“Every moment you live offers you a chance to learn. Your experiences and your reactions to them make you who you are. Who are you, daughter? And what have you learned?
The dreams started again. I didn’t struggle against them, wanting to know more about what I faced.
My stepfather, Richard, looked pale as Blake suggested I take the children outside to play. At just over a year, my brother couldn’t really play outside yet, and the baby shouldn’t be in the sun. I knew that from my mom. My eyes watered thinking of her. We’d just had her funeral a few days ago.
Regardless, Richard told me to take them both outside. One of Blake’s friends followed us out. Either Blake or one of his associates had been with us since Mom died. I didn’t really like any of them. Mostly because Mom hadn’t. Aden fussed, and I gently set him against my shoulder, rocking him side to side.
“Shut that kid up,” the man with us growled.
I frowned at him but started whispering to the baby, trying anyway.
“Bring the older one back,” Blake called from inside.
The man strode over and for a moment, I thought he would grab me. Then he reached down and plucked Liam up by his tiny little arm. Liam screamed and just dangled there not understanding.
“Stop!” I yelled, trying to reach for Liam while still holding Aden. The man held him away and went inside. I raced after him, holding Aden tight.
Richard sat at the table crying, his face in his hands, not even looking at his son.
“Set him down,” Blake ordered. His eyes remained on me. I thought he meant Aden, and I clutched him tighter. But his friend set Liam down. “That’s not how you carry a child,” Blake said to the man. His voice held little censor. He squatted before Liam, who sat in a sobbing heap on the floor.
“You do love your brothers, don’t you, Michelle.” He patted Liam on the head and stood again. “I’ll be helping your father for a while, until he’s on his feet again.”
I briefly glanced at Richard, not correcting Blake. He wasn’t my father, but he’d loved my mom very much. If he felt half the pain I did, I understood how he felt.
“I’m sorry for your loss,” Blake said evenly before turning toward Richard. “The contractors will start work this afternoon. We need to keep you all safe.”
The dream shifted.
I sat in the boys’ room playing quietly with them. The stifling sterile room echoed back even their quietest whisper, but this was the only place in the house that they were allowed to play. The easiest place to monitor us—me.
Richard strode through the door with purpose.
“The last tip did marginally well. Blake would like to thank you and asked me to find out what you would like as a reward.”
This was Blake’s game. Every time one of my premonitions did well—they all did well—Blake offered a reward. In the beginning, I had used these opportunities to ask for new toys for my brothers or new clothes for us or even to be allowed a few minutes outside. But I’d caught on to what I was doing. Each time I asked for something, I let them know what mattered to me. Last night, Blake had proven my theory correct by threatening to take all outside time away from the boys if I didn’t sit down and eat with him and his associates.
“Please tell him I am happy with whatever reward he chooses,” I murmured without looking up from our puzzle.
“Michelle, he will insist that you choose,” Richard said with worry in his voice. It was the first time in a long time he acted human. I glanced up in time to see his fear-filled eyes rest on Liam.
He feared for their safety. So did I. I needed to find a way to escape. Until then, I would pretend to play Blake’s game. “A ribbon. For my hair, please.”
The dream shifted.
A gag covered my mouth as tears streamed down my cheeks. The gag didn’t hurt. The cord tying my hands didn’t even hurt. My head though, it throbbed and ached, the pain dull and sharp at the same time, snaking its way through every cell in my brain as the premonition repeated itself.
Blake stood over me smirking.
“I told you, you would be punished if you tried to run.” He bent down to where I’d fallen to my side on the floor. The premonition had been running through my mind for almost two days. They’d let me eat and drink in the beginning, unbinding my hands and removing the gag, while they wore earplugs and earmuffs with music. They’d tried getting me to eat and drink a while ago, but I refused. The pain was too much.
I sniffled as my nose started to run. My eyes had been watering for hours now. Blake reached forward and touched the wetness just under my nose. He pulled back and showed me his fingers. It wasn’t just a runny nose. Blood smeared his fingertips.
“Do you understand, yet? You need me, Michelle. Who else can you tell this information to?”