Possession(53)

I sit for a while, wondering what I can do. I have three chances to put this pin in correctly, and if I get two wrong and decide to go for the third and get that wrong too, Drake will know. If I use the phone—which I will—Drake will know. Whatever options, I’m fucked. And I know I’m fucked.

But, I miss my friend, Mandy. I haven’t spoken to her in weeks, and just two minutes of conversation with her would be worth any punishment Drake may want to unleash on me later.

With that thought in my mind, I light the phone up again and have a think on what the pin could be. I put Drake’s day and month of birth, but it comes up wrong, so I put my day and month in. That’s wrong too. Shit. What am I going to do now?

I sit for a while, thinking, but the only alternative pin I can think of is my month and year of birth.

With shaky hands, I type out zero-six, ninety-eight and hover for a moment over the Okay button. With my eyes closed, I press Okay and open one eye to see if it’s worked or not. To my surprise, it’s correct.

With my heart beating frantically, I quickly dial Mandy’s number. Luckily, I know it by heart. Otherwise, I would have had to search on Facebook, and I really don’t want to have to do that on Drake’s phone.

Knowing that there’s no going back now, I press Okay to call and wait as her phone starts ringing.

“Hello,” she tentatively answers. I know she’s wondering who this is, but I’m glad Mandy’s predictably curious.

“Mandy, it’s Evelyn.”

I hear her intake of breath before she speaks. “Evelyn, how are you? Drake told me you were ill. Are you okay now? Fuck, Evelyn, I’ve been worried sick about you.”

Ill? So, this is the lie Drake has been spilling to my friend as to the reason why I haven’t called.

“Mandy, I’m fine. I haven’t been ill—”

“Then why did Drake tell me you were?”

I love Mandy, but she’s so frustrating at times. “Don’t you get it by now? You know who Drake is, don’t you? You yourself pointed out that he kills people. Whatever Drake wants, Drake gets, and I am and have always been at the top of his list. I don’t want this, and Drake knows that, so he’s kept me prisoner here. That’s why I haven’t called you.”

“But you’re calling me now.”

I sigh. “Yes. Because Drake had a phone call that he didn’t like, threw the phone on the bed with a huff, and stormed out of our room. If he knew I was calling you now, he would flip.”

“Jesus, Evelyn.”

“Exactly.” I close my eyes, hoping that, now, I’ve finally gotten through to her.

“I … I don’t understand it. He loves you, and you were always so infatuated by him—”

“But he forces it. Don’t you understand?” I ask, cutting her off. “He forces me to want him, forces me to be with him, forces me to have sex with him, forces me to marry him, and now’s he’s forcing me to have his baby.”

“Fuck.” She goes deathly silent for a while before speaking. “Can you meet me?”

“I can’t. I’m stuck here with armed guards. I’ve wanted to see you for ages, but Drake said I couldn’t. Not until I could be trusted not to run.”

“Oh my God.”

I can tell she’s shocked and unable to quite fathom what’s happening. Normally, Mandy’s a very vocal girl, but I’m not getting anything from her.

“When do you think I can see you then?” she asks.

I sigh, wondering whether I can trust Mandy enough to tell her. In the end, I know she’s the only one I can.

Looking towards the door, I run into the bathroom and start putting on the shower and turning the sink taps on to muffle any noise. I know Drake can see me, but there’s no telling whether he can also hear everything that’s going on.

“What’s that noise?” she asks.

“I’ve had to put the shower on,” I whisper. “The bedroom might be bugged, and I don’t want him to hear me.”

“Oh,” she whispers back. I can’t understand why she’s whispering.

“Listen, I don’t know when I’ll get to see you again, but I’m planning on leaving. I’ve got some help from the inside. He’s promised me he would.”

“Who?”

“His name’s Joe. But please, Mandy. Don’t say anything to anybody about this.”

“Of course not.”

“Do you promise?”

“I promise. Just be careful.”

I smile at Mandy’s concern. “I will.” I go to work, switching everything off before walking out to the bedroom. I sit down with my smile still plastered and ask her a question.