Sometimes Happy Endings Don't Exist

Note: The gender and names of characters can change depending on your gender. Have a good reading :)

“Just say it,” you silently remind yourself. You know you’d regret it if you didn’t. You begin to lose yourself to the music again as he spins you around. The beat fills every movement the two of you make. Every step, every breath, and every heartbeat make you long for more. More you don't need; want and more that digs your hole deeper. You regret not saying it as you begin to feel sick and you begin to lose consciousness to the beat of the music. Laughter surrounds the ballroom before everything goes dark.

Your eyes slowly flutter open as you immediately feel the cold ground on your knees. You are looking down upon your bare body. As you take in the darkroom, you see you are in restraints. Your eyes have started to adjust to the vast darkness. You pull the ropes with all your might, but they won’t budge. 

“Don’t bother,” a rough voice says. You look up to discover a thin, sickly-looking girl bound with the same ropes. Why didn’t you notice her before? Although it is dark, you can see bruises around her eyes and blood covering her tiny body. “I already tried.”

You hear footsteps slowly approaching you. You are too weak and exhausted to look at who has come to you. You feel someone’s hand underneath your chin as their mocking laughter surrounds you. 

“My, look at you,” a voice sarcastically laughs. “Finally, you’re awake. I hope you enjoyed our dance yesterday.”

You look up to see a charming young man smirking in your face. Suddenly, you remember the events of yesterday and gasp.

“You,” is all you manage to mumble. 

“Yes, it is I. Yesterday’s events have made you mine. Mine,” he looks over towards the girl. “Just like her.”

“No, you can’t do this.”

“Oh.” There is that mocking laughter again. “I already have.”

Next thing you know you are blacking out again.

This time you wake up to a bright room. You are clothed nice and out of the restraints. All you can think about is that you need to escape. Escape. What an awful, terrifying word. A word you heard of but never imagined using. Your mind is turning its gears too fast. Where is that girl? Where are you? Why are you here? You begin to get dizzy as you fall to the ground. A loud high-pitched sound pierces every fiber of your being. Then, it stops. The room is spinning as you try to regain your balance. You look around to see you are in the same ballroom as before. You remember you were trying to say something, but never got a chance. You rub your head in pain caused by the memory that felt so distant yet so terrifyingly near. You hear a door open as you fall to the ground. You slowly begin to recover from the dizziness as you hear someone’s shoes clicking on the ground.

“Ma’am?” a high voice asks.

You look up without answering. You’re surprised to see the girl who was chained with you. You shake your head in confusion. You find yourself unable to speak but your look is all she needs.

“Come on,” she grunts as she helps you up. “The master is calling us.”

“What?” you mutter to yourself with a confused tone. 

The girl only took your hand without acknowledging your question. You notice she is stronger than before. She drags you along with her. You have no idea where she is taking you. You only assume it isn’t good. As you continue walking you notice a small light at the end of the dark corridor. You hear a thud from below your feet causing you to jump. The girl glares at you and harshly tells you to be quiet. Her pace slows down and your pulse quickens. You don’t know what to expect as you step into the light. Usually, people say DON’T step into the light, yet here you are. You look around the room in awe. The white walls have several beautiful paintings attached. The dining table has a perfect cloth with places to sit for dinner. You notice a young-looking man coming from another room and the girl walking towards the table. It is only an instinct to follow. You notice the man wearing formal clothing.

“Welcome, ladies,” he greets us.

The room remains silent as you continue to watch him. He gestures for you to sit in the chair he has pulled out for you. You don’t want to be rude so you sit and smile at his kindness. If only this man were actually kind, you think to yourself. 

He cleared his throat before talking, “So, you must be wondering why you’re here.”

Ha, funny. What a concept.

His fingers snap and waiters bring out the food. You are shocked and eager to see a feast that someone could live off. That’s when your hunger hits. There is turkey, soups of every kind, vegetables. You can’t believe it just as you can’t believe the girl isn’t as excited as you. You are about to dig in as the man interrupts you.

Looking at the other girl he says, “Not that you don’t already know, Sarah, but you are my guests. Mine.”

You get a creepy chill down your spine before answering, “That doesn’t explain why we are here or why you danced with me.”

“Tsk. Tsk. I did not dance with you. The dance was only a mere distraction, with the music being a trance. I needed you to listen to the music for reasons beyond your comprehension,” his British accent felt crisp in the air. 

“I think you would be surprised. I am not an idiot.”

He stands up and gets right in your face. Your body begins shaking in fear.

“You are mine. You belong to me. Only me. You are here because I chose you. You are lucky. You should be grateful,” he sat back down and fixed his tie. “Besides, nobody else would join me in dance other than you two.”

You suddenly realize that it isn’t about escaping anymore. It’s only about surviving. Soon, the quiet dinner was finished and you were shown to your room. Unlike your room at home, it is very girly. You then see you have to share it with Sarah which only bitters your mood. 

“There is more than what he is saying,” you whisper more to yourself then Sarah.

She looks up at you and you return a less innocent look. She quickly turns away and continues about her business. 

“I know,” she states after a few minutes of awkward silence without looking at you.

You throw yourself on your bed and take a deep breath. You don’t know what is in store for you, but you know not to lose hope. Hope is what will get you through tomorrow. 

“You know,” Sarah pauses. “I have been down there for several days. I was losing my will to live. I heard him bring you down. I honestly thought I was hearing things.”

You look in Sarah’s eyes to see her innocence. She wasn’t her on purpose.

“Why are you here?” You ask.

Sarah looks away from you and gets a distant look. You see the memory pained her to recall.

“I was walking to hang with a friend,” her eyes began to swell with tears that were forming. “He made me believe I was all he needed. All I wanted. I believed his lies. Heh, that was my first mistake.”

You nod your head in agreement. 

“It isn’t about escaping,” you state. “It is all about surviving. I realized during dinner that I only have you. Nothing means anything. I can’t rely on or trust anyone. But I think I can trust you. I want to rely on you.”

“You’re right. We only have each other. I promise I won’t betray you.”

You turn the light off before tucking yourself into bed. It is quite cozy, you think to yourself. You remain awake until the first light. An alarm went off at six am and a maid led Sarah and you to breakfast. Breakfast with him. 

“Good morning, ladies.”

Sarah mumbled her good morning and you disregard his greeting. He doesn’t deserve your attention.

“I have decided that you guys are allowed to roam wherever you want. As long as you do not leave the house. Every Friday will be a dance night. Weekends are undecided as of now.”

Why does he get to control us?

“Will we be with you forever? Are you going to hurt us?” Sarah spoke up.

“As long as I wish, yes. No, I am not going to hurt you. I have no intention of hurting anyone,” he sighs.

“Is something wrong?” You ask. 

He adjusts uncomfortably in his seat and says, “I do not want to hurt or scare you. I only want my own children. Unfortunately, sixteen-year-olds, also known as you, are the only two girls to come with me.”

You look at Sarah who is watching the man intensely. Awkward silence is between the three of you. Suddenly, Sarah begins laughing causing the man to glare into her soul.

“Is something funny?” He asked angrily. 

Sarah cleared her throat, “Um, not really. It’s just… We don’t even know your name.”

“Damien.”

You continue watching the events unfold with a curious innocence. You don’t want to interfere. You decide it’s time for you to say something. 

“You took us from our homes and tricked us into listening to music that put us in a trance. You then locked us in who knows where. Oh, and by the way, we were naked. You mock us with your laughter and think you control us. You think you can get away with this? Who are you to dare think something close to that is true. Now, you think we will act as your toys?!” Anger overtakes you with every word you say.

Damien begins laughing. The dark, mocking laughter of his. He proceeds to stand up and talk.

“I saved you. You both were in foster homes that you hated. You both were trying to run away. Here, I can give you everything. I can provide you with whatever you want. I am not trying to treat you like toys,” his British accent caused him to sound less angry than he looked. “I only want to help. I am not the enemy.”

Suddenly, the memory floods your mind. You remember being beaten by your foster dad only to be hurt by your foster brother. You didn’t want to go back. You knew being with Damien was your only way to survive. You decide it is better to stay with him then be pushed around from foster home to foster home. At least here you will have a “forever” home. 

“Fine. I will abide by your rules.”

Note: I know the ending isn't strong, but I had to watch the word count. And it is a dark end because I want my reader to realize not everything is happy endings. I hope you enjoyed reading.