“Lily, stop! Let me explain,” she said and held her hand out again. Couldn’t she see I wasn’t going to take it? She was fucking delusional if she thought I was going to trust her.
I turned back and gasped at how close to me she was. She held her hands up, surrendering, and took another step. “It’s okay. We’re not going to hurt you. ” Tears streamed down my cheeks and I shook my head. “Please, come and sit down, and we’ll explain everything. ” She motioned toward the leather sofa. I looked at it for a minute while I thought through my options—which were seriously limited. I had to know what was happening and who they were, so I raised my shaking hand and placed it in hers.
My body tensed, muscles hurt from trying to control my shaking. Why didn’t I just go with Kerri? I should have never walked through the park on my own at night. I should have listened to Lewis when he lectured me on going out alone. I thought he was just being overprotective. He was overprotective, but I never thought he had a point. Long Thorpe was a boring town. Was.
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“Okay, Lily—”
“Stop calling me Lily. My name is Summer,” I snapped. I couldn’t have cared less who Lily was; I just wanted them to realize it wasn’t me and let me go.
“Sweetheart,” the girl who had pulled me downstairs said softly, as if she was talking to a child. “You are Lily now. Don’t ever let him hear you say you’re not. ”
I gulped. “What’s going on? What do you mean? Please just tell him to let me go. ” I gulped down oxygen as my lungs seemed to shrink. “Why won’t you listen to me?”
“I’m sorry, you can’t go. None of us can. I’ve been here the longest—almost three years now. My name is Rose,” she said and shrugged. “It used to be Shannen. This is Poppy, was Rebecca, and over there is Violet; she was Jennifer before. ” What the heck? This was bloody insane. She had been locked up down here for three years?
“B-before what?” I croaked.
“Before Clover,” she replied.
I shook my head, trying to make sense of what was going on. “Who’s Clover? Him?” The sick Lily bastard man? “Please just tell me what’s going on. What’s he going to do to me?”
“We’re to call him Clover. You do everything we tell you, and you’ll be fine, okay? Never disagree with him and do not tell him your real name. You’re Lily now. Summer doesn’t exist anymore,” she said, smiling apologetically. A strangled sob forced its way out of my mouth, and I fought to keep my diner down. I can’t stay here. She put her arm on my shoulder and massaged it gently. I wanted to scream and push her off, but I didn’t have the energy. “It’s going to be okay. ”
“I-I want to go home. I want Lewis. ” I want my nagging parents, annoying brother, and my old, boring life back.
The other girl, the one she introduced as Poppy, shook her head. “I’m so, so sorry, Lily. You should forget Lewis. Trust me, it’s easier that way. ” Forget him? How could I forget him? Picturing his face was the only thing that was keeping me together. Knowing he was out there and would soon look for me was the only thing stopping me from breaking down.
“We need to escape. Why don’t you try escaping?” They all dropped their eyes to the floor at the exact same time, as if they’d practiced it. “What?”
“Some have,” Rose whispered.
My blood ran cold. “What does that mean?” I already knew the answer, but I needed her to say it.
“You’re the second Lily since I’ve been here. That’s why you need to do what we tell you. Escaping is not an option; neither is trying to kill him. ” She shook her head slightly and stopped talking. I got the impression she wanted to say more, though. Who tried to kill him?
They had all given up hope of getting out of here—I could see the defeat in their eyes—but I wasn’t going to. I would get out and be with my family again. I couldn’t think that I would never hear Lewis tell me he loved me again or my brother scream at me to get out of the bathroom.
“Wait, what do you mean I’m the second Lily?”
She took my hand and squeezed it gently. “There was another. She was here a month before he found me. One night, she attempted to kill him, but he overpowered her and…” She trailed off, taking a deep breath. “Just don’t try anything, okay?”
My heart smashed against my chest painfully. I didn’t want to give up hope, but this girl had been here for three years.
I gulped and asked the question I was most afraid of. “What does he want from us?”
“I’m not entirely sure, but I think he wants a family. The perfect family. He chooses girls that he thinks are perfect, like flowers. ” I blinked, reeling from her latest bomb. Flowers? Was that the reason he renamed everyone after flowers? My mouth hung open. This guy was bloody insane.
She went on, “He likes things that are pure, and he can’t stand mess or germs. ” That’s why he was so disgusted when my head was bleeding and why all I could smell down here was the strong, almost eye-watering scent of lemon.
“We have to make sure the house is clean and tidy at all times, and we have to shower twice a day. He comes down to have breakfast with us at eight o’clock sharp, and we need to be showered and have our hair and makeup done, ready for him. ”
I laughed an entirely humorless laugh, convinced that someone was messing with me. I had to be on a TV reality show or something. “What the fuck is wrong with him?” I shouted, jumping up off the sofa. My legs felt like jelly and Rose easily pulled me back down.
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“Don’t ever swear in front of him, Lily. Please listen to what I’m telling you,” she said. “He brings us fresh flowers when the old ones die…” She stopped, trailing off, and flinched at something—a bad memory? Staring me in the eye, she took a deep breath. “When he falls in love with you, he will want to make love to you. ”
My heart stopped. I shook my head fiercely as my eyes started stinging. I jumped up again; this time I found the strength from somewhere to rip myself from her quick, tight grip. There was no way he was coming anywhere near me. I would rather die. “No! Oh God, I have to get out of here. ” I turned and sprinted back up the stairs.
“Lily, Lily. Shh, stop it,” Rose said frantically and grabbed my arm. She must have been right behind me. “You need to calm down. We don’t think he can hear, but we’re not positive, so you have to stop. ”
I heaved and slumped to the floor, sobbing. Rose was half holding me so I didn’t hit hard, not that I cared anyway. “I need…I need to go home,” I muttered. My body shook with fear. I didn’t want him anywhere near me. I had only ever been with Lewis and I wanted to keep it that way. The thought of anyone else touching me made my skin crawl—especially him touching me.
“I promise you will be okay, but you need to do what we tell you. We’re trying to help you, Lily,” Rose said. It took me a few minutes, but I managed to calm myself down a little. Rose was right; I did need to do what she said, just until I could figure out how to get out of here. I had to be calm and think straight, form a plan. There must be a way out. Nothing was impossible. I had to play along until I thought of something—it was survival.
I pushed myself up and let her guide me back to the sofa. Rose wiped the tears from my face with a tissue. My eyes fluttered open when she was done, and I saw they were all staring at me, wondering if I was going to freak out again or behave, like them.
“Are you okay, Lily?” the other girl, Violet, asked. It was the first time she had spoken to me, and it was the dumbest question ever. I shook my head. I was definitely not okay. “I’m sorry. ” She squeezed my hand.
The cellar door swung open, making me jump. My heart rate spiked and my body trembled. He very slowly walked down the stairs, like he was dragging it out for dramatic effect, and stepped under the light. I was able to see him properly for the first time. I gulped as my heart raced a million miles an hour. He had very short brown hair that was
immaculately styled; not one single strand of hair was out of place. I was surprised at his strength because although he was tall, he didn’t look that muscular. He wore nice jeans and a knitted navy sweater over a white shirt—too preppy and normal for what he was doing to us.
Rose took hold of my other hand and squeezed it. “Hello, Flowers. How is Lily settling in?” he asked, smiling at me warmly, as if he hadn’t just kidnapped me. What the heck is wrong with him? How could he just pretend like that?
Violet stood up and walked toward him. She narrowed her eyes and shook her head. “This is wrong, Clover, and you know it. You’ve gone too far this time. She’s so young. You need to let her go,” she said. Her voice was firm, but her trembling hands gave her away. With everything Rose had told me, I was positive they were terrified of him. I respected her so much for speaking up; the other two clearly weren’t going to.
The carefree smile dropped from his face, and I stilled. My pulse quickened. His face, now hard and tense, made him look like a completely different person. He looked murderously angry. Reaching out so quickly I almost didn’t see it, he grabbed her arm roughly.
Violet winced, her eyes tensed in pain as she looked down at the arm he had in a death grip. “Clover, please don’t,” she whispered. I didn’t want to look at what he was doing or what he was going to do, but my eyes were glued to them, heart pounding, fingertips tingling.
“You selfish bastard,” he growled and slapped her across the cheek. Bastard? He said the word, but it was so weird coming out of his mouth; it was as if it was someone else’s words. It didn’t fit. The slap echoed through the room and Violet hissed through her teeth, gripping the side of her face. But she didn’t make a sound. “How dare you speak to me like that after everything I’ve done for you? We are a family. You need to remember that. ”
My blood ran cold. He wanted me to be a part of his family. He was going to keep me here. I already had a family—parents I’d skipped out on before saying good-bye properly, a brother I’d argued with before leaving.
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Violet stood straight and something inside her changed. Her eyes darkened, her nose turned up, and she spat straight into his face. “We’re not a family, you psycho,” she shouted, wrenching her arm from his grip.
The noise that broke through his clenched teeth was animalistic and throaty; no part of it sounded human. I should have ran but fear kept me planted to the floor. Violet fell down, crying in pain from one hard shove. “Get it off me,” he bellowed and flailed his arms around frantically. My eyes widened in horror. It’s just a bad, bad dream that you need to wake up from right now, I told myself. But I didn’t wake up.
Poppy jumped up, grabbing the tissues and a bottle of sanitizer from the table beside me. I’d noticed a few other bottles around too—on the bookshelf, kitchen counter, and TV stand. She wiped his face and handed him the sanitizer, and he squirted it on his trembling hand and then rubbed it on his face. Rose and Poppy exchanged a look. I didn’t know what it meant, but I knew whatever it was, I wouldn’t like it.
He turned to face Violet, and she slowly backed up until she was pressed up against the wall again. I gulped. What now? Rose and Poppy moved to either side of me in a protective manner. Oh God. I gulped and clenched my trembling hands. This isn’t real.
Cocking his head to the side, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a knife. I froze. No! He was going to kill her. He was going to stab her right in front of us. Why weren’t they doing anything? No one was doing anything. Was this what that look was about? Did they know this was going to happen?
“What?” I whispered, trying and failing to look away. Why couldn’t you look away from something bad? It’s like we’re all programed to punish ourselves.
“No, please. Clover, I’m sorry, please don’t,” she begged, holding her hands out in front of her and crouching slightly in surrender. He shook his head. Deep, heavy breaths burst from his lungs. I could only see the side of his face from where I was standing, but what I saw of it was cold and detached. “You’re right. I am so sorry. We are a family. You’re my family, and I forgot that for a second. Please forgive what I said. I should have never doubted you. ” She shook her head. “You’ve always done what’s best for us. If it wasn’t for you, we’d all probably be dead now. You saved us. All you do is take care of us, and I treated you badly just then. I’m so very sorry. ”
He tilted his head and his eyes softened. He stood taller with pride. What just happened? Was that how it worked, stroke his overinflated, screwed-up ego and you had a chance?
I held my breath as time stretched in front of us. The only noise was his and Violet’s heavy breathing. Rose and Poppy stood wide-eyed as they waited for his decision. The atmosphere was heavy and tense.
Rose was the first one to relax her shoulders as he lowered the knife in his hand. “I forgive you, Violet,” he said and turned to walk away without another word. I watched on, eyes bulging and frozen from the shock and fear. My lips were dry, and my nose stung from the citrus smell of lemon cleaning products.
Rose, Poppy, and Violet silently sat on the sofa and held hands while I stood stock still, like an idiot waiting to wake up.
3
SUMMER
Saturday, 24th July (Present)
“What was that?” I whispered, staring at the closed, heavy cellar door. The thing was thick, like it’d been reinforced or something.
“It was my fault. I shouldn’t have questioned him,” Violet said from behind me.
I recoiled in horror and turned to look at her. “Your fault? What you said was right. Was he seriously going to stab you then?” I wanted at least one of them to say no. Their silence said everything.
“Come and sit, Lily. We’ll answer whatever you want to know,” Rose said, stroking Violet’s shaking hand. I wasn’t sure I wanted to know anything.
Gulping my fear down, I sat on the end of the sofa. We just about fit on it all together; he must have bought it especially for four people. I was surprised that it was so comfortable. Everything down here, minus the smell, was comfortable and homey. The soft light-blue of the walls and light wooden surfaces and table made it look inviting. If the cleanly smell weren’t so potent, it would be a gorgeous room. It was completely out of place in this psychopath’s house.
“What do you want to know?” Rose asked. Her blue eyes were as calming as the color of the walls.
“He was going to stab her, wasn’t he?” She nodded once in reply. I took a deep, ragged breath. “Because she tried to stand up for me?” I was aware that I was talking to Rose as if we were alone, but from the second I got down here and she offered me her hand, she’d been the one taking the lead. She was like the big sister.
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“That’s correct. ”
I licked my dry lips. “Has he done that before?”
Her eyes darkened, losing that friendliness. “Yes, he has. ”
“You’ve seen that?”
“Yes. ”
“They died,” I said just above a whisper.
She nodded, her body tensing. “He’s killed, yes. ”
I looked behind her and saw Violet shrinking into Poppy. He had killed people and no one knew a damn thing. How was that even possible? I shook my head in disbelief. “I don’t get it. How does he get away with it?” Surely people would notice someone missing? I’d never seen Rose, Poppy, or Violet on the news or stuck to lampposts.
“The girls he chooses are usually living on the streets. If no one notices they’re missing, then no one will suspect anything is wrong,” Rose said and tucked her dark hair behind her ear. “I ran away from my family when I was eighteen. We had never been close and our relationship was…strained. My father”—her eyes darkened and her posture shrank—“liked to drink and didn’t like us. ” It looked as though sadness and terror suddenly consumed her. “Shortly after my eighteenth birthday, I left home. I just
couldn’t take it anymore. I’d been living on the streets and in hostels for ten months when Clover found me. I’ve been here almost three years now. ” She shrugged like being here was nothing.
I was stunned. How did she do it? I would have gone bloody crazy after three weeks. My chest tightened so much I felt like I was gonna collapse. This wasn’t temporary.
“Please don’t cry, Lily. It’s really not that bad down here,” Rose said.
I stared at her, trying to work out if she had actually lost it. She sounded crazy. Not that bad? He’d kidnapped us. He was keeping us locked up in his cellar. He would rape us when he “fell in love” with us, and if we dared to fight back, he would kill us. How was that really not that bad?
“Please don’t look at me like that. I know what you’re thinking, but if you do what he says, everything will be fine. He’ll treat you well. ”
She must be crazy. “Apart from raping me, you mean?”
“Don’t call it rape in front of him,” she warned.
I looked away from her. I couldn’t believe what she was saying. How could she think this was okay? It was beyond screwed up, but she was still defending him. She couldn’t have always been like that. They must have been a time where she knew it was crazy and hated him as much as I do. How long did it take him to brainwash her?
Poppy, Violet, and Rose stood up at the same time—in perfect synchronization—and walked to the kitchen area. They spoke in hushed voices. I could barely hear their whispers, but from the way that Violet looked over, it was obvious they were talking about me. I didn’t even care. I didn’t even try listening. They could say whatever they wanted, but I was never going to think it was okay to be down here or that Clover wasn’t a psychotic arsehole.
Someone would find me soon. I wasn’t on the streets like they were. I had a family and friends—people that would know I was missing. Soon enough, the police would be called and they would start searching. Who would be the one to realize first? My parents when I didn’t return home? Or Lewis when I didn’t answer his calls or reply to his texts? Would he even try to contact me any more tonight? If we were out separately with our friends, we wouldn’t usually text each other until we were home, or if we did, it would only be once or twice.