Prologue
Violet
The music pounds loudly in my ears. It's so loud I can’t hear myself think, let alone hear whatever it is my best friend is trying to say to me. I don’t know why I was so excited about coming here for my birthday. It seemed like such a good idea when my friends suggested it.
However, now that I’m here, everything seems so much less appealing. My ears hurt from the loud music, and my throat is scratchy from the smoke that clings to the air. The skin-tight dress and black high heels I’m wearing are getting more uncomfortable with each passing minute. All in all, coming here was a shit idea.
Sweat beads against my forehead as I survey the crowd. Everyone here seems to be way older than me. I’m only eighteen, but this club allows people under twenty-one to come in as long as you let them stamp both of your hands.
Some older guy offered to buy me a drink a couple minutes ago, and I’m starting to wonder if maybe I should have let him. I really don’t want to get drunk in here and lose my wits, but it's so hot, and I can’t help but wonder if I’d loosen up with a little alcohol in my system.
I grip my cell phone tightly, deciding there won't be any drinking for me tonight. I’ll just call my sister Ella and have her pick me up. She’s going to be pissed at me for not telling her what I was doing, but she’ll get over it; she always does. I unlock my phone and start scrolling through my messages when a man appears at my side.
“Here.” He shoves a glass at me. It has some red liquid in it, and I know better than to take some drink from a random stranger. I shake my head and hold up my hand to motion to him that I am not interested but he just shoves the glass closer to my face.
Annoyance boils deep inside me. I take the glass, hoping it will make the asshole leave. I don’t take a sip, nor do I plan to.
“Want to dance?” The guy leans into me and slurs right next to my ear. He smells of smoke and sweat. I almost gag at the mixture of scents.
“No, thank you,” I decline politely.
“But I just bought you a drink, the least you can do is dance with me.” He gives me a creepy smile, and I shudder, attempting to take a step backward. The entire place is packed, bodies rubbing against each other, making it hard to escape this asshole.
I need to find another way to get away from him. My eyes glance over a neon restroom sign off in the distance.
“You’re right. I’m just going to the bathroom really quick and then I’ll dance with you.” I give him a wide smile and set the drink on the table a few feet away from us.
“All right, I’ll be waiting right here for you, baby,” he slurs, as I start to walk away.
Walking in the direction of the bathroom, I weave between people, pushing and shoving just to get a step ahead. Once I reach the restrooms, I turn and start walking back toward the entrance of the club. Music vibrates through me, and I find it harder and harder to breathe with all the bodies around me. I’ll just go outside and call Ella; that way, maybe I can tell her I wanted to go to the club but changed my mind. Her shift at the diner will be over in a few minutes, so she’ll be able to swing by here on her way back to the apartment.
Then we can forget tonight never happened.
I make it through the crowd and walk into the hallway leading outside. There are only a few people lingering near the exit. Nobody seems to be paying me an ounce of attention, except one man. He is leaning against the far wall, his entire body encased in the shadows, but I can see his eyes scanning me up and down. He’s staring at my body in a way that makes me feel exposed and I don’t like it, not one bit. I make my feet walk faster as I hurry past him, his gaze remaining on me the whole time. The hair on the back of my neck stands up, and a bad feeling fills my gut. This guy is pure evil… it oozes out of him, like a bad smell. I can feel it, see it.
The moment I step outside, and fresh air fills my lungs, I feel a little better. I peer up into the night sky, pressing against the brick exterior wall of the club. I flip my phone around in my sweaty hand to call my sister, but when I scroll down to her name, I realize that I have no signal.
Shit.
I start walking down the sidewalk, holding the phone up in front of me, hoping to find a spot where I get at least one bar. I take little steps, watching the phone screen more than my surroundings.
“Shit,” I mumble to myself, knowing I’m going to get my ass chewed whenever I do get ahold of Ella.
“Need a lift?” an unfamiliar voice calls out, making me jump. I quickly turn around, dropping my phone in the process. It’s the creepy guy from the hallway, and now he is standing a few inches away from me.
My voice is stuck in my throat, and all I can do is shake my head. The man gives me a sinister smile that has my stomach coiling with nervous knots. Looking past his shoulders, I realize that I’ve wandered away a good bit from the front of the club, and I’m completely alone with this unknown man. My heart rate spikes as fear surges through my veins. I don’t know how, or why, but I just know something bad is about to happen.
I take a step back, desperately trying to get some distance. I feel paranoid, like I’m losing my mind. I think he is going to grab me, but he makes no move to do so. I take another step back, and he smiles at me, his eyes darken as if he is enjoying this little cat and mouse game.
I take another small step backward, realizing then why he didn’t try and grab me. A set of strong arms wrap around me from behind. Fear and panic creeps in when a large hand covers my mouth, stopping the scream burning to escape from my lips. I start kicking and flailing my arms, attempting to hit any appendage I can.
Time seems to stand still when I feel a prick in the side of my neck.
I fight for another five seconds before my limbs get heavy and my eyes close. I’m vaguely aware of a car pulling up next to us and my body being thrown into it like a rag doll. I want to fight, scream, and cry, but my body is completely useless and not following any of my commands. I feel my mind drifting away as panic settles deep inside of me. My last thought before the darkness completely claims me is to wonder if I will ever wake up again.
1
Violet
I groan, my eyelids feeling as if they have been replaced with sandpaper. My head is pounding, making it hard for me to think...I shiver as a coldness sweeps over my exposed skin. Exhaling, I pry my eyes open and find that I’m lying in a bed, looking up at a white ceiling.
For a moment, I think I’m in the hospital.
Was I in an accident?
I turn my head, expecting to find an IV sticking out of my arm, or some type of medical equipment. What I see instead makes my heart stop mid-beat. A deep panic settles into my bones, sinking deep into my core. I’m in a concrete box. There are no windows. In fact, all four walls are white, with no paintings or decor.
It is a completely empty room minus the mattress beneath me. I scurry into a sitting position, pressing my back against the wall. It’s cold, and I stifle a whimper by biting my lip. My eyes move over the room once more.
The mattress beneath me is stained and doesn't even have a sheet on it. There is no blanket or pillow. Nothing about this room says I’ll be staying for a while, and that terrifies me. If whoever has me doesn’t plan on keeping me for a while then that means… I can’t even finish the thought without feeling like I might pass out.