singing all the while Allie bent to cut her legs free. “Thank you,” she breathed between lines of the song, rotating her ankles first one way and then the other. The blood rushed back into her feet, bringing with it the painful pins and needles she’d been expecting and Lexi looked to see how Chloe was faring. The little girl was still huddled up into the fetal position, her cheeks wet with fresh tears. If she had permanent damage from this… Lexi forced the thought from her mind; she only had one shot at freedom and she couldn’t let her worry over Chloe ruin their best chance of escaping.

  “Come now, time for our walk,” Allie called out cheerily, “Up out of the chairs.”

  Lexi’s hopes that she’d put the knife down were dashed when she gave no sign of letting go of it for the time being. Still, she forced the cheer into her voice. “Come on Chloe, let’s go for that walk, sing with me now.” Chloe tried to stand and crumpled to the ground with a cry of pain.

  Allison scowled, advancing on Chloe with the knife. “None of your tricks girl; up on your feet.”

  There was no time then for any other action, Lexi launched herself at Allie’s vulnerable back, intent on keeping that knife away from her niece. The pair crashed to the ground beside the little girl who managed to roll away to relative safety under the table. The knife clattered to the ground, but before Lexi could reach it, Allie struck out for it as well, sending it skittering across the floor. The women’s safety classes she took at the Community Center came back to her, but Lexi couldn’t bring herself to do anything potentially crippling to her own sister. So instead of pressing her thumbs into Allie’s eye sockets, Lexi settled for ramming a knee into her stomach as hard as she could. It was enough to knock the wind out of her and gave Lexi breathing room to look for the little girl. “Chloe, run for the door!” she shouted before Allie shoved her against the table, sending the oil lamp crashing to the ground. There it shattered and immediately enveloped the wood floor and one of the superfluous drapes in flames.

  Chloe screamed at the eruption of fire, dragging useless legs as far away as she could manage. Shoving with all of her might, Lexi escaped Allie’s grasp, grabbing the closest thing at hand, which happened to be the teapot lying on its side and smashed it into Allie’s head, less concerned with hurting her now. Getting her niece out alive had to be her top priority, and the last bout of empathy had cost her dearly. Immediately hurrying to Chloe’s side, Lexi looked around but couldn’t find any sign of the knife. “We have to get out of h
ere, can you walk?”

  “I still can’t feel my feet,” Chloe gulped, eyes wide with terror.

  A scream of rage drew their attention and Lexi looked up just in time to throw up a protective arm against the knife that was aimed at her unprotected back. Pain lanced through her left forearm as the sharp blade sliced into her flesh and struck bone, a cry spilling from the back of her throat. Lexi’s hand clamped over the wound, already slippery with blood.

  “We all have to get out of here Allie, the fire is spreading!” Lexi tried to appeal to her sister’s sense of preservation that must be buried in there somewhere. Already the drapes were all but consumed, the fire spreading to the far corner of the room to lap hungrily at the bedclothes. With only the one vent and no windows, the room quickly filled with black, sooty smoke and Lexi started to cough even from her position on the ground.

  Allison gave no sign that she even noticed the fire, holding the knife at the ready, preparing for another blow.

  “Drop the knife!” Gabriel’s voice boomed from the doorway, his gun drawn and aimed at Allie.

  Allie looked up at the interruption, stricken. Grabbing Lexi by the hair, she hauled her up to her feet as a human shield. “I won’t let them go,” she boasted, pressing her cheek against Lexi’s, holding her close; the knife pressed to her side. “I won’t ever let them go.”

  “Sophia it’s over, we’ll die if we stay here,” Lexi coughed, lungs burning from the acrid smoke. The fire had completely destroyed the small bed, the cheap planks of painted wood that made up the walls completely engulfed on two sides and the ceiling starting to burn in earnest. “Please, let’s get out of here, then we can talk.”

  Gabriel’s brows drew together at the exchange, clearly not having expected that response. “I mean it Allie, put the knife down now or I’ll end it for you.” The smoke funneled through the open door behind him, making his eyes stream.

  Ignoring the detective, Allie bore no sign of surrender in her eyes. “Now we’ll play together forever,” she crooned softly, brushing the hair away from Lexi’s throat as she brought the knife up.