3

Ashlynn's POV:  

I want to go home. I want to curl up in my bed and go to sleep, knowing my life is wonderful the way it is. I don't want to have to fear that my life is being risked because I was kidnapped by a bunch of attractive psychos. I'm so scared. The last time I was this scared it was because my parents.

Before I can even have the flashback of one of the most terrifying moments of my life, the large door swing open and two new men come inside. They have a knife and I immediately think they are going to hurt me, seeing as another man did not to long ago with the same weapon. I start to whimper and try to get out of the restraints but it's no use. The men just roll their eyes and go behind me, which makes me even more scared.  

In a moment I feel the pressure of the rope being dug into my skin gone, along with the same pressure on my ankles. I roll my wrists, happy to be able to move them again, but that chance is taken away when I feel cool metal wrap around my wrists. Handcuffs.  

I glance over my shoulder and see one of the men holding on to my arms tightly while the other leads the way out of the room. The man holding my arms shoved me and I trip over my feet. I just now realize my heels are gone. They were expensive too. Okay Ash, not the right time to complain about shoes.  

I regain my balance and try to keep up with the pace of the two men, which proves to be difficult because it's almost like they are running and not walking. But the journey eventually stops when we make it to another door and they push me inside. There's a small beaten down cot in the corner with a thin sheet on top and a flat object that I'm guessing is a pillow. A small toilet stands in the corner with a small bucket next to it. In the center of the room is a large container type thing that has bottles of soap next to it, I'm assuming it's like a bathtub. But in reality, it looks like a jail cell with a little extra space.  

The men undo the handcuffs and force me to sit on the bed. "Someone will be in here to clean your cheek and give you a change of clothes," he says with a very rough voice.  

"It's in your best interest to do as we say and not try to run," the other man says. I just nod in agreement, wanting this men to leave. The both stalk out of the room and close the door behind them. I hear a small click, which signals that they've locked the door. I mean, it's not like I would've tried to escape anyway. I value my life. Like right now I'm sitting on my bed until the new person comes to give me new clothes. I didn't know if I was allowed to move in the small cold room, but I didn't want to risk it.  

I curl my legs up to my chest and wrap my arms around them. I try my best to stay warm but it's hard when I have such minimal clothing on. The blanket that is on the bed, if you'd even call it that, is so thin that it feels as though there is nothing there. They may not kill me, but at this rate, I'll freeze to death.  

After about ten minutes I hear the door click and I keep my head up to see who walked in. A woman, who looked to be in her forties, comes in with a sad smile. She has some clothes in her hand, along with a towel. On top of the stack of clothes there was a small white container. My guess is a first aid kit.  

"Hi dear," the woman says in a soft tone. She looks way to nice to be with the rough looking men. "I'm Jill, I'm here to help you freshen up a bit." I just nod my head and wait for her next instruction. She sets the items she was carrying on the bed and notice that the shirt is long sleeved. Thank the lord for that.  

"Where am I?" I squeal out, realizing how sore my throat is.  

"I wish I could tell you," Jill says and she grabs my chin lightly. She turns to look at my cheek and lets out a small sigh. "You'll need a few stitches on the right cheek, but that's it. I have some numbing cream, but I have to clean the area first."  

I just nod my head and let her work on my cheek. She rubs a wet cloth against my cheek to wipe to blood off my face, and to make sure the cut doesn't get infected. She puts on a white cream and tells me it'll take a few minutes before it starts to work. She does hand me a small water bottle and I happily drink it. The cold liquid feels great on my sore throat. At least someone here has some compassion. I do let her know that my cheek is starting to go numb and she tells me she's going to stitch up the wound. I close my eyes so I don't have to see the needle, also so I won't freak out from the pain.  

After a bit she's finished with my stitches and tells me I have six, before she covers it with a piece of gauze. Luckily the pain was bearable, but I really wanted to cry. More for the fact that I've been kidnapped, but the pain would've given me an excuse. Once my cheek is taken care of she tells me to bathe in the tub that sits in the center of the room, and then to wear the clothes that's on my bed. I just nod and listen to what she's telling me to do.  

"I'll try my best to see you every day dear," Jill says. "By the way, what's your name?"  

"Umm Ashlynn," I whisper.  

"I'll see you in the morning then Ashlynn," she says with a smile before she leaves the room. I wish she would've just taken me with her.  

Once I hear the door click I slowly stand up from the bed, a wave of dizziness coming over me. I fall back on the bed and a pain shoots through my back. I must've messed it up when I fell back in the chair. I push the pain away and grab the clothes and slowly make my way to the tub. I strip out of the lingerie, which I'm so grateful for because it was so uncomfortable. I set my clothes down next to the tub, both the clean and dirty, before I slip into the tub, careful to not get me bandage wet. I grab the bottle next to the tub and it's a small three-in one-bottle. I'm not sure how long the bottle is supposed to last so I use a minimal amount on my hair and body.  

After I take a quick bath I dry off with the small and rough towel before I slip on the new clothes. The shirt is black, but it's huge on me. It was probably made for a man, and here a twenty-three year old woman is wearing it. The pants aren't any better in regards to size. They are like prison pants and I roll them so they stay up better. I use the towel to dry the ground where water has gotten before I go over to the cot. I wrap myself in the thin sheet and try to gain some warmth after the cold bath.  

Going to sleep is a struggle because of everything going through my head. I'm terrified that the men are going to come and torture me in my sleep, or worse kill me. The thought also comes in regards to my life. My whole life is changed from this point forward. This experience is going to haunt me forever, no matter what I do to ignore it. Which is just more shit to pile on to my shitty life.

 After what feels like hours exhausting takes over and I fall asleep.  

============================  

"Ashlynn Grace! Get your ass down here right now!" My mother yells. I cringe slightly, knowing what to expect when I hear that tone. I quickly get out of my small bed and run down to the kitchen, where my mom is waiting with an angry look on her face. "Why the hell is the house so dirty? I told you to clean today because we have guests coming over for dinner."  

"I just got home from school, I was about to come down to-" but I get cut off by a slap to my cheek.  

"You should've skipped school then. My reputation is more important than your education," she hisses and slaps me again. "Now get to cleaning, at this rate your dinner is slowly disappearing."  

"Yes mother," I say quietly while going to the closet to grab cleaning supplies.  

"She just started cleaning! Are you fucking kidding me?" A voice yells and I feel my eyes water up. That's my father. "Ashlynn! Once you are done you'll go straight to your room. No dinner tonight!" I reply with a yes sir before I get back to cleaning. I feel tears run down my cheeks and my dad keeps yelling about how pathetic and worthless I am.  

When I finished cleaning the kitchen I go to the living room and see my mom reading a book on the couch. "Pathetic piece of shit, how long does it take to clean!" She grumbles and stands up, throwing her book at me. The book comes in contact with my stomach and I let out a small huff. Mom comes over to me and slaps me once more, adding in more comments on how worthless I am before she pushes me down and kicks my stomach.  

Tears run down my face and I try to protect my body from the brutal kicks, but nothing works. Slowly I close my eyes and everything fades to black.  

=============================  

I jerk up into a sitting position and realize I'm not at my parents house, I've been kidnapped and placed into a dingy room. God, my nightmares will never go away. My parents have literally left memories in my mind that will torment me for the rest of my life. And since I had the nightmare, there is no more sleeping tonight, so I just sit on the cot and slowly rick myself back and forth, letting the tears fall down my cheeks.