“Mr. Coleman,” I try, my tongue sluggish. Maybe I can talk my way out in order to escape from this monster. “Why are you doing this?”
Ignoring my question, he glides across the floor. “I didn’t want to say anything earlier, but your eyes are all swollen and bloodshot. I know the result of crying when I see it. I’ll make it all better.” He speaks in a soft, reverent tone. “Princess, are you ready to take my hand?”
Fuck, what can I do? He has me cornered. He’s too far away to stab without losing the element of surprise, and too strong if I run without diverting him first. I need to get to those stairs.
“The other girl,” I whisper.
“Hmm, yes. I thought about keeping her, but then you came right to me. I’d much rather have my prize instead. I knew you couldn’t stay away forever. You don’t have to be jealous of the others.”
He’s not just manic—he’s delusional. He thinks I want him. A fierce wave of nausea upsets my stomach.
I need something to distract him. There’s a paint can on a bench next to the worktable, just out of reach while his attention is on me. An old rolling chair sits at the edge of the pool of yellow light. Maybe I can knock him off balance?
While I’m searching for something else to use against him, Mr. Coleman steps closer. I jump aside in revolt, but he traps me with a terrifying chuckle, his chest touching me as I lean back against the worktable until it digs into my back.
“Where do you think you’re going, pet?”
Another panicked noise catches in my throat as I try to edge away. My nails dig into my palm around the screwdriver’s handle.
Wrong, wrong, wrong, my mind clangs.
“You…you said your name was Henry,” I babble, mind racing to figure a way out of this without ending up like my mom’s sister. I’m so scared of what he’ll do to me, the fear making it hard to move. Whenever he was mad because I didn’t do what he wanted, he would flay me with words once I crawled back. Now, he could do so much worse. “And that you were only three years older than me. We stopped, I-I stopped answering.”
Mr. Coleman touches my hair and I flinch with a frightened sound. “Shh, my darling. I know it’s upsetting to find out I lied, but they were little lies. Necessary ones. You were so young, so I didn’t want to scare you off. Not when our souls were speaking so clearly to one another.”
Bile rushes up my throat.
His eyes dance back and forth between mine. He cocks his head. “I know you felt it, too. Every class, I longed to reach out.” His mouth curves into an ugly, lopsided grin. “You’re always so eager for me.”
I shake my head, unable to speak. The tears welling in my eyes wobble, blurring my vision. When I blink, they burn hot paths down my cheeks.
“Don’t cry, pet,” he says in a light, haunting tone. “I got you this gift, see? I want to show you how special you are to me. You’ll wear this and know you’re mine.”
So special he has several other matching ones for however many girls he’s done this to.
As he leans back to fumble with the chain, he spots my purse on the floor with the file sticking from it. One of my photos peeks out far enough to see what it is. He lowers the necklace, staring at the picture.
Ice shoots through my veins.
“What’s this?” Mr. Coleman sounds annoyed, sending my heart tripping over a beat in fear I’ve made him mad. He snatches the bag, digging the folder of evidence out.
“No, don’t!”
His face turns to stone as he flips through the file while I’m plastered against the worktable in horror.
“Why do you have this, Thea?” I didn’t think it was possible, but his creepy factor ratchets up another degree when he turns his gaze back on me, eyes dead and soulless. He sighs in disappointment. “I can’t let you leave here now, princess.”
“W-Why? That would be bad. Wrong. Please.” My voice trembles. Every part of my body quakes in fear. “It’s fine. I won’t tell. You can let me go. We’ll pretend nothing happened.”
He barks out a sharp sound, shaking his head as he comes close again. “Nothing, is it? You’re ruining our nice evening together.”
“Please,” I whisper hoarsely. “You don’t have to do this.”
“Princess,” he says as he strokes my cheek, leaning close enough to nearly brush his lips over mine. With a sharp intake of air, I jerk my head to the side, but he grips my chin in a punishing grip and yanks me back. His touch feels like barbed wire tearing through my gut. “What makes you think I can resist when I have you here? You ran right into my arms.”
I shake my head in denial, struggling to free myself from his hold. Maybe if I play along again, he’ll let me go. It might give me enough time to grab the paint can if he doesn’t think I’m going to run. He was always more receptive when I made clumsy attempts to take initiative in his games. It makes me sick to my stomach, but I can do this. I fight back the nausea rolling through me and force my body to relax.
“It’s just…” My voice is scratchy and small. Come on, Thea. Do this and maybe you get to escape your nightmare and live. “It’s just, my mom. She’s strict.”
Mr. Coleman coos to pacify my false worries. “We’ll sort it all out, princess. We’ll leave town if we have to. If no one understands us, we’ll just go.”
“Or, we could just wait until graduation. My friends are here.” I’m grasping for anything to make him disregard me as a flight risk or a threat enough to back off. As soon as I have space, I’ll distract him and run. The door isn’t locked anymore. It’s left open at the top of the steps. “We’ll make it like a game. Secret meetings.”
Using something so close to my love story with Connor rakes hot coals over my heart, but I’m so stressed out and scared. I’ll say anything to appease the man caging me against the worktable.
Mr. Coleman hums in consideration, studying me. I think he likes the idea. “A game.”
I nod eagerly. “Yes! No one will know we’re t-together. It’ll be fun. Our little secret, just like our emails.”
“Yes, you’re onto something there.” He taps my nose and finally takes a step back. “Right under everyone’s noses. No one will know I’ve fucked you on my desk, had you on your knees beneath it with those incredible lips sucking my cock. Mm, princess. This is a wonderful idea. I always knew you were my favorite of my girls for a reason.”
His grin stretches into something hideous as I swallow my gag. At last he turns his back on me as he ruminates on his disgusting fantasies of having me. While he’s distracted, I snatch the nearby paint can, heart thumping violently. It’s not as heavy as I hoped, maybe half-full, but I throw it as hard as possible. It smashes into his head, disorienting him.
The papers in the file spill to the floor as he stumbles, catching himself on the rolling chair. It crashes as his body weight collides with it.
I don’t wait, dashing for the stairs to get to the kitchen, still armed with the screwdriver. A grunt and heavy footsteps are right on my heels. I push my legs to move as fast as possible so I can outrun the monster chasing me.
“No you don’t!” The sound of his feet pounding on the creaking wooden stairs will haunt me forever if I make it out of this alive.