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The door creaks open, causing the hairs on my arms to stand on end. Inch by inch, the barrier separating us moves out of the way until he’s suddenly there, smiling at me.
“Dinner is ready. It’s late because I was waiting for you to come down. You didn’t, so I’m here asking you to come down.”
“Oh, thank you, but I don’t think—”
“For four days...” My uncle pauses and curls his hand into a fist. His shoulders visibly rise and fall with the force of his deep breath. “I’ve left you alone. You can’t hide in here forever. I know you don’t remember, but life used to be hard for you. I let you get away with so much when I should have been helping you heal. This time, I refuse. You will join me for dinner or else I’ll be calling your therapist for an emergency appointment because this isn’t healthy.”
He didn’t raise his voice to me, but the effect is all the same. Fear slithers through my veins and stays there. I begin trembling so hard that he notices. He takes a step forward.
“No!” I shout. He stops advancing. “I-I’ll join you. I need a moment to get dressed.”
His eyes drop to my pajama-clad body, and that fear intensifies. I don’t know why because he isn’t leering at me. I guess I’m just not comfortable with him yet.
As soon as I agree, he visibly relaxes. “Thank you, Rebecca.”
I respond with a jerky nod.
He walks to the door, gives me one last, long look, and then he’s gone, pulling the knob to close it behind him.
Scrambling from the bed, I fall to my knees. Pain radiates up my thighs. Ignoring it, I find my phone, open a text to Niko, and start to type. Can you come here? My fingers shake as I hover over the send button. Instead, I delete my desperate words.
I can do this on my own. I have to do this. There’s no going back to Niko. No escaping my uncle. He’s the only family I have, so the least I can do is give him a chance.
I quickly dress in a long-sleeved shirt and pair of jeans. Tucking the phone into my back pocket, I make my way to the kitchen. My uncle is already seated at the four-person table in the breakfast nook. I join him, sitting on the opposite side. A spread of pancakes, eggs, and bacon is laid out along with a bowl of cut fruit. Breakfast for dinner? Seems like an odd choice. I start dishing my plate in silence.
I feel his eyes watching me, so I add a second scoop of fruit to my plate, knowing he’s judging the amount of food I’m eating. His concern is in the right place. He’s also being way more watchful than Niko ever was.
“Thank you for the food. This looks good.” As I say the words, my stomach lets out an almighty growl.
“I’m glad you’re hungry and not sneaking to the refrigerator when I’m not around. There’s plenty.” He shovels his own forkful of food into his mouth, and we begin eating in silence.
Halfway through, after spending the entire time coming up with a conversation topic, I settle on a question.
“Do you… I mean, we, have a garden?”
The slice of bacon headed for his greasy lips pauses in midair. He sets it down and wipes his mouth with a napkin then wads the used paper in his fist. “No. But I’m long overdue for some yard maintenance. After I clean up the overgrown weeds and mow, you could help me find a good spot to start one.”
“I’d like that. The detective showed me his while I was there. It was nice to be out in the sun,” I share honestly. “I don’t remember that feeling. I mean, I don’t really remember anything from my past as far as memories go.”
He grunts. “You didn’t spend much time outside growing up. Even less the older you got. I’d be happy to start a garden for you. I’ll get some supplies after breakfast. Tomorrow, we can begin.”
For the first time since I got here, I feel a twinge of happiness. “Really?”
He smirks. “Really. It’ll be nice having you do some domesticated tasks.”
Suddenly, I’m no longer hungry. His comment sits like a lead weight in my stomach, and all the food I consumed threatens to come up. Domesticated. As if I’ve been tamed.
I desperately want to escape to my room, but I force myself to stay put. I need to make an effort. All thoughts point to getting out of here except I have no place to go.
A thought strikes me so hard, I can’t believe I didn’t think of it sooner. Immediately, I pull my phone from my pocket and start tapping out a message to Niko.
“Are you talking to that detective again?” my uncle asks, an obvious dislike in his voice. The phone lands with a clatter on the table when it slips from my fingertips.
“Y-yes.”
His eyes drift to my phone before slicing to my face. “I’d rather you didn’t. Let’s move on from this, Rebecca.”
“But why? He helped me,” I mumble.
