Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82068 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 410(@200wpm)___ 328(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
I definitely look less like a prisoner.
After adding a little mascara, I abandon the vanity to hunt for a pair of shoes. I choose a pair of hiking boots just in case I need to make a run for it.
Outside of the closet, I get a whiff of something cooking. My stomach grumbles hungrily. I creep out of the bedroom and follow my nose through the living room and into a dining area. Beyond the dining table is a door that leads to a kitchen. I peek my head inside, not exactly wanting to come face-to-face with Caius again but curious nonetheless.
Two people in chef’s attire are working in an industrial kitchen, oblivious to my entry. I wonder if I should tell them I’m being held here against my will. Not sure that’ll achieve anything, though. One of the men glances briefly at me but then goes back to chopping vegetables. He didn’t seem surprised to see me.
I leave the kitchen to explore other parts of the home. It’s two stories high, but I’ve yet to find a staircase.
Something moving outside through the window catches my eye. A vehicle. This one, too, has the strange wheels. Someone is coming to visit. Will they play along in this charade too?
Prowling over to a window, I watch as the vehicle gets closer. I squint in an attempt to see who’s behind the wheel. Soon, I discover it’s someone I know.
Theo.
Unlike his brother, he’s actually wearing a coat and a beanie to protect from the cold. I wonder if he’s coming to retaliate for earlier when he tried to stop me from going down the chute and I bit the hell out of his arm.
A smile tugs at my lips.
I’m glad I hurt him.
Not wanting to converse with him, I tiptoe down another hallway where I finally locate the stairs. My boots thud on the hardwood as I hurry up the steps. At the top, it opens into a lounge area with another fireplace, bookshelves, and more cozy-looking sofas. I dip into the first room to the right.
A game room.
There are several game tables in the room. Some have neat stacks of chips and decks of cards. The other tables have various games on them, some of which I have no idea what they are, and some that are more familiar like chess and dominoes. Behind the tables along one wall are stacks of board games and puzzles.
Caius doesn’t seem the type to enjoy anything other than scowling and keeping college-aged girls captive.
I peruse the games on the shelves and pluck one of the five-hundred-piece puzzle boxes off the shelf. It’s a picture of a lone wolf in a thick forest. Not a difficult one, unfortunately. I take the puzzle with me into the lounge area outside of the game room and sit down on one of the sofas in front of a coffee table.
A door opens downstairs and then a few minutes later, I hear men talking. Their voices are muffled, so I can’t make out what they’re saying. I open the box and dump out the puzzle pieces.
Puzzles are not only something that reminds me of my brother but something I’m quite good at. Since I have a knack for pattern recognition, I find them enjoyable, especially the more challenging they are.
You’re living inside a puzzle box now—all your pieces broken apart and mixed together.
I quickly flip all the pieces over and sort them by edge pieces and then by color. By the time I start snapping parts together, footsteps can be heard climbing the stairs.
My first instinct is to run.
Two of them. One of me.
But last time I ran, I nearly drowned in one of their traps. This time I need to be smarter. Obtain information. Get a feel of what I’m dealing with.
“I see you found your things,” Caius says by way of greeting when he reaches the top of the stairs. “Good. Maybe now you can stop being crazy.”
I flip him off and then go back to my puzzle.
So much for playing it cool.
Theo sniggers from behind him. My back stiffens at his nearness. I’m tempted to look for the damage I caused his arm with my teeth, but I remain focused on my puzzle.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Theo takes a seat nearby, but Caius remains standing. They’re both watching me with interest. I do my best to ignore them.
Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap. Snap.
This puzzle is easy. I may not be able to piece together my life right now, but the five hundred pieces of colored cardboard are something I can control without effort. It all makes sense when it’s laid out in front of me.
Snap. Snap. Snap.
Neither of the men says anything. I can feel their eyes boring into me. I’m able to tune them both out, focusing only on completing the puzzle.