Moonlight

The moonlight dances across her face, illuminating the subtle imperfections of her otherwise flawless appearance. Her mouth a permanent I'm better than you and I know it kind of smirk, fixed in place without intention. Everyone wanted to be Alexis Smarts, or be with her. She knew that deep down but never paid any real attention to it. After all, she had more pressing issues to deal with.

The eve of her eighteenth birthday was fast approaching, the pit in her stomach bubbling away and washing over her in waves of fear and uncertainty, no escaping the choice she was destined to make.

"It's not your fault, Al" Her father whispers from the dark of his desk, head bowed, eyes heavy, all life drained from them.

"I know, Papa" Alexis turns to meet her fathers gaze but the chair is empty and the room is heavy with a deafening silence once more. She turns again and stares at the moon, wishing she could beam herself up and find refuge in its warm inviting light. Let it take away the darkness in her heart.

The bars that cage Alexis surround her like a pack of hungry wolves, chattering slightly with each howl of wind and spatter of rain or hail. Hungry but never closing in the for the kill, just a constant reminder of her inability to escape this nightmare. A plate of small scraps of unknown orgin sits snarling at her, giving her stomach a signal to fight for any sign of nutrition it may be able to find, but she ignores it. Not today. She shakes her head at the various growls and grunts from her defeated shrinking stomach and turns her back on the food.

Just patiently waiting. To hear the click of possible freedom. The heavy footsteps of her intended escape but time seems to pass so slowly tonight. Every tick of the clock a punch to the gut, agony. She moans as her stomach finally subdues to the fight and goes limp under her defiance. The growling ceases but now bile remains which threatens to work it's way up to her mouth and shatter the illusion that she's ok. Alexis refuses and swallows hard. All the while staring at the beauty of the night sky and praying for the sound she so desperately needs to hear.

Click, clack. Click, clack. Click, clack. Metal scrapes across metal and ends with a mighty bang. Followed by another sharp sound of the metal grinding across a surface. Then silence.

Now it's time. She unfolds her weary arms and scrambles about in her unkempt chocolate brown ponytail. She finally fishes out the key she had managed to swipe a few months ago upon learning her fate for tonight. Praying it still works she pushes the key deep into the frightening and solid rectangle she's stared at for most of her life. Swiftly turning it to the right and being met with the sound of a bolt being released. Her heart skips a beat and the sweat on her brow ceases, the last few droplets slowly making it's way down her pale white complexion and disappearing into her pores as quickly as it had arrived.

A single dimmed bulb barely giving sight to the concrete nightmare ahead, swings sinisterly above her; creaking softly in its rotation.

Alexis runs her hands across the walls either side of her, to guide her as she hurries towards the end of corridor. Her feet seeming to want to escape her body, panic in every step. Not wanting to mess up but scared if she goes too slow, she may find herself back staring at the moon, longing for freedom.

Two doors stand before her, angry and defiant. She digs into her ponytail once again and produces a long thin pin, which has been fashioned to resemble the key which dangled from her masters pocket. It would sneer at her with an evil glint, teasing her with the possibility of freedom which she assumed she would never have again and watch it bound away with master when he left. She studied it for what felt like forever, as she pretended to listen to masters pitiful ramblings night after night. She never listened really, only nodding every so often as she memorized each and every groove of the key. She knew it had to be perfect and even then it was a long shot but she couldn't give up. Papa needed her.

She takes a deep breath and steps toward the door that stands between her and her freedom. She slides the makeshift key into the lock, her hands trembling in unison with her jagged breathing and quivering lip. The moment of truth. It slips in with ease. Her heart pounds through her feeble chest, threatening to burst out of her skin at any moment. It doesn't of course, just beats away, heavy and hard. She turns the key with the slightest of force, careful not to snap the weak metal, not when she has come this far. By some miracle the lock clicks and the door makes a faint popping sound. No time for celebrations though. She pushes the door outward and is met with her old friend, the moon. This time no bars to obscure her view, only the beautiful crisp night air and a blanket of blinking stars. Now she runs and never looks back, not even once. Just running.

"C'mon Al, come back to me" A man stands, peering through the window of a small room. Eyes heavy. Pain etched into every crease of his hardened face.

"She's due another resurface, but you haven't got long. I suggest you try a different approach this time. Maybe lean more towards her younger years instead of the week leading up to the kidnap. I feel it acts as a trigger."

The man grips the edges of the envelope he's been clasping for the past hour, wet finger marks from his sweat tearing through the paper slightly.

"I understand. Do you think this could work?" He stares through the window at the ghost of what use to be his beloved daughter, laying still on the bed. Eyes closed and hands clenched.

"Maybe. At this point anything is worth a try. She appears to be waking now. Good luck."

With that the man enters the room and sits down next to her, still hopeful that she will return. Praying he might see that cheeky glint in her eye or half cocked smile she always carried so effortlessly. He takes the envelope and slides out an array of photographs. His tears fall without permission and his sorrow leaks onto the pictures in his shaking hand.

The girl groans and her eyes flick open. A worried look plastered across her face, turning quickly to fear. The man speaks fast, trying to soothe the panic before it festers into something more.

"Al, it's me. Papa. You're ok. You're safe. Look" he points to the first photograph. Alexis as a child, lifted high into the air by her father, both riddled with glee.

"Look baby, that's us. My little Ally bally and her papa bear. And this" He points to the next photograph, similar to the first but this one shows Alexis with another young child, mid air, grinning ear to ear as they bounce on a trampoline.

"That's you and Liam. Remember him? Your brother. He misses you Al... we all do." He forces a smile and strokes a few of her brown locks from her face.

"Papa. Oh papa... I'm scared. He's coming for me Papa. He's coming and he's strong and he wants to take me... and... and... he's coming papa!" Her eyes are wild with panic.

His face turns cold once more. Tears come down fast now. The lump in his throat as hard to swallow as ever. He holds the photograph to her face again.

"No Ally, you're home. He can't hurt you anymore. You're a woman now Al, it's over. You escaped. It's over" He wails the words at her, fast and sharp, exhausted by this routine but never wanting to give up. She needs him. He sobs as he stands, knowing deep down the girl he once raised, once held above his head and watched giggle with delight as he threw her up into the air, was no longer his little girl. A ghost had taken over and the man who stole her from him on the night of her eighteenth birthday party, had stolen her mind too. His perfect little girl, a prisoner to her own twisted reality. To escape the confines of her kidnappers cage but unable to break free from the bars he had built inside her mind.

The man sighs, signals to the doctors that lay in wait, ready to soothe his daughters lost soul once more and heads towards the door. Alexis screams and spits as the doctors push past the defeated man and race towards his broken daughter thrashing wildly on the bed.

He gulps back the heartache and slowly turns to face Alexis. His heart already sitting at the bottom of his stomach; sinking further every second. He forces a thin weary smile to his lips and blows her a tired kiss.

"Until tomorrow... my love."

Alexis stands by the light of moon, gazing out upon the night sky. Waiting for her chance of freedom. She needs to get home. She must escape. Her papa needs her.