Author's note: I just bombed a final...oh well. Sorry it has taken me a bit to update. I'm in the middle of exam season. 

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Jared cleaned and wrapped my arm in a new piece of gauze. I cradled my arm to my chest as he put away the supplies. I grit my teeth as the burning pain grew unbearable. It at least took my mind off of the thought of the meat. Just thinking of the previous dinners I have eaten made my stomach turn. If I started vomiting again, Jared was sure to cut me again.

"Why did you come in early?" I asked.

Jared closed the bathroom cupboard and turned to look at me. I could barely see his eyebrow raise beneath his faded baseball cap.

"Leah, you are not supposed to be asking questions," he said.

"I'm sorry," I said. My shoulders tightened and I gripped my wrist.

"I'll let it slide this time," he said. "I came in to make sure that you were okay. I know that yesterday may have been confusing. You will see that we do all of this to protect you."

I bit down on my lip. My knee bounced as I watched Jared's eyes scan over my body. He smirked before holding out his hand.

"Come here," he said.

I let out a shaky breath. I wanted to be nowhere near Jared. I didn't before, and I definitely don't want to be near him now.

"Leah, I really don't want to have to punish you again," he said.

I squeezed my eyes shut as my arm burned. I pushed myself up off of the edge of the bathtub. My knees wobbled as I walked toward Jared. My wounded arm stayed cradled against my chest. Jared grabbed my elbow and pulled me toward his body. I kept my eyes down, and he ran his fingers through my hair.

"You're so pretty," he said. "Dad is not expecting me to come back outside. We shouldn't waste our time."

He grabbed my chin and lifted my head. He kissed me. I took a step back, but he yanked me forward.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Please." My heart pounded in my chest. My throat was tightening and I was gasping for breath. "Please, I am in so much pain. Can we just play a game or something again? Your mom may need help. I could -."

"Leah," Jared cut me off. He placed his finger over my lips. "Do you love me?"

I nodded my head. He removed his finger from my lips, and he twirled it around a piece of my hair.

"This is how you can show me how much you love me," he said. "You were hiding a knife. How am I supposed to know that you did not want to kill me? Do this to show me that I can trust you."

"Later," I said. "Please, my arm hurts me so much. I promise we can do that later. Please, just let me feel a bit better first."

"Tonight?" he asked.

"Yes."

Jared smiled and kissed my forehead. He wrapped his arm around my waist and pulled me closer to his chest.

"Are you in a lot of pain?" he asked.

"Yeah," I said. My arm was between my chest and Jared's, and the pressure caused the pain to run from my wrist to my elbow.

"Do you want to take a bath?" he asked.

"No."

It was an odd request. He drew me a hot bath last night while I was falling unconscious. He probably wanted to do the same thing. He probably would drug me and want to hold my naked body while I could not fight him.

"Let's go lie down," he said.

Jared kept a hold on my elbow. He pulled me with him into the bedroom. Jared lied down on the bed, and pulled me down too. He positioned me so that I was lying on his chest. He dragged his fingers up and down along my back. My stomach was twisted into a tight knot. Images of him slipping his hand under the sweater and trying to force himself on me filled my mind. Jared reached up and removed his hat and tossed it to the side.

"I promise everything we do is to keep you safe," Jared said. "My grandfather used to tell me stories about people coming onto our property. They used to come and steal our things and hurt us. Years ago some people broke into this house and killed my great great grandmother. Or something like that."

"I'm sorry," I said. "That is such a rare thing to happen. People don't want to hurt you."

"Leah, we do so much to keep you safe," Jared said. "My grandfather told Theo and I about how the intruders broke in and stabbed her repeatedly. Everyone was outside, except for her so no one heard her screaming until it was too late. We don't lock the doors to keep you inside. We lock them so that no one can come in and hurt you."

"Can we go outside?" I asked. "Please, just for a few minutes."

"I don't want to risk it," he said. "I couldn't stand to lose you."

--

Jared wanted me to lie on the bed with me all day. He did not even let me go help make dinner when Lindsay knocked on the door. I managed to avoid the meat until I went to the dining room table with Jared. Jenny was sitting at the table, and she was knocking her knuckles against the table. Theo was hunched over his sketchbook, and dragging his pencil across the page. Jared reached across the table and put his hand over Jenny's. She stopped and looked up at Jared. Her lips lifted into a smile revealing a series of wrinkles around her mouth.

Lindsay walked into the dining room with bowls of mashed potatoes and vegetables. Gabe was behind her with a platter of the meat. They set it down on the table, and each sat down in their seats. Gabe's eyes were locked on me as he reached out for the meat.

"Jared, did you have a talk with Leah?" Gabe asked.

"I did," Jared said.

"I'm going to take it that she took it alright."

Goosebumps lined my skin when I discovered that they were talking about the meat. They did it so casually that it horrifying. I grabbed a spoonful of the potatoes before passing the bowl over to Jared.

"She was sick," Jared said. "But overall I think she took it well."

Gabe pushed the plate towards me, and he leaned back in his chair.

"Let's see how well she took it." Gabe crossed his arms over his chest. "Have a piece, Leah."

"I'm really not that hungry," I said.

"You need to eat," Gabe said.

"I promise, I am not hungry," I said.

"Leah, you are not eating anything until you have some."

He was treating me like a child who would not eat their vegetables.

"I am not eating that," I said.

"You have already been eating it, and you enjoy it," Gabe said.

"I can't eat that," I said.

"Jared, take her plate."

Jared picked up my plate full of potatoes and vegetables, and set it down on the other side of him. Lindsay's eyes glance up at me before she looked down. She kept putting the fork in Jenny's hand, and helped her eat. She took small bites of her own food while Jenny was chewing.

"Leah, you are not eating anything until you have some meat," Gabe said. "Jared, make sure she does not eat."

"What if she won't eat at all?" Jared asked.

"Don't worry about that," Gabe said. "She will get hungry enough to clear up her thinking."

"You're going to starve me?" I asked.

"Leah, no questions," Gabe said.

I let out a deep breath and fidgeted with my fingers. My stomach was already growling from only having toast this morning. I had to manage to sneak some food from either Jared or Lindsay while Gabe was outside. I kept playing with my fingers to distract myself from the food on the table.

I ignored the conversation. I stood up as soon as I heard Lindsay's chair screech across the floor. I helped her clear the dishes off of the table. She put the leftovers in the fridge as I filled the sink with warm soapy water. Jared leaned against the counter and watched me as I washed the dishes. He was probably watching me to make sure that I was not stealing anymore knives.

Good job, Leah, I thought.

I now have this family starving me and keeping me under surveillance.