Davina

I ran fast and I ran far. It was extremely cold out. My hands were stinging and my face numb. I didn’t feel the tree limb when I hit it. I saw blood on my hands and that’s how I knew the tree limb did damage. I looked into the screen on my MP3 player and saw the gash on my right cheek. I decided that I had gotten far enough away from the place I used to call home and I knew that it was time for me to rest. I needed to get some sleep so I curled up in a ball under the tree that I had run into and I went to sleep.

When I woke up I realized that I wasn’t on the cold ground. I was warm and in someone else’s bed. I heard voices outside of the room I was in. I jumped up after completely waking up. I looked around the room and saw floral wallpaper, marble floors, and a bookshelf covered in what looked to be ancient books. This wasn’t my home and it wasn’t a place that I recognized either. Was I in Heaven? Had I been kidnapped?

“Ah, you’re awake. You lost a lot of blood”, a female voice emerged behind me. I jumped and looked behind me. My head felt like it was going to split open. “Be careful. You have suffered enough already. Do not make any fast moves or you’ll hurt yourself more”, she continued. She was a beautiful woman. She had long blonde hair and piercing green eyes. “Where am I”, I asked with a concerned tone in my voice. “You are safe”, she replied, “that’s all you need to know for right now. We can discuss more later. You need to drink some water”. She handed me a glass of water and I took a sip. She walked out of the room leaving me to my thoughts.

As I was sipping my water I heard two male voices speaking to her. I couldn’t hear everything but I did hear the words “he cannot stay here” and “how could you say that?”. I needed to find out where I was. My mind started racing. What if I had been caught by the Verlice family? What if I were in the same home I would raise my future Verlice children in? I didn’t even know what day it was or how far I had gotten from home. I was terrified and needed to get out of there.

I walked over to the window. There was still snow on the ground and I could tell that I was on the second floor. I could tell that the grounds were well kept. There was a gate surrounding the property and what looked to be a Bentley in the driveway. I knew I would have to make my escape through this window. Whoever brought me here was standing right outside the bedroom door. I looked around for my personal belongings but could not find them. I grabbed a throw blanket that was draped over the chair sitting next to the window and I jumped. When I landed I twisted my ankle but I still attempted to run anyway. I heard the woman yell “she isn’t here”.

I heard the two men yelling “stop” as they ran after me. I tripped over myself as I tried to get away. I made it to the gate and started climbing up when one of the men grabbed me and pulled me down. The woman started walking toward me and asked “Where are you going?” “I need to leave”, I responded. I was terrified and unsure of what these people wanted from me. “You don’t need to go anywhere. You are safe with us. If you leave here by yourself you might not be safe anymore”, the woman said. She seemed concerned for my safety. The men led me inside the house.

Once we were inside they had me sit on a dark leather couch in the living room. I sat quietly as did everyone else. I finally got up the nerve to start asking questions. “Where am I? What day is it? Who are you people?” I asked nervously. “All good questions”, the woman replied to me. “You are at Solace Manor. Today is Tuesday. I am Veronica and these are my brothers Henry and Thomas”, the woman said. “Solace Manor?”, I asked? We are in a small town in Arkansas”, Henry replied to me. I was shocked. I didn’t know how I got here. I didn’t want to ask either.

“Who are you and where do you come from?” Thomas asked, staring deeply into my eyes. There was something extremely dark about him. “My name is Davina Walsh. I am from a small town in California. I was supposed to be married off to a man yesterday; Mikel Verlice.” I responded. The Solice’s eyes all widened in sync. They all had a concerning look on their faces. “Did she say Verlice?”Henry asked. “Yes I did”, I responded knowing that his question was not for me. “Do you love him?” Victoria asked, still having a concerned look on her face. “No”, I responded, “I was being forced to marry him. His father gave me a lot of money so they could have me”.

“She is to leave immediately. She cannot stay here” Thomas hissed, looking at me angrily.

“We must protect her,” Victoria snapped.

“We could all die,” Henry argued, “I agree with Thomas. She has to go.”

“I will not allow her to die by the hands of those wretched people.”, Victoria continued.

“Die?”I asked, now having a concerned look on my face. “What are the Verlice's planning to do with me?”

“We don’t know. We just know that the women who marry into the Verlice family die before the first wedding anniversary” an unfamiliar voice said behind me.

“Brother, it’s nice of you to finally grace us with your presence. Davina this is ---” Victoria was cut off. “My name is Blaze. It’s nice to meet you Davina”, the man said, shaking my hand gently. Blaze continued to speak, “The Verlice family probably has every dog and human they know searching for you”. “You say the word ‘human’ as though you aren’t one yourself”, I said jokingly. They didn’t seem to take the joke too well as none of them laughed. All of them looked at me confused.

Thomas broke the silence. “Who wants dinner?”, he asked. Everyone headed to the dining room except for me. I sat for a moment thinking about the events of the last few days. Had I stayed home I would be Davina Rose Verlice wife of Mikel Verlice. By the sounds of it I’d be headed toward certain death. Why would the Verlice family want me to marry their son? I am only seventeen. I won’t be eighteen for another eight days? Why did they want to rush the wedding? I should be headed to college not running for my life.

I joined the Solace family for dinner. Nobody seemed to be touching their food except me. Nobody said a word until dinner was almost over. “How are you liking the food Davina?” Victoria asked. “It’s delicious. Thank you for taking care of me the last couple of days. I will be leaving first thing in the morning”, I replied. Everyone looked at me and didn’t say a word. Thomas and Henry left the table and Victoria grabbed my hand. “You don’t have to leave. We would prefer you stay under our protection”, Blaze said in a stern voice. The tone in his voice made me feel protected. “Davina, we want to make sure that you’re safe”, Victoria spoke. “I’ll take your plate. You can go shower and go to bed. I took the liberty of throwing out your old clothes. There are new clothes for you in your room.”

As I was in the shower I felt as though someone was watching me. I got chills. I looked out of the shower and saw no one. I finished my shower and brushed my teeth. Just outside of the restroom was a beautiful vanity. The vanity was white with a mirror attached. On top of it was a vintage brush, lotion, perfume, and makeup that seemed to be picked out specifically for me. I sat at the vanity and started to brush my hair. I looked in the mirror and saw Blaze standing at the door staring at me.

“You startled me. Next time let me know that you’re there.” I snapped. “I’m sorry. I just wanted to come check on you. I’d like to get to know you”, Blaze pleaded. “I would like that,” I replied, looking at him. He had a sparkle in his eyes. There was something about him drawing me in. I couldn’t look away from him. “Good,” he said with a smirk on his face. “Tell me what interests you”, he said as he sat on the edge of my bed. “I have three siblings. One of my siblings is my twin brother. My family ---” He cut me off. “I don’t care to hear about the people who traded you”, Blaze barked. He seemed to have gotten irritated at the fact that my family sold me to the Verlice family. “Go to sleep”, he said “we will continue this in the morning”. He left my room and I closed my eyes.

That night I didn’t sleep well. I tossed and turned. My mind raced and I was covered in sweat within a couple of hours. When I finally fell asleep I kept having the same nightmare over and over. I was walking down the aisle and tripped, falling on my face. My heel broke and everyone laughed. I looked up at my groom and he had the face of a demon. The laughs turned to screams. I woke up screaming and it was morning. My heart was beating quickly and I could hardly breathe.