[COMPLETED]
"If you let me leave now, I won't tell anyone what you did sir..." I grumbled, and he smirked a little, as if it was a hilarious joke. "Like I said, you aren't leaving Caroline..."
Caroline was once a perfectly happy child, she had a hom...
May 12th, 1975 I'd been living with Jack for over a month, and things were becoming different. Though he didn't initially stop, he became less sexual towards me. He didn't hit me, and he started letting me out of the basement on a regular basis. I started to read bigger books, explore his home, and look outside the window to see the playing children. I even once helped Jack in repainting one of his rooms. My hair was growing back, even if it was still rather choppy. I even started braiding it to keep it out of my face for once. I was so used to my hair covering my eyes, it felt nice to have a change. Jack even started teaching me how to cook, it was really helpful!
As I sat in his living room, reading a novel, I thought about how change was affecting me, my brain, and my heart. I wasn't in love with him, but rather just curious, I wanted to help him. Sure he flattered me, but I was extremely young, and was still technically his "hostage." I was still falling prey to a form Stockholm Syndrome, I was trusting my captor. How stupid I was being back then. Jack was out buying paint and groceries, and I was trusted enough to be in the house myself. Drinking some tea he had made me before he left, I quietly read my book, when there was a knock at the door. I quietly got up and opened the door, the police officer man I had become acquainted with was there.
"Hello Violet," he said cheerfully. I smiled, "oh, hello officer" I replied, holding open the door a little more to allow him inside. He walked in a little. "I don't mean to bother you, I just wanted to come by and chat, since I have the day off" he spoke, and looked around from where he was standing. I closed the door behind him and invited him into the living room. He sat down on the couch, and I sat beside him. "So, officer, why'd you come by to see me?" I asked, looking into his brown eyes that gave me a sense of deja-vu. "Well, you're the most friendly person I've met in a long time, and I enjoy talking with you" he smiled. "Oh, and, just call me James, I'm not on duty right now, so you don't need to be fancy" James chuckled. I almost felt like I heard his name somewhere before, but I couldn't place it.
I poured and handed him a cup of tea, and he drank it rather quickly. We talked for a good hour before he realized the time had flown. "Sorry Violet, I must be completely eating up your time, I should probably leave," James said as he stood up. For a moment, I didn't want him to leave. I enjoyed his company, it was nice seeing someone other than Jack all the time. James waved and left, and for a while, I simply stood in the doorway, watching the sun begin to set.
_____
I was taking a bath when Jack came back, and he gently knocked on the bathroom door. "Come in..." I said softly, ducking a little so he couldn't see my body. Jack entered, holding something in his arms. "Hey Caroline, I was at the store, when I saw this, and, I thought it would look nice on you..." he said as he held it out. In his hands was a beautiful black lace dress with small sleeves and a corset at the back. I could feel my face go warm with blush, happy for his kind gesture and compliment. "It's, it's beautiful, thank you Jack..." I smiled.
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Jack smiled back and carefully laid the dress on the bathroom counter, leaving the room and gently shutting the door. I quickly finished bathing, and dried myself off. I carefully pulled on the dress and tied it, it fit my figure perfectly. I giggled and twirled a little, and the skirt flowed up and around. I felt like a little girl in that moment. Spinning and giggling as if nothing was wrong.
It had been a long time since I willingly wore a dress. The one that Jack had leant me before was ugly and too old fashioned, but this one was beautiful, and well made. I happily twirled, and dried off my hair, pulling it into a tight braid. I exited the bathroom, and Jack was there, just about to enter his room, when he saw me. "Caroline, you look beautiful..." he smiled. I blushed a little from slight embarrassment. No one had complimented me this much in a long time. "Th-thank you Jack..." I stammered. Like I said, I wasn't in love with him, how anyone could love him is beyond me. These feelings, they were trust, sympathy, friendship even. Jack then plucked a beautiful thornless purple rose from a small pot on a windowsill, and tucked it behind my ear. He smiled, and I smiled back.
I quickly went down to the basement and grabbed my scarf, wrapping it around my neck. Laying on my bed, I stared up at the ceiling. Everything was changing before my eyes, Dustin, Jack, my whole life. I slowly fell asleep there, in my beautiful dress, and wrapped in my mothers love in physical form.
May 23rd, 1975 Part of me told me to escape, the other half, told me to just stay. I was torn between the decision of leaving this place and being free, yet hungry and poor and unloved, or staying, and even though I wasn't happy, I was at least fed and given clothes and sympathetic smiles. It's decisions like that that can take lifetimes to truly decide upon. It's because of their difficulty that I cried silently in the bathroom. Sitting on the edge of the tub, my black lace dress hugging around my knees. My mind was torn, all with the life changing choice I desperately wished I knew the answer to. I had many questions. Questions like, where is mom? Heaven? Is dad still alive? How is Dustin doing? Questions about the few people I held in my heart.
I wondered then if I'd ever know the answer to anything. Was this cruel world placing a joke on me by keeping me here? Maybe the house itself was making me crazy. I couldn't choose. It seemed like the logical answer was to leave. But the life I had here, it was almost perfect to what I wanted. Aside from Jack touching me, this place was helping me in a way. I finally had a sense of belonging. With that aside though, I still wasn't happy. I wanted to go outside, interact with people. I wanted to go explore the world again, care for my brother, maybe even search for my father! But I was trapped. This house Privet called mine too, was a world on its own. I was trapped in its safe, warm arms. A secluded world.
The feelings of sympathy and care I started to feel for Jack, I let them slowly melt away. I was letting myself fall prey to his grasp. I was getting more and more tangled in his endless web. Closing my eyes, I thought of my brother, my father, and my beloved mother. I finally let my hate and sadness seep in.
