Chapter 2
"Huh? You must've heard wrong. Come on, I've picked up something cool lately... Oh, Gabriel?" Paislee said.
Footsteps approached the door.
I heard a few knocks.
"Is anyone in there?" Gabriel called out.
The group, who had just finished tying the rope into a knot, all flinched at the sound.
"Open the door, or I'll kick it down," Gabriel Murray said.
Gabriel Murray's voice was icy.
I kept making muffled noises, but Cecelia kept my mouth firmly covered.
Soon, the door swung open.
Paislee grinned.
"Hey, Mr. Murray, Maritza, what are you doing here?" Paislee asked.
Gabriel frowned, glancing past her into the room.
There was nobody there, just some furniture.
"Were you the ones making all that noise just now?" Gabriel asked.
"Yeah, it was us! Just us girls having a tea party, nothing weird!" Paislee replied, trying to sound casual.
'No!' I screamed in my head.
'Not at all!' I wanted to shout.
'Gabriel! I'm right here, just inside!' I tried to call out, but it was no use.
But I was stuck under the bed, with Cecelia's hand clamped over my mouth, so I couldn't make a sound.
"Oh, you guys are here too. Gabriel, let's just head somewhere else. They were here first anyway," Maritza said, flashing a friendly smile.
Maritza shot Gabriel a look and smiled.
Gabriel nodded.
As I heard their footsteps fading away, panic and rage exploded inside me. I had no idea where the strength came from, but I slammed my head into Cecelia's. While she was busy clutching her head, I spat out the rag and screamed at the top of my lungs.
"Gabriel! I'm here!" I yelled.
"What was that?" Gabriel called out.
Sounds like their footsteps are coming back.
Thank God... He was back.
This time, Gabriel didn't pay any attention to Paislee and the others trying to block him. He just pushed past them and went straight into the inner room.
But as soon as he opened the door, Gabriel shut his eyes and stepped back twice.
"Sorry..." he muttered.
Cecelia, her shoulder half-exposed, screamed in surprise.
"Mr. Murray! You can't just walk in like that without knocking!" she cried.
Paislee jumped in, quickly blocking the doorway and me, too, since I was still helpless under the bed after getting whacked.
"Mr. Murray, we were just changing for tonight's party..." Paislee said, trying to play it cool.
"My apologies. I shouldn't have barged in," Gabriel said.
Without another glance, he turned and walked out.
Before I knew it, I was being dragged out.
Cecelia had smacked me over the head in a panic, and now my vision was blurred with blood. Everything was spinning out of control.
Paislee was practically snarling.
"Useless! You can't even watch someone properly! We almost got busted because of you!" she spat.
"If this gets out, what will Mr. Murray think of us? And what about Maritza?" Paislee hissed through gritted teeth.
Paislee grabbed my jaw and forced it open, then poured something burning hot straight down my throat.
"So the rag didn't shut you up, huh? Since you love to scream so much, let's scald your throat and see if you can still make a sound!" Paislee sneered.
I screamed in agony, my voice raw and desperate.
But soon, my screams were completely choked off; even trying to make a sound felt like hell; every twitch of my throat was pure torture.
"Bitch!" Paislee spat.
She kicked me hard, towering over me with a look of pure contempt.
"This one's too stubborn. We need some real leverage if we want to keep her quiet about tonight. Take off her clothes," Paislee ordered coldly.
I was propped up like a marionette, barely able to struggle, my breath coming in ragged gasps.
"What... what are you... trying to do..." I managed to choke out.
Paislee had a thick marker in her hand, while the others gripped box cutters and neon pens, their faces twisted with malice.
"This marker? It won't come off for weeks. And the scars from these knives? You'll be wearing them for at least a month," Paislee sneered.
"You'd better burn into your memory every single thing we're about to do to you. And remember...
"If you so much as whisper a word about tonight, we'll post this video and your life will be ruined," Paislee warned, her voice cold and threatening.
Paislee gripped the marker in one hand, the camera raised in the other.
"Do it!" she ordered.
Ink stains and blade cuts carved themselves into my skin.
The itching and burning pain was enough to drive me insane. Every attempt to scream just brought more agony, so all I could do was stare them down through scalding tears, hatred burning in my eyes.
From the next room, the sound of someone playing the piano drifted over.
It was crisp and melodious, stretching on and on.
Paislee, looking like she didn't have a care in the world, narrowed her eyes.
"Maritza's piano skills are really something. Mr. Murray is crazy about piano music. If he sees her playing just for him, he'll be grinning from ear to ear," Paislee said, her voice dripping with smugness.
"Exactly! Who knows, maybe Mr. Murray will even publicly acknowledge Maritza. Once she joins the Murray family, we'll have everything we could ever want," one of the girls said.
Paislee rolled her eyes and gave her a shove.
"Obviously. Just do your part and there's something in it for you," Paislee snapped.
I gritted my teeth, forcing out a raspy whisper.
"Gabriel... will never... accept her..." I managed to breathe out.
"Shut up!" Paislee snapped.
She slapped me hard across the face, then her eyes landed on my still-unharmed fingers. She raised an eyebrow.
"Huh... doesn't this bitch play the piano too?" Paislee sneered.
My heart skipped a beat, terror flashing in my eyes.
The next second, she gave the others a meaningful look.
"Break her fingers," Paislee snapped.