5

Ava Martinez

~•~

When I woke up, I realized I had been drugged again because I wasn’t really a deep sleeper. Someone had come into my room and the noise woke me up.

Groggily, I rose from the bed and made my way to the door. I still felt a little bit dizzy but I needed to find a way to leave the house.

As I walked downstairs, the entire house was quiet. But at intervals, I noticed sounds coming from one part of the house. It sounded like people were having sex.

I was hesitant to check at first but my curiosity got the best of me. I walked there quietly, so I wouldn’t get busted before seeing who the people were.

I couldn’t hide the disgust in my face when I realized it was Ruiz and a random girl. I had no idea he had a girlfriend. He didn’t look like someone who would have a girlfriend.

“What do you want?” He arched a brow and stared at me like he had just seen a ghost.

“You don’t lock doors while having sex?” I couldn’t help but ask even if I didn’t want an answer to it. “I’m ready to leave,” I added when he remained silent.

He dismissed my question like I was a stupid child who didn’t know what they were saying. “I’m busy, quit lurking and go back to your room.”

He was about to turn around when I held him back. “Didn’t you hear me the first time? I need to leave this place. I want to go back home!” I commanded in a fierce tone and all he did was laugh like it was some sort of joke.

“Give me a minute.” He said and walked back into the room without giving me a chance to speak. After a few minutes, he came back and showed me a recording on his phone.

“It’s either you stay here with me or you go and I kill them.”

“You sick bastard!” I yelled and he walked back into the room, slamming the door at my face.

I rested on the wall and slid to the ground. I felt a mix of emotions - I was angry, hurt, happy, and a little bit relieved.

My siblings were still alive, held captive by this madman. But their survival didn't excuse the brutal murder of my parents.

I stood up and walked to the door, banging on it multiple times. “Where did you keep them? Are my parents also alive?”

I screamed continuously but didn’t get any response from him. The only sound I heard was the constant moans from whoever was inside the room with him.

When I realized that he was just going to keep on ignoring me, I walked to the front door and tried opening the locks. I screamed in frustration as I couldn’t get past it.

I needed to find a way out of the house. I needed to help my siblings. He was also sick for giving me an ultimatum. There was no way in hell I was going to stay under the same roof with him.

I paced back and forth in the living room, thinking of what to do. I didn’t know my way around the house but I wasn’t spending another hour in the house.

I had to find a way to get out. To get help. To rescue my siblings. The recording replayed in my head. They looked so helpless and I needed to find them.

As I paced, I noticed a slightly opened window in the foyer. It was a risk but I had to try. I pushed the window up as quietly as I could.

Luckily enough, I was able to open it. I jumped through the narrow opening and landed outside. Unfortunately for me, some of Ruiz’s men were stationed outside.

Two of them ran up to me as fast as they could and held me down. I tried to fight. I tried to get away from them but I didn’t match their strength.

My face streamed with tears as they dragged me back into the house. I screamed at the top of my lungs hoping someone would hear me but my efforts were futile.

“You need to stop trying to escape because there’s no way out for you.” One of the men said and I glared at him. I would have slapped him in the face if I wasn’t pinned to the floor.

Ruiz must’ve heard the noise or was done with the person who didn’t love themselves enough to have any sexual relations with him.

He walked majestically to the foyer where his men held me. “Was she trying to escape again?” He asked, his voice dripping with mockery.

The men nodded in unison, and Ruiz chuckled, clearly entertained by my failed attempts at freedom.

“Let her go.” He ordered them and they released me from their grip. After that, they both walked out of the house, leaving me alone with Ruiz.

“Where are my siblings?” I asked, ignoring the lump that I felt in my throat.

“Your parents aren’t alive.” He replied casually to my initial question like it was no big deal. “Your siblings are safe. You have nothing to worry about.”

I didn’t trust him and I wasn’t going to believe his words.

“I need to see them. Please let me go.” I asked calmly.

Ruiz shook his head. “I thought you would have understood by now.” He moved closer to me, his face inches from mine. “You are not going anywhere.”

It took everything in me not to hit him hard across his face.

“What of my life? What about my school? I’m just going to drop everything and become a prisoner in your house?” I asked, my teeth clenched in frustration.

“That’s right.” He said in agreement. “But don’t think of yourself as a prisoner. This is your home now.” He said I blinked in disbelief.

He was acting like what he was doing was normal. I couldn’t believe and I was frustrated because I couldn’t do anything about it.

“Can you please take my siblings to my Abuelita?” Since he didn’t want to let me go, the least he could do was to keep them somewhere I was comfortable with.

“Sure, I can do that.”

I wasn’t expecting him to agree without a hassle, but I was glad he did.