Captives

My head hurts.

I hear myself groan as I come to, vision hazy as I force my heavy eyelids to open.

When did I fall asleep?

My limbs feel far more weighted than they should, and it takes a great deal of effort to sit up. I feel like I’ve taken drugs or slammed back copious amounts of alcohol.

“What the hell?” I mutter, rubbing my throat as the words scratch it on the way out.

I swallow, and it feels like I’ve drank sand. The way my uvula sticks to my dry throat almost makes me gag, but I’m too focused on trying to peddle through this confusing fog to make time for nausea.

My head spins but my vision clears up after a few more blinks.

This isn’t my apartment.

“Where…” I don’t finish the question aloud, scanning my lagging vision over the surrounding area.

Medium size space, the walls are a calming lavender and the floor looks like concrete. It smells nice here. Familiar, actually. I think I have this exact scent plugged in at home. Odd thing to notice, but it’s just my senses trying to take in as much information as possible to decipher what the fuck is happening right now. It’s also alarming. What an unsettling coincidence.

I continue to look around with my eyes, too worn to get up right now.

Did I stop somewhere after work?

My thoughts are trying to solve the riddle of my present location.

No, I never do.

“I don’t remember driving home.” I whisper to myself, rubbing my temples.

“You okay?”

I jump at the sound of someone else’s voice. It’s a male voice, and I look around frantically until my eyes land on the culprit.

“Who are you?” My fuzzy head is clearing up, adrenaline flooding out the haze.

There is a man in here with me...

Wherever here is.

He’s got messy brown hair, and bright blue eyes. Eyes that are currently looking at me like I’m a science experiment. Am I a science experiment? What if aliens plucked me right off the street and placed me in a little human exhibit with a male of the same species. Oh god, what if they want to watch us breed? Is this a breeding thing?

I sigh at my own random, exhausting train of thought. I press the heels of my hands to my eyelids, trying to decide if I think this guy is a threat or not. I lower my hands, seeing he’s still sitting in the same spot on the floor. Which is with his back to a wall… a wall that has a door.

“A way out?” I ask, eyeing the cracked door.

The guy follows my gaze, looking next to him. He pushes a breath through his nose, placing a hand on it and pushing it open more. The light is off, but there is enough filtering into it from this room that the basic contents are illuminated.

A bathroom. Not an exit.

“Where are we?” I ask, looking around again.

It looks kind of like a renovated basement. It’s well done and has a nice, clean ambience. But something about it still says ‘Hey, you’re in a basement’.

“Sebastian.” He answers my first question, my eyes snapping back to him. “And I don’t know.” And that’s my answer to the second.

Well, third, technically. But he already answered my door inquiry.

“Abducted by aliens?” He offers with a sigh, clearly joking but there isn’t much humor he can muster considering our circumstances.

I look at him, cocking my head to the side. That’s what I said. I mean, more or less… and in my thoughts. Is he in my thoughts?! Is that how he knew I was thinking that?

“Mind reader?” I narrow my eyes at him.

Sebastian just mirrors my expression, even copying the way I have my head tilted. I gasp and rear my head back.

“Mimic?” I guess instead.

Sebastian gives up the act, cracking a rather beguiling smile as he chuckles to himself.

“No.” He bunches his brows briefly, probably not even sure of what a Mimic is. “But you’re weird, thought it’d be fun to match the energy for a sec.”

“Hm.” I make a face, visually assessing him again.

I’m weird? This guy is the weird one.

“Got a name, strange woman?” Sebastian asks, getting to his feet and stretching out.

He’s got on a white ribbed tank and gray sweatpants. He’s slender but his muscles are toned. He’s hot. Not that his attractiveness level matters right now. We seem to be in the same boat here. Taken. Taken and confused. Why couldn’t it have been naked and afraid?

Down, Harper!

“Uh-” I refocus on what he asked me. “Harper.”

I let my gaze fall to my lap, seeing that I too sport gray sweats. They are a little too big, and the hem of my white tank top doesn’t quite reach the waistband of them.

Someone changed my clothes. I shudder at the thought of some kidnapping stranger with their hands on my unconscious body. My mind immediately shoves that away. I don’t even want to think about it.

“Pretty.” Sebastian comments, smacking the wall.

He seems to be looking around, assessing the walls and their durability.

“Me?” I ask, my brain still not at full capacity.

I don’t think he’s the culprit here. So that adrenaline rush is subsiding. Unfortunately that means my mind is slowing again, still affected by whatever it is in my system.

Sebastian is looking up at the ceiling, hands resting on the wall. But he flashes a grin before looking over at me. I can only imagine I look like a bit of a mess- my dark curls are sure to be at least semi-wild, and I don’t have any makeup on seeing as I didn’t apply any before my shift at the bakery.

“I meant the name. But…” His eyes skim over me briefly. “You too, gorgeous.”

I’m caught off guard by that. I mean, who has the confidence to flirt with such ease, even at a time like this! Then Sebastian just resumes his casual assessment of our basement here, looking around and feeling all of the walls.

“It’s nice.” I clear my throat, trying to pretend I’m not all flustered by his compliment.

I continue looking around with my eyes but keep my butt rooted in place. Huh, I’m sitting on a bed with satin sheets. Top shelf treatment. That makes this even more confusing.

What the hell is this place?

“Yeah, we should leave a good review.” Sebastian comments.

I look at him again, seeing he’s made his way to the far end of the room. He looks over his shoulder to see if I’m amused with his sense of humor. I am, but a little too weary of our situation to laugh. I do manage a small, weak smirk. But that’s enough to satisfy him I guess, because he nods like he’s decided he’s alright with my company before turning his attention back to the stairs.

Stairs.

I just noticed them. He’s standing at the base of them, looking up towards whatever he sees at the top.

“Where do they lead?” I ask, finally daring to get up.

I stand, a little wobbly, but manage to right my posture and steady myself.

“A door.” He answers, still standing at the base of the steps.

I make my way to him, tripping over my own feet and having to catch myself with his shoulder. He’s quick to support me, placing a hand on my lower back as I breath deeply and try to force the lingering fog from my brain. When I refocus, I slowly look up at him. He’s watching me, looking concerned for my state of health. Now that I’m closer to him, I see that he’s not just hot. He’s really hot.

Focus, Harper.

“We were drugged?” I ask, even though he’s probably as clueless as I am.

“Yeah.” He pushes a breath through his nose.

His eyes are a deep blue, like the ocean. Minus all of the sea creatures and filth, so they’re even prettier. Better than ocean eyes. They are currently clouding over with thought, a distant look overtaking him.

“I guess.” The shoulder I’m not holding onto lifts in a shrug. “I only woke up a little bit before you, in pretty much the same condition.” Sebastian says, better than ocean eyes coming back to life. “Which is how I ended up on the floor.” He gives a soft laugh at himself.

“Ah, no good looking guys to brace your fall?”

Why did I just say that?

Like honestly. Now is not the time. And even if it was, that was a lame pick up attempt. Kill me. Er, actually, in case the kidnapping extraterrestrials are listening in on my thoughts- please don’t.

“I wish.” Sebastian doesn’t miss a beat, joking around like we aren’t captives.

He looks up at the door, and I follow his gaze.

It’s not a normal, vertical door. It’s on the ceiling at the top of the steps- a cellar door. Oh goody, not a basement then, a cellar. We’re not only underground but like in the ground. Not that it makes much difference, both suck.

“I’m not gay.” He says, out of the blue.

“What?” I scrunch my brows up, looking at him again.

He still has his arm around me, hand on my back. And I still clutch to his arm out of fear I’ll faceplant to the concrete if I don’t.

Sebastian meets my gaze, squinting his eyes like he forgot what he just said.

“Oh-” He shakes his head, breathing a laugh. “I just realized that you may have taken that joke as me letting you know I’m into guys- I’m not.”

“Um, good to know I guess?”

Why does he find it important that I know he’s not gay? Because he’s hoping we’ll kindle a romance in here?

No, Harper, I think you are hoping for that.

My thoughts taunt me and I purse my lips.

“I’m gonna check it out.” He nods to the door. “Can you stand on your own?” He asks, waiting for me to nod before he removes his hand.

I manage to stand without swaying as Sebastian makes his way up the wooden steps. When he gets to the top, he grabs the handles and looks back at me. I lift my shoulders, not knowing whether it’s a good idea to try them or not. Worst case scenario they’re locked. Well, I guess worst case scenario would be that its boobytrapped and a bomb ignites the second he-

He rattles the doors. No explosion. Phew.

“Locked.” He states the obvious. “Oh-”

I hear the beeping of what I assume to be a keypad of some sort, the faint glow of green lights flashing as he clicks random numbers on it. It then flashes red, indicating the code is incorrect.

“Really locked.” Sebastian states before coming back down the steps.

He stops on the last one, taking a seat and clasping his hands together. He seems to have entered a state of thought now that he knows there is no immediate escape.

I drop down next to him, looking down at my bare feet. My white toe nail polish is chipped, I haven’t done them since it was warm enough for open toe shoes.

I push a breath through my nose, hugging my knees to my chest and doing some thinking myself.

What is the last thing you remember, Harper.

I try to prompt myself to recall the events that got me here. My head hurts something fierce and I wince as a particularly rude throb assaults my temple. I place my fingers there, feeling Sabastian’s hand on my back again.

“Headache?” He asks, ducking his head down so that I see him in my peripheral.

“Mhm.” I nod, then rest my head in my hand as I look over at him. “You?” I ask.

Sebastian just looks at me for a moment, then nods slowly.

“Yeah, but I think it hit you a little harder.” He comments.

He may be right about that. Then again, he woke up before me so maybe it’s had more time to wear off for him.

“How long have you been awake?” I ask him.

He seems to think about it, looking across the room at the bed.

“Not long. It was only a few minutes before I saw you start to move.” He says, running a hand through his already messy hair.

He leaves it there, his hair pushed back from his forehead as he rests his elbow to his knee.

“Raking leaves.” He says, still looking across the room.

It only takes me a second to realize he’s remembered what he was doing when he was taken.

“I was raking leaves in my yard, then all of a sudden-” He swats at his neck like he’s recalling the sting of something.

I wrap my fingers around his, lowering his hand and leaning in close to see if there’s a mark. I feel his eyes on me, his neck craned as I attempt to get a look at it.

“Yeah…” I run my finger over a tiny little mark. “There’s a needle puncture.”

“Really?” He asks, comically rearing his head further to try and see.

All he manages to do is headbutt me.

“Ow.” I whine, already having a headache and not enjoying the added pain.

“Sorry.” He breathes a sound of amusement, patting my head gently. “I’ll check the bathroom, maybe there’s aspirin?”

I doubt a kidnapper would be so considerate, but don’t say anything as he gets up to look. While he’s doing that, I take another moment to look the place over. There’s a small table and two chairs, a huge bean bag in the corner and even a cute area rug. I spot a decent sized bookcase, some of those plastic dresser things that I assume have clothing in them. Like I said- this place is nice.

Why would someone take us just to set us up in a space like this? What’s the purpose? What do they want? My mind flitters back to the aliens and the breeding thing. I downturn my mouth then purse my lips at the thought. Breeding with Sebastian? Well, if angry green men come in here gurgling orders for us to do so…

You are so unserious.

I scold myself via thought.

Not sure why my mind is like this, but I always lighten a situation in my head. Because various trauma has prepared me for versatility. Anything can happen. Your world can be turned upside down, rug ripped out from beneath your feet. You just keep going. Or you don’t. That’s really all there is to it.

“Is this yours?” Sebastian reemerges from the bathroom holding something.

As I look closer, I see it’s a small cosmetic bag. My bag. He’s clearly been rummaging through it, holding up my birth control and a tube of lipgloss in his hand.

“Hey!” I stand... way too fast.

I’m instantly dizzy, but I plant my feet and hold my hands out for balance. Sebastian has stepped closer to me, taking one of my hands in his.

“Are you gonna puke? Totally chill if you need to, but let’s get you to the bathroom. Doubt there’s maid service, ya know?”

When I don’t answer he dips his head down to my level again. I just shake my head in response.

“No, I don’t feel nauseous. Just light headed.” I assure him.

We stand there for a few more breaths, then everything settles.

I blow out a breath and straighten my spine.

“See?” I give a nod and a small smile. “All good.”

He doesn’t look convinced, but nods slowly in response.

“How did that get here?” I ask, taking my bag from his hands.

“How did we get here?” He counters, placing my things back into the bag.

He has a point. None of this makes sense and we have no answers.

“Hm.” I make a thoughtful sound, shuffling back towards the bed.

I sit on the edge of it, taking my birth control out and popping a pill free. I take it, dry swallowing to get it down. Bad idea, considering my throat is already so dry. But I manage to get it down since it’s such a small pill.

“Think that’ll be a necessity if we’re in here long enough?” Sebastian jokes, turning a chair at the table to face me before taking a seat.

“Guess they aren’t breeding us.” I ignore his playful observation, instead commenting on my ludicrous theory.

If they, whoever they are, let me have my anti-baby pills then they aren’t attempting to breed us. Or they didn’t realize it was in there. Doubtful though, with the attention to detail… He sort of just made a joke about us potentially hooking up, didn’t he? Couldn’t ignore it after all. In fact, it makes me clam up a little with nerves as if I’m a virgin stuck in a room with her crush. I don’t even know this man! What is my deal?

“Huh?” Sebastian laughs, seeming amused with me.

His laugh is charming. His face is charming. He’s charming.

Harp. er. Focus!

“Oh, nothing!” I give a nervous laugh. “I was just thinking about the alien thing and if they took us for human breeding. Like an experiment. Heh. Nothing. Nothing.” I repeat, closing my eyes tightly and shaking my head at myself.

Could I possibly be any more embarrassing? I’m certainly not Ms. Extrovert in my day to day life but I’m not typically such a bundle of nerves either. Sebastian must be a male Siren or something, if there is such a thing.

“Well-” He makes himself comfortable, leaning back in the seat.

His legs rest open, like he is fully relaxed at home instead of locked in a cellar with a stranger.

“If we were forced to breed I would have almost no complaints.” He says, resting his hands behind his head.

Hot. Hot. Hot.

Something about this guy is seriously turning me into a horny teenager again. I’ve never even seen someone this hot up close before. Maybe in passing at the bakery. And that’s a big maybe. But being stuck in a room with Sebastian insert last name- I’m struggling to keep a sound mind over here. He’s just so effortlessly sexy!

“Almost?” I manage to form words to respond to what he said.

He cracks a lazy smile, tapping his foot to the concrete foundation.

“Yeah. I’m not interested in assaulting you. If you didn’t want it, I wouldn’t be down for it.” He clarifies.

Oh, so if I did want it. He would be down for it.

I make a sound that probably paints ‘I would drop to my knees for you’ in bold letters across my forehead. Sebastian just chuckles, lowering his arms to rest them on his legs as he leans forward.

“What do you remember, Harper?” He asks, his expression becoming a little more serious.

I think about it again, really having a hard time remembering much of anything before waking up here. I was… I was at work.

“The bakery.” I close my eyes as the memory resurfaces.

With a nod I continue, zipping my cosmetic bag up and tossing it aside.

“I was closing up, walking to my car and then…”

My brows scrunch up as I try to remember. Did I make it into the car? Was I jumped on the way to it? As soon as I locked the doors? I sincerely can not remember.

“Yeah.” Sebastian nods as if he relates to the memory loss, standing up again.

He takes the bag I disregarded to the bed, bringing it back into the bathroom and placing it on the counter next to the sink where I assume he found it. Then he goes back to hunting for pain meds, which is what he went in there for in the first place.

“Harper…” He looks at me from where he’s squatted in the bathroom.

His hand is on the lower cabinet door, and he gestures with his head for me to come there. I sigh, but I do it.

Following orders like a good girl.

What the fuck is wrong with me?! Shut off the smut brain, Harper. This is serious.

“What?” I look down at Sebastian with my arms folded.

He just points under the cabinet, and I bend down to get a look.

Oh.

It’s all my stuff. Like everything from my own bathroom at home. He must have noticed that this stuff was half used, not freshly purchased. Oh, yeah, and my name is scrawled on them. They’ve been labeled. I slowly bend further down, touching the other handle of the second cabinet door. Sebastian and I share a look, then I pull that one open too.

It’s all Sebastian’s stuff. Same as mine, not newly bought but plucked right from his home. His is labeled as well. Not that we’d get them confused, considering his are all typical male products and mine female.

“A considerate kidnapper.” I mumble.

“What?”

“Oh, we have a considerate kidnapper.” I repeat myself in a louder tone. “At least.” I lift a shoulder, not really knowing that it’s a good thing.

Considerate can equate to obsessive in a situation like this. The question is why is someone so obsessed with Sebastian and I to pluck us right from our lives. We are total strangers, I don’t even know if we’re from the same town. Yet this mystery person chose the two of us out of all the other people around.

What’s so special about us? And why both of us?

What is this?

“Harper?”

Sebastian is standing next to me now.

I guess I sort of zoned out there for a minute.

“All good.” I lie, giving a crisp smile.

“Right.” He clearly doesn’t believe me but doesn’t press the matter.

I pull myself up onto the counter, sitting and staring at the floor. Sebastian rests his back to it, right next to me. Personal space isn’t a thing with us, apparently. He had no qualms helping me stay upright earlier and no problem being this close to me now. I get it. This is an odd situation, and we only have each other at the moment.

“What is going on here?” I whisper my thoughts out loud.

Sebastian takes a deep, calming breath before answering.

“I have no idea.”