Snippet #2641595

Cas began to stir. Rolling onto her back, she slowly opened her eyes, expecting the usual stab of morning sun. She found herself disorientated when there was none. The room was still dark. Her body clock was no help. According to that, it was still dark, therefore it was time to sleep. Yet, Cas didn't feel tired. She remembered what Arturo had said to her last night, about keeping the blinds closed during the day. Was it really that important?

Slowly, Cas rolled off the bed and padded across the room to the window. She opened the blinds and the sunlight poured in. So it was daytime. Cas closed her eyes and let the warmth wash over her.

There was a knock at the door. The handle turned. Cas shut the blinds and turned. A girl came in, carrying a tray with what looked like her breakfast on. "Good morning. Are you awake?" the girl asked, not looking up.

"Yes, I am." Cas answered, not sure how she should interact with this girl. "What time is it?"

"Quarter to ten."

Cas took a moment to look at the girl. She was definitely pretty, the kind of girl you'd see staring out from the pages of a magazine. The kind of girl boys went crazy for. What the hell was she doing here? She could have the world at her feet if she wanted it. Was she staff? Or was this some kind of Stockholm Syndrome in action? Cas took the tray from the girl and set it down on the dresser. "Where's Arturo?"

"Still in bed."

"Thank you. Uh, you can go now."

The girl left and Cas looked at the tray. She gulped down the orange juice and took a few bites from the bagel. She quickly dressed, pulling on her dress from the night before. Last night's clothes were hardly ideal, but they were better than nothing. Praying that the girl was telling the truth, Cas began wandering the house, hoping Arturo had overlooked locking one of the doors, or even left a ground floor window open. As quietly as she could, Cas made her way downstairs, praying that Arturo wasn't about to wake up. There was little point in trying the front door, no one was stupid enough to leave that unlocked after kidnapping someone. She took a door to her left, quietly closing it behind her.

Cas looked around the room. Something about it choked her. This was a child's room. The silence felt heavy, like this room was meant to be revered. A small bed stood in the middle of the room. A rocking chair sat beside the bed. There was a picture on the wall. It was Arturo with a woman and a small boy. The picture was too old to be Arturo though, wasn't it? Either way, Cas figured that this room had once belonged to the little boy in the picture and, for whatever reason, the room had never been changed. Cas looked away from the picture and softly tread over to the window. Dust fell as she pushed the curtain aside. The windows in this room were old sash windows. Cas hooked her fingers through the metal loops and pulled. She rested her head against the frame, a string of curses falling from her mouth. She stood back and let the curtain close behind her. Now what?