Trapped in a Castle Read online

  I moaned as I took the first bite. They were fantastic. “Too bad you don’t like cookies Princess because these are to die for.” I finished the one I was eating and ate several more. By the time my coffee was done I’d eaten half the plate.

  I was going to make myself sick if I kept it up, so I made another cup of coffee and went to the table. I forced myself to leave the cookies on the counter.

  When I’d had my fill of coffee it was time to start searching the second floor. Princess came with me as I went back upstairs. My room was the last one on the right, so I decided to start with the one across the hall. I hadn’t been in any of these rooms yet and when I entered it I found that it was just like mine but backwards.

  Princess sniffed around while I looked in the closet and bathroom. “Did you find anything?” I asked her when I finished searching the room. She meowed at me. “Me either. Let’s keep looking.”

  Every room was some kind of bedroom. They were all mostly laid out the same just decorated differently. The rooms were pretty much empty except for a bed, dresser and night stand so I was able to search all the rooms in one day. After spending the entire day on the second floor we found nothing. No hidden doors or windows that opened.

  Feeling frustrated I returned to the kitchen. I fed Princess and ate my leftover spaghetti from last night. Out of energy, I went upstairs to my room and ran a bath. While I was soaking I thought about the bedrooms I’d been in today. None of them contained any hints that someone else could be here. No clothes or bathroom stuff. “I really don’t understand Princess,” I said to her as she curled up on the small rug in front of the sink. “I’ve been here almost two weeks and I’m no closer to finding a way out. Why hasn’t anyone come to rescue me? Ahhh!” I felt like screaming but knew that wouldn’t do any good. I got out and went to bed with Princess right beside me.

  * * *

  I spent my days continuing to search the rest of the castle and cooking myself dinner. Over time, I noticed several things that were very odd but that I actually got used to. The food never ran out, my clothes were always clean and every morning there was a fresh plate of cookies on the counter. One day I thought I’d like something other than chocolate chip cookies and like magic the next morning there was a plate of sugar cookies. Since that morning there was a different kind of cookie every day. The other constant besides the daily plate of cookies were my dreams, well specifically one part of my dreams. All I ever remembered was the most perfectly intense blue eyes. Never a face.

  The day I searched the last place on the top floor I sat down and cried. “It’s official Princess, there really is no way out of here.” She sat on my lap and let me be sad. I sat there for a long time feeling sorry for myself. When I was finally done I got up and went to my room. I had a nice long bath and crawled into bed. With my hopes well and truly dashed I fell into an uneasy sleep.

  Chapter 7

  I’d lost track of how many days I’d been trapped here but I knew it was over a month. I was now thoroughly convinced that I was alone. I still didn’t know how I ended up here, but I guess that really didn’t matter anymore since I couldn’t leave. I thought about my family and friends every day. I wondered if they were looking for me. Did they think I was dead? That was an awful thought and I tried not to think about it.

  Most of the time I spent my days reading in the sunroom. It was floor to ceiling windows and was the closest I could get to being outside. The rest of the time I played with Princess and cooked.

  One morning I was eating breakfast when I thought I heard something. “Did you hear that?” I looked at Princess and her ears were perked up. Nice to know it wasn’t just me.

  I got up from the table to investigate. I walked out of the kitchen and into the main foyer of the castle.

  “Hello?” said a deep male voice. “Is anyone there?”

  “What the hell?” I whispered. The voice came from a man and my self-defence skills were non-existent. What if it was my captor and was now here to rape or murder me? I felt sick to my stomach.

  I heard his footsteps on the stairway. I hid in the closest door which turned out to be a closet. I left the door open just a crack, so I could see if he was after me.

  His steps sounded frantic. He kept calling out to see if anyone was there. He was acting like I did on my first day here. Was it possible that he’d become trapped just like I had, and he wasn’t here to kill me? A million thoughts flew through my mind as I heard him come closer.

  I watched him as he passed through the main foyer. He was tall, at least six feet. I really hoped he wasn’t here to hurt me because he had a gorgeous body. How did I know that? Well it was probably due to the fact that he was only wearing boxer briefs. It wasn’t until he turned around that I let out a small gasp. His eyes were the same intense blue eyes that I’d been dreaming about every night.

  He must have heard the sound I made because he looked right at the closet door. I quickly felt around for something to use as a weapon. The only thing I found was an umbrella. Well that’s better than nothing I thought.

  Just before he got to me I decided to go on the offence. I jumped out of the closet and swung the umbrella like a sword. I don’t know who was more scared, me or him. He stopped and looked at me like I was a crazy person. Maybe I was.

  “Back up,” I said in an almost normal voice; yay for me. “I’m just warning you that if you try and hurt me I’ll use everything I have to fight back. I’ve been taking martial arts for years.” So, it was a lie, I didn’t think it mattered at a time like this.

  He backed up and gave me some space. He finally got his tongue back because he started spewing out questions.

  “Who are you? What have you done to me? Where am I? What am I doing here? Where is this place?” he said in a rush.

  “Stop,” I said, but he didn’t seem to hear me. So, I said it louder. “STOP!”

  That got his attention because he stopped talking.

  “Look, before I tell you anything I have to know one thing. Are you here to hurt me?” I asked him.

  He appeared shocked by my question, that was a good sign, right?

  “What, no, of course not. You’re the one who kidnapped me,” he said, getting agitated again.

  “Wait, wait, wait,” I said. “That’s where you’re wrong. I think we need to have a serious talk. Do you like coffee?”

  “Huh?” he looked very confused at my change of topic.

  “Do … you … like … coffee?” I said again slower.

  “Uh, yes,” he said still confused.

  “Okay then. Come with me and I’ll explain a few things to you.”

  I kept the umbrella and made him walk in front of me. I didn’t know anything about him and had to be cautious. I couldn’t help but think that if he was here to hurt me then he’d be wearing more clothes. I was enjoying the view as he walked down the hall, I mean come on, the man was a damn fine specimen of the male species. His dark hair was messy from sleeping but in a very sexy way. His skin looked to be tanned from time in the sun and he had muscles in all the right places. I wondered if he worked out. Yummy was the one word that kept coming to mind. Yes, I liked to look at men’s bodies, so sue me.

  When we got to the kitchen I told him to sit at the table and I poured him a cup of coffee.

  “Do you take anything in your coffee?” I asked as I pointed the umbrella at him.

  “Uh … no, just black.” He looked at me like I was crazy.

  As much as I like coffee I can’t stand it without some cream and sugar. My first choice was any type of flavored creamer if I could get it. But I digress. Man … table … coffee. Right.

  I sat down across the table from him with the umbrella still in one hand. I took a sip of my own coffee before I started with my story. He was probably going to think I was a lunatic but that couldn’t be helped.

  “What I’m about to tell you might sound crazy but please hear me out before you ask any questions. My name is Eve and I woke up here over a
month ago. I’d gone to bed in my apartment and I woke up in this place. I’ve spent the entire time trying to find a way to escape with no luck. There are no doors and the windows are unbreakable and don’t open. I don’t know how I got here and besides Princess, you’re the first living creature I’ve seen the entire time. There’s and endless supply of food and the clothes I found in my room were all mine from home. I have no idea where we are and I’m almost one hundred percent positive this isn’t a dream. I’ve been trapped here for over a month with no apparent means of escape. I didn’t bring you here and I have no idea how I got here either.”

  I finished there because I was getting a look from him that said, yep, she’s crazy.

  “I can tell you don’t believe me so I’m going to let you figure out some of these things for yourself. But feel free to ask me anything you want,” I told him. As I sat there and watched him I wasn’t getting a bad feeling from him and I hoped it wasn’t just because he was hot. He looked as confused as I did my first day here.

  He sipped at his coffee but didn’t say a word. I didn’t want him to keep staring at me, so I got up and grabbed the plate of cookies.

  “Cookie?” I offered. “There’s a fresh plate of cookies on the counter every morning and they’re about the best I’ve ever had.”

  He didn’t take a cookie and he looked even more convinced that I’d gone off the deep end.

  “Tell you what,” I said, after a few minutes of silence, “I’m going to go on with my day. You do whatever you need to do. Come and find me when you’re ready to talk.”

  I got up from the table and left him sitting there. I went to the study and picked a new book to read. I had trouble getting into it because all I could think about was him. Who was he? What was he doing here? And how could he have the same eyes I’d been dreaming about?

  Throughout the course of the morning I heard a few crashes and a lot of swearing. I smiled to myself. I’d done the exact same thing he was doing now. I knew he didn’t trust what I’d told him, and I couldn’t really blame him. If someone had told me what I’d just told him I’d have thought, they were nuts.

  I probably should have been worried about him being out of my sight but strangely I wasn’t. I sat back and read my book. He might not come to me today, but I knew eventually he’d come and talk to me and I wasn’t nervous at all, even though I knew nothing about him.

  When I got hungry again I made myself lunch. I hadn’t seen him, and it didn’t look like he’d been in the kitchen at all. Well it was his choice to starve or not. He was a big boy, he could do what he wanted.

  I spent the afternoon in the sunroom with Princess asleep on my lap and a book in my hands. After a few hours I found myself back in the kitchen. I decided to make dinner for two tonight. I didn’t know if I was going to see him, but I thought I’d be nice.

  As I cooked I thought about him. He hadn’t even told me his name. I was hoping he had a cool name like Cage or Micah or Steel, but it was probably something more like Doug or George. I giggled at that. The one thing I couldn’t get past was his eyes though. How could I have been dreaming about them for a month and suddenly a stranger appears out of nowhere with those intense blue eyes. I’d thought about that all day.

  I was putting the finishing touches on dinner when I heard a noise at the kitchen door. I looked up and saw him standing there. He was dressed and looking a little lost. I stared at him. He needed to be the one to talk first, so I waited.

  “Um … Eve, it is Eve, right?

  I nodded.

  “I’m sorry about earlier. I … uh …”

  He seemed at a loss for words. I figured I’d let him off the hook.

  “Are you hungry?” I asked.

  “I’m starving,” he said looking relieved.

  “Well I made enough for two. Join me for dinner. But on one condition.”

  He gave me a questioning look.

  “I need to know your name.”

  That got a small smile out of him. “My name is Jackson. And please don’t call me Jax, it’s way too bad boy from a romance novel for my tastes.

  I couldn’t help but laugh. Didn’t he know what he looked like? He could easily be on the cover of a steamy romance novel.

  “Alright Jackson, I’ll try really hard not to call you Jax, but I think you could totally pull it off.”

  He made a face at me and that only made me laugh more.

  I dished up two plates and we sat down to eat. He was quiet at first. I think he was too busy eating to think about talking. He’d eaten everything on his plate before I was even halfway done. He got up and helped himself to more.

  “This is really good,” he told me.

  “Thanks. I’m used to cooking for myself, so it was a nice change to make something different. Do you like to cook?”

  “Actually yes. I’ve been single for years, so I had to learn to cook for myself. I find it very relaxing,” he told me.

  “Single huh? I find that hard to believe,” I said bluntly.

  He smiled. “It’s true. I had a serious girlfriend in high school, but we broke it off before college. We were going to schools across the country from each other and we both knew it wasn’t going to work. So, I’ve been a bachelor ever since. Besides, I don’t have much time for anything but work.”

  “What do you do Jackson?” I really liked saying his name.

  “I’m a corporate lawyer.”

  “Sounds … boring,” I said smiling.

  “I guess for most people it would be, but I love it. What do you do?”

  “Well right now I wander these halls, read, play with Princess, and cook. But back in the real world I’m a data entry clerk for a big company.”

  “Sounds … boring,” he said mimicking my words.

  “It can be. But it pays the bills. So, tell me more about yourself.”

  “Um, let’s see. I’m twenty-seven. I have two older brothers and one younger sister. My parents are divorced but are still friends and I love both of them to death. I like football, I used to play in high school. I don’t have any pets. We already covered the girlfriend thing. I try to work out every day and I don’t ever watch TV, I don’t even own one.”

  I took a minute to digest that info. I realized that I should have been uncomfortable with this whole situation, but I wasn’t. I mean he was a complete stranger and I didn’t know what his intentions were. But where I probably should have been wary of him I was just curious. Before I could ask him anything else he was talking again.

  “So, Eve, that’s a great name by the way, it’s your turn to tell me more about you.”

  “Well you’ve heard the recent stuff, you know, trapped in a castle and all,” I smiled. “But the other me that lives in the real world isn’t very exciting. I go to work. I spend time with my friends and I like to read. I live in an apartment alone, well except for my cat Molly. That’s about it. Now that we know a little bit about each other do you have any questions for me?”

  Jackson was quiet for a while. I assumed he was thinking about his day.

  “I don’t really know what to say or where to start,” he said seriously.

  “What’s the last thing you remember before you woke up here this morning?” I asked.

  “I went to sleep in my bed.”

  “Hence the snazzy attire this morning,” I said smiling. “The same thing happened to me. I went to bed and woke up here. Where are you from?”

  “Dallas. You?”

  “Ahh, that explains the accent. I like it. I’m from Denver so we don’t have that in common.”

  “How do you think we got here?” he asked.

  “I’ve got absolutely no idea. At first, I thought I was dreaming and that I’d wake up, but after a month I’ve accepted that this is my new reality.”

  “You really haven’t been able to find a way out of here?” he said incredulously.

  “You think I’d still be here if I could? What did you find out today? Did you find any doors? Try the wi
ndows?”

  “Uh, yeah. I didn’t go in every room but so far, I haven’t found a door in this whole place. How is that even possible?”

  “I don’t know. None of this makes sense. How did we go to bed one night and wake up here with no knowledge of what happened? How can you have a building with no doors, how do you get in? How are all the windows unbreakable? How does the food magically appear? How do the clothes mysteriously clean and put themselves away? This whole situation is seriously screwed.”

  “I’ll say,” he said in that wonderful voice. “I can’t believe you’ve been here for a month. I think I’d have gone crazy.”

  “Trust me, at the beginning there were a few days I thought I was going crazy. But having Princess has helped a lot. There was also a room full of my favorite books as well as the cookies that appear every morning.”

  “Did Princess come here with you?”

  “No, I found her on my second day. I was thinking about how lonely I was and there she was. Come to think of it, there’s been a few things that I’ve thought about and have just appeared. Princess, the cookies, it’s almost like someone is inside my head. Now that’s a creepy thought.”

  Jackson just kind of stared at me. I didn’t mind it as much as I did this morning. And I certainly liked looking at him.

  We sat there quietly for a few minutes until he spoke again.

  “So … I don’t really feel like repeating my exploration from earlier. I’ve had a very stressful day as I’m sure you can understand. What would you recommend for relaxation?”

  “I take a bubble bath but I’m not sure that’s up your alley,” I said with a smirk. “So, I guess it depends on what you like to do to relax. I know it’s not watching TV.”

  “I normally don’t really have that much time to relax, but I guess working out is my relaxing time.”

  “I’ve searched every room in this place and I didn’t see a workout room, but I wouldn’t be surprised if one appeared tomorrow.”