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.
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 wearing 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.
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.