Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 79148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79148 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“It’s not fair,” she says. “I just had a big fight with them, that’s all. And now I’m stuck here.”
“How old are you?” I ask.
“Eighteen,” she replies.
Oh, my God. That’s so young … especially to be thrown into a prison like this.
“You?” she asks.
“Twenty-three,” I reply, and I clear my throat. “And you’re sure you’re not nauseous?”
“No, why do you ask?”
I swallow, wondering if I should answer because it might only scare her more. “Nothing.”
“All I know is that one minute I was at home making a cup of tea while texting my grandparents, and the next, I was in this guy’s car, and they blindfolded me until I came here. I don’t even know where we are or how far away I am from home.” She sniffles some more, and it breaks my heart.
“I’m sorry,” I mutter.
“How did you get here?” she asks. “Did your parents or grandparents give you to Eli too?”
“No …” I suck in a breath. “I …” I can’t even say the words out loud.
Who would choose this?
She would curse me.
Hell, I’ve cursed myself over it.
How could I ever admit that I asked him to do this to me?
“I don’t remember,” I reply, and I look away before she decides to look at me through the peephole.
“What is he going to do with us?” she asks.
“I don’t know,” I reply.
“But you’ve been here longer than me. Don’t you know what’s going on?”
“I’ve only been here a few days, I think.” Actually, now that I think of it, I don’t even know how long exactly. With every hour I spend here, I feel as though time is slipping away from me, and the days have turned into numbers on a clock ticking away.
“All I know is that Eli doesn’t take no for an answer,” I reply.
She gulps. “What did he do to you?”
“He …” I don’t dare say it out loud. Not to a girl this age. “A bunch of dirty things.”
She sniffles again. “Is he going to do that to me too?”
“I know as much as you do, Anna,” I answer. “There’s no telling what he or any of his buddies are going to do to either of us.”
“Is it going to hurt?” Her voice sounds strained. “Oh, God …” She sounds like she’s panicking when a muffled whimper follows.
“Anna, don’t,” I say. “Don’t panic. It won’t do you any good.”
“But I can’t be here. I don’t belong here. Why would my grandparents send me here? To these men?” she says between sniveling and wiping her nose.
“What was the fight about, if I might ask?”
“I … I …” she stutters. “Fell for a boy I shouldn’t have.”
A boy? That’s why they sent her here? That doesn’t make any sense … unless your grandparents are cruel as hell.
“I never thought they’d put me here …” she says. “I don’t deserve this.”
“Aw, I wish I could hug you right now,” I say.
She smiles gently against the opening before showing me her teary eyes again. “Thanks. I’m more worried about the others, though. They don’t have a girl like you to talk to.”
“The others?” My jaw drops as I gasp. “So there are more.”
“Two other girls came with me. But when I was pushed into this room, I could hear two more voices coming from the rooms we passed that weren’t from those other two girls.”
“Six in total,” I mutter to myself, trying to understand what it means.
I look up at the door and the half-eaten food still on the cabinet.
That’s when it hits me.
I was only invited to eat with Eli, Soren, and Tobias one day of the week.
The rest of the seven days are meant for them.
The only question is … who and where is number seven?
Chapter 17
Eli
“YARGGHH!” The voice shrieks, and all the hairs on the back of my neck stand up straight.
I throw the palms of my hands up against my ears and grumble to myself. The instruction manual on my lap is of no use if I cannot read it in peace and quiet.
When the yelps have stopped again, I sigh out loud and lower my hands so I can continue reading. There’s much work to be done, and I will need my father's teachings to know what to do.
Another scream has me sitting straight up in the chair. The book tumbles from my hand onto the floor.
“Soren!” I yell.
My eyes roll into the back of my head. The painful howls of the man are too hard to ignore, so I get up and march out of my study and head straight into the dungeon just beyond the corridors behind the stairs.
It’s dark and damp in this place with only light bulb fixtures to illuminate the brick walls and ceilings, and I’d barely find my way around if it wasn’t for those incessant cries of pain guiding my way.