A Gifted Curse

  She heard the door open behind her. Emily paused and looked over her shoulder. She was surprised to see her mother standing in the doorway, staring at her.

  Emily thought she was dead. She guessed she had simply been knocked out for a time. The frail, short woman stood there with blood dripping from her head and onto her apron.

  Emily squinted; she couldn’t make out the expression on her face. Then, the door was slammed shut. Without a word. Emily turned on her heels and continued her trek.

  What did she expect? She was almost seven years old and her mother and father hadn’t spoken a word to her in two years. She didn’t forget their voices. She couldn’t. Her mother and father argued every day.

  Emily spent all of her time alone in her room or playing in the countryside. School was an illusion. She would sit outside in a tree and watch the children play.

  Maybe once in a while a child her age would approach her and she would convince them to come and play. Such moments were rare, but they were what Emily lived for.

  She continued to kick rocks with her dusty black shoes. She hummed and sang to herself, songs that her mother used to sing when she was smaller when she was still loved.

  Birds flew above and she smiled, imagining that they were singing along with her. She remembered seeing a movie once. There was a beautiful girl with golden hair in the film. She sang outside her window, and the birds and critters of the forest sang along and played with her as if they were friends.

  That vision stuck in her mind. One day, perhaps, she could be like that girl in the movie.

  Emily skipped with her eyes closed, feeling the sun warm her cold cheeks. She was always cold. She imagined a beautiful world behind her eyelids and smiled.

  Her smile faded when her stomach growled. It was a deep, gnawing nag within the pit of her stomach. Her stomach twisted upon itself, begging for food.

  Emily continued skipping. She could always steal an apple from Farmer Mac’s garden. He never caught her. She thought he saw her one day, but he never said a word to her. Perhaps they had an unspoken understanding.

  Emily was broken from her thoughts when she heard a car approach. She moved aside when the rumbling grew louder behind her.

  Emily skidded to a stop just as the car did.

  Her face paled. She could feel his presence.

  He watched her. She knew he would be coming. She was ready.

  She turned to face the man in the car. His windows were tinted. She couldn’t see his face, only his silhouette. She knew he was staring at her. She held the dolls hand tighter and pulled her into her chest, watching him. When he opened the car door she sighed.

  Her shoulders slumped but she never let her gaze falter. Then, their eyes met. His were bloodshot and a bright blue. His bright blonde hair was wild and his clothes disheveled.

  She frowned. He looked different this time.

  He looked...unstable.

  He towered over her and glared down at her.

  Emily didn’t flinch when he reached for her. She was thrown over his shoulder and carried around to the back of the car.

  He popped the trunk and dropped her inside like a bag of coals. The door slammed shut and she was left with nothing but darkness and the extreme heat.

  “Here goes,” she said to her doll and waited.

  The ride was a bumpy one. She knew where they were going. His house was far down the road, and she could tell when they were going down the steep hill that led to the quarry. Her little body was tossed around, banging into the back of the trunk and rolled back forward when he backed into his garage.

  Emily waited patiently for him to come and get her. When the lid opened he glared down at her as if she was a filthy animal. He pulled her out by her hair and she squealed.

  She hadn’t expected him to hurt her, not so quickly. She was dragged through the dark garage and into the quiet house. He quickly turned a corner and opened the door to a basement.

  Emily felt her heart thump. She hated the dark. She hated creepy basements even more.

  He lifted her up so that her body wouldn’t bang the stone steps and turned on a light. She saw roaches scatter and gulped. She hated roaches. Her skin crawled.

  The descent down the steps and into the unfinished basement felt like an eternity. As she listened to the creaky stairs give under his weight, Emily wondered what he planned to do to her. She had been expecting this for some time now.

  It had to happen. She deserved it.

  He dropped her onto a single mattress in the corner of the basement and just stood there. She looked up at him, her pale face emotionless.

  Emily shrieked when he slapped her hard across her face. The blow shocked her. Her entire face seemed to vibrate. She turned to him with tears stinging her eyes.

  He dropped to his knees and grabbed her little face. His fingers dug into her hollow cheeks and he brought her face close to his. His blue eyes were wild. Tears welled into them and she almost felt sorry for him.

  “Where’s Katie, you little bitch!” He yelled at her so forcefully that she closed her eyes. She could smell beer on his breath. It was a scent she was quite familiar with. She’d never drink beer.

  He shook her and her eyes popped open. His breath was caught in his throat and he let go of her as if she had burnt him. He landed on his bottom as he stared at her, his eyes wide with fear.

  Emily knew that expression. It was the way her mother and father had looked at her, the last time she’d really seen them. Her glare was unnerving. There was nothing innocent about that little girl. Sometimes she wished she was...just a little girl.

  He scrambled to his feet and his eyes never left hers. She heard him whisper a prayer and turned to go back up the stairs. He was visibly shaken but managed to turn back once more.

  His voice wavered, and he was too afraid to meet her eyes once more. “You better tell me where

  Katie is, or I will kill you... demon.”

  Emily didn’t respond. She held her doll closer. She watched him run up the stairs as if he expected her to chase him.

  When he closed the door at the top of the stairs a grin spread across her young face. She glanced at her doll before tossing it into the stone wall far across the basement. Then, she folded her legs and sat up straight, watching the doll.

  A whistling sound swept through the basement and Emily’s hair flew out as if a wind followed it. Her eyes darkened and the light of the basement flickered. Every light in that house flickered.

  Her doll crumpled onto the floor at the base of the stone wall, slowly climbed to her feet. It stood and looked across at her.

  Emily smiled.

  The doll, like a puppet, wobbled on its legs.

  It took a step and fell down.

  “Try again,” Emily commanded. The doll pushed itself up with its arms and stood again. It took another step. And another.

  The doll walked steadily until it stood right before the little girl with the scary eyes. The blue eyes were full of life as it looked at Emily. It's blonde hair rustled with the wind that swept around Emily. Tears were welled in the doll’s eyes.

  Emily thought that was odd. Her smile faded.

  “Why are you crying?”

  The doll sniffled. “I’m sad.”

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Obviously. Why are you sad?”

  “Because...” Then she collapsed to the ground, lifeless once more.

  Emily glared up the stairs. The door had opened and yet the man didn’t stand at the top. She came to her feet, her fists balled at her sides.

  “Come to kill me then?” She asked. Her voice echoed. It was unearthly...eerie.

  He peeked around the corner and to Emily’s amusement, he sent a massive Rottweiler down the stairs. It growled at her and frothed at the mouth. It stood before her, just waiting for the command to attack. Emily looked up at the man.

  “What’s this?”

  “This is Rock. Do as I say, or he will tear you to pieces.” He stood there with a false
sense of confidence. He put his hands in his pocket to hide his shaking. “Now, tell me. What have you done with Katie?”

  Emily snickered. Her shoulders shook with laughter and she covered her mouth in a mock attempt to suppress her tirade of giggles. He became enraged. It wasn’t the reaction he had expected. He took a step onto the staircase.

  “Get her, Rock!”

  Emily’s laughter came to an abrupt stop as the massive dog lunged for her, its large teeth flashing, a growl low in its belly. With a swift twist of her hand, the dog fell mid stride and collapsed with one muffled yelp.

  She stared at the dead body. She didn’t like to kill, but he left her no choice. Her smile was completely gone as she slowly turned her head to look up at him.

  He gulped and stood frozen.

  He stared down at his dead dog and looked back to the little girl that stood before it. “What are you?” His voice was small and she barely heard his question. Emily shrugged and sat back down, folding her legs beneath her.

  “Why don’t you come and find out?” Her voice sent shivers up his entire body.

  He gasped and stepped back into the house, slamming the door closed. She heard a lock and shook her head. Locks couldn’t hold her in. Why couldn’t people realize that? If she wanted to be free, she would. No...This was part of the plan.

  She waited until she was sure he wasn’t listening at the doorway. She wondered what he would think of next. Her eyes glided back to the doll who sat before her now, watching her silently.

  “Why are you doing this?” The doll asked through tears.

  Emily didn’t have an answer for her.

  The doll stood and hesitantly stepped closer.

  “Please,” she pleaded.

  Emily knew what she wanted, but wasn’t prepared to concede.

  “Sit down.”

  The doll did as she was told, the tears ruining her pretty porcelain face. “Stop crying!

  You’ll be ruined!”

  The doll shook her head. “I don’t care!”

  Emily swiped her up with lightning speed and began twisting her arm. “I’ll rip it off if you don’t stop crying.”

  The doll’s eyes widened. “Daddy! Daddy!” she screamed. “I’m down here! Come get me

  Daddy!”

  Emily covered the dolls mouth and looked up at the stairs. Had he heard that? She wasn’t sure. “You better shut up right now, or I will grow bored of you,” she whispered in a growl.

  She held the dolls face in front of her own. It looked at her fearfully, yet the crying ceased. The doll’s lips trembled.

  “Do you know what happens when I lose interest?”

  The doll slowly shook its head, but it had a guess.

  “Yes, you do. Don’t play dumb.”

  The doll nodded. “Yes, Emmi. But you don’t want to kill me. I am your friend...remember?”

  Emily nodded and hugged the doll close.

  She sighed into her blonde hair. “That’s right Katie. You are my friend. Forever.”

  Days went by. Each day Emily grew weaker. She was starving. She was thirsty.

  He would never give up. He sent rats to torment her. He tried to poison her food. She knew there was poison, so she never ate anything he gave her. She wondered why he didn’t just kill her with his bare hands. That was the only way. But, he was too afraid to touch her.

  “Tell me where Katie is. Or you will starve to death down here.” He was growing weaker, on the verge of giving up. She wanted him to. She yearned for it. She waited patiently for his anger and frustration to boil over. She wanted to be hurt.

  “I will not starve to death.”

  He stared at her. “What’s wrong with you?” he asked in exasperation.

  Emily shrugged. “I need to be punished. I deserve it.”

  His eyes widened. “What did you say?”

  “You heard me quite well. Now quit being a coward.”

  He was taken aback by her response and simply stood there.

  Emily rolled her eyes. “Useless...”

  He struck her then, with the back of his hand. The strike knocked her into the wall with a thud. She smiled, her teeth covered in blood. “That’s it. Go on. I’m just a little girl. No need to fear me.”

  He punched her then, slamming her face into the ground. Emily felt a blinding pain behind her eyes and grinned. His rage came right on time.

  As he straddled her body, ready to strangle her tiny neck the police stormed the house. Emily stared at the light on the ceiling as he pressed her neck with all of his strength, choking her.

  He was too preoccupied with rage to notice the police running down the stairs. Emily heard nothing. She was calm and serene.

  She wondered if this was the end. Was she as clever as she thought, or had her luck finally ran out? She welcomed death.

  All sounds rushed back to her like a flood in her ears as five policemen had to wrench the man from her. His death grip was released and she choked and coughed, her lungs filling with air again.

  She grabbed Katie’s hand right as a policeman lifted her into his arms. “Are you ok

  Emily?”

  She nodded, weeping softly now. As innocent and helpless as any little girl they’d ever seen.

  “Don’t worry. We are here to save you.”

  She faked a weak smile and held onto Katie.

  “Save me?”

  Her attention was brought to the man. They were handling him roughly. He was slammed to the ground and they handcuffed him.

  “You sick bastard,” one of the younger cops exclaimed. He glanced at Emily. “How many times have you done this? Where are the other girls?”

  Emily’s eyes met the man’s and he stared at her with icy realization. And that’s when he was certain, she was no little girl. She had planned this.

  He was flustered and the doll slowly turned to him, but she couldn’t speak. Her mouth opened to scream daddy...but Emily took her voice. She just wanted him to know what she had done.

  “Katie!” He screamed, fighting the police to get to the doll. She had his blue eyes and blonde hair and he knew.

  “The doll! The doll! That’s my daughter, Katie.” He was frantic, uncontrollable. “Her!” he nodded to Emily. “She did it! She’s a witch, a demon...she’s the devil! Get her!”

  A policeman hit him in the back of the head and his pleas were silenced. “Shut up you psycho. Is that it? You killed your own daughter with the rest of those girls. You’re sick!”

  That was the last Emily saw of Katie’s father.

  The police returned her to her parents who didn’t want her back, but never voiced their objections to the police, for fear of their own child. Once the police were gone, she returned to her room, and the door was locked and chained once more.

  Emily looked at herself in her broken dresser mirror and touched her face. The swelling hadn’t gone down yet. She didn’t want it to. She hoped the pain in her head would stay with her...to dull the voices.

  She crawled into bed with her dolls and lied there, staring at the ceiling, until she felt tired. She clutched Katie to her chest and kissed her smooth forehead. “Good night Katie.” She put her arm across the others. “Good night, Leah. Good night, Jessica. Good night, Scarlet. Good night, Amanda...good night.”

  Part One

  TANYA’S BODY CRASHED into the icy lake. It was a violent awakening.

  Like a slap in the face, her mind was jolted by the impact.

  Dark brown eyes popped open to the rush of the murky water. Her body tightened at the chill of it. It felt like a thousand knives pricking her exposed flesh.

  Without light to see her surroundings, she panicked and kicked. She tried to keep her head above the water, to see a shred of hope, but the handcuffs that bound her hands behind her back made every movement difficult.

  Death was not an option.

  Tanya wouldn’t allow it. Even after days of torture, she never gave up her will to live. Her body and mind would be forever bruised by th
e abuse she suffered. Water filled every orifice as her head sunk again. The darkness terrified her. Her fear of drowning and what lurked deep in the lake was being realized.

  The handcuffs were her only obstacle. She was an avid swimmer and had won countless medals and awards for her skill. She might survive if she could get free. Little did her kidnapper know, but Tanya was double jointed. She squeezed her hands very tight and mashed her fingers together until the bone in her thumb tucked inward.

  Tanya pursed her lips together and tried to clear her thoughts. Her lungs burned and yet she had to concentrate. After a moment of suffocating agony, her right hand slipped out of the metal handcuffs.

  Tanya sprang into action and swam to the surface as quickly as her fatigued body would take her. Her lungs swelled with the air that entered when her head broke the surface. Tanya choked and coughed in ragged fits. Her throat burned from the water she had swallowed.

  All was quiet around her. Tanya sucked in a breath and felt her fear rise. She looked around in desperation. She pulled her black hair out of her eyes. Everything was calm and still. She could see her breath puff into the air before her. Tiny lanterns hung from the bridge. Tanya knew where she was.

  This was the bridge that led to the Galloway

  Plantation. The lanterns lit the way to the shore.

  She had to reach dry land. The fact that she was naked in the frosty air of made it dire for her to get out of the water.

  Tanya swam as hard as she could. She reached the shore and collapsed onto the rocky ground.

  Pebbles and rocks embedded into her arms and legs.

  She cried out in both joy and pain. Her head crashed into the mud and she didn’t care. Her eyes closed and she nearly passed out again from days of malnutrition and exhaustion. She wondered if he knew she was still alive when he tossed her over the bridge.

  Tanya had to be strong. She had to stay focused. Tanya was an athlete. Her training was all that she had left.

  Pain was weakness. Tanya refused to be weak.

  The forest was a mass of black shadows that reached the lake's shore, the branches of the trees hung over the water like a canopy.

  Tanya looked to the forest and felt her body tense. There was nothing but a silent darkness all around her, and the forest went deeper and deeper, making her dizzy as she tried to make out what shadows lingered.