In Our Blood

Chapter Seventeen

Charlie felt like she had his trust as they stepped out of the elevator, she followed him to the dining room. She felt like she knew how to control what he wanted her to be, she just had to remind herself that she was CHARLIE and not charlotte, she gave up being Charlotte long ago.

Charlie stepped into the dining room; she noticed the food cart sitting by the table. She lifted off the lid than turned her attention to her father.

There wasn't a roast meal sitting on the plates.

There was nothing on the plates.

"But...But..." Charlie tried to process her words "I didn't fail."

"This isn't punishment." He coldly spoke "This is your reward."

Charlie seemed confused.

"You stated last night that every time you kill someone, you are served a roast. I didn't know what you'd do when you lingered downstairs. I thought you'd try to escape; freedom was just beyond those doors, but you found someone. You talked to them, you tried to reason with them until I came down." He took a moment to let his words linger in the air "Charlotte struggled to come forward, I could see you wanted to stay as Charlie. The young woman who didn't want to hurt anyone, but you knew it was only a matter of time before you realised who you were, Charlotte."

Charlie wasn't sure how to respond to that.

"You did linger too long on trying to help the woman but watching you, watching you toy with her." He beamed with pride "Calling me father. I haven't heard that word in years, I had yearned for you to call me dad. To hear it downstairs" He shivered in joy "But your lying. My daughter wouldn't take pride in kills. She'd be clever, she'd be calculated. I did train you, but I trained you to do better."

Charlie stayed silent.

"Your weakness is showing."

Charlie kept a poker face as she tried to figure out what her weakness was.

"You say your my weakness which makes your weakness me. You can't run from me. You can try to hide but you've noticed that I'm a better tracker."

Charlie gripped the lid of the food tray in her hand as she kept her gaze on her father "Daddy dearest is my weakness." She couldn't help but laugh as she threw the lid at him, he managed to duck in time. The lid landed in the hallway "If you were my weakness than why..." Her face dropped with realisation.

She had been locked in this trap for almost a full week. She had killed eleven people and not one of them was her father.

She killed Roni. She killed Josie. She killed eight people. She killed that woman.

She had threatened to kill her father, she had threatened to kill herself but didn't go through either of those.

Charlie exhaled deeply as she tried to calm herself down.

"Now, if you're done. We have some business to get to."

Charlie swallowed hard as she watched him, he stepped out of the dining room closing the door behind him. She was left alone in the dining room.

She looked around the room, nothing looked out of ordinary. The curtain was open, the table sat in the middle of the room with two chairs, the food cart positioned next to the table.

Charlie remained calm as she stepped towards the door, she tried to push it open, but it wouldn't budge.

"ASSHOLE!" She screamed into the air as she gave up on the door.

"Time's ticking, Charlotte."

She turned her back to the door as she watched around the room. She had to wait, wait for what. For Charlie to stop being Charlie? For Charlotte to come forward? For her to realise that her father was her weakness?

Charlie slid down the door, she brought her knees to her chest as she kept her focus around the room.