33

As time had passed, it had no difference for Regan. She continued to stay clutched in the bed, in her melancholy, just like how she had been feeling in her house. The worst of it, it was a luxurious prison. It didn't make sense.She had some hope and a bit of relief about it. She couldn't help it, her weird abduction could've been worse. It could've been physical abuse, starving in a cold cell, never seeing the glimpse of light with her eyes. At least she wasn't experiencing the worst symptoms of abduction.She was isolated, still. The only thing that Regan knew was if it was day or night. She didn't even know if clocks existed in that place.Even though she wanted to go back to her land, it was intriguing to go and explore the new planet. To learn its laws and nature. To see how other people looked like. Did they all had the features of humans? Did animals exist? Was there atmosphere? When Regan had looked through the window, it made sense that there was atmosphere.The sky was sometimes light purple and dark, sometimes red. There were also clouds. The leaves of trees appeared to waver most of the time.It'd be a great discovery. Other habitable planets. Humans would be discovering planets with beings, which looked pretty similar to them. Regan would make a big difference. It was extraordinary.And then, she'd think that she'd achieve this only if she got back on earth. But who would believe her? How would she prove this? If she ever got back. The thoughts made her turn grumpy and the possibility that she'd never get to change the world's perception of extraterrestrial life, reappeared.She glanced around the chamber, her eyes constantly lingering to the antique wardrobe. It was across the room. It was large and big, made of wood, grey in color. The doors were carved with tangled roses. There were clothes inside, expensive, sophisticated clothes. She didn't know why. They were beautiful. It was unnerving.Regan had stayed with her loose tee shirt and jeans. She wasn't going to change. Maybe they forgot the clothes there. Her mind kept wandering to his words. He hadn't made an appearance since the last time he threatened her to eat. He was despicable.She felt exposed and embarrassed. How much had he watched her? She knew it was persistent, but she was way too worried about it. It was when she was at home and at school. But what if it was when she was in the bathroom? The thought made her feel terrible, her anxiety skyrocketing.He had told he didn't watch her in that way. But she didn't believe him. She was disgusted, completely."Oh, God, why did this have to happen to me?" Regan murmured, her eyes darting around the room as if expecting him to appear out of thin air. She found herself thinking about that damn haunting again.Ew, she thought, shuddering. How disgusting. She wanted to rip his face off if she ever saw him again. When she was home, she hadn't really thought if she was watched in the bathroom. Maybe because she felt it at different times, his presence.She hoped he hadn't watched her in that way. Otherwise, she was going to make his life hell. She was already planning to.She stood up from the bed, trying to think about something else. The more she thought about it, the more terrible she felt. Her heart raced, she felt waves of panic and anger.She remembered his words about her possessing powers and eventually ended up fancying them. If she had powers, magical powers, she'd have something to stand against him. Yes, she could stand against him without powers, but it was less convincing.The wardrobe seemed to taunt her. She went to open it, staring at the clothes inside. They were made of silk, cotton and other expensive materials. There were also dresses, long and short dresses, short and long sleeved, their colors ranging from dark to pastel. And they weren't plain or simple, they were intricately designed. She didn't know why the hell there were dresses here. What was the point?They probably forgot them here, she thought. Maybe he had some concubine or a girlfriend, who stayed here. The thought made her disgusted. She was probably sleeping in the same bed as them. She shivered, pulling a dress from the wardrobe. It was red, the neckline was low and the sleeves were three-quartered. It was made of silk and felt smooth against her fingers. She frowned, looking at its back. It was too fancy, too revealing."Ew, gross," she said to herself, shaking her head. It was ridiculous. She threw the dress back into the wardrobe, before quickly moving on to the next item. There was a white shirt with lace around the collar and sleeves, made of satin. It was modest at least.She continued to rifle through the wardrobe, finding more shirts, blouses, pants, and even high heels.It was infuriating. Heels? She had worn heels before, she liked them. She had done it when she was sixteen, for a party. Well, she was a loner, she didn't go to parties. But her aunt had insisted. She remembered how bad that party was.Some of her trashy classmates had came, mocking her, spreading rumors that she was dating the headmaster's son, just to get attention. When she remembered about it, it made her even more disgusted. She didn't know why they'd all spread so many rumors about her. She wasn't even interested in dating, she hated boy's presence, their stupidity.But back to the heels. She found a pair she liked. They were black, platform, closed-toe. They were with a high, sharp heel.Her mind wasn't helping. She wanted to try them once. But what if he came and saw her?"I can try in the bathroom," she murmured to herself. She took the heels and entered the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She removed her boots and wore the heels, feeling them hug her feet perfectly. She took a deep breath, steadied herself against the sink, and then walked. She didn't seem to have a problem with balance. In fact, the heels felt quite comfortable and beautiful. No, they were gorgeous.But then, her mind interrupted her again. She was a captive, she was held here against her will. She shouldn't be thinking about trying shoes or clothes. She should be thinking about escaping, about getting out of this hellhole. What was wrong with her? Why was she wasting time on such frivolous things?She sighed and then removed the heels. Maybe she was doing all that because it was boring to stay without doing anything. There were no phones, internet, books or laptop. Nothing. Even doing homework was better than staying like a fool. Even eating Monica's bad, but healthy soups was missed. She was dying from boredom. Looking through the clothes was something funny to do.She placed the beautiful heels inside the wardrobe and closed it. Then, she sat on the bed, leaning against the pillows. She stared at the fireplace, wondering how it was still burning. In fact, she really hadn't payed attention to that. There were left some logs. It was weird. Maybe they were more durable than those on earth.She thought about her aunt, had she reported her to the police? How could anyone find where she was? Her eyes filled with tears, and she angrily wiped them away. She was resentful at her aunt."If she would have believed me, things could have been different," Regan muttered to herself, her voice filled with frustration. It wasn't her fault that Monica never believed her paranormal occurrences.Then she remembered the witch, the witch that had lied her, that had tricked her into falling captive there. But she still thought, would he have found another way to inprison her there? What would he had done if she hadn't drank that vial?And then, her thoughts wandered to Vesper. Poor girl, she didn't know what a sly snake her friend was.Some knocking sounds awoke her from her thoughts. She called for them to enter. It was Althea. She had probably come to get the tray which still had unfinished food on it.Althea's lips formed a pout when she saw the tray. But Regan wasn't hungry.She cleared her throat, "Well, uh....if you want to change your clothes, you could try those inside the wardrobe. If you don't like them, well-""What?" Regan asked, raising an eyebrow. Was she being told to change clothes now? To wear clothes of someone else? Some concubine?"I meant, you can change," Althea said, watching her with confusion."I got it. But I'm not going to wear someone else's clothes. I thought you forgot these here," Regan said, her voice dripping with skepticism."No, I didn't forget them here. I mean, no one has stayed in that room before. So, no one should have used the clothes. I just thought you could wear something else. You don't have to, I guess," Althea replied, a bit confused."Well, thank you," Regan said, not having anything better to say. She couldn't believe it. Was he expecting her to change her clothes? To wear some sort of revealing outfit that was meant for a concubine? Disgusting.Regan looked at her, who seemed genuinely confused. Then, Althea turned to leave."Wait!" Regan called. "Who brought these clothes here? Did you?" She narrowed her eyes at Althea.The servant paused, then nodded. "Yes. I did. I was ordered by his highness.""Of course," Regan said, her jaw clenching. Her fists tightened into balls at her sides. "What a piece of....not you, I meant...." she trailed off, not wanting to finish. She couldn't believe this was happening. "And why should I change my clothes? I have better things to do."Althea shrugged, "You still have the chance. Not every captive gets fancy rooms and servants to wait on them. But if you don't want to change, then fine. I was just trying to be nice." With that, she turned to leave, closing the door behind her.Regan felt bad, knowing she had been rude. But she couldn't help it, she was furious. The thought of him made her blood boil.But then, the twist of the doorknob made her flinch. And that time, it wasn't Althea. It was him, the sorcerer. He stood there in all his glory, that mischievous smirk etched on his handsome face. Regan's blood boiled even more."So, how does your new place looks?" he asked, his voice holding a sarcastic edge."Get out of here," Regan said through gritted teeth, "that's not my place."The sorcerer's smirk only widened as he stepped closer, already making Regan suffocate."I will," he drawled. "I'm not willing to stay here either. I wanted you to know...." he trailed off, looking at her intensely. "You're going to eat dinner with me tonight," he coldly stated.Regan's eyes widened slightly in shock. What? Dinner with him? With someone who had kidnapped her? With someone who expected her to wear trashy clothes?

Never.

"You're out of your mind? I'd never do that!" she snapped, glaring at him. Then, she turned to her side, trying to shrug him off and escape his gaze."It wasn't a wish, it was an order," he retorted, authority evident in his voice."I don't obey anyone!" Regan said, her temper hanging thin. How brave he was, threatening her to eat dinner now. It was ridiculous, it was pathetic. His expression darkened, his eyes narrowed."You will.""I'd rather die.""Well, in that case, I'd rather sacrifice someone else," he said, his voice dangerously low and menacing."I don't care," Regan replied, unfazed."We shall see," he lastly said and disappeared into the shadows.She sat down and wondered about who was he talking about. Her anger slowly turned in fear, remembering the intensity of his words.Her mind filled with her usual fears and she kind of regretted her impulsiveness and not listening to his word. As time passed, she felt anxious and panicked that the sorcerer would do something bad. But she couldn't swallow her pride. It was there, burning with an intensity she couldn't ignore.She entered the bathroom again, and stared at her reflection. Her hair was crimson with few black strands here and there. When she was at home, she rarely looked at herself. Now, she couldn't recognize the one in the mirror.She didn't want to think about her hair color. It wasn't bad after all. And she couldn't help, but like the color.She looked down at the sink and started playing with the toothpaste. It was useless, but she wanted to kill some of her fears.Later on, she cleared the sink and turned back to the room. She lay down on the bed andp started singing softly to herself, trying to keep her mind off of everything. She rarely sang. Since she was little, she had been a fan of rock music. But she didn't really sing because she didn't like her voice. Now, it seemed to calm her down.***A knock snapped Regan out of her thoughts. She had been laying on the bed, her mind awake with endless thoughts. It was Althea, an unsettled expression on her face."I'll take you downstairs for dinner," she stated.At hearing this, Regan realized that he hadn't changed his mind and that if he would have done something bad, it would have already happened."Leave me alone. I'm not going anywhere," she snapped dryly, not caring to stand up from the bed.Althea approached, trying to convince her, somehow, "He is going to be furious at both of us. It's not a big deal, you'll get to meet other-""Other captives," Regan interrupted."Not really.""Oh yeah, other aliens," Regan corrected herself, finding no purpose for such demand.Suddenly, she felt a strange wave wash over her and when that deep voice was heard, she immediately shifted to sit and see the one and only sorcerer entering the room.He muttered something to Althea, who's face left it's color and she abruptly disappeared behind the tall dark doors."What are you waiting for? Get up. We're going down for dinner," the sorcerer commanded, his voice filled with authority, his expression blank."I'm not going anywhere," she sharply retorted, not looking at him.He slammed the doors shut and slowly stepped closer until he finally leaned against the wall, staring at her."Well then, I'll let you know, I won't hurt you. But when I was far away, there on earth, I got to know your aunt a lot. Poor woman, she never got to know me, the same way she won't know of her cruel fate," he said, his smugness not disappearing once.Regan's heart pounded in her chest as she processed his words. Her aunt, in danger? She couldn't let anything happen to her."You didn't just threat me with her! What have you done to my aunt?" Regan's voice trembled with a mix of fear and anger. She couldn't let her aunt suffer because of her own predicament. Yes, her aunt was at fault as well, but she couldn't let him harm her.His eyes gleamed with a twisted satisfaction, "Oh, don't worry, my dear. Your aunt's fate is in your hands. She's the one who will suffer from your actions.""Don't you dare call me that, I'm not your dear," Regan hissed through gritted teeth. My dear? What the hell?He only smirked in response."Leave me alone," she persisted, her patience hanging on a thin line. She knew that was underestimating his words, however, his expression remained unfazed."So, you don't care about your aunt. I don't blame you, she never believed you. Left you suffer and considered you insane. There shouldn't be any mercy for that woman."Regan's heart sank as she realized the sorcerer was trying to twist her emotions."No! It's not her fault, it's your fault!" she shouted, her voice filled with rage.Sirius knelt down to her, to be in the same eye level as her. He studied her for a moment, his eyes lingering on her face as if trying to decipher her completely."It's your choice anyway," he drawled and then finally stood up, satisfaction evident in his face.Regan stared at him furiously until he vanished behind the door. She was so furious that didn't know where to throw it.He had already gotten on her nerves, she wanted or not.