Perfect (Rewrite)

Chapter Nine

Chloe took Jacob's hand in hers and then twirled out of his arms and away from him and the camera; then she fell back on the bed and stared at the pure white ceiling above her. Everything was set up perfectly, it was almost like a little girl's dollhouse, the perfect room elegant and tasteful. Then again, maybe that's exactly what this was supposed to be. Their owner always telling them what to do; Chloe had never wondered what it was like to be a doll. Now she knew, and Chloe promised herself that she would never use one again, which wouldn't be a hard goal to accomplish considering her age. This was cruelty at its finest.

Jacob stood frozen in place, staring at the brick wall on the other side of the window. Chloe wanted to say something to bring him out of his trance, but she decided against it. She knew what it was like to need some time to think. The only freedom she had left was her thoughts, and Chloe wanted to keep hers in organized to the t. After a few minutes of silence, he sighed and then joined her, plopping down onto the bed beside her with both of their feet hanging off the end, staring up at the ceiling, waiting for something to happen, waiting for the option to go somewhere better than here.

"Do you think we'll ever get out of here?" Chloe asked him, wishing she had just kept her mouth shut. The truth wasn't what she wanted to hear. She glanced at the camera, but it hadn't turned to face them yet. Maybe the man on the other end wasn't always watching them. Relief flooded her mind as she gazed down at the three boxes on her wrist, still as empty as could be, wondering what it would feel like to have one of them filled.

"I hope so," Jacob said; then he took her hand and sighed again. Chloe looked over at him to meet his gaze, but he had already closed his eyes. His touch felt soft and warm, comforting beyond her wildest dreams.

"Is this what he wanted you to do too?" She asked, once again wishing she hadn't said anything. It wasn't really important, holding hands wasn't anything big, yet Chloe still felt like she needed to know, and she had a feeling she knew what the answer was going to be. Before Jacob climbed off of the bed and exited the room, he sighed one last time, leaving Chloe wondering what was the truth. Had it been an order or his own choice? And if it was the one she hoped it to be, then why had he done it? What was his reasoning? He didn't know her. He couldn't like her. It wasn't possible in a place like this, in hell, she needed to keep her mind on track, thinking of Jacob was too much of a distraction.

Chloe looked around her room and then kicked her shoes off of her feet. There was no point in wearing them; Chloe knew she wouldn't be going outside anytime soon, and they had already started making her feet sweat. Her shoes hit the floor and then she too sighed and continued staring up at the ceiling, wondering how this all happened. She wanted to think about her family, but she couldn't bring herself to. It was just too hard for her to imagine feeling what they were feeling, seeing what they were seeing, dealing with what they were dealing with. How hard was it to have someone taken from you? How long would they search for Chloe? Her stomach grumbled and then she groaned, regretting her decision to skip breakfast, the most important meal of the day, even though it really wasn't. Chloe had skipped it many times and never suffered any consequences because of it. Then again it wasn't too late for her to eat something anyways. The others, excluding Rachel, didn't seem like the kind to judge. They probably would've made her a bowl of fresh cereal as a kind gesture, an offering of friendship, of peace between them all, and Chloe would've accept it in a heartbeat.

She sat up and then stood up before exiting her room, shutting the door behind her, leaving the room with a brick wall on the other side and her shoes alone to sulk in their own dollhouse misery. It didn't take Chloe long to trek down the hallway and the stairs. Once she entered the living room, she made her way to the kitchen, grabbed a bowl and poured herself a half cereal and half milk filled breakfast delight. The flavor exploded in her mouth as she realized this was the first meal she had had since she was in the white padded room. All of the cereal and milk in the bowl disappeared within a matter of minutes, leaving Chloe full and satisfied, sitting alone in the kitchen while everyone else sat comfortably on the couch in the living room, staring blankly at the dysfunctional TV screen. It only seemed to work when the man who whispers wanted it to, which wasn't a surprise. TV rotted people's brains, of course he wouldn't want his dolls glued to the couch twenty four seven. They would be mindless zombies, but isn't that exactly how he wanted them anyways?

"I know it may seem strange right now," David said, entering the kitchen. He sat in the chair next to Chloe where Rachel usually sat and put his arm on her shoulder, gave her a small pat for comfort. "But in time you'll get used to all of this. We're trying our hardest to make things easy for you."

Chloe waited a minute before saying, "Thanks." Then she opened her mouth to ask something but Margaret entered the room and interrupted her. She was so close to getting answers, a mere inch away, and then it was ruined.

"Maybe we should wait until nine to discuss anything of importance."

"Margaret's right," David said; then he stood up, gave Chloe a smile which she returned gratefully, and joined the other two sitting in the living room. Margaret stood in between the living room and the kitchen with her arms crossed until she entered the kitchen and sat in the seat David had departed from. Even though she didn't say anything, Margaret held her hand, and whether Chloe wanted to admit it or not, it helped.