Emma

Brogan's boyfriend is so nice. I feel bad for leaving him when he's hurting. After he ate the crusts that I brought him I hurried back upstairs, making sure to lock his door behind me. I promised him I'd try to talk to Brogan if I could. Getting around the man is usually easy, but it's been harder with her. Maybe next time I help her get clean.

I quickly run up the basement steps, dropping off the keys on their hook, before running back to my room. Toby is waiting on my bed right where I left him. I smile giving him a big hug. Mommy got him for me when I was really little. She went out shopping for food and brought him back. The man wasn't too happy at first, but he let me keep him because it kept me occupied.

Mommy always told me not to let the man scare me. He's not so bad as he sounds. Most of the time he doesn't even mean what he says, a dog whose bark is worse than his bite? Only twice has he ever really lot his temper with me. Once for talking back to mama and once for not finishing my food. Why is he so concerned with me eating when he doesn't feed the people he brings here to hurt? They don't last more than a week, Oliver's time is running out.

My bedroom is right along the front of the house so I can hear vehicles when they pass or pull up the driveway. I hear someone, must be him. Moments later the front door opens and closes, heavy footfalls come down the hallway and my door slams open. "Come cook this."

I jump up and hurry after him to the kitchen. He takes what looks like bacon out of the refrigerator. That's what Brogan refused to eat a couple days ago. I hope she eats this time. She hasn't eaten since she's been here and I heard the man say she has a baby in her tummy. "Heat this up and come tell me when it's done, Emma." I nod in reply and he goes to his office.

Getting a pan out of the cabinet and getting it up on the stove is hard, but I get it. Mama taught me how to use the stove last year. I turn the knob until the flame clicks to life and set it back to low heat. I pick up a slice of the meat and set it in the pan when it gets hot. This is the meat that the man brings up from the basement. I don't know where he gets it, but it smells good when I cook it.

A few minutes later the meat is sizzling, crispy, and smelling delicious. The smell must have wafted down the hall, next thing I knew he was grabbing the plate of food and heading to the basement after shouting, "Come down when you're done!"

I quickly washed the dirty dishes and hurried after him. If I didn't have the many paths in the basement memorized I would've lost so much time getting to Brogan's room.

Brogan

Mostly all I do is sleep. I haven't eaten since before Oli and I left for Tennessee. Hunger and dehydration threaten to overtake my body; what used to be strong has now become weak and fragile. The choker around my neck isn't helping either. Any way I moved I could feel my sensitive skin getting more and more raw.

The locks start rattling and I know he is coming back. Hopefully with some food. Last time he was here he wanted me to beg for it. I can't just think about myself anymore though, I have to think about my unborn child. If I have to suck it up and beg, that's what I'm going to do.

The smell hits me almost immediately. I think it's what was brought before. "I can tell you're starving. If you hadn't been so stubborn last time you would have eaten by now. I really feel bad for keeping food from you, but you need to learn to follow orders."

I clenched my teeth, biting back a nasty retort. "You know what you have to do, Rose." He waves the food right under my nose. Unable to help myself a groan escapes my lips.

"Please..."

"Please what?"

Deep breath, Brogan. "Please may I have something to eat."

"Master."

"Fuck you! You psychotic fuck! There's no way in hell I'm calling you master!" Realization hit me of what I just did. This man could kill me without a second thought.

The crack of him slapping me hard across the face rang out. I sat there in stunned silence and bring my palm up to my stinging cheek.

His snicker makes me want to vomit. "Open your mouth."

Are you fucking kidding me?? He makes me beg for the food and now I have to rely on him to feed me? Seriously this man is fucked up in the head. Just think about the baby. I do what he says and open my mouth and a small square is set on my tongue. Slowly I close my mouth over it. Hmm, I can't quite place what it is. I'm almost sure it's meat, but what kind I'm not sure. Whatever it is my mouth and body love it. Every once in a while, Oli would bring home deer meat and cook it up. This tastes similar to that, gamey.

Bite after heavenly bite I take what is given to me, but all too soon the food is gone. I chew slowly, savoring the last bite, finally swallowing. "What was that?"

He stays quiet, refusing to answer my question.

"Nothing goes to waste here, Rose."