Taken by fate

Chapter 3

Amara, my best friend, had just told a joke that set the whole table into fits of laughter. I had no idea what it was, for some reason I missed the punchline even though I was sitting right next to her. Nudging Amara, but she ignored me so I tried again, nothing.
"All right, this isn't funny. We're not in elementary school anymore."
No one said anything, none of them even looked my way. Frantically waving my spread out hand in front  of Amaras face to get her attention but Amara just kept on talking as if I was doing nothing at all.
Confused, looking over to the others for help, realizing then that I could see their lips moving but I couldn't hear any words coming from their mouths. I couldn't hear anything besides the laughter.
Slamming my fist onto the table causing the food trays to bounce. Everyone looked down, surprise filing their faces. 
"Come on, seriously guys enough with the jokes."
After a second of hesitation they went back to their conversation like I wasn't even there at all.
"Seriously guys, what gives?"
Contagious laughter, Amara's, I would know that laugh anywhere. Frustrated, I grabbed onto my best friend's shoulder and tugged down. The girl's eyes bugged out of her head as she went searching around for what could have done it, looking right through me.
Suddenly my feet started to slide, my bottom slipping from my seat. What was this?
Seeing my feet sink into the floor, sucking me in like quicksand. None of my friends helped when I screamed out in terror. Grabbing onto the tabletop pulling myself up until my hands faded right through the two inch thick plastic. Reaching for something else, anything that would keep me from sinking down.
Fingers closing around the metal leg of the bench. My entire left arm was already under, my hand fazing past the metal. Nothing left to grab onto. My head, now the only thing still above the floor, helplessly watching as my friends continued to laugh until the floor covered my eyes giving me nothing but darkness and silence.
With a start I jumped up, breathing heavily.
My side was stiff from laying on the ground, surprised that I had even fallen asleep in the first place.
How long have I been out?
Too long. Police were coming. Soon. Please be soon.
A groan passed my lips as the dream came back to me. More like a nightmare, invisible to my friends as if I was already gone, none of them caring.
Did they know?
Did my parents call them to ask about me? Were they freaking out looking for me right now?
In my mind I envisioned my mom calling Amara to ask about me. Confused, Amara says that she hasn't seen me and goes on to ask what's happening. My mothers words crumble together in indistinguishable worry.
Then my best friend tries to calm her down enough to understand what's happening, mouth dropping, piecing together the pieces that I'm missing. Amara hanging up the phone immediately trying to call me.
A call that would never be answered because I didn't have my phone. Was it broken sending Amara straight to my voicemail where she would hear my cheery voice saying, "sorry can't come to the phone right now but leave a message if it's important."
Did you break my phone on purpose or did you just toss it into the street before you brought me here?
As I tried to swallow past the lump in my throat I felt how dry my mouth was. Starting to regret not taking the water, after all the tears I've shed my body was in desperate need of hydration.
You could have left the bottle down here. I cursed. If you did, would I have drank it? In this instance the answer was.
A memory from freshman year biology popped into my head. Lessons about the body, how sixty percent was water. Which means that if the body was dehydrated, internal organs would begin to shut down. Of course that took days, someone could last two weeks without food if they had water but no one could last more than a few days without either.
Dying of dehydration was one of the worst ways to die. Long, drawn out, the body slowly shutting down, shriveling from the inside out. Wanting to get the image out of my head I stood up and began walking in circles around the room. Trying to ignore the chain as it followed behind me. Silk clinging to my skin, rising up with each step. No matter how many times I pulled the hem down the fabric wouldn't stay. Frustrated, gripping the seams willing them to stretch.
Could be worse. I could be naked.
Not even walking two full laps before the door at the top of the stairs opened.
At that moment I was facing the wall away from the steps, standing almost in the dead center since I was avoiding the bed. Exposed.
Listening intently to the sound of your footsteps, pulse speeding up as you came down.
Silence.
What are you doing?
Closing my eyes tight, teeth grinding together, attempting to control the fear that was ravaging my insides. Although my breaths weren't very helpful. Coming fast, matching the pounding of my heart.
I waited.
For you to come at me, for you to speak, but when neither happened I couldn't handle the unknowing any longer.
"How long are you going to stand there?" The question came out shaky, my voice quiet, not knowing how you were going to respond.
"You're different." Your tone, so off from mine, loud, solid.
Digging my nails into the palms of my hands feeling them through the thin silk.
Different? Of course I was. Every single person is different and I was stuck in this room with a psycho that stole me.
"You didn't take the water yesterday."
My heart stopped. Have I really been here that long? An entire day. No you have to be lying. There was no way, I hadn't slept that long?
Had I?
Steps, getting closer.
From where the bulb was positioned it cast your shadow across the floor. Huge, growing larger until the dark outline completely covered my own.
"Would you like some now?" Your breath breezed across the back of my neck, tickling my ear. Scrunching my head in, mimicking a turtle with its shell. That would come in handy right now, protection wherever I went.
A turtle without a shell never survived.
Out of the corner of my eye I saw the plastic bottle, no label, just clear with a white lid.
Tongue resting on the roof of my mouth, dry as a desert.
Rough fingers brushing across the skin of my right shoulder sweeping my hair to my back. Quickly I spun taking a step away from you in the process, eyes landing on your shoes.
Cowboy boots. Worn from time. They were brown or maybe that was just the mud caked up around the soles. With the lighting, or lack thereof, I couldn't be certain.
"Watch."
Repeating the same action you did before, removing the lid, this time skipping the toast, raising the opening to your lips. A dribble of water falling down your chin.
"Here."
Arm fully extended towards me, hand taking up the entire bottle. If I took that we would most certainly have to touch, but that's probably what you planned.
Gradually loosening my right hand, keeping the other in place. Sight still locked on your shoes. I had to drink eventually. If I didn't take the water now then you would take it with you, leaving me to wait until you decided to come back down again. That was if you actually brought the water back down at all.
Hesitant. Arm raising up.
Thinking that this was all just a game to you. Maybe you didn't really want me to have the water, you just wanted me to want it. Taunting me with something you knew I needed.
That's how all this worked wasn't it?
You'd probably pull the bottle back as soon as I got near enough, laughing at me.
Truth was, anything that happened would be up to you. You had the power, the freedom. At the moment I had nothing except the hope to be rescued.
Fingertips itching to grab the water, already halfway there.
Maybe you did have the control, the ability to do whatever you wanted because I was stuck. There was no doubt that you could overpower me, with those muscles you could snap my neck with one hand. So far you hadn't, instead you chose to make me wait.
Did you do the same to the last girl? How long did she last?
Quickly pulling my hand back.
You stepped closer and I stepped back. Another step forward, another step back. Boot coming closer, this time I moved to the side, you turned.
Following me.
You didn't have ALL the control. Mentally smirking at this small bit of newly learned knowledge.
Deciding to test the idea further heading back to the center of the room. Soon enough you were standing right there in front of me, the water resting on the thigh of your jeans.
Watching me, waiting for a reaction as I contemplated what to do. There was no telling what you actually wanted, what you had planned for me.
Square fronts on your boots only inches from my bare feet making me fully aware of myself. How the silk conformed to my curves, so thin that I could make out every detail, poking out around my nipple curving in at my crotch. The seam on the bottom had risen since I let go, now sitting at the top of my hip. Hair had fallen into my face, keeping you from viewing me fully.
Not wanting you to look at me anymore I turned in a full one eighty. Watching as your shadow on the ground moved, disappearing for only a second as you passed by me.
"Why me?" Words coming out soft.
The question had entered my mind earlier. Was I in the wrong place at the wrong time? Or had you been watching me, a plan to grab me no matter what I had done?
You let out a short chuckle making me wince.
"Tell you what. You drink this and I'll answer your question."
Were you lying? If you were going to kill me, why did you care so much if I stayed hydrated. Unless it wasn't just water.
Did I really want to know the answer that badly? I have to drink at some point, at least this way I might get some information.
Raising my right hand again, palm up, waiting for you to place the water in my hand and yet you hadn't. Knowing this was all a joke, about to walk off before I saw that you were holding the water to me.  
This time your hand only held on to the bottom, tipping the rest of the bottle towards me.
You wanted me to take it from you.
Warning bells going off like crazy inside my head, telling me not to do it, warning me to get away. Ignoring all of them I slipped the fingers on my right hand around the white lid, surprisingly you let go as soon as my grip tightened.
Bringing the water into my chest, standing there for a long minute before I released my other hand to unscrew the top. Squeezing the cap into my palm letting the plastic notches sink into my flesh. Distracting myself as I slowly tipped the bottle to my mouth, the contents rolling down my throat as I drained every last sip.
Empty in a matter of seconds.
If there was anything else mixed in then I was about to find out.
"You WERE thirsty."
Your hands back by your sides, t-shirt hanging loosely around your waist, wearing the same clothes you had on before. Could you be lying about how long I've been here, or had you just not bothered to change clothes.
Still I couldn't get myself to look up at your face, to see the man that brought me here.
"One morning I was taking a drive, there was a detour sign that led me through a neighborhood. When I came up to the cross section I saw a girl on the other side of the street, leaning against the lamppost staring up at the sky. So beautiful and carefree."
Scoffing at that comment but everything else you were saying was true. Stomach dropping as I remembered the road work that had been taking place a couple of weeks ago.
"At that moment I couldn't take my eyes off of you." Your words sounded as if you stole them directly from some cheesy romance novel. Rolling my eyes, shaking my head as I processed everything. So it was by chance that you happened upon me, stupid potholes. You had your eyes on me there was no stopping this. Even if the bus driver had shown up, you would have ran and waited for another time.
That also meant that you had time to plan, to make sure you didn't make any mistakes. Mistakes I was hoping you would make by randomly grabbing me. You had been careful, still someone had to see something, hear a noise and look out their window.
No way could you have just taken me without there being any evidence. Tire marks at least, traffic light footage, license plate number. Police were coming, I just had to survive until they got here.
"Fate led me to you, then it was my turn to get you here."
Plastic popping, crushing as my hand tightened into a fist. Fate. You were crazy. Schedule, I had to be outside at a certain time for the bus to pick me up. There was no avoiding the time. That sign, that stupid fucking detour sign was the reason I was here now. A sign. Of course. You weren't crazy, no, you were a complete lunatic.
Throwing the compacted water bottle on impulse, hitting you square in the chest. Eyes widening after I realized what I had done.
You came at me, walking fast. Flight instincts kicking in turning away from you, sprinting only a couple of steps before running smack into the wall. A hand at both sides of my head, you were right behind me. This was bad, why did I do that?
Pressing my whole body further against the cool cement wanting my body to phase through like I had in my dream.
Trapped.
"I'm going to take care of you."
Air blowing past my hair, so close I could smell peppermint coming from your breath. Terrified, stomach and shoulders flattening against the cement.
"Look at me."
Frantically shaking my head no, scrapping my forehead across the grain, cheeks getting wetter by the second as fresh tears fell from my closed eyes.
"Don't hurt me." Whimpering.
"Look at me." This time was a command, your hand on my arm nudging me to turn around.
"NOO!" "No, no."
Unwilling to move, unable to keep air in my lungs.
All of a sudden the pressure was gone, steps followed by a door closing.
Falling to my knees hard, using the wall to keep from falling the rest of the way.
Staying like that even after all my tears ran out.
You were gone.
For now.