For weeks, Jake would simply leave Ariana in her room, delivering meals three times a day if she was lucky. She would normally just stare at the roof in boredom in between meals, wishing to be let out of her room. To pass the time, she would also sometimes go through the clothing and jewelry that Jake had provided for her. Before she'd tried to escape, he would sometimes secretly add more things to her wardrobe.

After a while however, both of these activities became increasingly boring. She instead began thinking of how she could escape the mansion. She'd already tried to open the window, but because of the smashed lock, she couldn't. When Jake would give her meals, he wouldn't open the door until she assured him that she was on the other side of the room, so it was unlikely that she be able to run out when he fed her.

She thought back to the way Jake had been before she'd moved in with him. He had been so caring, sweet, and all around just nicer. Now, she was treated like a prisoner. Why? Because she'd shown an opinion. Was he always going to be this controling.? Why hasn't she seen it before? Had she simply been too blinded by his gifts and empty promises?

She fidgeted with her necklace, the one her mum had made for her. It was made of swirls of orange and red resin, shaped like a teardrop gem. Ariana used to love watching Keira, her mum, work with resin. Keira had always said that she'd teach her when she was older, but that moment had never come. When she came of age, Keira was already suffering the affects of her cancer.

Thinking back to the days when her mum was still around however, she found her spirits rising slightly. Keira had always made her smile, something that she realized she hadn't done in a while.

Ariana walked over to the locked window, and gazed outside. The ground was a bit of a jump, being that she was on the second floor, but there was a tree within jumping distance. She estimated that she could probably make it to the tree, but getting outside was more of an issue.

If she found something heavy enough, she might be able to break the glass, but that would alert Jake immediately, which meant she'd have to move quickly. Maybe if she waited for him to leave she'd have more of a chance. Leaving the window, she walked around her room, looking for something heavy that she could still lift, but would hopefully shatter the glass.

Her jewelry box seemed to be heavy enough. Crafted of solid wood, it was heavier than it appeared. She picked it up experimentally, judging it's weight. It would most likely break the glass, but she wouldn't be certain until she tried to escape. She would just have to empty out all the jewelry before she threw it so that she might sell it to pay for food.

She looked around the room again, looking to see if she could find another object in case the jewelry box didn't work. She found a small stone statue, about as high as her knee. Slowly picking it up, she found it to be heavier than the box, and her first choice changed to the statue. It would definitely be strong enough to bust the glass.

Feeling boredom creeping back, she decided to bask in the luxuries of the room, and treated herself to a nice hot bath. She filled the tub with sweet smelling bubbles, and eased herself into the tub. The jets activated automatically, softly massaging her back. She felt most of her fear slip away as she sat in the soothing water.

After a while, she dried herself off, and brushed out her wet hair. Until now, she hadn't realized that since she's been trapped in her room, she hadn't brushed out her hair. Running it through the tangled strands, the remembered a time when her hair always used to look like this; tangled, grimy, and often filled with dust and dirt.

If she escaped, would she be going back to those days? She didn't know. And what of her father? Jake had complete control over his rehab; a decision that she realized was purposeful all along. Would Ariana have to rescue her father as well? And how would she do that? Not only did she not have a car, or a license for that matter, but she didn't know where he was either.

She sighed in frustration, flinging herself on the bed with a towel around her body. How would she ever escape this place completely, if Jake had so carefully tied her down in several ways? He never provided her with a communication device, despite saying how much he wished he could talk to her while he was at work. He never brought her to get her license, always opting for him to drive. He hadn't even given her a house key, so she hasn't been able to leave the house without him before.

A knock on the door caused her to jump slightly, thoughts momentarily forgotten. There was the click of the lock, and another knock.

"Dinner," Jake said sharply.

"Thank you," she said from the bed, as it was on the opposite side of the room than the door. "May I come out today?"

"We'll see," he said. "Where are you?"

"On the bed," she responded, sitting up.

The door opened up, revealing a topless Jake. Clearly, he hadn't cared enough to dress himself before feeding her. She had to admit, he did still look hot topless.(I'm not very good at describing men as attractive. I'm open to feedback on how to make this part better. Sorry.) To her surprise, he walked into the room.

"Oh, um," she stuttered. "I thought you were just leaving the food as usual."

He sat down on the bed, placing a tray of steaming food in front of her. "Well, I'm going to give you the chance to leave this room,"

"Y-you are?" she asked, stunned. She couldn't help beginning to eat what was in front of her; the smell was just to intoxicating.

"All you have to do is listen to my requests and respond accordingly," he continued. "What will it be?"

"What do you want me to do?" she said in between bites of steamed broccoli.

"Well, my family is throwing a party, and I told them all about my lovely girlfriend. So, I want you to come with me so they can meet you. I pick the outfit. All to have to do is introduce yourself, be nice, and make small talk. Do we have a deal?"

Should I go? Ariana asked herself. If I was out of the room, it would make escape much easier. And if I gain his trust to do this more than once, I'll definitely have a better shot at leaving this place behind. Plus, how bad could it be? It's just a party with his family.

"Okay," she said after eating the final bite of her meal. "I'll go."

"Good," he said, getting up. "Go do your hair, and I'll get your things ready. Quickly now; we don't have all day."

Ariana hurried into the bathroom, and did her hair up in a low bun this time, and walked back out of the washroom. Jake was already waiting, a blue lacy  dress folded over his arm. He pushed it towards her, and she picked it up. Taking the hint, she walked back in to change into it.

The blue gown had a v-neck that she wasn't a huge fan of due to how low it ran, but she knew that it was her only option to leave the room for the first time in days. The back was also very open, but other than that, Ariana didn't see any problems with it.

(The dress.)

She did a bit of makeup, and walked back out, only to see a pair of heels sitting on the ground. It seemed that Jake had gone to get ready himself. She slipped them on, and found a pair of sapphire earrings and a matching necklace in the jewelry box.

She left the room and stood outside her door, still unsure if she should have even left the room to begin with. Jake was standing outside of his door, wearing another crisp suit and dark blue tie, which matched her dress. She could tell that he did it to pull the two outfits together, but Ariana knew it was also a sign of ownership. He walked towards her, and looked her up and down.

"Take off that red necklace," he said, gesturing to her resin charm. "It doesn't match."

She hesitantly took it off, and placed it on the table where the jewelry box lay.

Jake put out his arm, and she put her hand lightly on it. He lead her out of the room that had become her world for a few days. A black limo was parked at the end of the driveway, with a chauffeur standing beside it. The chauffeur open the door for them, and they climbed inside. Closing the door behind them, and getting back into the car, the chauffeur drove them off into the night.

So, there we go! Here are this chapters questions.  Let me know if you're not enjoying doing these questions.

- What do you think will happen at the party?

- Do you think Jake will let Ariana out of the room more often if all goes well there?

- Again, will she ever escape?

- An of course, is our trouble still to come, and if so, what do you think it is?

I hope you enjoyed this chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it!

In writing this, I realized how much I seem to like writing about escape plans. This is heavily featured in my Wings of Fire Fanfic, The Dragon Within. I've been trying to write both of these at once, and I noticed the subconscious similarities between them. Give it a read if you'd like.

Thanks again for taking the time to read my story. I'm really enjoying it, and enjoy reading your comments about murdering Jake even more. Thanks again guys.

~Alley