Chapter 1

Kelly was sitting in her room, trying to do her Spanish homework. She was especially angry because she didn't want to do Spanish this year. She sighed and looked out the window. It was only three weeks into school and she had already fallen behind. She slammed her pencil on the desk. She had told herself this wouldn't happen this year. This year would be different. She glanced at the clock. It was 11:45. 15 minutes to midnight. Kelly yawned. Time for bed. She walked over to her closet and started looking for pajamas. Then she heard some murmurs from the other room. Kelly's little sister, Brianna's room to be exact. Kelly looked at the clock again. 11:50. Kelly glared. It was way past Brianna's bedtime. 

Kelly opened her door and started walking to Brianna's room. She was going to burst into there and scold her for being up this late. She was only 8 after all. Kelly put her hand on Brianna's door, about to jump scare her when she realized  Brianna was talking to someone. 

"But my mom says that I can't leave my room at night," Brianna said. Kelly wondered who she was talking to. Then Brianna started talking again.

"No, I don't want to go out in the backyard. Mom says never to go outside without an adult." Brianna said. Who was she talking to? Brianna didn't have an imaginary friend, as far as Kelly knew. And from the way Brianna was talking, it sounded like she was angry. And a little scared. Kelly turned the door handle slowly. Brianna gasped. 

"Hey Brianna. Who are you talking to? And why are you up this late?" Kelly said. Kelly looked around the room. She didn't see anyone. Nothing looked out of place. Except for a little scared Brianna in the corner of her bed, body pressed against the wall, cowering under her blankets. When Brianna saw it was Kelly, she immediately relaxed.

"O-oh! Kelly its you. I thought you were s-ome thin-I mean someone else." Brianna said. Kelly was starting to get scared herself. Brianna never acted like this. Something was up. Kelly walked over to Brianna and scooped her up. That was much harder than it used to be, Brianna was getting older, and bigger now. Kelly sat on the bed with Brianna and ran her hands through her hair.

"Brianna, is something wrong? I heard what you said, about not wanting to leave your room. Who were you talking to?" Kelly said softly in Brianna's ear. Kelly had a feeling they were not alone. Brianna's big blue eyes just stared at her in fear. 

"I-I can't tell you. He won't let me." Brianna whispered. Kelly's stomach dropped. She could feel the color drain from her face. Brianna was not lying. Brianna never lies. Whoever told her not to tell anyone anything, was real. And if Brianna was still acting like this-they were still here. Kelly's eyes swept the room once more. There were only two places a person could hide in this room. The closet...and Kelly gulped...under the bed. The bed they were sitting on. 

Kelly sat there for a minute comforting Brianna. She had two options. She could look under the bed and in the closet, or she could sit there. If she sat there, how long would she and Brianna wait? Or, she could just pick up Brianna and leave. Take Brianna to her room with her. Or she could take Brianna into her mom's room and tell mom what had happened. But what would she tell her? That Brianna says there is a monster in her room? That Kelly believed her? Yes, going to Kelly's room seemed like a better option. Kelly really liked that idea better.

"Bree, listen to me. I am going to carry you to the door, and we are going to go into my room." Kelly whispered into her ear. Brianna nodded her head. Kelly stood up. Her arms ached under the weight of Brianna. Kelly started walking to the door. Brianna was hanging on for dear life. Suddenly everything got fuzzy. Kelly's breath slowed down. It was getting hard for Kelly to breathe. Everything was slowing down. The door seemed miles away. Kelly was going to pass out. And she knew it. She had never passed out before. This made her scared. But she had to get to the door. Brianna was in her arms. If she fell...

Brianna could tell something was wrong. She touched Kelly's face. Brianna pulled her face closer to Kelly's. 

"Kelly? What's wrong? You don't look so good." Brianna's fear gave Kelly strength. If there was someone here in the room, and Kelly passed out, it would mean something terrible for Brianna and Kelly. But Kelly could feel herself slipping. She could only last a few more seconds. There was no way she was getting out of here in time. But Brianna could. Brianna could run to the door, dash downstairs, and wake up mom. Either way, Kelly was going to need help. Brianna would be her savior. There was no point in bringing Brianna down with her. Brianna had mere seconds before Kelly would pass out.

"B-Brianna" Kelly choked. "I-I am going to put you down. R-Run to the door and get mom." Brianna was scared. She started shaking. Tears were welling up in her little eyes. Kelly was on the verge of tears herself. 

"What's wrong?" Brianna said, no longer whispering. Brianna was not going to leave Kelly. But she had too. For both of their sakes. Kelly mustered all her strength. 

"Brianna, go. Leave me. Go get help. I am putting you down now. If you don't let go I will fall, and If I fall on you, I will hurt you." Kelly said. Brianna held on tight for a moment. She looked deep into Kelly's eyes. Brianna was fading in and out of Kelly's vision. Kelly was now gasping. Brianna's tears were now falling. She held her sister tight for a moment more, then let go. She ran to her door. That was the last thing Kelly saw. She heard Brianna scream.

Chapter 2

 "Brianna...Brianna..." Kelly whispered over and over again. Kelly couldn't move. Her head hurt. She was trying to wake up, but it was like she was stuck in a loop. Brianna's screams echoed in her head over and over again. Brianna...Brianna needed her. Kelly had to move...she had to get up. Kelly pulled herself back to consciousness. She tried to open her eyes, but they felt like a million pounds. 

After a few minutes, Kelly tried her other senses. It smelled... like Lavender. Kelly liked lavender. So she focused on that. She breathed in and out slowly. The fumes were relaxing. After a minute she realized she could hear music. She was not sure what it was saying...or even what kind of music it was...she just knew it was music. And it sounded a million miles away...

 Kelly felt like she was on a bed. It was soft. Nice. Kelly liked that. As she lay there, she thought that maybe Brianna had gotten Kelly help. Maybe Kelly was in the hospital, and Brianna was safe. Maybe the fears of there being someone in Brianna's room were just that, fears. Maybe Brianna screamed because Kelly's falling had scared her.

Kelly tried to open her eyes again. Everything was blurry at first. After a second everything came into view...sort of. Everything was still fuzzy around the edges. The first thing Kelly noticed was her clothes. She wasn't wearing jeans and a tee shirt, but a baby blue dress. It was beautiful. I had butterflies all over it. Kelly loved butterflies. She had on high heels. They were also baby blue and had a butterfly on each of them. Her hair was done too. It was in a long French Braide. 

It was disorienting. Where was Brianna? Was she safe? Where was Kelly? Was she dreaming? 

Kelly sat up. This made her a bit dizzy. Kelly had no idea where she was. There were candles and an old record player playing one of her favorite songs, A daylight dream, in the corner of the room. It was dark. she couldn't see any windows or doors. There was lavender all over the room. The floor was covered in it. Plants hung from the ceiling. It was beautiful. Kelly was laying on a bed. A very lavish bed. It was as big as half the room. The blanket that covered it was the softest thing she had ever felt. 

As soon as Kelly was steady, she started walking around her wonderland. The plants were so amazing. The lavender crunched under her feet with each step she took and a fresh new scent of lavender with it. She twirled to the music. This dream was amazing. She never wanted to wake up. She was probably in the hospital safe and sound, or maybe she had fallen asleep studying and the man in Brianna's room was a dream too.

She walked over to another corner and found a table with apples, bananas, oranges, and nuts. She tasted a nut. It was perfectly salted, and it was nice and creamy after it was chewed. It was perfect. She fell on the floor into the lavender. Why would she ever need to wake up?

"It looks like you like it. I am glad. Do you know how long it took for me to make it? I had to study you of course. But if you like it, it was all worth it." Said a voice. It was a deep, manly voice. Who was that? Did he say study her? What kind of dream was this? Or...was she awake? Had the part in Brianna's room been real? 

'W-who said that? Who are you? What do you mean study?" Kelly said. 

"Come on Kelly, you know me. Ever since that day at the park! You looked at me, and I looked at you, and we were both in love!" The voice said. Kelly was scared. This wasn't a dream. It felt as real as being hit in the face. 

"Of course, we have not seen each other since. But I saw you. I watched you. I had to find out everything about you, of course, I couldn't be with you if I didn't know anything about you." The voice said. Kelly laid in the lavender. She felt too weak to move. She listened to the voice press on. 

"I found out lavender is your favorite. And you adore plants. I know you love fruits and nuts. This song is the song you love to dance to. But don't worry if you don't know anything about me, my love, All that matters is that I have you. And I am never letting you go." It said. Kelly couldn't breathe. What was happening?

"Where am I? Who are you?" Kelly said. The voice laughed. Kelly whimpered. This was a psychopath of some sort. And she...was his new obsession, like in the books and movies.

"You can call me The Other Person. That's what your little sister called me. And as for where you are, that's for me to know, and you to not worry about my love." They said. Their voice was thick with desire and love. It was sickening. And Brianna...what did they do to her. Was she safe? And what about her mother? Her younger brother, Miles? Were they alright? 

"What did you do to my family?" Kelly asked. The voice gasped as if it was offended she had even asked such a question.

"Nothing! Why would you ask such a question? Yes, I might have scared your sister, but I had to lure you to the window somehow... Your window has no access points, but little Brianna's does. She was scared when she saw you pass out, but she ran out of the room. My darts work fantastically. But of course, when little Brianna came back with dear old Mummy, you and I were gone! Off to live our dreams..." The voice trailed off. Dreams? What dreams? She had never heard this guy's voice in her life. She didn't know who he was!!

At least her family was safe. Unless he was lying...

Kelly started to cry silently.  

Chapter 3

 Kelly was in the corner crying. What was happening? How could this dreamland be evil? Kelly had kicked off her shoes. She would have taken off the dress if there had been clothes under it. She didn't want any part of this anymore. This place was going to temp her into doing things she would love nothing more than to do. But she must resist. She had to get out of... where ever she was. It was like the outside had come in.

She stood up. She had wobbled over to the corner after the voice had stopped talking to her. She wobbled along the wall, feeling it for any place that could be different. Maybe there was a hidden door, window, a tiny vent, something. The lavender scent was still very strong. She couldn't feel anything. She had walked all around the big room at least five times before she burst into tears again and fell to the floor. She pulled her knees to her chest. 

"Why must you act like this?" The voice said. But this time it was in the room. Kelly looked up. There was a tall man with a black turtle neck standing there. He wore black jeans and shoes. And He wore a black hospital mask so all she saw was his brilliant blue eyes and jet black hair.  His face seemed to be in a hard expression. 

Kelly had to admit, that he was a beautiful creature. But that didn't take away from the fact he had kidnapped her. He held out his hand. Kelly stayed there. She looked at the ground. Her hatred filled her mouth like venom. He sighed.

"I apologize for the way I brought you here. I know it was wrong of me-"

"Your sure the hell right it was wrong of you!" Kelly yelled, now on her feet. "What the heck is wrong with you?"  His eyes went soft, and his face relaxed. 

"Your beauty is unlike any I have ever seen. You are an object of which many desire. You had to be mine. All we need are each other, we don't need the world." He said. Kelly was a little flattered. But also offended beyond belief. 

"Excuse me sir, but I am not an object! And I don't know about you, but I think the world is pretty great." Kelly huffed. She was being very brave at this point, who knew what this guy could do? If she put a toe out of line? She had no idea why she kept on like this. His face went into a scowl.

"Really? From what I have seen, the world has done you wrong. Your father left you and your family for another woman. He does not talk or visit with you at all. Because of this, you have to do all the things he did. You clean. You cook. You take care of your younger siblings while your mother is at work. All the while going to a school where people are cruel to you." He said fiercely. Kelly gasped. How did he know all this? How long had he been watching her?  But she also gasped...because it was all true. All of it. 

He held out his hand once more. Hesitantly, she took his hand. He pulled her up from the ground. He handed her the shoes she had taken off. With her lips pressed into a thin line, she slipped them back on. He brushed the lavender off of her and took her hand once more and led her to the center of the room.  

Kelly stared at him. He really was something to look at. He looked at her from the corner of his eyes. Why did he not tell her his name? Or where they were? Or why they were here? She took a deep breath.

"If you will not tell me where we are can you at least tell me the name of this place?" She asked.

"The name?" He asked.

"Yes. You had to have named this beautiful place something. It seems to be an indoor garden of some sort." She said. 

"I guess I never thought of that. You name it. It is your dreamland." He said. How did she know that's what she had called it? She knew it was wrong of him to do this. She didn't even know who he was. The way he got her here was...terrible. But there was something about him she liked. She didn't know why. She also hated him. Those feelings seem to mash together. She stared at him for a long time. 

"Then I guess we will call it Dreamland." She murmured. He chuckled. When they got to the center of the big room there was a table. On it was a lavish dinner. Chicken, rice, peas, and a couple of other things. There was a pitcher of some bubbly substance, it all looked so delicious. Kelly's mouth watered. But she shook her head. Temptations Kelly, temptations.

He tugged gently on her arm. He raised one eyebrow. She glared at him. So much has happened in so little time. Did he really think she was going to sit down with some stranger who had kidnapped her and eat some mysterious dinner by candlelight? He laughed once more.

"I promise it won't hurt you." He said. His electric blue eyes were twinkling. She didn't know if she should sit down...the lavender was starting to cloud her head. He looked at her. He was waiting patiently for her choice. He didn't rush her or disrupt her thinking. She liked that.

What choice did she have though? She was starving, and she had no idea what time it was. She didn't know if it was day or night. She could have been there for days for all she knew. And she was starving.  She sighed for what seemed to be the one-hundredth time in...the past hour? Hours? She nodded and walked forward. The man pulled out a chair for her and she sat down, then he walked to the other side and sat down.

Kelly started to have dinner with The Other Person.

Chapter 4

 Kelly stared at The Other Person. He sat there eating his chicken staring back. Her eyes narrowed. What was this guy's deal? Why was he being so nice? Was he going to suddenly turn psycho like in the movies?  Was he planning something? She took a farcie bite of the food. It took everything she had not to gasp at the food's deliciousness. He chuckled quietly. Kelly huffed. 

"You really are stubborn, aren't you?" He said. Kelly glared at him.

"Yes, I am. In case you haven't noticed, you KIDNAPPED me." Kelly said. His eyebrows knitted together.

"Yes. But I explained that to you. Don't you understand?" He said.

"Of course I don't! You took me from my family, scared my little sister to death, SHOT A DART at me, and KIDNAPPED me." She said. "All because you claim to love me? I have no idea who you are!"  He stared at her. He stood up and walked over to her. He kneeled down and put his hand on her chin, then moved her face to his. His expression was fierce. Kelly whimpered. Was that the crossing point? Had she done it?

"Kelly Johnson. I know you don't know me. But I love you. I have known you your whole life. You just don't know it." He said. 
Kelly stared at his beautiful face. What?

"What do you mean? That's impossible. You look only a few years older than me. I am 15. If you had known me my whole life then how come you look like that? And how can I have known you my whole life and not know it? I have never seen you before in my life." Kelly blushed and looked down. "I think I would have remembered it."
 He let go of her chin and smiled. 

"That my love, is a story for another night." He chuckled and walked back over to his food. Kelly gasped. Partly because of what he said, but also because of the place where he held her face tingled. She didn't know what to make of it. 

She looked at him. If what he was saying was true, he was what... 30-something?  No. He must be lying. There was no way that was true. He was a liar. He was a psychopath. He took her from her home and family. Her eyes filled with tears. What would he do to her? Would she see her family ever again? How would her mom be able to handle her job and Kelly's younger siblings? Was Kelly's mom looking for Kelly? 

The Other Person watched Kelly cry. He stared at him with 100 different feelings. He did seem familiar to her. She didn't care though. All she wanted was her family. 

The Other Person also had tears in his eyes. What was he crying for? He had nothing to cry about. And if he did Kelly didn't care. She pushed that part of her that liked him deep down inside. She hated him. 

She stood up. She looked at him for so long. She was done with him. He looked at her in pain. As if her pain hurt him. This made her angry. Good. She hoped he hurt. She started to walk away. Lavender crunched under her feet. She breathed out of her mouth. No part of this. No more. She hated this.

She had no idea where she was walking. This forest room was huge. When she reached the end of the path, she was at the luxurious table of fruits and nuts. She flipped the table. SHE HATED IT HERE. She was done. No more fancy dinners, no more beds. She ripped off the shoes she was wearing and threw them at a nearby tree. One snapped. 

She screamed. Loud, piercing silence screams. She didn't care what he did to her. She didn't care if he ended her. She just wanted to get out of there, one way or another. 

She fell to the floor and cried for what seemed to be hours, until her the pain of her grief made her fall asleep.

Chapter 5

 Kelly yawned and stretched. She rubbed her eyes and sat up. She gasped. She was in a new room. In a new bed. In a new outfit. 

Kelly was astounded. She was in a mansion.............it looked like...

She was in a violet dress with a long ribbon on the back. She was wearing violet high heels with tiny bows on the side. She had a bun with a violet bow in it.
The bed was the most extraordinary thing she had ever seen. The carvings on the bedpost were phenomenal.   They were women and children, their faces almost lifelike. Kelly wondered how The Other Person had got her here. How he had got her dressed without her waking up? 

Kelly stumbled out of bed. The fuzzy blanket that she was raped in got caught on her heel. She tripped and fell to the floor. Her small little thud echoed through the huge room. Kelly winced. She didn't want The Other Person to come. She hated him. She wanted to figure out how to get out of here. She didn't want him. Not yet...

The floor rug was so soft. Warm. Strange. Kelly stood up. She looked around. The room was filled with fabulous pieces of art. She walked across the room to look at a painting. Her heels made a soft click click as she walked. Strange as it was, that was one of Kelly's favorite sounds. 

The painting was of a young woman. She had long blonde hair and big green eyes. Her face was white as snow. Her lips were ruby rose red. She was a sight to see. Kelly's fingers touched the edge of the painting. She seemed so familiar...

"Your awake." The Other Person said. Kelly jumped. She turned around and glared at him. He had changed also. He was in a dark blue sweater and jeans. His mask was also blue now. 

"Where are we now?" She asked. 

"My house. You didn't seem to like the place I made for you very much." He said. He walked over to her and looked at the painting. His house? So maybe there was a way out here...This place seemed to be huge. There had to be a window, door, something...

"This...this was my wife." He said. That took Kelly totally off guard. She stared at him. He smiled at her. 

"Yes. We were together...a very long time. Longer than most people can say." His eyes twinkled. "She died sooner than anyone would have guessed. I was very sad of course. Took me many years to..." 

His eyes were sparkling. He was still in pain...Kelly shook her head. She couldn't feel sorry for him! Not after all the things he did to her. To Brianna. 

He seemed to remember she was here. 

"So. I am guessing you are hungry? You sleep for a very long time." He said. Kelly looked at him. Yes, she was hungry. But she had just one question before anything else. Something that HAD to be answered. 

"How long have I...been with you?" She asked. He looked at her for a very long time. Like he was pondering whether or not to tell her. 

"You have been here for almost a week." He said. He didn't stay long to see what her reaction was. He turned quickly and walked out of the room. 

Kelly's reaction was shock. Had she really been here that long? Was her family looking for her? Where was she now? Where was his house? And what did he want with her? She fell to the floor. She sat there with her head on the wall. She had no hope. The Other Person was her hope. If he had any mercy... he obviously had feelings. Kelly looked at the painting of his wife on the wall. That could be another girl he had taken for all she knew. She was very beautiful. He had loved her. He could tell. Maybe she could use that love against him somehow...

He walked back in with a tray that had a tiger rose on it and a lovely...lunch? He sat it on the bed and walked over to her. He held out his hand to help her up. She knew he was going to be kind to her. For now. She sighed and took his hand. He lifted her up and walked her over to the bed. He surprised her by sweeping her off of her feet, (Literally) and set her on the bed. 

He laughed when she held on tight so she wouldn't fall. She blushed and look at the food. Kelly took the rose and smelled it. She smiled. Her second favorite flower. She gave a small smile. Then she made her face hard again. No weakness, remember? 

"I thought that maybe you might be tired of Lavender, I myself was." He said. She looked at him. Why did she like him so much? Why did he know what was on her mind? How did she know what she loved?

Why did she love this man?

Chapter 6

 Days turned into weeks, and Kelly started to trust The Other Person more and more. Sure....he had taken her from her family and nearly scared her sister to death, but he seemed to try to make up for it at every chance he got. Whether it be, flowers or lavish dinners, or even a movie night. She started trusting him to eat with her, and to be in the room with her. Sometimes he would even let her explore his mansion all by herself. (Windows and doors were locked, of course.) 

Soon she was there a whole month, but she didn't seem to mind it that much. 

One night she was sitting in the enormous bed, reading one of the many books he had gotten her when he walked into the room with a dark red ribbon. He was smiling from ear to ear. Kelly stared at him curiously. 

"Come with me, my love, I have a surprise for you." He said. His bright blue eyes were buzzing with excitement...and something else. Kelly slipped her feet into some deep purple fuzzy slippers and wrapped herself in a matching color robe. She walked over to him and he slipped the ribbon over her eyes. 

Though Kelly still had her doubts about the man, she trusted him 100%, though she had no idea WHY. 

Kelly giggled. Why did she just giggle like a little girl head over heels? 

"Where are you taking me?" She asked. 

"Like I said," He breathed into her ear, "It's a surprise." His breath sent a tingle down her spine...

He led her for what seemed to be an hour. She held his hand tight, trusting him with each step. 
 

Impressum

Tag der Veröffentlichung: 05.01.2023

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