A Bedtime Story by L.C. Moon Read Free Book Online

learn; her actions would have consequences. Tonight had not gone according to his
     plans, and that alone was a very strong irritant. He did like her spirit though. He
     hadn’t thought she had it in her. He smiled to himself. The perfect combination of
     pride and submissiveness.
    ***
    Laura banged on the doors until her knuckles bled, screamed until
     her lips moved, but emitted no more sound. She let herself fall to the ground,
     wrapped her arms around her knees, and rocked herself, just as she had when she was
     a little girl. She cried and cried, pleaded and begged, but Peter couldn’t let her
     out of the cage this time. She called out to him nonetheless. Peter had always come
     and saved her. Regardless of the beatings that followed, he would find a way, and
     the door would magically open after she could hear her father’s drunken snores.
     Peter would crouch next to the open door holding up the key, grinning from ear to
     ear. They would chuckle silently, with their hands covering their mouths. It was a
     game.
    She didn’t know how long she’d been there; she’d never been in the
     cage for so long. She was numb, cradling herself in the corner, her fingers gliding
     over the concrete wall forming random patterns. She wondered where he was. She
     thought back tothe interrogation room and, with a manic twinkle in
     her eye, chuckled quietly to herself, her hands covering her mouth, just as she had
     as a kid with him. The game was still on, still outwitting, outrunning the villain.
     By this time, Peter would be long gone. He never stayed in one place for more than
     two weeks. She had been expecting a postcard the very next day. But what if this
     time he had, what if they found him? With only time on her hands, her thoughts
     quickly turned against her, swaying back and forth from arrogant optimism to utter
     despair.

Day-3
    O
lga wouldn’t let up; she had pleaded the
     girl’s case incessantly since the previous night.
    “But she is just a terrified little girl… what did you expect?”
    “No, Olga, she is a twenty-three-year-old adult,” Kayne said,
     refusing to yield.
    “Exactly. Twenty-three, do you even remember how you were like at
     that age?” She made her point.
    He let out a long sigh. “Did you check up on her?”
    “Of course I did. I brought her a meal at two, just as you asked.
     Soup and bread.” Her voice was polite, though barely masking her disapproval, if not
     blatant hostility.
    “Did she eat?”
    “No, Master Kayne. She hasn’t moved from the corner since last
     night. She didn’t look well.”
    “What do you mean?” The hint of concern in his voice wasn’t lost on
     Olga, an emotion he tried to pass off for irritation.
    “She seemed… I don’t know… disconnected… like she wasn’t there. She
     was very pale. She hasn’t eaten in two days…”
    “And whose fault is that?”
    The scowl she threw him hit its mark. His eyes softened. “All
     right… what time is it?”
    “It’s almost six.”
    He sighed. Without another word, he got up from the dining table
     and made his way down to the holding cell.
    Olga hadn’t exaggerated as he suspected. The girl looked pitiful,
     scooped up in the corner, with her head resting on her knees and her arms hugging
     her legs. He had a sudden impulse to pick herup and hold her in his
     arms, which he dismissed just as suddenly. With his voice low, his tone measured, he
     finally spoke to her. “Supper will be served at seven. I will expect your
     company.”
    He left right after, leaving the door wide open behind him. Olga
     appeared not long after, rushing to Laura’s side. “Oh, Miss Spencer…” She shook her
     head sadly. “Here, let me help you.”
    She helped her to her feet, gently up the stairs, and into her
     room. She smiled compassionately to her, a kind heartbroken smile. Laura obediently
     sat as Olga fixed her hair, picked her clothes, and helped her into a nice dress
     with a matching cardigan. She