Lindsay watched from the window as the sky slowly darkened, heaving a sigh and turning away. The dress was folded on top of the dresser next to her desk, lifting it in her hands slowly. The material was smooth as silk and mesmerizing, the way the colours shimmered and changed depending on how she looked at it.
There was a twisting in her stomach, anxiety and anticipation making her heart thunder in her chest. Tonight was the night, she was going to get away, she was going home. Changing into the garment, it amazed her how well the dress fit, the underdress was form-fitting from under her arm to mid-thigh but it didn’t make her feel trapped in clothes. The outer material flowed from her shoulders to her feet, yet didn’t drag on the floor. Shimmering between white, yellow, green, blue and purple as she moved, it was quite beautiful. Lindsay’s fingers trembled as she looked back out the window, it was dark already. Licking her lips as her mouth was suddenly very dry, it would just be Mathew and her, this was her chance.
A sharp knock at her door had her turning around as it swung open, Mathew was standing there in his usual black jeans and t-shirt. He paused to look at her, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the frame as his eyes roamed over her.
“Beautiful, princess.” he smiled softly and she felt her nervousness fade slightly, she was warmed and comforted by his presence.
“I told you not to call me that,” Lindsay responded, lacing her fingers together in front of her.
“My apologies,” he grinned and pushed off the door frame. “It’s time to go.” stepping back out of her way with a sweep of his arm. Taking his queue, Lindsay walked out of the room and down the stairs at the end of the hall. At the front door was a small pair of strappy white sandals, the wrappings looked to be made of the same material as her dress.
“Tell me, Mathew, how is it that you knew all my sizes? Clothes, shoes.” picking up the sandals and turning to sit on the bottom stair. Mathew knelt in front of her and pulled her foot onto his lap. With a gentleness that didn’t seem possible from a large man like him, he wrapped the straps around her ankle and partway up her calf.
“A good guess,” was all he said as he took up her other foot. Holding her ankle in his large hand for a moment, “It was funny actually, shopping for woman's clothing, being a man, the first store asked for my measurements.” releasing her ankle as he stood with a shake of his head. Smiling down at her as he offered her his hand, pulling Lindsay to her feet. Mathew didn’t let go of her hand as he turned to the door. Pressing in an eight-digit code on the security lock, there was the small triple beep signalling that the code was accepted. Pausing for a moment and taking a deep breath before he looked down on her, pulling the door open.
Lindsay could feel how he tightened his grip on her hand, leading her out the door. With a sigh she closed her eyes and tilted her face to the sky, the fresh air was much needed. It had been way too long since she felt the gentle breeze on her cheek, the air was fresher and cool as she inhaled deeply. Heart pounding once more, she was outside, this was it. Before she could act however it was like Mathew had read her mind and she was being swung up into his arms and held against his chest.
“What are you doing?!” she gasped, her arms wrapping around his neck automatically.
“It’s faster this way, you’re rather small.” was his reply as he turned west and walked down a garden path, leading off into the woods. Scowling darkly at him, she could see that he had a smile on his lips, he was amused, damn him. As she scowled he had the nerve to chuckle and bounce her slightly. “You didn’t think I would take any chance of you slipping off would you?”
“Oh you jackass!” she snarled and struggled against him, pushing on his chest.
“Ian thought we should chloroform you again.” this made him laugh outright and suddenly she went from being held against his chest to being thrown over his shoulder. Her hopes of escaping were suddenly dashed, she felt like he had thrown a glass of ice water in her face. Mathew walked consistently west for a few more minutes before she heard the others talking.
“No, not over there we need them lined up here!” Damian called out, clearly exasperated. “Come on, Alex! This needs to be perfect, it’s now or never!”
“You’re a lunatic! I put it where you told me!” Alex snapped back.
“Both of you stop, it’s good enough.” came Ian’s voice barking at the twins.
“I thought you would be ready by now.” all amusement was gone from Mathew’s voice, and the tension she had felt earlier in the kitchen was back tenfold. He didn’t bother putting her down, even as she pounded a fist into his back and struggled on his shoulder.
“Put me down! You brute!” her lip curled in a snarl.
“Not yet,” he responded, wrapping his arm around her thighs a bit tighter. “Damian, are you ready?”
“It’s not up to me anymore, Mathew, the moon is high.” Damian sounded wistful and far away. Mathew nodded and bounced Lindsay off his shoulder and stood her on her feet in front of him. She let out a gasp as she took in the scene before her, the five of them were standing in front of a lake. The same lake she had been dreaming about lately. Her heart began to hammer away in her chest and she felt like she was choking on it as she stared at the lake. Dread weighing on her and making it hard to breathe evenly.
Mathew’s hands on her arms held her steady as he moved forward, walking her to the water's edge. Lindsay pushed back against him as panic started to rise in her chest, her pulse humming in her veins.
“Please, stop.” she breathed, shaking her head “Mathew, please” her voice went up a few octaves as she spoke.
“Calm down, princess, you’ll be fine.” pushing her on and walking her into the water up to her waist. Lindsay closed her eyes tightly and gritted her teeth, everything around her seeming so much louder. The swishing of water as the others entered the lake behind them, then silence. Opening her eyes slowly still feeling afraid of what came next, but nothing in the world could have prepared her for what happened.
The first thing she saw was the reflection of the full moon on the surface of the water, then ripples that started out of nowhere. As she watched the ripples grew wider and higher in the water. A light seemed to be coming from beneath the surface, lips parting a little in disbelief. Long spiralling tentacles started to raise from the water where the ripples had been. Eyes widening in shock as they grew longer and stretched higher right in front of her, but they weren’t tentacles from a creature in the lake but spirals of water. Her mouth dropped open fully as she watched, the tentacles giving way to a whirlpool where the light had started and only gotten brighter. The sound it made was deafening, like a vacuum that was running right next to her head, she was frozen in place.
Before she could even react, one of the tentacles of water struck out and grabbed her around the waist, jerking her forward and into the whirlpool. Lindsay let out a shriek as she fell, everything spun away so fast she had no time to respond. Pressing her hands over her ears, trying to block out the sound that grew louder by the minute. She felt sick to her stomach as she was pulled down, expecting to be pulled underwater. Instead, she felt like she was falling through a tunnel, her hair whipping around her face, the ends stinging her cheeks. There was a blinding light and Lindsay landed hard on her back, the air knocked out of her lungs. Everything died away, no more movement, no sound, other than four thuds nearby.
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