“Your parents don’t know Peter visits here, do they?”
She glanced at him and then at the three men. Their arms were folded, and smirks were on their face. Her heart raced. Cape Falls was a shitty town, but the rumours about these men were the worst. She heard they preyed on women, raped them, but they always had an alibi. The women left Cape Falls or ended up in some accident. She hated it and hated them.
“No, he sits in a room and reads. There’s nothing else to it. He has a right to visit the library as well.”
Brad laughed. “He’s fucking scum, Rose. You shouldn’t allow him near you or to touch you.”
He reached out to stroke her face, and she flinched away. Brad paused with his hand mid-air.
His friends laughed. She stayed still as Brad stroked her cheek. “I don’t want you eating with him again. I’ll be here from now on. You stay away from him.”
“Why?” she asked.
Rose bit her lip as he grabbed both her arms and hauled her up close to his body.
“Because I’ll tell your parents and then there will be nowhere for you to turn.” Brad lowered his head, and Rose turned her face in time. His lips brushed against her cheek.
“Remember, I’ll be around, Rose.”
She didn’t like the sound of his voice. He scared her so much.
Brad held her in his arms, and she kept her gaze on his chest not wanting to look into his eyes.
Please leave. Please leave. Please leave.
She repeated the words to stop herself from screaming them out. Soon they left the room. Rose watched them leave and took a deep breath. They were scary men, and she didn’t want to have to be alone with them ever again.
After her shift at the library she made her way home. Her parents were not home yet, but it would only be a matter of time. She entered their home and went straight to the kitchen. Rose was starving, and she really needed to eat.
Glancing at the cupboards she saw them all locked and bolted. Turning to the fridge she looked inside. Her mother had marked where the milk was when she left, and everything was put in place. If she ate anything her parents would know. They were controlling everything. She left the kitchen and made her way toward the laundry closet. There was where she found the scales and the measuring tape, along with the notebook her mother kept at her father’s insistence.
Every morning without fail she was forced to stand on the scales, and then she was measured around the waist, hips, arms and breasts. Her father would check the numbers and decide what to do.
Growing up she’d never suffered with this. Her parents fed her without concern at all. They’d given her chocolate, sweets, and healthy meals. It was only recently her food ban had come into force, along with the regular checks on her weight and measurements.
Closing the door, she headed upstairs to her room. She wasn’t allowed a lock, and her mother cleaned her room every day. There was no chance of privacy. Her mother believed privacy was overrated and she needed to do what her parents requested of her.
I’m nineteen and nothing but a prisoner.
She walked to her window and looked out over the horizon. Her bedroom had a clear view of the outskirts of town. Many times she’d wondered what it would be like to simply empty her bank account and leave without looking back. Once she left she’d be in charge of her future. There would be no more weighing scales or locked cupboards. She’d be free to do what she wanted when she wanted to do it.
Letting out a sigh, she rid her mind of the thoughts.
Her mother’s words came back to her.
“You leave this house and this town and you’ll never survive. You’ll be at the mercy of some pimp who’ll use you and your body. Can you hack having a new man between your thighs every minute?”
Over the years she’d grown terrified of leaving her parental home. She wouldn’t last two minutes out in the real world.
****
Brad entered his parents’ home with his friends following behind him. Both his parents were at work, and there was no one home, which was how he liked it. His family were not as rich as the Steer brothers, but they were close to it.
“Did you see the look on her face? She’s terrified of you,” Adam said.
He smirked, going into the games room and taking a seat. Thinking about Rose made his dick rock hard.
“Terrified she may be, but soon she’ll be my woman and I can do whatever the fuck I want with her.”
All three friends turned to him. They’d been with him growing up and knew what he was like.
“What are you saying?” Tyler asked, smirking.
“My dad put in a word with her dad. They’re following strict instructions to put her through an eating regimen. She’s been reduced to two meals a day and is weighed every morning.”