Viktor(16)

I smile as I roll over and face the ceiling again.

I guess that’s just it.

That’s why he’s so angry and looks desperate at the same time. Because he wanted me.

Not my sister. Me.

And by trading her captivity with mine, I handed myself to him on a silver platter.





***





Hours later





After a while, when my stomach begins to growl like mad, I open the door. I told myself I’d rather die than come out of this room, but I want food more than I need my pride. I look around to see if Viktor is gone before I go out. I tiptoe through the hallways, hoping no one will hear me as I walk downstairs. Delicious smells from the kitchen entice me … where I find Winston cleaning up the table.

Shit.

I back away slowly, trying not to make a sound, but then I bump into a table and ruin it.

“Oh, you’re up!”

I look up only to find Winston staring right at me.

But my eyes immediately widen at the sight of the stack of pancakes on the plate he’s holding in his hand.

“Hungry?”

I nod and lick my lips.

He beckons me. “C’mon. I won’t bite.”

I hesitate, but the welcoming smile coupled with the mouthwatering smells pull me in.

He places the plate on the kitchen countertop and pulls out a stool, patting it. “Sit.”

I do as he says and sit while he grabs a fork and a knife, which he places in front of me, along with syrup and a cup of tea. “Do you like tea? I’m sorry, I didn’t even ask.”

“No, it’s fine,” I say, smiling as I take a sip. “I love tea. Thank you.”

“Oh, no worries.” He looks at the pancakes. “Go on.”

I put the syrup on the pancakes and cut a piece. When it enters my mouth I almost die right on the spot. The moan that comes from my mouth is indecent, but fuck it … food this good needs to be celebrated.

Winston chuckles. “Well, I’m glad you like it.”

“Oh, my God, these are delicious,” I mumble with a mouth chock-full of pancake.

“Really?” He perks up from my compliment, so I guess he made them.

“Yeah, too good.” I gobble up some more. “You’re a great cook.”

“Oh, I try my best.” He cleans up a few more of the dirty dishes. “Why else do you think Viktor keeps me here? It’s not for the advice, but I bet you already noticed that.”

“Yeah, he doesn’t seem interested in acting like a normal human being, does he?”

Winston shrugs. “Eh, he has his moments. He’s not all bad.”

I take another bite. “Oh, really? But he keeps you a prisoner as well.”

“Oh no, I’m not a prisoner,” he says, laughing a bit. “And I’m sure you won’t be either once he comes to his senses.”

“If he ever will …” I sigh.

“He will,” Winston says, looking up at me. “I just know he’ll come around.”

“How?”

He puts down the plates and forks he was cleaning. “Because he’s not as bad as he makes himself seem.”

“He just likes to be an asshole.”

“Exactly. It’s his way of defending himself.”

“From what? Me?”

Winston rubs his lips together. “Yes.”

At first, I don’t know what to say, but then I almost burst into laughter. “Nah. What? You can’t be serious, right?”

The man raises his brows. “It’s the truth. But don’t tell him I told you.”

“All right. So is that why he wears that mask? Because he’s shy?”

Winston averts his eyes. “Well, yes, but there’s more to it than that …”

“What’s he hiding then?”

His face darkens. “I shouldn’t be telling you this, but … something horrible happened to Viktor.”

I frown and lean in, eager for more. The man’s eyes flash to mine and back to the dishes before he opens his mouth again. “If I tell you this, you have to promise me you won’t tell him. It’s too sensitive.”

“I promise,” I say.

He takes a big breath. “All right. Well, about ten years ago, I was strolling through a valley, searching for specific herbs. My wife needed them because she was sick, and we didn’t have a lot of money to get regular medicine, so the herbs had to do. You’d be surprised what you can find in the grass just a few miles away. Anyway, somewhere in the middle of the field, I heard a man screaming. I thought it was just my imagination, but it became so loud that I just had to go check. It turned out to be Viktor.”

Winston takes a break in his story to grab an apple and start peeling it. “When I found him, he was covered in blood.”