Shift (The Neturu Chronicles) (72 page)

               
“Will you let me?” Kayla asks, hopeful.

               
William nods.  “As long as you don’t say anything inappropriate. 
That’s fine.”

               
“So what, no sex talk to keep him preoccupied?” Kayla groans sarcastically.

               
“No, by all means, sex talk away.  I’ll thoroughly enjoy watching that.”

               
Kayla gives him a condescending look.  “I just want them to know I’m
okay.”

               
“You can tell them no harm will come to you.  I won’t hurt you,
Kayla.  As long as you behave, you can live a happy life.”

               
“Happy isn’t the word for my life.”

               
“Why don’t you get dressed?  They won’t worry as much if you look
healthy.”

               
Kayla knows he’s right even though she won’t admit it aloud.  “Fine,” she
mumbles.

               
“I’ll leave you to get ready.  We will be eating dinner momentarily. 
I bet you’re hungry,” William states, walking to the doorway.

               
“I won’t eat.  I would rather starve to death.”

               
Whirling around, William’s eyes flash fire as he looks at her.  “You
disobey me, and I will start planning accidents.  I think I’ll start with
Tracy.  I doubt they have her protected.”

               
“No!” Kayla exclaims.  “I’ll eat.  I’ll eat.”

               
“That’s what I thought,” William gloats.  “I will send someone to fetch
you in fifteen minutes, so be ready.”  He disappears out the door.

               
She turns around to the TV, but her parents are already gone. She’s so thankful
they have Cane and Toby to protect them.  Can William really get to the
ones she loves if they’re guarded?  She needs to try to get a message to
Damien to protect Tracy.  Kayla exhales and stands up to get ready.

               
Exactly fifteen minutes later, the door to her room opens.  The same
security guard from before comes in.  “He wants you to come to the dining
room now.”

               
“Whatever,” Kayla grumbles.  She gets up and follows the guy out of the
room.  They walk through stark white hallways.  There are no windows,
and every door is shut.  They finally arrive at a larger door where the
security guard waves her inside.

               
William is sitting at the table reading a newspaper. Food covers the entire
tabletop.  Kayla flops down in one of the chairs.  William looks up
at her.  “I would have thought you had better manners and posture than
that.”

               
“I’m not out to impress you.” 

               
“You’re a beautiful girl,” William states, putting down his newspaper. 
“You impress me, regardless of your efforts to dissuade me.”

               
Kayla crosses her arms.  “I don’t want you to like me.  I know I
won’t like you.  It’ll be a loveless marriage.”

               
“Oh, I think that will change.  Just give it time.”

               
“I am never going care about you, so don’t get your hopes up.”

               
William starts to pile food on his plate.  “I’m surprised you’re not
hounding me with questions.”

               
“What will you actually tell me?”

               
“Who I am,” William states.

               
She raises an eyebrow. “And who are you?”

               
“My name is William Harrison.  I was named after my grandfather, William
Caster.”

               
Confused, Kayla says, “William Caster only had one son, Gregory.”

               
“That is not true,” William replies.  “He had another.  It just
wasn’t by his wife.  My father, Kenneth, was his illegitimate son.  No
one knew about him.”

               
“What does that matter to our people?  It’s not uncommon to have children
with different people.”

               
He puts up his finger.  “My grandfather’s wife was
very
humanized and refused to let him have children with anyone else.  When my
father was born, the great William Caster wouldn’t acknowledge him
publicly.  He didn’t want to lose his wife, which is ridiculous.  You
shouldn’t cheat on someone you don’t want to lose.”

               
“You are criticizing someone else’s morals?” Kayla quips.  “Really—”

               
“Yes, well, when pushed, even the holiest of saints will make mistakes.”

               
“I would never kidnap or imprison anyone.”

               
William just shrugs his shoulders.  “Anyway, William Caster left my father
a lot of money when he passed, secretly of course, and that was it.  My
father followed in his footsteps and became a botanist, but he was so much more
than that.  My father was brilliant.”

               
“Was he as evil as you?” Kayla asks, crossing her arms.

               
“No,” William replies, cutting up his food.  “This was entirely my idea.”

               
“So what’s your plan?  I don’t understand what you intend to get from
kidnapping me and forcing me to marry you.”

               
William pauses before saying, “If you’re my wife and have my children,
technically, they’ll be part of the Caster bloodline.  We’ll have to be
accepted by our people, but they would never refuse your children, especially
if they’re girls.”

               
“They won’t accept you.  You kidnapped me!  Are you really that
stupid?”

               
“By that time,
you ‘ll
have seen the truth and will be
my wife.”

               
“That is sick and twisted.  If they don’t imprison you, Damien will kill
you.”

               
William shakes his head. “Not if you object to it.”

               
“I will throw the switch myself or pull the trigger or do whatever it takes to
end you.”

               
“I don’t believe you’ll do it,” William smugly states.

               
She leans forward. “You are
delusional
.”

               
“Eat,” William commands, pointing to the food.  “I have a private
chef.  It’s very good.”

               
“I’m not hungry,” Kayla grumbles.

               
“Eat!” William growls.

               
Kayla puts her hands up. “Really!  I’m not hungry.  I can’t eat when
I’m stressed.”

               
“Eat or I’ll give you a sedative,” William snaps.

               
Resisting the desire to protest, Kayla takes some food and throws it on her
plate.  She takes a bite and glares at William.  He watches
her.  Kayla realizes she really is hungry.  Begrudgingly, she eats
her dinner. Neither one of them speak.

               
When they are finished, Kayla looks up at William.  “Can I record my
messages now?”

               
“Yes.  If I am anything, I am a man of my word,” William says, standing
up.  Kayla follows him.  He leads her out of the dining room and
across the hall into a room that appears to be his office.  There is a
desk, with a computer…and a phone.  Every thought running through Kayla’s
head involves trying to make a phone call to escape her prison.  Almost as
if he can read her mind, William murmurs, “If you try to call someone, I will
tie you back up and withhold your food.  After a few days, you’ll learn
your lesson.”

               
“You said you wouldn’t hurt me,” Kayla whispers.

               
He walks over to the computer.  “As long as you behave, I won’t let
anything happen to you.  No one will ever touch you.  I promise you
that.”  Sitting down, he starts to click on a lot of stuff.  Finally,
he says, “All right, come here.”  Kayla walks over to the chair. 
William gets up so she can sit down.  He bends over her.  “Who do you
want to send messages to?”

               
“My parents, Damien and Jackson,” Kayla replies.

               
William looks down at her.  “Jackson, really?  How is he important?”

               
“He’ll watch out for my family and Tracy,” Kayla replies.  “He’s friends
with them, and they’ll need someone to help them through this.”

               
“Whatever you want,” William says.  “Click this icon when you want to
start recording.”

               
“I want to talk to my parents first,” Kayla whispers.  William sits on the
desk behind the computer so no one can see him.  Kayla takes a deep breath
and then clicks the button.  A little red light appears on the
screen.  “Hi, Mom; hi, Dad,” she softly says.  “I just wanted you to
know I’m okay.  I’m alive and not hurt.  I don’t think I’m coming
back, though.  I’ve been told that no harm will come to me as long as I
cooperate.”  Kayla sees William point his finger at her.  She
frowns.  “I love you, please always remember that.  I’ll think about
you every day.  You need to move forward and live your lives.  I will
never forget you.  Please, take care of each other.  I don’t know
what else to say.  Maybe someday I will get to see you again.”  Kayla
starts to get choked up.  “You both mean the world to me.  I love
you.  Please hold on to that thought.  I will say see you later
instead of good-bye.  Love you.”  She brings her fingers to her
mouth, kisses them, and then puts them out to the camera.  Kayla clicks
the stop button and bursts into tears.

               
William walks over and opens a desk drawer.  He pulls out a box of tissue
and hands it to her.  “I’m not heartless.  I know this is painful.”

               
Her jaw drops.  “Yes, you are heartless.  You’re ripping me away from
my family.  You stole my life away from me!”

               
“You’re going to start a new life.”

               
“I don’t want a new life!  I want my home!  I want to finish
school.  I want my family and friends.”

               
Reaching over, William brushes Kayla’s hair behind her ear.  “It will get
better.”

               
She smacks his hand away.  “Don’t touch me you slimy piece of—”

               
William grabs her.  “Don’t finish that sentence.  You will act like a
lady and not some crass teenager.”

               
“Let go of me,” Kayla growls, twisting out of his grip.  “You sure don’t
know how to romance a girl.  Hurting her doesn’t make a girl fall in love
with you.  You are just proving my point that this will never work.”

               
He lets go of her and scowls.  Finally, he growls, “Yes, good point, make
your other two messages then.”

               
Kayla turns to the computer.  “I don’t even know what to say.”

               
“Oh, Damien, I love you,” William mocks with a blasé attitude.  “Never
forget about me.  Blah. Blah. Blah.”

               
“Shut up, you jerk,” Kayla retorts.  She looks at the computer. 
Pressing the button, she starts, “Hey, I’m not sure what to say right
now.  I know you’re frantic and trying to find me.  I don’t want to
say it’s a hopeless cause, but it may be.  If you fail to find me, please
go on and live your life.  I know we only just met each other, but you
mean a lot to me.  Please watch out for my family.”  Out of the
corner of her eye, Kayla sees William glare at her.  “I don’t mean
security wise.  I mean, just make sure they’re okay, Jackson too.  I
know you two don’t get along, but try for me, all right?  I’m sorry for
being angry with you.  That seems stupid now given the
circumstances.  I hope we can see each other again someday.  I realize
things will probably change over time, but I will pray to see you again. 
I only want you to live your life and be happy. Take care of each other. 
I think I’ll be safe for now.   I’m not in danger, and I’m not
hurt.  Take care, Damien.”  Kayla puts her fingers to her mouth
again.  She reaches for the camera again and a single tear runs down her
cheek.  When she clicks end, Kayla just stares down.

               
“Now, Jackson of all people?” William says.  “I didn’t realize you were
that close.”

               
She continues to stare down at the desk.  “Yeah, we are.”  Kayla
takes a deep breath and clicks the button on the computer.  “Hey,” she
starts.  “I hope you’re okay.  I left you on the bathroom floor when
everything went down, and I’ve been worried about you being okay.  I’m
just worried about you period.  I’m okay.  As best as can be
expected, I guess.  I’m not hurt.  I’m alive and breathing.  I
just…” Kayla looks up at William.  He just raises an eyebrow.  “I
want you to take care of yourself.  Please watch out for my family and
Damien.  As I said to Damien, try and get along…for me, okay?  And
please protect Tracy,” Kayla starts.  William shoots up from the
table.  Kayla quickly stutters, “P-protect Tracy from herself.  You
know she sleeps around
so much
.  I don’t want her to go overboard
with me
missing
.  So please,
protect
her from being a
floozy.”

               
“That’s enough,” William hisses, standing up.