Chapter 3

BABY'S POINT OF VIEW

Once again, I find myself in Charles's hands. This is the second time he has caught me and brought me back. I'm completely frightened of what's about to happen to me and, most significantly, my son. For weeks or maybe months at this point, I have been imprisoned in this massive dark grey room with a matching dark grey bed and bathroom on the other end.

I'm no longer sure, and I have no concept of the passage of time. It was just my son Anthony who was on my mind more than anything. I've sobbed and shouted nonstop for someone to come and talk to me. I have expected Charles to be very excited to give me the pending punishment he has mentioned, but no one has ever come to speak to me. In fact, I have not had a single person come to see me. If this is the torture he's talking about, it's working slowly.

The tray of food is being served by some type of sophisticated smooth mechanical box that illuminates in color blue whenever it pops in and out of the wall. I have no appetite, and it's bizarre as I don't feel any hunger. A few times I threw my food on the floor for someone to come in but no one. I have tried to get their attention by doing this seven more times till they started smoking the room for me to sleep, only to clean up the place. It was making me feel dizzy with such hazy vision for hours.

My confidence in this was shattered when I was repeatedly drugged by individuals who I had never seen or felt before. I made the decision to rethink my move and maintain my composure. I attempted to sing the songs that I used to sing to Anthony simply to keep myself sane since being alone for such extended periods can be pretty unnerving, especially when I miss my little Anthony.

I have never stopped crying, and I miss my son so much. I can imagine him with more muscular limbs and walking already. The first time I found out I was pregnant with him, I got so scared, but now that he's not with me, it's even way scarier.

My mind, like the usual, has tried to come up with an escape plan. All I need to do is break something, but this room is very well thought out, flawless at every corner.  I can't even break a tile using the bed's footing to put a stop on the food box from opening and closing, and The bathroom area is somewhat made of an elastic fiber that I can't explain, along with the faucets and knobs are made of the same material.

I feel strange being in this place. I wake up every day feeling like I never slept in my whole life. I know this is a test, and I can't figure out a way to pass it. My only motivation is to stay alive for my son. No matter how frustrating it is to be in my situation, taking, my own life is no longer an option. When I don't think about Anthony, I think about Carly and the betrayal she must be feeling towards her husband. I hope wherever she is, she's finding a way to survive our situation.

I dreamed of Charles most of the time, and It's always him with constant slicing on my skin and his bright eyes shining through covered with my blood. I can never wake up from any of those dreams unless he is satisfied bathing in my pain and when I do, his touches felt so real.

I sat up on the big bed, my knees pulled up to my chest, and my arms wrapped firmly around it. When I'm sobbing, this has always been my favorite position to be in. Anthony's name is chanted many times throughout the day. There are days when I believe I can hear him running about in the room, and I'm beginning to lose my mind completely. When I suddenly realized that my breast was no longer producing milk, I was overcome with sadness. It must have been the Nanogex's fault because there was not even one ounce. This made me weep even harder, so I closed my eyes and hoped that he was being cared for in the same way that I would have done.

I shouldn't have fought when they took Anthony away from me on the first night.  I should have been so smart about my choices, knowing fully I'm at Charles's mercy but the punch on Charles's face that night felt good. It was the only thing I wouldn't change from that night's event.

When my sobbing had subsided, I rested my head on my arms, which rested on my knees. After many minutes of rocking and hoping for a good sleep with no Charles in it, I was startled by the sound of a slight clearing of the throat in front of me. As a result of weeping, I didn't care to look up since I was probably experiencing hallucinations, and I didn't hear the door opening or any other sound indicative of the fact that someone else had joined me in this desolate area.

Only when an unfamiliar voice reached my ears, I look up to see if the person was real. There he is. My eyes had to adjust but the person in front of me spoke once more 

 "Hello, Can you hear me?"

Finally

Is this Charles? The person is wearing an all-white suit attire,  his hands on both of his pockets, and standing tall at the other end of the room. I squinted my eyes again. I hitched my breath as he was really here and had finally come for me, making me get up and run out of bed. 

I run fast the best I can closer to him. The more I got a good view of him, the more I've noticed how he looked so different, different in a way that he's way younger looking. My steps have stopped, for he did look very young as if he was just in his early twenties. He isn't Charles.

"Are- Are you who they call Baby of the belle sisters?"

I am. Who- Who Are you? please take me to see my son? my voice sounded very desperate.

"I'm sorry, but I just came by to see how you look, M-Mother."

"What? Who? Who are you?" I asked repeatedly, but the young boy didn't speak instead, he ordered an air-swipe command and vanished in an instant before I could even reach for his hand and beg him to let me out. It was just a hologram disappointingly. 

I started yelling for Charles's name. For the first time, I begged as I fell on my knees with just the thought of who that young boy was. No! That can't be right. I must have misheard him calling me a mother. I must be really going crazy longing for my son.

"Charles" I screamed loud for him. "Please, I want to see my Anthony, I just want to see my son please." My eyes are bawling out both palms are flat on the floor. My loud weeping has echoed repeatedly screaming Charles's name.

"Charles please." I pleaded continually till I could feel my throat dry up.

A few moments later when I heard another laughing sound on my back. I quickly turned and saw the Charles I know without second-guessing, but this time he's older than he looked from the last time I've seen him.

"oooohhh Baby, finally. The begging. that took a while." Charles speaks in a deep, icy glare. He drew closer, and air swiped a command in response. A holographic mirror emerged in front of me, and the person staring directly at me was someone I didn't know. It took me a few seconds to realize that the person with an aged appearance was really my reflection. I looked at my hands and arms, and they were full of spots and wrinkles. They weren't here a few seconds ago. That young boy is really my son.

I shivered at the sudden realization, knowing that he had held me imprisoned for such a long time. Anthony is the name of the young man earlier. No, this isn't happening.

"My son." is all I could utter. I suddenly couldn't breathe. My face is going numb, and my whole body is trembling in so much fear. Charles has left me in this room to rot. This was his plan. He took Anthony away from me. 

My son grew up without knowing me. Have I really gone crazy these years, not noticing the wrinkles all over my body. I let out a loud scream. I'm kneeling on the floor with both of my hands flat on the floor.

"Anthony, my son." I closed my eyes. "This isn't happening no no no my son." I have really gone crazy not even knowing how the time has passed. My whole body is shaking as I say these words.

"Our son, you mean." He said while he hoisted my body up to look in the mirror once more. He held my chin tightly, licking the side of my cheek, and he let out an evil laugh. "Come on, and I wanna hear you beg some more."

I instantly began pleading with him like a madwoman, pleading with him to let me see my son and promise to do anything he wants. I heard my voice suddenly changes to an old woman as well. 

"Please just let me out, and let me see my son." My voice is shaking sounding croaky and raspy. I've been reduced to the status of a destitute person who is forced to beg once again.

He didn't say anything in response, but he grabbed my face in his hands and pushed his lips to rest over mine. His kiss was aggressive, and I felt his other hand on my left breast squeezing it painfully. I just knelt there and let him do what he wanted with no resistance in me. He took a step back and smiled.

"Well, my dear wife, I like the begging. What are you waiting for? Wake up now!."

With a swift movement with no time to react to what he said, I felt him punch me hard on the side of my head, knocking me down on the floor instantly. He has hit me again, this time right on my face and another two hard blows on my forehead.

He paused to get up, and I coughed out blood. "Please no more." I tried to pull myself up but the pain can be felt so much, I guess this is his way of returning the punch I gave him. I can't stop my coughing and for the last time, I tried opening my eyes and succeeded, It's painful as if there was something stuck on my eye hitting it constantly.

My vision is very hazy, but I saw the scenery changed for a few seconds into a lighter room like it was some glitch. 

Then it clicked on me. Charles has put me I'm in a trance machine, and this is why he's inflicting pain on my brain. He's trying to wake me up.

I calm my breathing to try to ready my body into jolting my brain to wake up.

I welcomed every single punch, the overpowering shock of my head forcefully on the floor, cracking the bone on my nose finally.

I have finally lost my vision, but his punches don't stop, and finally, with the final massive slam of something heavy, everything has stopped and become quiet.

I jolt awake in the real world. My eyes wouldn't open, but I felt the same feeling as the first time, the same sour liquid Came out of my mouth on its own, but I couldn't move anything yet. The trauma flashes all back. I remember the heavy drug that was put in me giving me a bad nostalgia.

I hear the familiar clapping in the background, making me shed tears, but suddenly I hear another sound, the familiar sound of my son's laughter. I know it's him. It's my Anthony. I know the way he giggles and the way he would pause in between his laughter as if he's running out of breath.

"That was impressive, right, mommy! Promised to behave now. Let's wait for her to enjoy the numbness, for when she regains her senses, our real fun begins with mommy." I hear Charles speaks to my son as Anthony talks back with his baby talk mix with laughter.

Suddenly, I was overcome with a fresh feeling of dread, and I was completely unaware that I was being held captive in the same kind of hypnosis machine the whole time.

I'm relieved to know that my Anthony is still a baby. He has just shown a new method of trapping me; this is his way of implying that my son will grow up without knowing who I am and that he has the ability to simply bring about such a situation in his favor. My thoughts were cut off hearing Charles's voice.

"My wife, You're still so fucking sexy, and you will never be free," he whispers before completely walking away with the underlying threat. 

I attempted to call him, but nothing worked. My mind was very determined to move but my body is drenched in high sedation, the only thing I could do was wait and prepare myself in surviving my new life with Charles.

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