The Cellar

  “Lewis!” Theo shouted. I heard his footsteps getting louder, so I knew he was following me too. “Wait up. ” He grabbed the top of my arm and swung me around. “You can’t just go running off. Look, I’m going to the town hall, that’s where the search is based. Come with me and we can ask as many questions as you have before we get back out there. ”

  I sighed and ran my hand over my face. “Theo, what if she’s…” Dead.

  “Don’t. She’s not; she’s fine. ”

  “You don’t know that!” I exclaimed. My heart was racing. “It’s been hours, and no one’s heard from her. She never goes off and—”

  “Lewis, stop. This isn’t helping Summer, is it? She needs you, so quit the bullshit and do something to help her. ”

  He was right. I nodded. My eyes stung but I refused to cry. I needed to be strong for her and falling apart now wouldn’t get her back. “You’re right. ” I sighed and my heart dropped. “I just can’t lose her,” I whispered. As cheesy as it sounded, my biggest fear was losing Summer—in any way. I loved her.

  “Let’s go. ”

  Theo smiled and unlocked his car. “Here. ” He handed me something wrapped up in a paper towel. A bacon bagel. “Eat. ” I got in the passenger side and forced myself to eat. Every bite made me want to hurl, but Theo was right—Summer needed me—and I had to be strong for her. I was no good if I was a mess.

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  “She’s okay, isn’t she?”

  Theo nodded. “She’ll be fine. ” She’ll be fine. He didn’t think she was fine now, but she would be when we found her? I should be able to tell where she was. I love her, so shouldn’t I just know what was wrong? Where are you, Sum?

  We pulled into a tight parking space at the hall, the only one left. The place was full. Were all those people here to help?

  The main hall was heaving with people. Right at the front was a long table stacked with maps, bottles of water, and high-visibility vests. Where did all that come from? A picture of Summer was pinned to a board beside the table. The world stopped spinning. I took a deep breath and walked toward the police officers.

  Above Summer’s picture were the words: MISSING 16-YEAR-OLD SUMMER ROBINSON.

  5

  SUMMER

  Sunday, July 25th (Present)

  I pushed myself up and wiped my tears away with the back of my hand. I wasn’t home; I was still in that bedroom. Why couldn’t I just wake up properly? All I wanted to do was to be at home with the family that drove me crazy most of the time. I wouldn’t even complain about Henry running to the bathroom before me or my dad’s crappy attempts at giving me a curfew.

  “Good morning, Lily,” Rose said from the bed opposite mine. Good morning my arse. This was a morning from a nightmare—one that I couldn’t wake up from.

  I attempted to smile but I was sure my mouth didn’t even move. What happened now? What was I supposed to do today? I wanted to say something to Rose, maybe ask her, but I wasn’t sure I even wanted to know. I kind of felt like this wasn’t happening to me, like I was in a dream or a movie.

  Rose smiled in sympathy and opened the single-width wardrobe beside me. “Here, you can borrow some clothes until Clover gets you some new things. ”

  The blood drained from my face. Rose laid a pair of jeans and an oversized lilac sweater on the bed. I shook my head. How could she expect me to wear the clothes of a girl that had been murdered down here—the Lily before me “No,” I whispered. “I can’t. ” I wasn’t going to walk around in a dead girl’s clothes.

  “These are all we have. ”

  “You get used to it,” Violet said, holding her own similar outfit in her hand. We all color matched. The tops were slightly different but the same color. We were like a lame group of friends at school that thought it was cool to have matching days. I felt like we should start braiding each other’s hair and talk about dreamy boys.

  “Okay, I’m going to have a shower. Poppy and Violet, can you explain to Lily, please?” Rose said and picked up her clothes and a towel. Explain what? I doubt I wanted to know.

  They waited until Rose left and then sat on my bed. “The morning routine,” Poppy said, brushing her dark red, almost brown hair. “We need to take a shower and be ready by eight, every morning. That’s when Clover comes down for breakfast. ”

  I shook my head in disbelief. “What? We have to dress up for him?” This was too crazy to be real. “The bloody psycho. ”

  Poppy frowned. “It’s not dressing up exactly. He likes us to be clean, dressed respectfully, and have our hair and makeup done for when he comes. He likes us to look nice for him and for ourselves. ”

  My stomach turned. I didn’t want his idea of looking nice. I liked my jeans and T-shirts. I didn’t do girly dressing up, especially not for a sick murderer. “I don’t want to look nice for him. Bloody hell, can you hear yourself?”

  “Honestly, Lily, neither do I. Trust me, though, it’s better than the alternative,” Violet said.

  I gulped and closed my eyes. The answer to my next question was obvious but, like an idiot, I still asked. “What’s the alternative?”

  “You don’t want to know,” Violet said and gulped. My heart started to race. Why didn’t I want to know?

  “I just want to go home. ” Tears trickled down my cheeks, and I squeezed my eyes closed. “I want to see Lewis and my family. ”

  “Is he your boyfriend?” Poppy asked. I nodded and sniffed, really unattractively. “Do you love him?”

  “Yes. ” I had been in love with him for ages before we got together. He was easygoing and fun to be around. He could also stress over silly little things and was fiercely protective of the people he loved. We had so many arguments about me wandering around alone. If I’d listened to him instead of brushing off his fears and telling him nothing was ever going to happen in boring old Long Thorpe, then maybe I’d be at home right now.

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  She looked down, her red hair falling in her face. “That’s nice. ”

  “He’ll find me,” I stated confidently. Lewis wouldn’t just sit back; he would do everything he possibly could to find me. So would my family. My mum was expert in finding things. Nothing could stay hidden from her—unfortunately for Henry and his porn stash.

  Violet smiled halfheartedly. “Let’s hope so. ”

  Violet wasn’t as messed up as Rose; she sounded different, like she wanted to get out. But did that mean she would help me do something to him so we could escape? I wanted to fire questions at her right away, but I knew I had to find out more. I had to be sure she definitely wanted to get out before I said anything.

  Poppy sighed, getting back to business. “Anyway, you need to leave your hair natural. ” Like I could just pop to the shops for some bloody hair dye! “He doesn’t like when you mess with it too much, and you should only wear a small amount of makeup—easy on the mascara. ” I wanted to throw up. I was being told how to dress. I’d never been told that.

  Rose came back into the room and immediately fussed around, straightening her bedsheets and plumping the pillows. I watched her running her hands over the quilt, flattening it, and wondered if I would be doing that after three years. No. There was no way I would be down here longer than three days. I had people looking for me. This was temporary, and soon enough the police would find us. They would.

  Taking a deep breath to clear my thoughts, I went to the bathroom to shower and get ready. There was no point in having a shower before bed and again in the morning, but I wasn’t going to argue over that. I let the water spray over my body for a few minutes and then got out.

  Standing in front of the steamy mirror I could almost pretend I was at home, getting ready for a date with Lewis or a night out with friends. I brushed mascara over my eyelashes and worried how much I should use. Not too much that I looked like a hooker, but enough so my eyelashes stood out. Would he punish me for weari
ng too much or too little? Wow, yesterday my biggest worry was which top I should wear to the gig.

  I dressed in the clothes Rose gave me and dried my hair. Looking back in the mirror, I barely recognized myself. I looked exhausted and I felt it too. Dark circles under my eyes made me look so much older than sixteen.

  Dropping my head, I turned away. Looking at myself was too depressing. I hadn’t even been down here one day, and I already felt like a different person—like Lily. Poppy passed me as I walked out of the bathroom. It was her turn to get ready for him.

  I stopped in the living room area and watched Rose frying bacon and eggs on the stove. She worked so efficiently, humming as she turned the bacon over. The scene reminded me of my mum making a full breakfast on a Sunday morning. My heart squeezed. What would Mum be doing now? Searching for me? Staring at her phone waiting for me to call or waiting by the front door? Not cooking, that was for sure. I wanted to go back home. I’d even let Mum hug me without pulling away and rolling my eyes.

  Rose grabbed a plastic spatula and flipped the eggs over. Everything in the kitchen had been chosen carefully. In fact, everything in the whole cellar had been chosen carefully. There was nothing sharp or dangerous. Nothing we could use to escape or hurt him with. The only thing I could think of was poisoning him. There were plenty of cleaning products. But how could you not smell the powerful scent of bleach? And, even if we did poison him, there was no guarantee he would die down here. If he died in the house, we would eventually starve to death. It seemed hopeless without Rose, Violet, and Poppy on my side, but I wasn’t going to give up. There was a way—there had to be—and I just had to be patient and play along with this shit until I could figure it out.

  I sat down on the sofa and curled up in a little ball. We couldn’t be too far away from Long Thorpe; we didn’t drive for long. The police would check this place out. That’s what they did when someone went missing, right? They did the door-to-door thing, asking residents if they’d seen anything. I’d definitely seen that on the news before.

  A door opened, making me jump and my heart race. My shoulders sagged in relief when I realized it was the bathroom door and not the cellar. Poppy briefly smiled at me and went to help dish up breakfast. I wondered if Rose secretly hated it down here and just put on a really good show. Was she so scared of him that she wouldn’t be honest in case it got back to him, or did she really think it’s all right down here? The last plate was placed on the table and they both smiled. The food smelled good, and I was so hungry, but the thought of eating made my stomach turn.

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  The creaky sound from the cellar door echoed through the room and I froze. He was coming. I took a deep breath and clenched my shaking hands together. Keep it together.

  “Good morning, Flowers,” he said and smiled warmly as he came down the stairs. He was holding a beautiful bunch of pink lilies, the same as the ones on the kitchen table but bigger, matching the size of Rose’s, Violet’s, and Poppy’s flowers. I sank back into the sofa as he approached me. “For you, Lily,” he said, holding the flowers out. My skin crawled like I was being attacked by ants. Don’t talk to me.

  I looked to Rose, pleading with her to help. She nodded toward the flowers once, and I knew I had to accept them. Just play along, Summer. I stood up and slowly reached my trembling hand out and took the lilies from him. “Thank you,” I said quietly and stepped back, hitting the side of the sofa.

  “You don’t have to be so shy, Lily. We’re a family. Why don’t you put those in water now?” He frowned and his eyes darkened. “I don’t want them to die. ” The other girls looked away quickly and sat down. What was that about? They were acting weirder. Did it mean something?

  So I wouldn’t make him angry, I grabbed the empty vase and filled it with water. It was made from thin plastic but was a very good glass imitation. Unless you held it, you would never tell. I threw them in the vase and placed it between the weltering red poppies, bright violets, and white roses. Why flowers? I wanted to know everything about him so I could use something to get out, but at the same time I wanted to know nothing.

  I sat in the seat I was in yesterday—opposite him. Every muscle in my body ached where I’d been tensing up. The physical pain was actually welcome; it was almost a distraction from what was happening.

  “Let’s eat then,” Violet said.

  The fried food did nothing to settle my stomach. I wanted to puke. I could feel his eyes on me, studying me. Deciding something? If he wanted to keep me or not? I nibbled on a piece of toast, feeling the most self-conscious I ever had. Why wouldn’t he look away?

  My mind quickly flicked back to Lewis. Concentrating on him took me away for a minute. I wondered what he was doing. Usually he would still be asleep, but I doubt he would be now. My parents always sat around drinking endless cups of coffee on weekend mornings before they did anything. Would they have made a thermos up while they searched for me? I hoped so, because Mum felt awful if she hadn’t had her caffeine fix and was super snappy.

  “Lily?” someone called, snapping me out of my daydreaming. He, Rose, Violet, and Poppy were all staring at me, and now I couldn’t read any of their expressions.

  “Sorry,” I whispered and moved my food around on the plate to look like I was doing something with it. Did they want something, or was it just because I was in my own world? They went back to their food.

  “So, Clover, what have you got planned for today?” Rose asked as if this was a normal situation. Like he was going to reply “bit of kidnapping, maybe a murder or two, the usual. ” How could she even ask him things like that so casually? I wasn’t even sure if she was afraid of him anymore.

  He smiled at her, almost lovingly. “After I’ve caught up with a few things for work, I’ll be going out. ” He worked? Well, of course he did; he must have to work to support five people. He didn’t seem like a particularly social person, though. Where would he be going out?

  “Why don’t you tell Lily about your job? She looks a little confused,” Rose suggested.

  Here goes. Pretend it’s not real and he’s talking about a film. As much as I wanted to shut off and go back home in my head, I needed every piece of information I could get.

  His eyes flicked to me and he smiled. I tried not to turn my nose up in disgust. He looked warm and friendly. It was hard to believe he was the same man who kidnapped me and stabbed a woman to death just yesterday. If I passed him on the street, I wouldn’t look at him twice, but I wouldn’t be cautious around him either. He just looked so normal.

  “I’m an accountant for a law firm in town. ” I managed to swallow the laughter that threatened to burst out. He worked for a lawyer. How ironic. The other side of him—his job—it all seemed so normal. No one would guess that this well-dressed, polite accountant led a secret sadistic second life. He must sit at his desk every day, chat with his coworkers, and do his job, then go home to the women in his cellar.

  “You should eat now, Lily. We don’t want you getting any slimmer. ” He stared at me for a second, daring me to disobey him.

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  Gulping the fear away, I cut off a small piece of egg and popped it in my mouth. I didn’t want to make him angry like Violet did, so I forced the food down and prayed I wouldn’t be sick. I wanted to lose weight to piss him off, but I wouldn’t. The food slid down my throat making me gag. Chew.

  “Right, Flowers, I need to leave for work. Have a good day and I’ll see you for dinner. Roast chicken tonight, Rose. ”

  “Yes, Clover,” she said and nodded her head.

  He stood up and kissed Poppy, Violet, and Rose on the cheek. Please not me. My heart was beating out of my chest. “Good-bye, Lily. ” He walked up the stairs, and I breathed a big sigh of relief. What was I going to do when he eventually tried to kiss me like that?

  “Come on, Lewis,” I muttered. He always made things better, whether it was bringing me my favorite f
ood when I didn’t feel well, helping me study for exams I was convinced I would fail, or having a word with Henry if he said something out of line. I knew it was too much to expect him to fix this too, but I couldn’t help it.

  Poppy arched her eyebrow. “How long have you been together?”

  “Just over a year and a half, but I liked him for ages before that. ”

  She smiled, her eyes lit up, and she seemed genuinely interested. I wondered what her story was. “Where did you meet?”

  “He’s friends with my brother, they met when they joined the same football team. At first he thought I was just Henry’s annoying little sister but as we both grew older he started seeing me differently. Thankfully. ”

  “I hope you get back to him,” she said sincerely and then walked away. So do I.

  Sunday, January 4th (2009)

  I walked into Henry’s room to grab a movie for me, Kerri, and Rachel. He was playing PlayStation with Lewis, as usual. I rolled my eyes. They looked so into it, shooting at something. Zombies? Bloody losers!

  “Hey, Sum,” Lewis said, smiling at me as he looked up. Butterflies flitted around in my stomach. I bit my lip.

  Don’t say anything stupid. “Hey,” I replied, trying to stay casual when I was happy dancing in my head. I’d liked Lewis for forever, and recently he had been looking at me differently. Well, he seemed to be anyway. I just hoped it wasn’t all in my head—which I was almost 100 percent sure it was.

  His light green eyes sparkled and I melted. They really stood out against his dark, almost black, hair. He cocked his head to the side. “What can we do for you?” You could kiss me.

  “Lewis, you just got us killed,” Henry yelled, scowling at him. You’d think he had actually been killed by his over-the-top reaction.

  “Huh?” Lewis looked back to the screen where it said “Game Over. ” Oh my God, he just got killed looking at me. Okay, chill and stop smiling like a creeper. I forced my lips to stay down as they tried to pull up into the biggest smile. How could I not smile when this was officially the best day of my entire life?

  “Sorry,” Lewis muttered and chucked the controller down on the bed.

  “What do you want, Summer?” Henry snapped, obviously still angry over his stupid game. Whatever.