Captivating

Cassidy had lived in his basement for almost two years now. It was almost always dark with the only light being the small lamp he gave her. Her bed wasn’t really a bed, but it was better than sleeping on the damp ground. Here she had spent two years of her life wondering why. Why had he chosen her? Why did he bring her down here? But the most important question was: What was he going to do with her? So far he had done nothing. He gave her food and water, never touched her or hurt her. He never said anything to her no matter how many times Cassidy had tried to talk to him. At first she hated the man for bringing her down here. She had spun into a deep depression where she had just wished he would kill her already. But then that led to another thought, the man hadn’t killed her yet. He hadn’t hurt her, and he fed her a good amount every day. It wasn’t the most delicious food in the world, but it was food. Cassidy hated the man, but she was grateful that he was kinder than most.

                Today was Cassidy’s eighteenth birthday and she celebrated it by being thankful she had made it to her eighteenth birthday at all. She lay on her small bed looking up at the dusty floorboards where all the spiders seemed to dwell. She looked up and wondered why none of the spiders ever seemed to come near her. Not one of them had ever come close to her space before, as if they were afraid of her.
When she heard him unlocking the door, Cassidy sat up quickly. She could hear the wooden steps creak beneath the weight of his steps.
“Happy Birthday Cassidy.” The man spoke. It was the first thing she had ever heard him say. His voice sounded vaguely familiar, but she couldn’t quite place it. Cassidy sat in shock as the man came closer to her with a small gift wrapped in pink paper. Pink was Cassidy’s favorite color.
He handed her the small present, but Cassidy just stared down at it in her hands.
“Open it.” He said with a smile on his face. Cassidy’s stomach churned with uncertainty.
She slowly began to rip the pink paper. The man waited patiently with a look in his eyes similar to that of a proud parent. She ripped the rest of the pink paper to reveal a small white box. Her hands began to tremble as she opened it. Inside the box was a key. Cassidy looked up at the man in disbelief.
“You are free.” He said. She couldn’t believe what she was looking at. In her hands was the key to her freedom. So why did she feel so scared?

“This is trick. It has to be. After everything…and now you just give me this key to leave? This has to be a trick. A cruel sick joke.” She said beginning to cry. The man’s smile faded away, replaced with a frown.
“No Cassidy. This is no joke. You are free to go.” The man said. He held out his hand waiting for her to shake it, as if this whole thing were some kind of business deal. She stood up and looked the man in the eyes. His pupils were a deep dark brown with gold flecks dotting the iris. They were mesmerizing.
“Cassidy!” He turned away from her. “Please don’t.” He said. He walked up the stairs and left the door open. “Please leave.” He said. She was so confused and scared; she didn’t know what to do. But seeing that door open, with the bright light shining in, she knew what she would choose.
She ran up the stairs, past the man with gold eyes. She ran out the door and into the sun. It burned her eyes, but it warmed her skin. She ran as far away from that house as she could.
The key was still gripped tightly in her hand, an unanswered question that would burn in the back of her mind until the day she died. Why did he let her go? What was the purpose of keeping her there for two years?

Cassidy stopped in her tracks. She had just noticed the world around her, and it was very different than how she remembered it. Houses were crumpled and broken down, and everything was covered in ashes. The world she had known was gone, everything was gone. Cassidy looked down at the key in her hands. He had kept her captive to protect her from whatever happened to the rest of the world. So many questions raced through her mind, but the one that plagued she was the same was she had asked before. Why had he chosen her?