Chapter 1: Where there is light darkness follows
Chapter Text
Having just finished high school meant there was no need to be home by a certain time anymore.
At least not for Quinn Lennox and her best friend Raquel Pérez. The two eighteen year olds were beyond ecstatic that they were done with high school, and looked forward to what the future held for them.
Especially Quinn. The future looked nothing but good to her. She’d been accepted into the same college as Raquel and would attend UCSB with her. Soon Quinn’s new residence would be in sunny California.
Quinn for the longest time had wanted to go to California, and now she would with her best friend. What could be better than that?
Starting college was three months ahead. So at the moment the party they were going to at one her classmates' house was what had Quinn excited.
She wouldn’t call herself a party animal, having only gone to a few during her four years in high school, but this would be one of the last parties she would be able to go to before everyone went their separate ways.
Raquel made it perfectly clear that she really wanted to go, and Quinn could never say no to Raquel’s pout and the way she would bat her eyelashes. Her doing that was truly a skill. She’d even convinced Quinn to let her do her makeup, and Quinn had to admit (to herself anyways) that she enjoyed the way Raquel was doting towards her during the makeup montage they had in her bedroom.
Quinn could have gone without the glitter in her eyeshadow but Raquel insisted it made her blue eyes pop out even more and she wasn’t going to disagree with her best friend. Not when her compliments made it seem like she had butterflies in her stomach.
Plus, Quinn had to savor the memories with the people she went to high school with, not only with Raquel. Years from now Quinn would look back during her youth and be glad that she had gone to that one high school party with her dear best friend.
The sun was barely setting as Quinn and Raquel roller skated to the nearest convenience store to buy snacks for the party. A high school rager can never have too many snacks, not when the whole graduating Senior class was rumored to be there according to what Raquel told Quinn.
They each had an AirPod in their ears, listening to the same song. Champagne Coast by Blood Orange blared as they moved to the song, almost appearing as if they weren’t skating but dancing instead. It was something they’d perfected since middle school.
Quinn came to a smooth stop next to Raquel outside the convenience store. There was a strong breeze, and she was super glad she decided on wearing a long sleeve burgundy lace top and jeans. It was only going to get colder as the night approached.
Pushing a strand of her auburn hair behind her ear, she put away her AirPod along with the one Raquel had been using. She bent over to take her skates off and put on her flats from inside her small backpack but stopped once seeing Raquel shake her head.
“Just leave them on, we’re not going to be in here long.”
Quinn bit her bottom lip. “I don’t know.”
Raquel laughed, and Quinn smiled at how melodiously it sounded. “Quinn, we’re only roller skating. It’s not a big deal, besides we’ve done it before.”
They had in fact skated in the convenience store before, several times, and she always felt bad about it. The cashier would send annoyed looks but never actually said anything to them about it. Which was why they kept doing it.
Despite feeling bad, hearing Raquel's soothing laugh made skating inside behind her a bit easier.
They each grabbed a basket and immediately went to where all the goodies were. Their baskets were beginning to be filled with all kinds of sugary foods. Not at all healthy but they were young, why worry about their blood pressure right now?
After dumping another bag of candy, Quinn’s gaze went to the freezer ahead of her. Her blue eyes lit up at what she saw.
Raquel followed her gaze. “Thinking about taking ice-cream to the party?”
“More for myself but yeah. Ben & Jerry’s sounds pretty good right now.” Quinn said, and then skated closer. She opened the freezer door and picked up the ice-cream carton. She closed the door and swiftly turned around to face Raquel.
“Yuck.” Her brunette best friend made a noise of discontent at seeing which ice-cream she’d chosen. “Seriously?”
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. She had no idea why her best friend reacted that way. “What?”
Raquel wildly gestured to the carton she was holding. “Out of all the Ben & Jerry’s flavors you’re gonna get Peanut Butter Cup?”
Cue the eye roll from Quinn. Not this again. She suddenly remembered Raquel’s dislike towards that particular flavor. It wasn’t like her preferred ice-cream flavor was good. “You’re judging me for liking Peanut Butter Cup when you like Mint Chocolate Chance?” She let out a laugh. “The fuck?”
“Mint Chocolate Chance is the shit.” Raquel defended with a huff.
“More like shit.” Quinn muttered, earning a playful smack from the marshmellow bag Raquel had picked up. The bag went into her basket after that.
“Whatever, I’m gonna go choose some chips.” Raquel began skating away.
“Don’t forget―” Quinn started saying only to have Raquel finish the sentence for her.
Raquel waved her hand without looking behind her. “Dip. I know, I know.”
“And also―”
“A bag of Takis for just us.”
Both of them loved Takis and Quinn actually preferred them over Hot Cheetos. People often found her crazy for saying that but what was crazy for liking Takis more than Hot Cheetos? She liked them as much as Peanut Butter Cup ice-cream.
“My sister likes that flavor too.”
The new voice startled Quinn. She actually jumped in place a little not at all expecting someone (other than Raquel) to talk to her in the convenience store. Upon entering it was only them and the cashier, who after giving them an annoyed look, continued to text away on his phone. But now standing to the side of her was a man.
Quinn looked at him the way she would any stranger. Puzzled while maintaining a courteous demeanor to her. The man looked to be around her dad’s age. His hair was brown and his eyes were blue like her own. He was dressed like any guy his age would, though he certainly had more style than her dad.
“What?” Quinn blinked. She had no idea what the man had been talking about.
“The ice-cream.” The man gestured to the ice-cream carton. He smiled widely but it didn’t make her giddy like the way Raquel’s smile did. No one else's smile was able to do that. If there ever came a time that changed it certainly wouldn’t be because of some stranger, and not one that was older than her and was male. “My sister likes Peanut Butter Cup. It’s actually her favorite.”
That’s what he tried starting a conversation with? Seemed friendly enough. Just someone commenting about what a family member of his liked. No reason to think much about it.
Quinn shrugged her shoulders, answering out of politeness. “It is a popular flavor, despite some people saying it’s not the best.”
The man’s blue eyes were bright as he spoke. “Some people just don’t know what’s good, even when it’s in front of them.”
Quinn didn’t say anything this time, just nodded her head. She was about to skate to where Raquel was in the chip section. This conversation was at its end now for her.
Except not to him.
“Fan of snacks, huh?” He said, and Quinn once again turned her head his way. He was looking at the basket she was carrying.
“Yeah.” Her response was simple, hoping that would clue him in that there really wasn’t much else for her to say.
He looked at her again. “Me too but nothing beats a home cooked meal.” The man said, still smiling. “I always cook whenever I visit my sister. She has a four year old kid and I think it’s better for her to eat healthy, especially at such a young age. Don’t you agree?”
It really didn’t seem necessary for this conversation to keep going. But Quinn didn’t want to be rude and just skate away. So she decided to respond. He had to stop talking soon enough anyways. That or Raquel would return and she’d politely excuse herself.
“Sure, but this is a convenience store.” Quinn answered with a small frown. If he really was a health nut why not go to a Whole Foods or some other store? There would be more healthy choices there for him. “Healthy items are limited here.”
The man chuckled. “You’re right. But to be able to eat all that.” He hummed pointing to her basket. His blue eyes went straight to hers. “To be young and alive, am I right?”
“Uh huh.” Quinn replied, more quieter than before. The awkwardness was beginning to win. She saw him look her over, and it seemed almost fondly but the uneasiness in her stomach told her otherwise.
As if sensing she was growing uncomfortable, he finally ended the conversation. “Well, I’ll let you go now. You have a good rest of your evening.”
“You too um, mister.” Quinn said, almost unsure. It wasn’t like she knew his name, and she didn’t want to. She didn’t stick around to say anything more and skated away. She got to Raquel faster because the brunette was already at the cashier register, looking her away.
Raquel narrowed her brown eyes to where the man walked off to. “Was that guy like hitting on you?”
“Ew.” Quinn scrunched up her face, clearly finding that to be disgusting. “God, no. He’s like thirty, and all he did was talk about his sister to me. If he was, that'd be so weird.”
Raquel’s features softened. “Guys are weird. You should know that by now.” She giggled. “Come on, let’s pay and get out of here. I’m ready to party.”
“Same here.” Quinn agreed, smiling.
After they finished paying they skated their way out, fully aware of the cashier’s annoyed look. Quinn gave him a sheepish expression while Raquel laughed.
“So you’re sleepover tonight, right?” She asked Quinn, adjusting the bag she was carrying.
Quinn did the same with her own. “Of course.” She lifted her left hand, the silver bracelet she wore shined under the convenience store neon lights. The charm of half a butterfly dangled. Raquel, who had the same bracelet and the other half of the butterfly charm, lifted her own hand.
When put together they made a whole butterfly. It was a set that Raquel had given half to Quinn for her sixteenth birthday. Over two years ago. Quinn cherished the gift everyday, and would forever.
“Okay, so I was thinking afterwards we do heads or tails.” Raquel began to say as they started skating. “Heads we marathon season one of Gilmore Girls, or tails we marathon all of the Scream movies.”
Quinn was fine with either. “Cool beans.”
“When are you going to stop saying that?” Raquel asked, amused.
Quinn made a pretend thinking face. “Never!” She exclaimed and then spread her arms out to her sides with a smile. Not even the weight of the bag she carried could ruin the moment.
The eighteen year old welcomed the breeze this time, enjoying how her auburn hair flew behind her. It felt freeing.
She loved moments like these with Raquel. Moments with the two of them having fun, and making memories.
Quinn wanted to have moments like these for the rest of her life.
She had no idea she was being watched, had been for some time now, and that tonight was one of the last few happy nights she would get to have with her best friend for a while.
Chapter 2: Stranger beware
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
So.....I hope everyone is ready for this chapter. Especially with the way it ends. The next chapter will be 2x worse but that's to be expected. So be prepared.
Anyways on a lighter note, writing this story has really made me want to buy roller skates even though I have no idea how to roller skate! HA! But I've been seeing so many roller skating videos and tik toks. I actually just might buy a pair for my bday and learn.
Chapter Text
The party Quinn and Raquel went to had been fuckin’ amazing. She never did find out which of her classmates was the party host but whoever they were she considered them a legend now.
Quinn didn’t drink as much as Raquel had but that didn’t stop her from feeling some sort of buzz. The energy at the party certainly amplified it. She danced, more than usual, but she didn’t complain because all her dancing had been with Raquel. She even sang to a lot of the songs at the party, Raquel singing along with her.
Neither cared how silly they looked. Not that they cared about the possibility of embarrassment. That was the thing about graduating, everybody at the end of the school year managed to put any differences they had with one another, and became friends. Even people who never spoke to you all throughout high school. None of that shit mattered.
Everybody was focused on having fun.
Quinn didn’t even get mad when people began filling condoms with water, throwing them as water balloons, and one hitting her face, ruining her makeup. She immediately laughed it off, nearly falling on her ass from how funny she found it. Soon Raquel joined in with her laughter after getting hit as well.
Soon enough there was a water fight with the condom balloons right in the middle of the huge backyard which had become the dance section.
The only downside was the jerk who tried flirting with Quinn when she first arrived at the party with Raquel. Quinn managed to keep her distance from him but he crossed a line when he grabbed onto her arm. Raquel, who was already sending the guy a death glare, reacted fast. She pushed him away from her, making him stumble. For someone as slender as her she certainly was strong.
Her words were just as menacing.
“She doesn’t like dick, you asshole. So walk the fuck away. Buh-bye.”
That finally did the trick and the guy walked off with his tail tucked between his legs.
Once he left, Raquel looked at her, winking. “I got you, babe.”
If it hadn’t been for the alcohol in her system, and her dancing, the blush on Quinn’s face would have been way too obvious. She liked to think she perfected hiding her flush state when it came to Raquel. She found herself being grateful for the alcohol and the dancing at that moment.
All was forgotten once the firework show started in the backyard. What a way to end the night with the two of them holding hands as they watched fireworks go off. Silly string and confetti covered the two eighteen year olds from head to toe when they went back to Raquel’s house.
Roller skating there was quite the journey. Quinn now understood Rue Bennett’s rule from Euphoria of don’t drink and bike. Only for her it was roller skating. Which basically was the same thing even with the light buzz she had going on.
They were lucky that Raquel’s parents and little brother were already asleep by the time they got there. And as planned they did head or tails, tails winning. They managed to get through the second Scream movie before they finally passed out in Raquel’s bed.
That was three days ago.
Since the party things had mellowed out with Quinn and Raquel simply hanging out at each other's houses or going over to the skate park to roller skate. That was actually what they planned on doing today.
It was past five o’clock and Quinn just finished having dinner with her parents. Her mom and dad both loved cooking dinner together. Over the years it became a routine, a very fun one. Since their work schedules had them returning home at around the same time they often did this. Quinn tried helping but she was a disaster in the kitchen so she helped with cleaning up instead.
Her mother was a local librarian and her dad was a curator for an art museum further in the city so it only made sense that Quinn would develop a love for reading and art. Aside from painting, reading (and hanging out with Raquel) is how Quinn enjoyed spending most of her free time.
She recalled how she used to fill her wagon with books when she was ten. Now her bedroom was filled with books. Her favorite genre, aside from fantasy, was horror.
“Dinner was marvy.” Quinn went on to say to her parents. She brought her empty dinner plate, and her parents plates, to the dishwasher.
Ethan Lennox did a dramatic drum roll on the dinner table. “Marvy! Outstanding word choice.” He smiled that goofy dad smile Quinn liked seeing on him.
“I’m glad you liked it.” Michelle Lennox replied. She stood and went over to her husband. “I figured your dad and I should try making it at home. Even if it does give your dad terrible gas.” She merrily said, proceeding to kiss him on the cheek.
Her dad tried looking offended but the twinkle in his blue eyes let them know he was finding his wife’s comment funny.
Quinn let out a laugh.
She loved her parents. She thought the world of them and would forever be grateful she had them in her life. Raquel many times told Quinn that she wished her parents were like hers.
Michelle and Ethan Lennox were naturally lighthearted people, using humor in their life to make things better. That being said they knew when to be serious and pull out the parent card with their daughter. They were nurturing as much as they were good-humored.
“Love the new pin, kiddo.” Her dad gestured to the rainbow pin she had on her t-shirt.
Quinn smiled, briefly touching it. “Thanks dad.” She didn’t have a reason to be shy about her LGBTQ+ pin. It was just one of many pins she owned. The eighteen year old had come out her Freshman year. She actually told Raquel she was gay a year before that. Her best friend knew before her parents.
Quinn told Raquel first because she was aware that Raquel wasn’t straight either. She, however, never did say what her own sexual orientation was. Whenever asked Raquel would answer by saying that she didn’t want to be labeled. Quinn didn’t need her to label herself. She was fine with knowing that she was open minded and accepting.
Turns out her parents were just as open minded and accepting as well.
“You know I once dated a woman during my first year at college. Hey, I even dated a gay guy. Although that didn’t last long for obvious reasons.” Her mom casually shared with her after Quinn had come out as gay to her and her dad.
Quinn was not expecting that but she found it amusing and comforting that her mom was trying to make things lighthearted with her honesty. Her dad’s response was just as whimsical. “That’s right you did. You told me about her. And like I told your mom I myself dated a guy during college. Lasted almost a year before we ended things amicably.”
Quinn heard the horror stories of teens coming out to their parents. Even now many of them got yelled at, kicked out, and ostracized by the rest of their family. Thankfully that wasn't the case with the Lennox family. They were the complete opposite.
“We need to start getting ready for this Friday.” Michelle suddenly said. “My sister called and it turns out she is coming after all so not only do we need to make room for you brother, his wife, and kids but also for my sister, her husband, and kids as well.”
Quinn whistled as she started putting away utensils into the dishwasher. “Damn it’s gonna be a full house.”
“Remind me again why we volunteered to host this summer’s family get together at our place?” Ethan asked, pouting.
“Because at last years family get together at Uncle Caleb’s house you broke his brand new TV.” Quinn breezly answered him. The memory lived in her head, and it was still funny.
“This is basically your way of saying sorry.” Michelle added with a shrug.
“I’ve been saying sorry all year!” Ethan exclaimed. “I even bought and replaced the TV! Besides, it was his fault in the first place for showing me that damn scary pop up commercial with the car.”
Quinn giggled. “I can’t believe that actually got you. That video’s been out for years.”
“If anything it’s him who should have paid me.” Ethan continued to rant.
Michelle raised a brow at her husband. “Pay you? For what?”
“Emotional damage.” Ethan answered with a serious face.
“And to think Caleb is the youngest between you two.” Michelle laughed, and then tried consoling him with a pat to his shoulder. “It’s just for the weekend, honey. You can do it.”
Her parents took their conversation into the living room. Quinn remained in the kitchen, filling the dishwasher, and then went over to the table to give it a good clean. Whatever leftovers there were she filled into containers and put in the fridge. Once she was done she walked into the living room. Her mom and dad were snuggling on the couch watching an episode of Nailed It! Quinn instantly recognized the episode. It was the episode where one of the contestants used salt instead of sugar in their cake. The episode was one of Quinn’s favorites.
“I won’t come back too late. I promise.” Quinn said, making her presence known. Her parents were aware that she had made plans with Raquel. She wasn’t about to leave without assuring them that she’d be back at a reasonable time though.
Ethan gave his daughter an amused look. “Excuse me, are you my daughter or grandmother?”
Michelle rolled her green eyes playfully. “What your dad means to say is we know you won’t come back too late. High school's over but I’m sure you already know an appropriate hour, even at your age.” She got up and walked over to her. She then pinched one of her daughter’s cheeks and cooed. “Because you’re so responsible.”
“Ah, that’s enough.” Quinn gently took hold of her mom’s hand, removing it from her cheek. Despite feeling a bit embarrassed she couldn't stop the smile that escaped her.
“But have fun, okay?” Michelle spoke more earnestly. “It is summer time after all and you’re young. College is going to start soon though. So really make the most of the free time you have now.”
Quinn nodded her head. “I will.” She said one last goodbye to her parents. They both waved at her. Before she left the living room she caught sight of her parents snuggling on the couch again, laughing at the cake fail that was happening on screen with the iconic Nailed It! being announced.
Quinn smiled, looking at her parents.
At times her mom and dad reminded her of the parents from the movie Easy A. That’s what happens when you have great communication with your parents, they offer you enough space and trust.
Quinn’s smile remained on her face the entire time she roller skated to the skatepark to meet up with Raquel.
“I’m still not convinced I can pull off the space bun hairstyle.”
Quinn saw her reflection in Raquel’s bedroom mirror.
The two of them spent nearly three hours at the skatepark, losing track of time. It was just too fun to show off, especially to the skater boys who thought they were hot shit only to fail right in front of their eyes.
When their time at the skatepark did come to an end they went to Raquel’s house. They got snacks from the kitchen to eat as they rewatched Killing Eve in Raquel’s bedroom. They were on episode two of season one when Raquel got the idea to try out a different hairstyle for Quinn.
In a previous conversation Quinn mentioned she wanted to try something new with her hair for when college started. Except she didn’t want to dye it. She loved her natural auburn hair. It was the exact shade as her dad’s. So she decided to learn new hairstyles now that her hair reached the middle of her back.
“You look hot.” Raquel complimented, staring at Quinn’s reflection with a smile. She gently patted the space buns she had done for her. “And now that your hair is super long there’s a lot of hairstyles you can do aside from a simple ponytail. If you don’t like this one just try another hairstyle but…” She paused, biting her lower lip. “I think you pull it off really well.”
This time Quinn couldn’t blame alcohol or dancing for the blush on her cheeks. “Thanks.”
Raquel’s gaze was soft on her. Her brown eyes then went to her own reflection.“So do you think I should change my hair before college?” She asked, sounding a bit shy.
In Quinn’s opinion Raquel already looked so beautiful. She didn’t need to change at all. “I think your hair is already amazing the way it is.” Was her mind playing tricks on her or was she seeing blush on Raquel’s cheeks? She supposed it could have been her makeup.
“Really?” Raquel put a loose strand of her brown hair behind her ear. “So I shouldn’t get rid of my bangs?”
“Your bangs are iconic.” Quinn told her with a smile.
Raquel batted her eyelashes. “You think?”
Quinn nodded her head. “Fuck yeah.”
The song Minerva by Deftones started playing very loudly from the bedroom next door. Quinn listened to the song, not at all bothered. Unlike her best friend who released a huff.
“Ugh, excuse me.” Raquel glanced at her before going over to the wall. She banged on the wall with her fist. “Turn it down, Emiliano! I can hear it in my room!” She waited a few seconds for her younger brother to turn down the volume. When he didn't, Raquel banged on the wall again. “I mean it Emiliano, turn that shit down!”
That got her the results she wanted.
“Fine!”
The volume was lowered significantly.
“Sorry about my brother.” Raquel apologized as she walked over to her.
Quinn didn’t think she needed to apologize. She found the squabble between brother and sister to be amusing. “When did he start listening to Deftones?”
“Just recently. He’s been so moody lately too. I don’t ever remember being as moody as him at fifteen.”
Quinn’s expression was of bemusement. “I thought you liked Deftones?”
Raquel nodded her head. “Don’t get me wrong, I do. But having to constantly listen to them over and over again? And when I’m trying to sleep? Like even I need a break from their music every once in a while.”
“Guess you got a point there. It’s kind of funny though. The classic brother annoying sister with their music cliche. Kind of makes me wish I had a brother.” Quinn said in a soft tone. Although there were great perks to being an only child she often wondered what it would be like to have a sibling. A little brother or sister.
It’s why she was looking forward to her family get together. It was going to be chaotic with everyone under the same roof but it was a sort of chaos that Quinn found comforting. She loved her family. Having her cousins there with her made it seem like they were siblings instead of cousins. The oldest was her cousin Debbie. She was two years younger than her.
Raquel scoffed. “Trust me you don't, they're annoying.”
“All siblings are supposed to be annoying.” Quinn told her. “It’s like a rule or something. Doesn’t make me want one any less. I think it would be cool.”
“Well, your mom’s still young.” Raquel brought up. “She can always pop out another sibling for you.”
Quinn turned around, away from the mirror, scrunching up her nose. “Oh, God when you say it like that it completely grosses me out.”
“Good!” Raquel laughed.
It didn’t take long for Quinn to start laughing as well. They both had rosy cheeks when looking at each other. Quinn didn’t want to stop staring at her but from looking out Raquel’s window she saw darkness and she remembered what she told her parents.
“It’s getting late.” Quinn stood up, grabbing her small backpack from the floor. “I should go.”
“You don’t want to sleepover?” Raquel asked, hoping she would say yes.
Quinn wanted to say yes, that she did. She thought of her mom and what she said about making the most of this summer. However, Quinn then thought about all the planning they would need to do for this upcoming Friday.
“I’d like to but I should really go home. We have family coming over on Friday and I want to help out my mom and dad with as much as I can.”
Raquel accepted her reason. It still left her feeling disappointed. She did her best to hide that from her. “Ah, the famous Lennox family reunion, huh?”
“So famous.” Quinn said with a smile.
“Alright, I’ll text you then.” Raquel said, and then walked with her downstairs. The two girls made small conversation as they made their way to the front door. They talked about going to the skatepark again tomorrow, or even going to the movies, and thinking which fast food they would sneak into the theater.
Seeing Raquel laugh with the pink on her cheeks glowing, and her brown eyes filled with merriness, made Quinn want to finally tell her how really she felt about her.
That she was completely head over heels for her.
“Raquel?” Quinn spoke quietly.
Raquel batted her eyelashes. “Yeah?”
And just like that any courage Quinn had disappeared. Her nerves got the better of her.
Quinn played with her backpack strap. “It’s nothing. It can wait till tomorrow. I’ll come over in the afternoon. Is that cool?”
“Of course that's cool, Quinn.” Raquel told her. “You don’t need to ask. I think by now you should know that you're always welcome here.”
“Okay.” Quinn drawled, feeling flushed again.
“Okay, goodnight. Love you.” Raquel blew a kiss to her, just as she had many times in the past.
Quinn adored her air kisses, just as she would have an actual kiss by Raquel. “Love you too.” she smiled. Love you lots. She thought, maybe I’ll tell her tomorrow, and if not tomorrow she had the rest of the summer to tell her.
After securing her skates, Quinn gave her best friend a goodbye wave. Raquel returned the wave, watching Quinn skate away down the street. Her mom calling her made the brunette close the door.
Quinn had on her AirPods and was scrolling through her Spotify on her phone until she got to her playlist called Skating at Night. She pushed play and the song we fell in love in october by girl in red started playing. She put her phone in the back pocket of her shorts.
Smoking cigarettes on the roof
You look so pretty and I love this view
We fell in love in October
That's why, I love fall
Looking at the stars
Admiring from afar
Quinn knew the lyrics by heart. girl in red was one of her favorite artists. Raquel actually introduced her to the Indie Pop artist. They've been to the park many times to lie down on the grass and blast song after song on their phones.
As the song played Quinn skated towards the shortcut she often took to get to her house faster. It was through an alleyway behind an old apartment complex. She’d taken this shortcut so many times that it didn’t even faze her that the alleyway wasn’t as bright as the other streets. It was also usually empty. That’s why she liked taking it. There was no one to disturb her at this time.
The song was already nearing its end as she skated through the alleyway. She hummed to herself at the chorus of the last part of the song.
My girl, my girl, my girl
You will be my girl
My girl, my girl, my girl
You will be my girl
My girl, my girl, my girl
You will be my ―
The song was forgotten about because she was suddenly given the scare of a lifetime. Quinn had no idea how she hadn’t noticed before being hit, because how can someone not see a car that’s in front of you?
In her defense the car had come from an opening in the alleyway where it was even darker, and she had never until now even seen a car come in here when she skated past. Not to mention it was a sudden hit.
“Fuck!”
The car hit her on her right side, causing her to lose balance and fall onto her hands and knees. Based on the fact that she wasn’t in an even worse condition, she guessed whoever was driving did try stopping. Her right side hurt but not enough to make her want to go to the hospital or anything.
The pain felt similar to when she ran into a wall when first learning how to skate. There’s no doubt she was going to have a major bruise on the right side of her body but that was about it.
There was a sound of a car door opening and closing, followed by a concerned male voice. Quinn looked at the man that stood in front of her. The headlights from the car made his figure a bit blurry at first. So she really didn’t think much of him, aside from the fact that he accidentally hit her with his car.
“I’m sorry! I got distracted by this cat I almost hit and then when I looked up I saw you and I pressed on my brakes but it was too late. I am so sorry.”
The occasional stray cat tended to wander around here. Quinn would see them when skating by in the past. So his explanation on the sudden stop was credible much to her chagrin.
“You're bleeding.”
The man was looking down at her knees.
Quinn looked down to her knees and winced. Okay so perhaps the bruising wasn’t the only thing she had. It was just scrapes on her knees though. No worse than all the times as a kid when she fell on the playground during tag.
What truly annoyed her was that she got hurt when wearing fuckin’ shorts. She wouldn’t be able to hide her injury once she got home. She sure was going to have fun explaining this to her parents. They always told her to keep her knee pads on even when roller skating outside the skatepark. Quinn never thought she needed to since she rarely fell. Except for right now. Although it wasn't really her fault.
“It’s just my knees. I’ll be fine.” Quinn kept her voice even, finally speaking to the man. She wanted to let him know she wasn’t mad at him and that they should each carry on with their business. “I’ll be on my way now.” She tried standing up, and cursed at how she wobbled while doing so.
“Here let me help you up.”
Before Quinn could protest the man was already pulling her up, holding onto her arms as he steadied her. She expected him to let go but felt confused when he didn’t do so.
A frown appeared on her face when she saw the way he looked at her. He tilted his head at her, smiling.
“Do I know you?”
“Um, I don’t...” Quinn’s blue eyes widened slightly. The man looked familiar now. “Oh wait, you’re the guy from the convenience store?” No wonder she hadn’t recognized him right away. That encounter had been days ago, and it wasn’t like he left a lasting impression.
The man chuckled and it made Quinn even more aware how he hadn’t let go of her arms yet. Maybe he thought if he let go that she would fall. So she tried showing she was fine by trying to skate backwards to put some room between them.
That worked since he let go of her arms. Much to her annoyance she didn't get very far from him.
“I thought it was you. Well, hi again. Guess I should introduce myself this time seeing as I almost ran you over.” He stepped forward offering a hand. “My name’s Steve.”
Quinn couldn’t believe she was just realizing how much taller he was than her. She was already a short person to begin with standing at five foot three. Having a male who was taller than her, and a male who she didn’t know, was super intimidating.
She tried pushing away that feeling and instead welcomed annoyance. Now that she knew his name he expected her to say her own. Might as well get the pleasantries over with. “Quinn.” She told him as she gave his hand a quick shake. His hand was much larger than her own. She discreetly wiped her hand on her shorts.
“So Quinn, where are you heading?” Steve asked. “Maybe I can give you a ride. It’s the least I can do after hitting you.”
“It wasn’t a severe hit, mister. You don’t owe me anything.” Quinn told him as she adjusted the small backpack she had on. “I can make my own way.” Like she would actually accept a ride from him. “Besides accepting a ride from a man I don’t know would be― ”
“Dangerous?” Steve chuckled wryly. “Yeah, you got me there. Should have thought better on that question. It made me look skeevy. I just figured I’d try to make up for hitting you.”
“And like I said it wasn’t a severe hit.” Quinn curtly repeated.
Steve nodded his head. “Suppose I have to simply accept that. I also figure you’d rather roller skate your way. Those are some nice skates, by the way.” He said pointing to them.
Quinn blinked at him before glancing at her roller skates. “Thanks, mister.”
Over the years she owned different pairs of skates, these in particular were her favorite. The violet skates had sparkly butterfly designs on them. She always preferred riding her roller skates to wherever she needed to go, unless it was like a place that was hours away.
When her eyes went back to him she saw an expression that looked to be of discontent. “You keep saying mister and it’s making me feel old. I told you my name’s Steve.”
That’s because you are old. It wouldn’t matter if I called you Steve.
Quinn kept that thought to herself. “Right, so I’m just gonna be on my way.” She spun around ready to leave. She considered taking the long way just to end this second encounter with him.
It was after she spun around that she realized one of her AirPods had fallen out. “Crap! I lost one of my AirPods.” She huffed, her complaint really only meant for herself. This would be the second time she’d lose a pair. “That’s just fuckin―” Her words became muffled at the hand that now covered her mouth.
Quinn’s eyes widened. Her flight or fight mode kicked in and thankfully the fight in her took over. However, just as she bit on the hand that covered her mouth there was a pinching sensation coming from her right shoulder.
The bite startled Steve but not enough for him to let go of her just yet. He was determined to keep a hold on her. Quinn’s right shoulder stung badly, and she realized that he must have injected her with something because it sure felt like a shot.
Whatever he injected her with was making her head fuzzy and she was beginning to feel tired. Using her remaining fight, Quinn pulled back her left elbow as far as she could and jabbed at his stomach. Along with hitting him with her elbow she also bit his hand again, and the combination of the two had him gasping. He finally let her go.
“What the fuck?!” Quinn screeched at him. She didn’t even look back at him as she skated away. As she was doing this she tried to reach for her phone in her back pocket. Her hands were shaking so much that she dropped it. The phone landed too far for her to take her time to stop and pick it up. So she decided to make her escape.
Making that choice didn’t matter though because she unfortunately didn’t get too far with her roller skating. Her limbs suddenly began to feel weaker. She fell back onto her hands and knees. All she had left was her voice. Adding to her misfortune, Steve lunged at her when she was about to yell for help.
Steve pushed her on her back with him on top of her and his hand once again covered her mouth. Her blue eyes were wide, glistening with tears. He was looking at her with his own blue eyes. There was a softness in his stare that deeply unnerved Quinn. Why was he looking at her like that? And how could he look at her in that way as he was doing this to her? What person was able to do that? Not a sane person, that’s for sure.
Quinn wanted to hit him. She wanted to yell at him to get the fuck off her. She didn't like his body weight on her, nor of the way his jeans felt on her thighs.
She absolutely detested it.
To her horror she couldn’t do any of that. She couldn’t even find the strength to bite his hand again, no matter how hard she tried too. All she could do was lie back and let whatever drug he gave her take over her body as he continued to man handle her himself.
“Shh, don’t fight. Just relax, it'll be faster this way.” Steve whispered as he stared into her eyes. He only removed his hand from her mouth when he saw that her hands were no longer curled into fists. He could tell she was close to fully passing out.
Quinn was able to feel tears go down her face. “No…no. Please…no.” She mumbled. Her eyesight, despite the blurriness, didn’t stop her from seeing Steve eerily smiling down at her.
He used his thumbs to gently wipe away the tears on her cheeks. “There you go.” He chuckled, watching her eyes flutter until they closed. “That’s it, good girl.”
The last thing Quinn felt before full unconsciousness took her was a brush of lips on her forehead.
Chapter 3: Like a butterfly, a wild butterfly, I will collect and capture you
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
So here's chapter three folks. It's only going to get darker from here on out.
Also the next chapter probably won't be posted as quick because I am actually going to WonderCon this year. So Friday, Saturday, and Sunday I will be super busy.
Hope this chapter is enough for now.
If you don't already follow me on Tumblr, consider it ^.^ my account name is dreaming-for-an-escape.
Chapter Text
One of the many reasons why Quinn loved sleeping over at Raquel’s was because Raquel tended to wake up first. Her brunette best friend usually either let Quinn sleep in late, or she would gently wake her up with her slender fingers running through her auburn hair.
Her touch was so affectionate, yet courteous. Quinn welcomed the touch, secretly longing for it every morning after a sleepover with Raquel to experience her softness. She liked what followed after, the opening of her eyes and staring at Raquel's chocolate brown eyes where she laid next to her. A warm smile directed at her would always have Quinn giving her one in return.
Quinn slowly began to lose the lovely image of her best friend, as she was waking up. Her thoughts became coherent. She felt her hair being touched, and as her eyes fluttered she could tell it wasn’t Raquel’s touch.
For one, the hand felt too rough. Raquel never did anything more than sweet strokes. Whoever this was was doing more than stroking her hair, they were full on massaging her scalp.
Quinn groaned, turning around. Sleepiness still overpowered her, making her think she was having a bad dream.
Then the touch went away.
Quinn finally opened her eyes, any sleep that lingered was replaced with growing uneasiness. It wasn’t Raquel’s smile that was in front of her. No, instead she was staring at an unfamiliar dusty pink wall.
As if that didn’t already tell her she was at a place she didn’t know, the bed she was on sure did. Saying it was a bed wasn't accurate. It was actually just a mattress. It was soft, too soft, and it made her miss her own bed.
Quinn let out another groan at the feel of blankets that covered her. They were fuzzy, a pastel blue. She never owned any blankets like that. She closed her eyes, foolishly thinking maybe she really was having a bad dream. Maybe by closing her eyes and opening them she would be back home.
That unfortunately wasn’t the case.
“You slept longer than I thought you would.”
What the hell?
Quinn’s gaze went over to where the voice came from. There, a few feet away from her, in this medium-sized room, was a man. Quinn narrowed her eyes at him. It took a few seconds but she recognized him. Steve. He told her that was his name before he….her eyes widened. She felt her heart start to hammer at everything else she was starting to remember.
She hadn’t slept over at Raquel’s. Instead she recalled saying goodbye to her best friend, roller skating her way home through the shortcut she always took. Then the incident with Steve’s car happened. They spoke, Quinn made it perfectly clear she wanted to leave only for him to drug her when she turned away from him.
Fuck.
Steve had drugged and kidnapped her. Now she was in an unfamiliar room with him. Quinn’s breathing was picking up as she kept her eyes on him. He was sitting in a chrome chair, a fair distance, and she hoped it stayed that way.
“You.” Quinn grimaced at how dry her throat felt. “You drugged me.” Saying that out loud made her want to throw up. She certainly felt sick.
Steve nodded his head. “I did.” He leaned forward, and that made Quinn react fast.
The eighteen year old pushed away the smothering blankets that were on her, and moved until her back hit the wall. That’s when she realized three things, the second and third making her want to vomit even more.
The first thing Quinn realized was that her hair was no longer up in the space buns Raquel had done for her. The second thing was the chain that was tied to her right wrist. And lastly the third was the night gown she wore. It was white with pink flowers on it. Quinn’s breathing got worse.
What happened to the clothes she’d been wearing?
Quinn teared up at the distraught thoughts she was having. “You took off my clothes?!” She was hyperventilating now. It felt like she was having a panic attack. Fuck, maybe she was. She hadn’t suffered a panic attack since she was fourteen years old before coming to terms with her sexuality.
The eighteen year old heard Steve calling her name but she wasn’t responding to him. Her breathing was still erratic. She was startled when Steve raised his voice at her.
“Quinn!” Steve shouted, walking over and crouching down in front of her. He clapped his hands in her face. “Listen to me!”
Since her back was already against the wall, Quinn couldn’t move any further. She was left with no other choice but to listen to this insane man. His shouting made her stare at him with utter dread. Although her breathing was still going faster than usual, Steve seemed content that she was looking his way.
“Alright, good, I have your attention.” Steve chuckled, any irritation was now gone. “I changed you to make you more comfortable. I didn’t think you’d like sleeping in a t-shirt and shorts.”
Quin was blinking so fast that tears were going down her face. She didn’t care if he changed her to make her ‘comfortable.’ He shouldn't have touched her without her consent. Quinn’s face then went paler than it already was as a thought popped in her head.
“Did you rape me?” Her voice was so small, frightened. Tears continued to trail down her face. She’d been unconscious for who knows how long. This maniac could have done unspeakable things to her when she was at her most vulnerable.
The tender look on Steve’s face didn’t falter at her question. His lips quirked to the side, a light laugh escaping. “No I didn’t rape you.”
His response didn’t make Quinn feel any relief. The way he said that sounded rehearsed, amused even, like he was used to saying it. Anger mixed with the fear she felt.
Quinn cleared her throat, trying to make her voice firm. “Where am I?” She looked around the medium-sized room.
The walls were a dusty pink. This time she got a better view of the paintings of the various flowers on the walls. The carpet was a maroon color. In one corner of the room was a toilet and on the other side was a sink with three small mirrors above. None of what she saw made her feel any better.
“Somewhere secure.” Steve briskly informed her.
Quinn hated that answer. It gave her nothing to let her know where she was exactly. She shivered, asking her next question. “Why am I here?”
Steve merely smiled that creepy smile she was beginning to familiarize herself with. She waited for an actual answer but from the silence dragged on. It seemed silence and his creepy smile were the only answers he was going to give for that question.
“You’re sick.” Quinn stated with a trembling voice. Her hatred and fear for him was clear on her tear stricken face.
Steve clicked his tongue. “I actually feel pretty healthy right now.”
Quinn was a crying mess. She moved her right hand, the chain on her wrist a reminder that she wasn’t going anywhere. “This is an actual nightmare.” She watched things like this happen in movies, crime TV shows, YouTube videos, and heard about it in podcasts. She even read about it in books. Never in a million years did she think this would happen to her.
She took a moment to reflect on the moments prior to her capture and hated how stupid she’d been. All the true crime YouTubers she loved to watch would have been disappointed in her. She knew all about the rule of stranger danger and yet here she was.
Why hadn’t Quinn seen the signs? Why did she have to stick around and talk to him? Why did she decide to take that shortcut home in the first place?
Because you always take that shortcut. How were you supposed to know some crazy guy was going to kidnap you?
A voice in Quinn’s head said and she felt less angry with herself for a second there.
“No, you're wide awake.” Steve casually corrected her.
Despite her fear, Quinn glared at him through her watery eyes. He was smiling at her as if that was supposed to be funny. It fuckin’ wasn’t! Her glare faltered when he scooted closer to her. The smell of sandalwood filled her nose. She found the smell nauseating.
“Quinn, I want to make it perfectly clear that I don’t want to hurt you. I really don’t but actions do have consequences here. Severe consequences.” Steve told her sternly. “So don’t act up on me.”
Quinn whimpered when Steve took hold of her face with his hands. His hands were big enough that his fingers spread into her auburn locks. The hold on her was firm as he looked at her. “Follow that one simple rule and you’ll be fine.” He leaned forward, kissing her forehead. There was a weak cry from her as she closed her eyes, hating how long he kept his lips there.
Quinn opened her eyes once he let go of her face. It unnerved her to see his soft expression. “I’ll come back later to bring you some food.” He simply told her, now up on his feet.
“My family will be looking for me!” Quinn yelled, watching him unlock the slatted door. It chimed as it opened. “They’ll wonder where I am and they’ll contact the police!”
Steve turned to look her way. Quinn felt goosebumps rise on her arms. He didn’t look the least bit worried by what she said.
“Try not to cry too much.” Steve tapped the side of his head with a grin. “You’ll give yourself a headache.” He exited the room, the slatted door closing behind him. Her lips quivered as it locked in place. She heard the echoing of his footsteps until they were too faint.
Quinn started to cry louder, bringing her knees up and putting her face there.
“Hey? Can you hear me?” A voice called out. It was a female’s voice.
Quinn instantly got up, the chain on her wrist making noise as she banged on the wall. She wasn’t alone? There was someone else here? She didn’t care who they were, she just wanted their help.
“Yes! Yes I can hear you! Please help me!”
The female’s voice was apologetic as she spoke. “I would if I could but I can’t. I’m stuck here too. Have been for some time now.”
Fuck, she was stuck here like her too? And did she say for some time?
“Some time?!" Quinn stressed out. "But what about your loved ones? Like your family? Friends? Someone has to be wondering where you are.”
“That would be the case if I had anyone close. I don’t have many friends, and the only family I have left is my sister but, uh...” There was a sound of a throat being cleared, somewhat awkwardly. “She and I had a falling out years ago and we haven’t spoken since.”
Quinn sat against the wall again, losing emotional strength. She put her hands on her face, her body shaking with her crying.
“I overheard you also say you have a family that would be looking for you?”
Quinn needed a moment to compose herself. Not that she did by much. She lowered her hands, tears still in her eyes. “Yeah my mom and dad. They’ll be concerned when they notice I haven’t come back from my friend’s house.”
The eighteen year old didn’t know the time, or even the day. For all she knew it could have been the next day already. If that was the case then she knew her parents would be looking for her. They must be worried out of their minds right now.
Raquel would have been the first they’d go to. Quinn’s lips quivered at the thought of her best friend. She noticed that she was still wearing the friendship bracelet she gave her. She was happy that at least she still had it. God, Raquel must be in a completely distressed state at her disappearance. If Raquel had been the one to go missing Quinn would have lost it.
“Jesus, how old are you?” The female’s voice rose higher.
Quinn was able to hear the consternation in her question. “I’m eighteen.”
“That sick fuck. I mean, I already knew he was a sick fuck but going after an eighteen year old when he's in his late thirties?” She scoffed. “Did he act like a complete gentleman? Use those blue eyes to his advantage?”
Even in her distressed state, Quinn found herself scrunching up her nose at the thought of Steve flirting with her. “No, he just took me when I was on my way home. I only ever had one other encounter with him before that and it was short.”
“Really? He asked me out on a date and I was foolish enough to let him bring me here to his supposed home. He knocked me out after our first drink. It was the same with Lydia.”
Quinn lifted her head. “Lydia?”
“Yeah, she was here before me.”
“Was?” Quinn gulped. What happened to Lydia? There was heavy silence that made her chest hurt. She started sobbing again. Did she ever actually stop?
“She’s not here anymore. As far as I know it’s just the two of us.” There was a cough from her. “For now, anyways.”
Not here anymore? Before Quinn could ask her to elaborate on that, she spoke again.
“My name’s Hope. You’re Quinn, right? Sorry, I overheard some of the conversation from before.”
“Yeah.” Quinn answered, sniffling.
Hope let out a tuneful hum. It brought Quinn to a memory of her mom, humming while she painted her nails. Quinn wrapped her arms around herself, imagining it was her mom hugging her. She could have used a hug from her right now.
“You know Quinn means wise. It’s of Irish origin.”
Quinn certainly didn’t feel very wise right now. “My last name is Lennox.” She shyly shared.
“Ah, so of Scottish origin.”
“I guess.” Quinn wiped some of the tears on her face. “I’ve never been to Scotland.”
“Me neither.” Hope mused. “I’ve seen pictures though. It’s very green. I like the color green.”
Quinn knew Hope was making conversation in order to calm her down, and even though she was grateful for it, she couldn’t forget the precarious situation they were in.
“Hope, why is he doing this?” Quinn tried keeping her voice steady as she asked.
“He really didn’t tell you?” Hope's bemusement could be heard in her tone.
Quinn shook her head despite Hope not being able to see her. She wished that she could have. “No he didn’t.”
“That’s so odd. He told me right when I woke up.”
“Please just tell me.”
Hope's voice lowered. It was almost like a whisper but what she said was heard perfectly by Quinn. “He sells us.”
“Sell us for what?” Quinn felt a major temperature drop as she thought about it. “Oh, God is it sex?” She was crying harder now. “Is this sex trafficking?” Steve said he didn't rape her but he never said anything about letting other people do that to her.
Hope let out a loud sigh. “No, worse.”
“What do you mean by that?” Quinn anxiously questioned. She was afraid to hear what was worse than being sold for sex but she also needed to know the truth.
Hope went quiet, and Quinn thought she wasn’t going to respond when her shaky voice made it to her ears.
“He sells our meat. He takes pieces of our bodies until there’s basically nothing left of us.” Hope let out a wretched laugh. “I’m already halfway there.”
Quinn felt as if her heart had dropped to her stomach. She no longer fought back the urge to vomit.
Chapter 4: Not meant for anyone else
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
So WonderCon was a blast. I bought so much stuff. A lot of prints, pins, and collectibles. I also went to several panels. I managed to get into the Bob's Burgers panel and got an exclusive poster and pin. I also saw the first six minutes of the new movie coming out in May. If you're a Bob's Burgers fan look forward to that because what I saw was awesome. I went to the Kung Fu panel, a CW show. My sis-in-law loved that panel. I also got introduced to a new show on Hulu called Woke and saw their panel, and most of the actors of that show were there.
It was a fun experience. I didn't think I would be able to finish this chapter soon but I actually did. I surprise myself. Anyways, here's the next chapter.
Btw, Miu Miu dresses are expensive as fuck. Now would Steve buy them for Quinn thinking it’s a nice gesture??? Oh yeah. He’s still insane. 😅 And Quinn isn't having it.
Chapter Text
“A few days ago I was out having fun with my best friend. We went to a party for our graduating Senior class, and we spent time roller skating.”
Quinn told Hope in a dispirited way. She was still talking to the woman, having moved closer to a small air vent. Hope’s voice was much easier to hear when next to it. She didn’t know how long they’d been talking. During that time Quinn managed to tell Hope random things about her, but it somehow always either connected back to her parents or Raquel. Right now it happened to be about Raquel.
Quinn looked at her friendship bracelet with the half butterfly charm. An image of a smiling Raquel holding the other half of the charm quickly appeared in her head. She moved her gaze to the ceiling. There were a few small small cracks. They were barely noticeable unless she really looked at them. She blinked, her eyes no longer watery but she knew it wouldn’t take much to cry. She let out an aghast sigh. How did she go from dancing to Bam Bam by Sister Nancy with her best friend, having the time of her life, to being kidnapped and locked away by a psychotic man who sold women's meat. Just thinking that was surreal, yet it was her horrifying reality.
Her throw up on the maroon carpet was evidence of her reaction after finding out from Hope on what Steve did. She hadn’t cleaned it up yet, and wasn’t going to. Although this was her mess, the only reason she vomited in the first place was because she found out the truth of what Steve did to women.
He caused it, indirectly or not. Let him be the one to clean it up. Fucker.
Quinn rubbed her arms. It was cold, and the nightgown Steve changed into wasn't a long sleeve. Yet another reason to hate him. She let out a huff. “And now I'm here, wherever here is. Kidnapped by some grown man, and chained.”
There was a pause, and Quinn thought that maybe Hope was done talking to her. Did she say something that upset her? Then Hope spoke, her voice sounding very curious. “You roller skate?”
Quinn hadn’t expected that to be Hope’s response. She went with it though. “Uh, yeah.”
Hope’s giggle reached Quinn’s ears. “Hmm, I tried roller skating once, kept falling on my ass.”
“Roller skating can take some time to learn but it’s all about patience.” Quinn repeated the same words Raquel told her when she taught her how to roller skate all those years ago.
“Not like I can try anymore.” Hope replied, the bitterness slipping in her tone. “It wouldn’t exactly be possible.”
Quinn hadn’t meant to say anything that would upset Hope more than she already was. The woman had been nothing but pleasant to her, but Quinn knew that she wasn’t as okay as she made herself sound. She closed her eyes, not wanting to cry again. Her head already fuckin’ hurt and she hated that Steve had been right about her getting a headache from crying.
“I can’t believe this is really happening to us.” Quinn somberly said in a quieter voice.
Hope still heard her. She let out a strained laugh. “Yeah life’s a bitch and then you die. Or you know, slowly get eaten.” She grimaced when hearing Quinn hiccup followed by a loud sniffle. “Ah, shit sorry kid. It’s just I’ve gotten used to dealing with this in my own way. For me it’s by being funny, in a sardonic way. It helps to make jokes, you’ll lose your mind if you don’t.”
Quinn wasn’t able to see her, but Hope’s expression became one of resoluteness.
“He’s already taken so much from me I can’t let him have my sanity. I can’t. That’s something he’ll never take from me. Remember that, alright? You hear me?” Hope called out, desperate for the girl to hear her. “Quinn?”
Quinn did the best she could at keeping her voice steady when answering. “Yeah, I hear you, Hope. I hear you.”
Quinn and Hope continued talking until the woman said she needed to get some rest. As much as Quinn liked talking to Hope, as it brought some kind of comfort for the both of them, the eighteen year old understood needing sleep.
Unfortunately for herself, sleep didn’t come so easily.
Quinn spent who knows how long just staring at the dusty pink walls, and at flowers painted on them. The longer she stared at them the more she found them ridiculous.
She wasn’t even a huge fan of the color pink. Her bedroom walls had never been pink growing up. Her parents even told her when she was a baby they hadn’t painted her nursery pink. Instead they chose a nice sage color.
The auburn haired girl picked at a loose string from one of the fuzzy blankets when her chest began to feel heavy.
There were heavy footsteps coming closer to her.
Steve.
He was coming back. In Quinn's mind she pictured he was walking down a long hallway. There was the sound of a beep followed by the slatted door being open.
Quinn heard him before she saw him.
“Hi.”
Quinn didn’t return the greeting, she didn’t even look at him when he entered. Her gaze was on the fuzzy blanket. The sound of something being pushed toward her caught her attention. Reluctantly she looked forward. A plastic tray with food was in front of her.
On it was a plate of creamy bow-tie pasta with chopped mushrooms and tomatoes. There were also slices of roasted garlic bread, and a glass of water. It sickened to see he had put flowers in a plastic vase on the tray as well. This isn’t a bed and breakfast.
At least according to what he was giving her, she got a better understanding at what time it probably was. The meal he gave her was either for lunch or dinner. She let out a heavy breath, some of the heaviness leaving her chest when she saw that there was no meat in the pasta.
Even with no meat, Quinn still was rather reluctant to eat anything prepared by him. Her stomach was in knots, and her appetite was nowhere to be found.
“I see you got some of that shock out of your system.” Steve casually said. The sound of him moving the chrome chair closer, and taking a seat made Quinn swallow thickly. She still didn’t look at him. Quinn assumed he was talking about her throw up from earlier.
Quinn remained quiet but she flinched when she heard Steve get up. He let out a chuckle, dumping a plastic bag onto her lap.
“Brought you some change of clothes.”
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows. She slowly opened the bag, immediately frowning at what she saw. “What is this?” Her blue eyes flickered to where he sat.
“Clothes.” Steve answered simply. On the inside he was pleased that she was talking and looking at him. He hated not having her attention. “You’ll have more clothes but for now wear this.”
Quinn felt a twitch on her left cheek. That happened in times of annoyance. “It’s a dress.” She pointed out with disdain. The dress was a sky blue with floral designs. It had a v-neck and long sleeves. There was lace at the bottom and middle. She hated it the moment she saw it.
She wanted to tear the dress once seeing how short it was. On the occasions she had to wear a dress she always preferred lengthy ones. Dresses that would pass her knees. This dress wouldn’t even reach her knees.
The auburn haired eighteen year old frowned after reading the name of the brand on the tag. Miu Miu. He got her a fuckin’ Miu Miu dress? Despite not being super into fashion and designer brands Quinn recognized it.
When she’d been in high school she often heard girls talk about wanting a Miu Miu dress. They always complained about how expensive Miu Miu dresses were. Quinn never found the appeal for the brand, so owning a Miu Miu dress never crossed her mind. Not even Raquel was a fan of their dresses, her style being more edgy.
But was Steve giving her a designer dress supposed to make her like him? That certainly wasn’t going to happen. Quinn would never like him.
Steve looked at her, grinning. “Yeah, and?”
He knew it bothered her, that shit. Quinn tried controlling her breathing but her anger was seeping through. In order to keep her anger at bay, she quickly averted her gaze to the tray. She furrowed her eyebrows at the pink frosted cupcake. That wasn’t there before. Did Steve put that there when her attention had been on the dress?
“It’s sugar free. I need you to cut back on junk food.” Steve tutted. “It’s not good for you. You need to start eating better.”
This coming from him? Just who did he think he was?!
Quinn wasn’t able to find her anger and annoyance. She squished the cupcake, the pink frosting covering her hand. She found satisfaction in imagining throwing the cupcake at his face.
As if he was able to see what she was imagining, Steve shook his head. “I’d think before throwing that cupcake at me. Remember what I told you.”
Quinn glared at him. She dropped the ruined cupcake on the tray with a splat. She cleaned her hand using the napkin that was under the spoon. Of course he gave her a spoon rather than a fork to use. He probably didn’t want to risk it. And of course the spoon was plastic. Just like the plate with the bow-tie pasta and roasted garlic bread.
Quinn crumpled up the napkin, letting it slip out of her hand. When she looked up she caught Steve staring at her. She nearly flinched at how intense he appeared. It was like he was waiting for her to start eating, but she wasn’t about to do that. So she decided to ask the question that she wanted an answer to.
“Why?”
Steve tilted his head, playing dumb. “Why what?”
Quinn felt her left cheek twitch again. “Why did you take me?”
“Because there was an opportunity and I took it.” Steve answered, shrugging. “I didn’t want to wait anymore. I waited long enough.”
Quinn's eyes widened. He waited long enough? Just how long did he exactly wait for? Was he following her around? A voice in her head screamed at her for asking such a stupid question. But he still hadn't told her why he took her. It obviously wasn’t a random kidnapping. He planned it.
“Are you going to eat first or change?” Steve suddenly asked, making Quinn’s stomach drop.
Neither. She wanted to do neither. Quinn pursed her lips. “I’m not hungry, and you’d have to unchain me if you want me to put on the dress.”
That was the truth. She wouldn’t be able to change with the chain being in the way. She hoped that he would forget about the dress. Even though she hated the nightgown Steve put on her, at least it went past her knees. She'd rather wear a sleeveless nightgown than a dress that showed a lot of her legs.
“Fine, I’ll unchain you.” Steve walked over to her. Her back straightened from where she sat on the mattress. He crouched and she gasped as he gripped her chin tightly, forcing her to look at him. “Don’t do anything stupid or else you’ll regret it.” He sneered. “You understand?”
Quinn nodded her head, trembling at his touch. She wanted him to stop touching her already. Steve stared deeply into her blue eyes, a grin creeping onto his face. “I can always put the dress on you myself but...” The grip on her chin loosened. “I’ll let you change yourself this time because I’m nice like that.”
Quinn wanted to reply back in a snarky way but stopped herself. Steve fished out the key from inside the pocket of his pants and unlocked the chain from Quinn’s right wrist. She couldn’t properly rub her wrist because of the cuff that remained. Exactly like the one that was on her left wrist.
Steve stood to his full height. He looked twice as intimidating as he stood over her. “I’m going to get cleaning supplies for that.” He pointed to where she threw up. “When I return you better be changed. If you’re not, I'll just change you myself. Then maybe, if I see that you’re behaving well, I’ll bring you some ice-cream later.”
Fuck you and your ice-cream, you creep.
Quinn glared at him. Steve’s blue eyes held nothing but mirth at her anger. He put away the key to the chain and took out the electronic key to open the door when she spoke again.
“Are you going to do that to me?” Quinn suddenly asked. She didn’t want him to play dumb as he had before. She wanted him to answer truthfully this time. Why was he going to all these lengths, giving her a proper so called meal with flowers, and giving her a designer dress if all he was going to do was sell her meat? Something told her there was more to it than that. There had to be. Unless this was his way of entertaining himself before he started cutting and slicing her up.
An amused expression appeared on Steve’s face. “So you did talk to Hope.”
“Are you?” There was enough bravado in Quinn to keep asking. She stared up at him, fighting to keep her eyes from getting watery. She did not want to cry in front of him again.
Steve’s amusement went away as he held eye contact with her. “No.”
Quinn inhaled, and shakily exhaled. “And why’s that?”
There he was again, staring at her as if she meant something to him. “Because you’re not meant for anyone else.” He added, voice never wavering. Nothing else was said by him after that. He tossed her a grin when stepping out. She lowered her gaze once the slatted door closed.
Quinn was then left alone to go over what he said.
She didn’t think he would be able to throw her off anymore, but of course she was proven wrong. Steve saying that to her in such a sincere tone made her feel a new kind of terror.
Steve wasn’t going to sell her meat like he did with the other women because, as he put it, she wasn’t meant for anyone else. But then why was she here? He never did explain. Had he been trying to insinuate that she was meant for him? Was he going to eat her? Or did he have other insidious intentions? What was he going to do to her?
Quinn allowed herself to cry again now that she was alone, not caring about hurting her head. She looked at the plastic tray, and then at the bag that had the dress Steve brought her. She really didn’t want to change into that frilly dress, a dress he’d chosen for her.
Except if she didn’t put on the dress then Steve was going to put it on for her. She did not want that. The less Steve touched her, the better. She was left with no other choice. Unless Quinn wanted to face Steve’s wrath and suffer through his touches, she knew what she had to do.
Fucking bastard.
Quinn glared at the bag before pulling out the dress.
Chapter 5: A novel to the heart
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
Here's another update! Hope you all enjoy this chapter. Have a great weekend!
Btw, sweet potato tacos are good....just not when given to you by a cannibal -.-
Chapter Text
As Steve told Quinn, he did bring more clothes for her. The only problem? All the clothes were fuckin’ dresses. They were either Miu Miu or some other expensive brand Quinn would have never considered buying, or even go window shopping for.
There was some small relief when Quinn saw that not all the dresses Steve brought her were as short as the first dress he’d given her. Granted they still showed too much of her legs to her liking, but some of the dresses reached her knees or barely went past her knees. She found those dresses tolerable. She still hated them though, and outside of this place she wouldn’t have worn them.
Except she didn’t have much of a choice while being held captive by him.
The dress she had on right now was checkered pink, white, and black. It had short sleeves, a fitted silhouette, a straight hem, and a pointed flat collar. Quinn’s reason for why she chose this particular dress was because it was one of the few that wasn’t short. Despite not having long sleeves, she preferred the length with the dress reaching her knees.
The scrapes on Quinn’s knees from where she fell were bandaged. Steve apparently cleaned them sometime when she’d been drugged. She wasn’t thankful for that at all. It just meant he touched her more while unconscious.
Quinn pushed away the now empty food tray. Since the first meal Steve had given her it's been nothing but healthy food. She admits to herself that this was food she wouldn’t have any problem with eating outside of this place. Some of the meals like the pasta, the sourdough avocado grilled cheese sandwiches, mashed potatoes, green beans, and sweet potato tacos, is stuff her mom and dad would make at home.
No, the reason why she hated the food Steve gave her was because he controlled what she ate.
Though as much as she didn’t want to say it out loud, there was an upside. So far he hadn’t given her any meat in her meals. Quinn didn’t want that to change. If he started giving her meat to eat she didn’t know if she’d be able to control her anger towards him.
There was that threat of him force feeding her if she refused to eat. Like he grumpily told her when she wouldn’t eat the bow-tie pasta he cooked for her. She listened and ate then (and now) because she didn't want him opening her mouth with his hand and forcing her to chew the food. He could threaten her all over again but this time she’d fight him if he wanted her to eat any meat given to her by him. There was only so much madness she could take.
Besides wanting to leave this hellhole with Hope, reunite with her parents and her best friend, tell Raquel she loved her, ask if she could kiss her, and if Raquel said yes she’d kiss her softly, Quinn desperately wanted to go to a store. She wanted to dump all the junk food she could get into her shopping cart while she dressed lazily in a t-shirt and sweats. She wanted to stuff a Butterfinger candy bar into her mouth, not caring how messy she’d look. Quinn practically tasted the chocolate in her mouth.
With her eyes closed, Quinn was able to escape into that fantasy for just a moment. Hope mentioned she often did this, aside from being humorous, and Quinn realized it was a much needed thing. It strangely helped keep her sanity from further withering, although the fantasy wouldn’t last. The eighteen year old would face reality soon enough, and as sad as it was to come back to the horrors that awaited, it also kept her determined to not give up.
Quinn was about to call out to Hope, say how much she wanted a Butterfinger candy bar, and ask what her favorite candy was, when she heard those awful heavy familiar footsteps. They came to a stop once outside the room she was kept in. There was that familiar beep sound followed by the slatted doors being slid open.
This time Quinn did look his way, her expression flat.
“Decided to broaden your reading for today.” Steve announced when entering the room with a grin. The slatted door closed behind him.
Quinn furrowed her eyebrows, gazing landing on the book he was holding. All she saw was the back of it so she couldn’t see the title. That was a different reading material than the one he’d given her so far with the fashion magazines. She barely read them, just skimmed for now because those kinds of magazines never caught her interest.
However, she thought she’d have to eventually resort to reading about beauty hacks and take ridiculous magazine quizzes like whether she was a spring, summer, fall, or winter. It wasn’t like she had her phone, if she did she would have called for help already. The police and then her parents. Steve no doubt had gotten rid of it.
Talking to Hope helped pass the time and made things slightly less horrible. She wanted to talk to her, and was going to, until Steve had to make another appearance.
Quinn merely blinked at him, not impressed that he brought a book.
Steve wasn’t deterred by her coldness. He walked closer to her sitting form. His lips twitched at seeing her tense up. “I know you’re a fan of horror novels. So I brought one of your favorites to read. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.” He said, showing her the cover.
Quinn looked at the novel and then at him. She was very alarmed by what she heard. “How do you know it’s one of my favorites?”
“Because I’ve seen you read it, several times.” Steve answered, chuckling.
Quinn’s heart raced. “When…” She swallowed thickly. “When did you see me reading it?”
Steve's eyes flickered to the food tray. He was content to see it empty. His gaze went back to Quinn. “At the park. The one close to your house. Also not so far from the skatepark where you and your friend with the bangs would roller skate.” He smiled widely, knowing that would get to her. “You lie under the Bigleaf maple tree whenever you read. It’s such a serene tree.” He commented casually. “Doesn’t it make you want to hug it?”
Quinn tuned out whatever else he was saying. She already knew he’d been stalking her. He told her so. But to learn that he’d been stalking her when she was with Raquel? Not only did that frighten Quinn, it also upset her.
Steve got to witness those carefree moments Quinn had with her best friend. Just like at the convenience store where he first made conversation with her. Those were moments she was supposed to cherish but now they were tainted with the disclosure that Steve had secretly been there the whole time. She didn’t like thinking about Steve watching her from a distance, studying her.
What else had he seen her do when she was out and about enjoying her life? Did he see her with her parents? Most likely he did. Quinn's chest felt tight.
“So, what do you say to me?”
Quinn’s attention was caught by Steve. She forced herself to look at him again. The tightness in her chest was still there. “What?”
Steve let out a sigh. “About the book. I brought it for you. The least you can do is say thank you.”
Quinn was flabbergasted. The fucker actually wanted her to thank him? Oh, she wanted to say something to him alright, but thank you wasn’t it. She clenched her fist, digging her nails into her palm. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes. Don’t anger him. Keep your cool. She exhaled, opening her eyes to look at him. She put a calmer expression even though she was bubbling with anger on the inside. On the plus side her anger subdued the tightness in her chest.
“Thanks.” Quinn kept her voice even. Okay, maybe there was a hint of harshness in her tone. But could you blame her? Having her thank him? It angered her. But as long as she appeared docile enough then it had to be fine…right?
Apparently the loss of displeasure in Steve’s blue eyes let her know it was fine. Since he wasn’t irritated she expected him to leave the novel like he did with the magazines. But no….he remained standing in front of her.
Quinn frowned. Why the fuck was he still standing there? She decided to speak up. “I thought you brought it for me to read?”
“I changed my mind.” Steve replied, shaking his head. “I want to read it to you instead.”
Quinn nearly gasped. "What?”
“I said I want to read it to you.” Steve repeated. He once again saw her tense up as he walked over to her. He heard her breathing when he took a seat against the dusty pink wall. He patted the empty space on the right side of him. “Come here.”
Quinn’s mouth felt dry. “No, I…” She suddenly felt sick and she regretted eating the sweet potato tacos he’d given her.
“Come here, Quinn.” Steve’s blue eyes hardened when she remained still. “Do you want me to come get you?”
At the moment her right wrist wasn’t chained. She hadn't been chained all that much since he’d given her dresses to change into. She could refuse to sit next to him, and run instead. But where exactly could she run to? She was stuck in the room with him.
Quinn could always put up a fight but she knew she had to choose her battles. And in this room he’d always win because he had the upper hand. If she wanted a standing chance against him she needed to plan ahead. Her winning and him losing unfortunately wasn’t going to happen today.
Begrudgingly, Quinn got up and walked over to sit next to him. She made sure she was comfortable enough, pulling her dress down as far as it could go.
“Lean on me.” Steve immediately ordered. “Put your head on my shoulder.”
Quinn scrunched up her nose, a no ready to leave her mouth.
“Unless you would rather sit on my lap?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows.
Really? He was giving her those two options? The first was obviously less awful. Quinn answered with a less than stoked face. “I’ll just rest my head then.”
“Good girl.”
Quinn got chills hearing him say those two words. She remembered him saying them before passing out. She needed a few seconds to keep it together before scooting closer to him. Once they were touching she reluctantly put her head on his shoulder.
“See, this isn’t so bad.” Quinn could tell he was grinning from the sound of his voice. He swiftly wrapped one of his arms around her waist making her grimace.
Steve heard and felt how startled she was but found it amusing. “No need to be dramatic, petal.” He leaned his own head on top of hers, inhaling the lingering scent of her shampoo. Her hair smelled like mangoes. “Hmm, I like that as a nickname for you.” He kissed the top of her head. “Petal.”
What the fuck was this thing he had going on with flowers? Quinn hated that nickname. She hated it as much as she hated him and his lingering hands. She refused to look at him and instead kept her eyes on the novel.
Steve cleared his throat. He turned to the first page of the novel and then began reading. “No live organisms can continue for long to exist sanely under conditions of absolute reality; even larks and katydids are supposed, by some, to dream. Hill House, not sane, stood by itself against its hills, holding darkness within; it had stood so for eighty years and might stand for eighty more.” Quinn wanted to cry and scratch his blue eyes out when she felt him squeeze her waist. “Within, walls continued upright, bricks met neatly, floors were firm, and doors were sensibly shut; silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.”
Steve managed to ruin one of her favorite novels as he continued reading to her. Adding to her discomfort, there was the occasional squeeze to her waist, and a kiss to her head.
Quinn thought about going full on Paul Sheldon on his ass. She wanted to stuff those pages he was reading into his mouth, down his throat, and watch him choke on it. She needed to be smart though. If she wanted to survive, and escape this hellhole.
Throughout high school Quinn Lennox went by a saying. Work smart, not hard. That’s exactly what she was going to do now. No matter how long it would take to escape, she’d be smart about it.
Chapter 6: Don't take Hope away
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him
Notes:
So just a heads up this chapter was mostly written in anger towards the final season of Killing Eve. Like fuck, I had a feeling it would end that way but I'm still mad and disappointed. Season 4 just wasn't it :/ so many missed opportunities. Anyways....I guess something good came out of it because here's a new chapter. But just like with the final season of Killing Eve this chapter doesn't end on a happy note.
Listen to the song Thinkin' about her by Unloved. Although I hated how Killing Eve ended the soundtrack for the show has always been amazing. I love the band and that certain song will always remind of a certain Villanelle/Eve scene. Terrible ending but wow is it a haunting song.
Also I mentioned on my Tumblr that I picture Nina Dobrev as Hope's face-claim. And a little Easter egg for those who already know, Nina Dobrev and Danielle Rose Russell (Quinn's face-claim) are a part of the TVD universe. Nina played Elena Gilbert on The Vampire Diaries and Danielle still plays Hope Mikaelson on Legacies.
I realized as well that the actress Victoria Pedretti and Danielle Rose Russell do sort of look similar. It's the blue eyes and the way they smile. So if that's who you want to picture as Steve's sister that's cool. Quinn just looks similar to how she looked when younger. I've also purposely not told the name of Steve's sister and where she is now because I want that to be revealed later. There is a twist though, that's all I'll say about that.
This is also where I got the Aquarius and Virgo horoscopes from.
https://www.facebook.com/AriesHoroscopeForecast/photos/1822885737892023
Warning!
There is mentions of Sexual Assault in this chapter. Please don't read if that triggers you. Just remember this is a dark story.
Chapter Text
“Hope, what do you look like?”
Quinn had been thinking more about Hope’s appearance the further she became acquainted with her. She tried picturing the woman in her head, and it became almost like a game. She, however, could never settle on a single image for her.
One second Hope was blonde, the next she’d have raven locks. She’d have blue eyes that turned green and then brown. The eighteen year old was done guessing and wanted a description from the source itself.
“Why the question?” Hope replied, her voice coming through the air vent.
Quinn’s gaze wandered the medium-sized room. She narrowed her eyes at the stack of books that was there. Steve brought more books for her after that weird ass reading session. She hadn’t been shocked to see most of them were books she already read and liked.
“I just…” Quinn moved her gaze away from the books, that familiar chill at the thought of Steve ran through her. “I wanna try putting a face with who I’m talking to. It makes sense to me.”
“Alright.” Hope agreed with a shrug Quinn couldn't see. “I have brown eyes, and brown hair.”
“That’s all?” Quinn asked feeling a little disappointed.
Hope laughed. “What else do you want me to say?”
“I don’t know. I can’t really do much with that information. I mean nothing wrong with brown hair and brown eyes. I think those are lovely features.” Quinn quickly said. “It’s just you say that and instead of trying to picture you I picture my best friend Raquel instead. She has brown hair and brown eyes too.”
Hope whistled. “How about this then, I have an oval face and olive complexion. And like I said I have brown hair but it’s straight and long. What else can I say?” There was a pause before she spoke again. “I'm half Canadian from my father’s side and half Bulgarian from my mother’s side. I actually look a lot like my mother.” She cleared her throat. “Okay, your turn.”
With all the extra stuff she said about herself, Quinn found it a bit easier to picture Hope in her mind. “Oh me? Let’s see….” Quinn began saying physical attributes. “I have auburn hair that reaches my back. It’s the same shade as my dad’s, only it’s more wavy than straight. I also got his blue eye color and fair-complexion. My mom's skin isn't as sensitive.” She smiled briefly as she thought about her mom. “I think the only thing I got from my mom is her dainty nose shape and her height. I’m short.”
“How short?” Hope went on to ask.
Quinn let out a sigh. “I’m five foot three.”
“Aw.” There was a round of giggles from Hope.
“Oh God, don’t you start.” Quinn groaned, and even though Hope couldn’t see her she still covered her face with her hands out of embarrassment. “I’ve been teased about my height my whole life. What about you?”
“Five foot seven.” Hope answered evenly, her giggles coming to a stop. The twenty-eight year old didn’t want to say she wasn’t that height anymore. but Quinn didn’t need to know that. She’d spare her the horror of knowing.
“My best friend is almost as tall as you.” Quinn shared, lowering her hands from her face. “She’s five foot six and she always teases me for my height.”
The softness in the younger girl’s voice wasn’t lost on Hope. “You really like your best friend, huh?”
Quinn touched her butterfly charm. A flash of Raquel’s smile appeared behind her eyes. “Yeah, of course. She’s my best friend.”
“Hmm, I’m sure she is.” There was no negativity coming from Hope as a smile easily appeared. It was one Quinn wasn’t able to see but the eighteen year old certainly could imagine it on the woman’s face.
“That obvious?” Quinn sheepishly asked.
Hope’s tone of voice was light. “Oh, yeah.”
Despite their circumstance, Quinn found it funny that Hope was able to figure out she liked her best friend just by hearing the way she talked about her. Apparently Quinn wasn’t as careful as she thought she was with hiding her feelings. Not that she needed to worry about that anymore…for now anyways.
“I wish I could go back to the day I was taken and do things differently.” Quinn closed her eyes thinking that would help with the tears that lurked. “Like telling my best friend how I feel about her. I really regret not doing that.”
Hope exhaled slowly. “I’m sorry, Quinn.”
Quinn opened her eyes again, wiping away the single tear that escaped her. “Hope, what’s your astrological sign?” She suddenly asked, wanting to change the topic of conversation. If they kept talking about Raquel her heart would just ache more.
It was a random question Hope didn't have a problem with answering. “Aquarius, why?”
“I have all these magazines.” Quinn started telling her. She reached for the closest one. “Why not pass the time and read our horoscopes? They look old as crap, so the horoscopes are not going to be accurate but what the hell? What else are we going to do?” She could have read from one of the books Steve brought her but they were all horror. Quinn doubted Hope would want to listen to something so spooky and dreary.
Honestly, Quinn didn’t either. That’s why she barely even touched the books. Her love for horror was beginning to slip away, and it made sense with what she was going through.
“Fine, read me my horoscope.” Hope gave into the silliness. “Let’s see what it says.”
Quinn began flipping through the pages until she reached the page for daily horoscopes. She saw that the date and year were not accurate. The magazine was really old.
“This is what it says for Aquarius.” Quinn began reading loudly. “Emotional showdowns are possible today. Your challenge is to embrace these confrontations, instead of trying to minimize or avoid them. Right now it’s easy to react against anything as an insult or a limitation.”
“Ha! Limitation?!” Hope laughed so hard it had her shaking. “That’s rich.” She needed a moment to herself. “What about yours?” She went on to ask.
“Let’s see, for Virgo it says…” Quinn narrowed her eyes at the small print under where her astrological sign was. “Your sense of logic is as strong as ever, but it’s enhanced by your intuition, which deepens under the current cosmic influence. Now you’re experiencing life at both the heart and mind.”
There was already a frown on Quinn’s face before she even finished reading. “Heart and mind? What the fuck?” She threw the magazine away from her. “Fuckin’ ridiculous. Maybe not reading it would have been better.”
“Nah, it gave me a laugh.” Hope snickered. She wasn’t as upset as she should have been. The only time she ever got upset anymore was when she saw Steve’s stupid face because she knew what that meant. But she knew Quinn had meant well. Plus she did get something out of it…a good laugh.
“How much do you wanna bet this fucker is a Scorpio?” Hope brought up with another round of laughter.
Quinn joined in, momentarily pushing away the frustration she felt. “He totally is.”
Hope sobered up. “You know I once heard that Virgos and Scorpios are a good match.”
Fuck no. Quinn scrunched up her face. “Ew.” She made a gagging noise afterwards.
Although Hope had found it funny she quickly put an end to her disgust. “Don’t worry they’re not the best match.”
“What’s the best match?” Quinn sounded very interested to hear the answer.
“A Virgo and Taurus.” Hope happily told her. “Cause they’re both earth signs.”
Quinn touched her butterfly charm again. Raquel was a Taurus. Her lips formed a small smile.
Hope let out a cough. “You know, he doesn’t give me magazines or extra clothes.”
“Oh.” Quinn’s small smile went away. She had a feeling that was the case but she never brought it up to Hope because it made her feel awful. Hope was slowly being taken apart, while Quinn wasn’t going through the same horror as her. What did she have to complain about to Hope?
“He likes you.” Hope bluntly told her. There was no anger in her tone, just concern. “I don’t know why but he does. He’s never been like that with me, and not with Lydia when she was here.”
All that information just made Quinn feel gross. “I don’t like him.” She vehemently said. “I never could because aside from him being a psychopath who kidnaps women and sells their meat, I’m not into guys. Never have.” Her dainty nose scrunched up again. “Not to mention he’s like thirty something. My dad's around the same age.” She shuddered.
“Glad to hear you hate him and find him repulsive but….” Hope maintained seriousness with what she was bringing up. “Look, it’s obvious he likes touching you. And it makes you uncomfortable, and it should.”
Quinn said nothing. She just looked ahead at the dusty pink wall. She felt traces of Steve’s touch from before and it made her feel ill. Steve hadn’t removed his arm from her waist until after he finished reading, and the fucker read till chapter seven. It was when he finally left the room that she was able to breathe better.
“Hey, I hope this won’t freak you out but peeing helps.”
Hope’s random comment befuddled Quinn. “Say what?”
“I overhear how he is with you.” Hope’s voice hardened. “He hasn’t crossed that line with you yet but if he ever does pee on yourself.”
A light bulb went off in Quinn’s head once she understood what she was talking about. Her anxiety intensified. She started fidgeting with her fingers. “That works? Did you read about that from somewhere?” She really wanted to hear Hope confirm she read about that from somewhere, and that she didn’t know from personal experience.
“No.” Hope let out a sigh. “I had an uncle who didn't respect my personal space. One time he tried to you know, and I got him to stop by peeing on myself. My dad found out after, kicked him out, and called the cops too.” Her voice wavered a bit. “My dad…he had his faults but he cared. He died not long after that and my mom got custody over my sister and I. She…she had her issues. It wasn’t easy living with her.” She let out a sniffle. “But anyways, I’m going off track. If Steve ever...if he ever tries that just remember my advice, okay?”
Quinn was frozen in place where she was sitting. Just imagining Steve doing that to her made her panic on the inside. Outside wasn’t any better either. Her blue eyes were wide open, and she was sure she looked as pale as a ghost.
Steve said he didn't rape her when she’d been unconscious but he changed her without her consent. Not to mention he was still touching her knowing it made her uncomfortable. He had no respect for her privacy. So she wouldn’t put it past him to do something as horrendous as raping her. He was more than capable.
Quinn did breathing exercises. It was the breathing exercises she used to do years ago when her panic attacks were bad. Once she calmed down, she stored away Hope’s advice. She prayed she would never need to use it.
“Okay.” Quinn finally responded, eyes glossy. Hope’s own reply was a hum. Quinn’s heart hurt for her after learning about what she went through. To have her experience that as a kid, it wasn’t fair. Then she lost her dad, moved in with her mom who had issues, and eventually lost contact with her sister. It was tragic.
Obviously Quinn didn’t know the whole story but she knew enough to sympathize with Hope. Now she was here, being eaten? It wasn’t fair.
But as Quinn was learning now, life wasn’t fair.
Not even when you were a decent person.
Quinn had fallen asleep. It was a struggle, but eventually, like all the other times, her tiredness won. The second she shut her eyes and put her head on the pillow, she knocked out.
She was now lost in her own little world of happiness. She was dreaming, and in her dream she was with Raquel. They were roller skating down the familiar street that led to her home. Raquel was holding on to her hand as they were in sync.
The sun was shining down on them as they smiled at one another. Quinn caught sight of her parents further down the street. They were standing next to each other, waving at her. Quinn’s smile widened. It faltered when she felt a tight squeeze on her hand. She glanced at Raquel.
It worried her to see Raquel’s smile gone. There was angst in those brown eyes of hers. Quinn tried speaking but found herself without a voice. Instead it was Raquel who spoke.
“Don’t let go, Quinn.” Raquel said, squeezing her hand again. Don’t―”
“Let go of me!”
Quinn’s eyes quickly opened, her dream was forgotten about once hearing Hope’s distressed voice. She got up from the mattress, pushing away the fuzzy blankets. She nearly tripped when running to the locked slatted door. She wasn’t able to see anything but she heard the footsteps and the struggle.
“You sick fuck! Stop it! No!”
Quinn put her hands on the slatted door, trying to shake it and failing. Nothing would happen because it was locked. She stopped and instead called out her companion’s name.
“Hope?!”
She heard a scream, echoing down the hallway. She called out Hope’s name again more loudly and desperately. This time dreadful silence was the only response she got.
With a scream of her own, Quinn hit the slatted door. Her hands hurt but she didn’t care about that. She cared about what was happening to Hope. She fell on her knees, not knowing what else to do to help, and proceeded to cry her eyes out.
Chapter 7: Show me some affection
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
Steve's an asshole in this chapter. When isn't he? But also him being a creep o.O Especially at the beginning. You've all been warned. We also learn Steve's sister's name in this chapter.
Chapter Text
Coming across Quinn Lennox had been completely random.
Steve originally was supposed to go to the city of Albany. He made a last minute decision and changed location after remembering that one of the women he held not that long ago was from there. In his line of work it was best to change cities and not go back right away. Even if said woman had no one looking for her it was better to not draw attention to a single spot.
So that’s how he found himself in the city of Hillsboro. He didn’t know much about Hillsboro other than it was the fifth largest city in Oregon.
Having yet to explore the city, Steve hoped he struck gold with potential females that fit what he was looking for. It was a Saturday afternoon and he’d been looking for a place to stop to strike conversation with a lonely female when he suddenly saw her.
Steve was waiting for the streetlight to turn green again. His thoughts about how he was going to charm his next victim stopped at the sight of an auburn haired girl roller skating past his car. Normally he wouldn’t think anything of it. There was nothing unusual about a person roller skating. He’d never been into it but to each their own he supposed.
However, he was shocked by what he saw. The girl who roller skated past him looked very similar to someone he loved. In a way he really struck gold with her. Not because he was interested in selling the girl’s meat. There was another reason why he was so interested in her.
That reason had him discreetly following her. The girl didn’t notice him, too busy in her own little world of roller skating and listening to her music. She appeared so young, carefree, and Steve liked that. He once knew someone who was like that.
His sister.
That was the reason why he was so in awe with this random girl because she looked like his sister at that age. He figured she must have been no older than eighteen. Her hair color was different. His sister’s hair had been brown, like his. This girl’s hair was auburn. He stopped imagining it as brown once realizing he actually liked the auburn color on her. It was very beautiful.
She was also more curvier than his sister had been, but that wasn’t a bad thing. He quite liked seeing curves on her. It not only made her seem more mature but also more innocent. In a way it worked. Everything else about her was exactly like his sister. Including her blue eyes.
Steve was really glad about that similarity.
So he observed her for a time after first coming across her. Learning her name hadn’t been that difficult. Nor was finding her real age, and where she lived. He watched and learned everything he could from a distance about eighteen year old Quinn Lennox. A Senior from Hillsboro High School who was close to graduating.
What he couldn’t learn from watching in person he got from online. Quinn’s Instagram was private but her Facebook and Twitter were not. He assumed they weren't private because she hardly used Twitter and Facebook. Her Facebook did have old photos, and those were fun to look at. Through social media he learned a lot about Quinn. Like her taste in music and movies. He learned from Facebook that Quinn’s mom was a librarian and her dad was an art curator.
Knowing that helped Steve understand her better.
Based on old tweets on Twitter he learned what kind of humor she was into. Somewhat dark and awkward humor. Apparently she really enjoyed watching Killing Eve and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia.
She was really into horror movies and books. Scream being one of her favorite horror movies and The Haunting of Hill House being one her favorite reads. Steve was aware most of those horror movies and books she liked had some kind of romance in them. Perhaps not always the best example but it was there.
Either she noticed the pattern or she didn’t. Steve did. The evidence was in her taste of her movies and books. At the heart of it all she was a romantic.
Just like his sister had been.
Quinn really was like a petal on a flower. So small. So delicate. She was just begging to be taken care of. From first glance Steve wanted to do that. After planning things Steve now had Quinn where he wanted her. He was able to freely caress her and stare into her hypnotizing blue eyes. It was so easy to forget who she really was. So many times already he’d almost whispered the name of the woman he saw in her.
Audrey.
Steve knew Quinn wasn’t Audrey. Not really. Sadly he couldn’t have Audrey anymore. So he settled for the next best thing and that was Quinn.
At the beginning he really thought coming across Quinn Lennox had been totally random. Now that he had her all to himself he was starting to see maybe it wasn't random. Maybe it was fate. Like he was meant to find her. Fuck, maybe he too was a romantic like her.
Steve let out a sigh. He gave a big stretch where he was lying in his bed. He was exhausted even after having a long well deserved sleep. He wanted to remain in bed for the rest of the day but he knew he couldn’t.
He needed to go back to his petal.
Steve never brought Hope back. Based on the crying he heard from Quinn earlier he knew she was upset. Quinn just needed to understand that anyone else he brought wasn’t going to be a permanent resident like her.
Steve licked his lips. Perhaps a sugary snack would make her feel better. He didn’t want her eating too many sweets, but he figured a few chocolate chip cookies wouldn’t be so bad for now. It more than likely would calm her down.
When was Hope coming back?
That’s all Quinn had been thinking ever since hearing the woman’s distressed cries. She wasn’t able to stop thinking about what horrors Hope was going through. What Steve was doing to her? He was taking something from her….but what? What if there wasn’t anything more for him to take?
What if…?
Quinn tried shaking those harrowing thoughts away. That was easier said than done. The horrifying questions remained swarming in her head. She cried for who knows how long, suffering in silence.
Hope was no longer there to bring her any ease.
Quinn’s breathing exercises couldn’t help her this time and she ended up having a really bad panic attack. It was one of the worst ones she’d ever had. She didn’t know how long the panic attack lasted but when she was able to control her breathing again she was huddled in a corner, knees up to her chest with her hands pulling at her hair.
She remained in that corner, eyes welled with tears. Sleep never came. All she did was close her eyes for a few minutes and then Hope’s scream would replay in her head. That made any sleep she had go away.
At some point (could have been hours, who the fuck knew) Quinn heard the familiar tune of Seconds by Human League playing. She recognized the song because it played during the eighties homecoming dance she’d gone to with Raquel. The loud music was muffled, sounding like it was coming from upstairs. So that must have meant she was down below, like in a basement.
Knowing more about where she might have been should have been a good thing. Quinn at the moment couldn’t have cared because she was still worried about Hope. She slowly crawled to the mattress and let herself sink into the blankets. Her tears soaked the pillow.
Some more time went by with her staying there. Quinn only lifted her head when she heard footsteps. She stood up when she heard the slatted door open. When she turned to look she saw Steve standing there with a plastic plate with cookies. He wore that stupid grin of his and it made her want to punch him.
“I brought you some cookies.”
“Fuck your cookies!” Quinn snapped at him with a fierce voice that almost shocked her. She had so much anger that she didn’t stop to think about her actions. In the back of her head she knew this would eventually blow up in her face for speaking to him in that way. “I want to know where Hope is? What did you do to her?!”
Steve’s grin dropped. He clenched his jaw. Her swearing at him wasn’t making him happy. “I don’t appreciate you swearing at me, petal.” His blue eyes hardened. “Ask me in a nicer way.”
Quinn took a deep breath. Her anger simmered down enough to stop her from raising her voice. “Where’s Hope?”
“Do you really want me to answer that question?” Steve flatly told her.
It was obvious what he did to her but she was in complete denial. Hope couldn’t be dead. She couldn’t be. Any restraint on her anger vanished. “You fucker!” She ran towards the pile of books and began throwing them at him. Her plan of working smart, not hard was currently thrown out the window.
Steve raised his hands to block from getting hit. The plate of cookies fell to the maroon carpet. He wasn’t as fast as he wanted to be because two books hit him. One in the left shoulder and the other on his forehead. That one hurt the most. “You stop that right now!”
“No! Tell me where she is!”
She threw another book that hit him near his groin.
Steve glared at her. Enough of this shit. “Fine.” He growled. “You want to see her? I’ll show you.” He stomped over to her and when he did he saw the freeze. There was fear in her eyes now. Despite her fear his petal put up a fight.
Quinn managed to get a few hits and kicks but he got the upper hand. Since her right wrist wasn’t chained all he did was lock the cuffs on her wrists together. Having her restraint like that made it easy for him to put her over his shoulder.
The eighteen year old felt anger and mortification at the way Steve was manhandling her. The dress she wore was pushed up, revealing more of her thighs. His hands had a hold there, squeezing. Quinn couldn’t focus on his touch because she was panicking over where Steve was taking her. They were now out of the room she was kept in and were walking down a hallway.
There was another hard squeeze to one of her thighs to get her to stop squirming. This time the feeling of his rough fingers spreading made her cry out in protest. She felt a little dizzy when she was quickly set down. Steve kept her close by grabbing onto her left elbow. They were now facing a different slatted door.
Quinn timidly looked up at Steve, her eyes widening at the way he was staring at her. His expression was unreadable but a storm was forming in his blue eyes. Quinn was so scared she was beginning to shake. Without looking away from her, Steve opened the door. She immediately felt the coldness hit her skin. She began shaking more than she already was. If she thought it was cold before she was shocked by how cold she was now. She realized the door Steve opened was for a freezer. She winced at Steve’s tight hold on her elbow.
“Here she is! This is what you wanted right? To see her?” Steve pushed her forward while still holding onto her. “Go on look!”
A broken cry came from Quinn. If Steve didn't have a hold on her she would have collapsed onto the floor. Instead Steve forced her to remain standing as she looked at a nightmare fueling sight.
There were severed women's body parts everywhere in the freezer. Legs. Arms. Torsos. Quinn let out a wail at the knowledge that Hope, the woman she knew by only her voice, was there amongst other body parts. She would have thrown up right then and there if she had anything left in her stomach. Instead Quinn hunched over, dry heaving noises escaping her.
“So dramatic, petal.” Steve sighed, shaking his head. “Really it’s your fault for befriending a woman you barely even knew.” He clicked his tongue. “Next time don’t get so attached.”
Quinn's breathing was all over the place. God there was going to be a next time because Steve was going to keep doing this. Some other innocent woman was going to suffer because of him. Just like Hope, and all the other women before her.
Quinn didn't even notice Steve carrying her back to the room until he dumped her onto the mattress. She was too hysterical to fight him off. What she saw in the freezer was never going to leave her mind.
After unlocking the cuffs on her wrists, Steve chained her right wrist only. He stood over Quinn, watching how much of a crying mess she was. “Maybe some time alone without any of the stuff I've given you will teach you a lesson." He harshly told her as he started gathering all the things he brought her. That included the magazines, the books, and extra clothing. He even kicked the plate of cookies towards the slatted door. "Maybe then you will learn to appreciate me.”
A glint coming from Quinn's wrist caught his attention. Steve narrowed his eyes. He walked to her and yanked the bracelet right off her. It broke making Quinn sob even louder. He saw her rub at the now empty spot of where her bracelet had been. Steve threw it to the carpet and stomped on it. A crack was heard. He kept his foot on it, twisting the now damaged charm.
“Just know you have no one else. Only me." Steve heatedly told her. "No one’s looking for you. I haven't heard anything about your disappearance because no one cares enough. But I care, and I’ve been showing you that I care." He stepped away from the broken bracelet. "I think it’s your turn to show me some affection.” He walked over to the slatted door, opened it, and stood at the other side. “I expect that when I decide to end your punishment. Until then, enjoy your alone time, petal.”
Quinn's uncontrollable crying reached a new high after the lock chimed.
Steve began walking away without looking towards his suffering petal. He left with all the stuff he brought her and with the lies he told. Everything he said was a lie. Quinn’s parents had been actively looking for her. Her whole family was. They’d been on the news, clearly heartbroken about their missing daughter. He’d seen so for himself when having his early morning coffee with his wife Ann while watching the news.
His wife Ann had no idea as she prepared their sons’ lunches for school that he had that missing eighteen year old in one of the rooms in the basement at his ‘work’ home. Ann knew about the other women, and of what he did, but she didn’t know about Quinn. She didn’t need to know.
On the news Quinn’s parents begged for whoever took their daughter to let her go. She really was loved by a lot of people. That didn’t come as a surprise to Steve.
Even her best friend, the one with the bangs, had spoken out. Raquel Pérez. Steve knew her name. He’d done research on all the people involved in Quinn Lennox’s life before taking her. And when Steve looked over Quinn’s phone he saw just how much the brunette meant to his petal. The Pérez girl wasn’t the standard BFF until the very end. She was more than that to Quinn, much to his annoyance. Young love, he thought with an eye roll. Quinn would get over her. He would make sure that she did.
It wasn’t like he was worried anyways because there was no way the Pérez girl would be able to figure out he was the one who took Quinn. No one would. He'd been very smart about her kidnapping. There wasn't even any blood from where Quinn scraped her knees in the alleyway. He made sure of it.
Steve had to give the brunette credit though. She didn’t give up so easily.
Raquel had created different social media accounts to spread awareness about Quinn’s disappearance. Her best friend really was trying, and Steve found that to be adorable. All that work only for her to come up empty handed. It almost made him feel bad…almost.
What his precious petal didn’t know only benefited him. Quinn didn’t need anyone else. Not her family or her best friend. Just like Audrey hadn’t needed her husband. Unlike with Audrey, Steve wasn’t planning on letting Quinn slip away from his fingers. His petal was his to keep.
Chapter 8: Monthly visitor
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
Warning!
Menstruation happens in this chapter. If that bothers you don't read. Also there are mentions of blood, nudity, and dub-con touching. You've all been warned.
We can at least enjoy the Villanelle and Dean Winchester mentions in this chapter. Quinn definitely wants to go full Villanelle on Steve's ass....and she will, just not yet.
Chapter Text
Quinn Lennox was all alone now. There was no Hope to keep her company with her kind voice anymore. No little breaks with Hope and her having a laugh or talking about the randomest things to make her forget about the predicament she was in.
There was none of that.
Quinn really thought they were going to get out together.
That was now a lost dream.
The eighteen year old cried a lot for Hope after finding out how grim her fate had been. What Quinn saw in the freezer stuck with her. Female body parts everywhere. Some of them belonged to the woman who became a friend to her. Even in the short amount of time Quinn had known Hope, she formed a sort of relationship with her. Enough for her to matter. Even gone, Hope mattered to her.
What was even more heartbreaking was that Quinn would never know how Hope really looked like. All Quinn had was the description Hope gave her. She for sure would take the description Hope had given her over the cut up body parts she saw in the freezer. The gruesome sight was not how she wanted to remember Hope.
Quinn, during her time alone, thought about Hope’s estranged sister. Even though Hope said they weren’t close with one another the possibility of them ever making up was now gone.
Steve took that away.
Dean Winchester was right about what he said regarding people, Quinn thought during her solitary. Being a huge Supernatural fan of course she’d remember one of Dean Winchester’s most iconic quotes. Well, I'll say it again. Demons I get. People are crazy.
Quinn knew not all people were crazy like Steve. He was clearly a very bad example of a human being. She wouldn’t even consider him a human being after what he did to Hope. He was a monster. A monster that she had the unfortunate luck of being his captive.
The only time Quinn would see him now was when he dropped off food. Which was once a day now. He wouldn’t even enter the room, just slid the food tray towards her and then walked away with the door closing behind. Apparently he thought giving her one meal a day consisting of only bread and water added to her punishment. Along with giving her the silent treatment. No words were ever exchanged whenever he opened the door to give her food. Quinn was grateful for that part.
However in the silence and loneliness, Quinn couldn’t help but think about what Steve told her. The part about how no one was looking for her. She obviously didn’t believe him. Her parents wouldn’t be the type to give up on her. None of her family was like that. They loved her as much as she loved them.
Family above all.
But Quinn had to admit it pained her heart that she hadn’t been found yet. She was sad but not angry. Her parents and the rest of her family were probably doing everything they could to find her. Her aunts, uncles, and cousins must have already been at the Lennox household. Worrying and searching for her.
They probably weren’t the only ones trying to find her.
Raquel.
The auburn haired girl wondered what her brunette best friend was doing right now. Did she miss her as much as Quinn missed her? Did her heart ache for her?
Quinn sniffled, tears going down her cheeks. She was leaning against the dusty pink wall, gaze on her hands. She was holding the friendship bracelet that Steve had broken. After picking up the smashed pieces she knew it couldn’t be saved.
Steve took away the only thing she had that was a connection to Raquel. Now Quinn didn't have anything to remind her of her best friend.
Except what she already had in her head.
So Quinn relied heavily on that. She dropped the broken pieces of the bracelet onto the ground, closing her watery eyes.
Luckily for her an image of Raquel’s warm brown eyes managed to push aside the horrors she’d seen. It was a moment of peace that Quinn wasn’t going to take for granted.
Quinn didn’t know how much time passed but it certainly felt like days. Steve made brief appearances, delivering one meal a day to her. His silent treatment didn’t stop, and Quinn was content with at least that part of her daily routine.
Her sleeping schedule remained all over the place and a nightmare always woke her up. A nightmare that would have her go into a panic attack. She lost count of how many she had by now.
At this particular moment Quinn wasn't awoken by a nightmare. Instead of seeing severed limbs and hearing Hope’s last scream, it was a sharp pain in her lower abdomen that had her opening her eyes in ultimate dread.
Quinn knew, she fuckin’ knew, even before pushing back the blankets that she’d gotten her period. Her reaction was still of shock when she saw the blood.
“No no no no!” Quinn was in hysterics as she stood up. Due to her being chained she couldn’t go to where the small mirrors were to check her behind.
Not that she needed mirrors to know she bled through the dress she wore. Quinn felt the wet stain on her bottom. The blood even made it down to the top of her thighs and had stained the mattress pretty badly. “Fuck!” She cried out.
Quinn ran a hand through her hair, making it a tangled mess. She looked up at the ceiling, face twisted with emotion. “Seriously?!” She shouted, unsure who exactly she was speaking to. The auburn haired girl was just so frustrated that she needed to vent.
There was a sharp pain making her stumble, holding onto her stomach. “Fuck you cramps.” She muttered. Her period was here and it was making its presence known more than usual.
Quinn hadn’t suffered a period as bad as this one for some time now. Birth control was the reason for that. Since the age of sixteen the pill helped with her heavy periods and bad cramps. Except she hadn’t been able to keep up with her birth control since being taken. So her period was here with a vengeance.
All the menstruation symptoms Quinn usually felt were heightened.
Her breasts felt tender, her back was sore, and her stomach bloated with constant sharp pains shooting left and right. It was pure torture. There was also the headache that was beginning to form and her muscles ached. She was super low on energy, fatigued.
It probably didn’t help that all she'd been eating up until getting her period had been bread and water.
Quinn let out a whimper as she felt another cramp.
Really the only good thing about getting her period was that at least she now had a better understanding of what day it could be. Last time she’d gotten her period in May it’d been on the twenty-eighth. So it had to have been close to the twenty-eighth of June or past it by a couple days.
Maybe her period was really late and it was already July. All the stress Quinn's been feeling lately could have affected her menstrual cycle. Also her not keeping up with her birth control wasn’t a good thing.
Quinn had never been embarrassed when it came to her period. Menstruation was no longer a taboo topic to discuss. All females eventually went through it. But you know what was embarrassing? Having to ask your kidnapper for help. That was mortifying.
She couldn’t even picture herself going up to Steve and saying, “Hey I’m on my period. I need a change of clothes, pads, and also a new mattress since the current one has a really bad blood stain now. Thanks dude!”
That wasn’t going to happen. Quinn preferred experiencing the painful cramps, the pounding headache, and the bloody mess between her legs that went down her thighs and onto the mattress.
She resorted to free bleeding because the thought of asking Steve, the monster that he was, for help disgusted her even more.
Unfortunately she couldn’t reach the toilet to try cleaning herself up because she was chained. Some time ago Steve had thrown a bucket into the room for her to use. She only used it to go number one.
Quinn wasn’t about to squat down on the bucket when on her period. She didn’t want Steve seeing the blood. She didn’t want him to know. She would figure out some way to clean the mess and hide it from him.
The eighteen year old noticed the blankets weren’t stained. So she put one of them over the blood stain that was on the mattress. The other she’d use to cover herself.
Quinn then used the toilet paper roll that was next to the bucket and began neatly folding toilet paper. That was to be used as a makeshift pad. It wasn’t ideal but it would have to do. The rest of the toilet paper was used to wipe the blood off from her thighs.
Quinn nearly fell to the ground a few times from cramps when doing this. After cleaning herself as best she could she slowly walked back to the mattress to lie down. She didn’t want to further stain the area but a heavy period made no promises.
Remaining in a fetal position underneath one fuzzy blanket was as good as it was going to get for Quinn at the moment.
Quinn’s cramps didn’t get any better. The first and second days of her period were always the worst. Before the eighteen year old went on birth control, she had been part of the unlucky women whose period lasted seven to eight days. While on birth control it shortened her period to five days instead. It’d been a massive relief for Quinn when starting the pill back at sixteen.
However she hadn’t been taking her birth control as she usually did. So her period was more than likely going to return to how it was before. That meant the heaviness of the blood and the other symptoms wouldn’t go away until the fifth day of her cycle.
Eventually she ran out of toilet paper to use as a substitute pad. So Quinn ended up ripping a part of the Miu Miu dress she wore to use instead. She didn't give a damn that she was ruining an expensive ass dress. The fabric did feel weird and unfortunately did little to stop leaking and staining from happening.
Just as Quinn got up on shaky legs to wipe the blood that was running down her thighs, she heard footsteps approaching. She cursed under her breath.
Quinn quickly got under the blanket, turning towards the dusty pink wall. She knew the blanket covering her hadn’t stained yet unlike the one under her. She pursed her lips at the door beeping and sliding open. She fully expected Steve to slide the food tray as he’d been doing lately.
It vexed her when she heard him enter the room, the door closing behind him. There was no noise of a tray being slid over to her, just footsteps letting her know he was close.
Fuck, he wasn’t going to leave like the other times. He was staying. Quinn wanted to yell up at the ceiling. Why did he decide to stay when she was going through her period? Her luck really was shit.
“Are you finally ready to start treating me better?” Steve finally spoke, his voice icy.
Quinn shakily breathed out through her nose. “Go away.” She demanded in a whisper, clutching her stomach. Her face was scrunched up from pain. It was like her cramps became worse from Steve’s presence. The fuzzy blanket covered her so he wouldn’t see the blood that stained the mattress and the dress.
Steve snorted at her lingering snark. He found it odd that there wasn’t as much bite in her tone like the other times but he figured the lack of food and loneliness was the reason. That still wasn’t enough of an excuse for her to keep treating him so rudely.
“Really?” Steve gave her covered up backside a frown. He hated that she hadn’t even turned around to talk to him. “You’d rather continue acting like a petulant child?”
“Just leave me alone.” Quinn callously replied, snuggling deeper into the tear stained pillow. “I don’t want you here. Why can’t you understand that?” Her voice cracked at that last part she said.
Solitude without any of the things he’d given her was supposed to make her want company, crave it. Quinn was supposed to be profusely apologizing to him now. To his annoyance his punishment hadn’t worked as intended. Instead he was the one craving her attention, yet again.
Steve shook his head. “No, I’ve had it with this attitude of yours. Get up and look at me.” He ordered sternly only to have his voice become louder when Quinn didn’t move an inch. She remained looking at the dusty pink wall.
“I said get up and look at me!” Again she didn’t listen. “Quinn!” Steve clenched his jaw at her stubbornness. He shook his head, nostrils flaring. Without saying anything else, Steve rushed forward and roughly yanked the blankets off her.
“No!”
That made Quinn get out of whatever defiant, low-spirit, trance was in. She reacted vehemently. She wasn’t fast or strong to stop Steve from throwing the blanket away from her. Now she had nothing to hide her monthly visitor from him.
Steve was about to tell her to get up again when he finally saw it. All the blood. The redness covered the blanket and the mattress where she had been resting. The dress he left her in was in complete disarray, ripped and bloody. He was able to see blood dripping down her thighs.
The exasperation Steve felt at her disobedience melted away.
“Oh, petal.” Steve cooed, crouching down. Ah, no wonder she’d been acting so cold. His poor petal was on her period, and apparently embarrassed. How cute. As if blood would bother him. Steve gently took hold of her face, going in with some light teasing. “What a mess you’ve made.”
The softness in his blue eyes returned, making Quinn very uncomfortable. She tried getting out of his hold. “Leave me alone.”
Steve’s hold on her face didn’t budge. “I can’t petal. Not when you’re in desperate need of my help.”
Quinn’s blue eyes flashed. “I don’t need your help.”
Steve let her little attitude pass because he knew how emotional women got during their menstrual cycle. “Oh really?” He raised his eyebrows at her. “You're going to continue bleeding onto your dress and mattress? That’s very unhygienic.” He felt victorious at the way she lowered her eyes, sheepish.
The hold on her face dropped when he reached over to unlock the chain on her wrist. “Come on, let’s get you cleaned up.”
Quinn looked at her now free right wrist with wide eyes. She switched her gaze over to him. “Wait, are you taking me upstairs?”
Steve nodded his head. “Yes, but only if you’ll be a good girl for me.” His blue eyes became steel. “Do you promise to be a good girl?”
Quinn didn’t look at him when nodding her head. She let out a loud gasp at Steve roughly pulling her up to stand. She grimaced, feeling more blood go down her thighs. Steve didn’t care about her current discomfort because he was too busy staring intently into her blue eyes with his own.
Steve grabbed her chin, making it impossible for her to look away from him. “You have to speak up, petal. Do you promise to be a good girl for me?”
She hated being called that by him. Good girl. It made her feel icky on the inside. The firmness of his touch let her know he was growing impatient.
Quinn swallowed thickly. “I promise.” She hated how much she meant that. But it wasn’t like she was about to fight him to get out.
First, she was too weak because of her period to do so and second, she really didn’t know where the fuck she was yet. Before she started planning her great escape she needed to know where she was and all the possible exits.
Steve was about to take her upstairs for the first time. The only other time she’d been up there was when he brought her but she’d been knocked out. This time she really needed to be smart and not act out…no matter how much she wanted to.
Quinn felt a breath of relief when Steve released her chin.
“Alright, let’s go.”
Steve brought her wrists together, cuffing them. He startled her when he picked up, bridal style. Quinn went stiff in his arms, not liking the way they felt. Her thighs rubbing together, blood touching blood made her scream on the inside.
“It’ll be faster if I carry you.”
Quinn wanted to give him a piece of her mind for touching her without her permission but fought against that. She said nothing back to Steve, not even as he carried her up a staircase. It only confirmed what she already knew about being locked away in a basement. And she was right about the hallway…it was long.
The first thing Quinn noticed when she was upstairs of Steve’s supposed ‘home’ was the art. He had a lot of paintings. She thought of her dad, thinking about the critiques he would give at Steve’s taste. Her dad knew art, and he had passed his knowledge down to her.
They both would have said the same thing about Steve’s taste. Pretentious. That’s the vibe she got from seeing the living room and the kitchen they passed. Quinn doubted Steve even knew the meanings behind most of the paintings he owned.
With Quinn still being carried by Steve, they made it into another hallway. She saw a bathroom, and she thought that’s where he was taking her. But Steve didn’t take her into the bathroom that was in the hallway.
No, instead he went further until he got to an already opened bedroom. She got the feeling it must have been his. The master bedroom based on the size she saw once inside. He finally put her down on her feet.
The bedroom gave off the same vibe as the rest of his house. She had immense hatred for it. All she felt was Steve while in the bedroom, and she didn’t want anything else that reminded her of Steve in her life anymore. She watched as he opened a drawer and pulled out several articles of clothing.
He turned around, a smile on him as he showed what he got for her. To Quinn's shock instead of a dress for her to wear there was instead black sweatpants and a loose grey t-shirt. She wanted to give him glare at what she found on top of the grey t-shirt.
This wouldn’t be the first time Steve had given her undergarments but this time the style went beyond what she was comfortable with. It was a black lace bralette with no padding. She always preferred the typical t-shirt bra or simple sports bra. Certainly nothing lace or with no padding.
The underwear in particular made her want to curl up into a ball. Bikini underwear that matched with the bralette. It was not the kind of underwear she would wear when on her period. She wouldn’t even wear it when she wasn’t on it. She preferred boyshorts. She liked coverage. However she didn’t think Steve was going to give her that.
As much as Quinn hated it she had nothing else to wear for underwear, unless she wanted to continue free bleeding. Which truthfully she didn’t.
Steve passed her the clothes. Quinn managed to not drop anything as he tugged her toward him. He already had the keys to cuffs out to unlock the binds.
“You should shower.” Steve suggested, gesturing to the bathroom that was behind him.
Quinn was left speechless there for a moment. “You’ll let me shower?” She didn’t think he’d let her do that. All she thought she was getting was a change of clothes or even letting her use a better toilet than the one he had in her room in the basement.
Steve looked her over. “Of course, you need it.” Aside from how much she really did need a good wash, Steve didn’t like that her hair no longer had the lingering scent of mangoes anymore. He didn’t get a whiff of it when carrying her. He missed the smell. He’d even bought shampoo with that particular smell for her.
A shower would help in cleaning her up but it would be useless unless she had a certain something. “Um…what about…I need…” Quinn struggled, unable to finish her sentence. She couldn’t believe she was actually trying to ask him for feminine hygiene products. This really was a nightmare.
Steve knew what she was trying to ask. He found her struggling adorable. “Do you want sanitary pads or tampons? I have both. They’re under the bathroom sink.”
“You have pads?” Quinn asked, shocked that he had either of those.
Steve smiled, tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. “I knew you’d need them eventually.”
Quinn gritted her teeth, making sure to keep her facial expression in check. “Sorry, cramp.” She muttered a lie. She used that moment to take a step away from him.
Steve believed her. He gestured to the bathroom again. “Go ahead and shower. You can get the pad afterwards.”
Quinn did but then stopped from entering the bathroom when noticing he was following her. Her eyes widened. “Wait, you’re coming in with me?”
“I can’t leave you alone when you’re up here. At least not when I don’t have you restrained.” Steve shrugged his shoulders. “You understand, don’t you petal?”
No she didn’t understand. “But I...I promised I'd be good.” Quinn hurriedly reminded him. “You don’t need to be in there with me.”
Steve clicked his tongue. “Sorry petal. I simply can’t do that.”
“Then I don’t want to shower. I’ll just change.”
Steve's blue eyes hardened. “You’re showering. There’s no arguing with me on that.”
He really wasn’t going to let her walk away from this. It was like when he forced her to lean on him when reading to her. He was dead set on her doing that, just like he was dead set on her showering in his bathroom.
Quinn wanted to yell and cry. Her chest started to tighten. She sensed a panic attack coming. Think happy thoughts. Think happy thoughts. She closed her eyes, thinking about her family and her best friend. That helped because when she spoke her voice didn’t waver. The tightness felt less intense. “Can you at least turn away? Give me some kind of privacy.”
“I’ll look at the ceiling.” Steve said with a smile that didn’t seem truthful to Quinn. “Now go shower.”
Quinn had no other choice but to listen. She stepped into the bathroom, taking in the size. It was the kind of luxurious bathroom Quinn had only ever seen in home design and decor shows. She looked towards the shower and her heart dropped to her stomach. Fuck, she felt a sharp cramp right then and there that made a single tear go down her cheek.
The shower had no curtain because why would a fancy shower have a curtain? No, instead it was a shower that had a glass door.
So really, no privacy at all. But what else was new? Only this time Quinn would be completely naked, with glass separating them. No one had ever seen her completely naked. She'd never been intimate with another girl. Well, there'd been kisses but it never went further than that. Not enough to show her whole body.
The only time Quinn had been completely naked with another girl was in her dreams. Those were the best kind especially since Raquel would be the main girl in her fantasies.
But this wasn’t that kind of dream. Quinn was living a nightmare. Maybe with hot water it would create enough steam to hide her body. Please let that happen.
“You can leave your dirty clothes on the floor. I’ll deal with them later.” Steve said from behind her. Quinn shyly glanced his way, a relieved breath leaving her when she saw him leaning against the wall, looking up at the ceiling.
Quinn trusted him as far as she could throw him but at the moment she was foolish enough to believe he would stay that way throughout her whole shower. She’d take a fast shower. Real fast. Quinn set aside the clean clothes and then began taking off her dirty clothes. She threw the bloody piece of the dress she used as a pad into the trash. The very last article of clothing she took off was her bra.
She once again glanced at Steve. He was still looking at the ceiling. Averting her gaze from him, Quinn just jumped into the large shower, quickly turning on the water to warm. She nearly closed her eyes at how good the warm water felt on her skin.
It really had been sometime since she showered. Quinn almost forgot how good the process of getting clean felt. Not that she could properly enjoy it. She wasn’t alone.
The reminder made Quinn reach for the shampoo. She squinted her eyes when she saw that it was mango scented. Just like her shampoo, except it was a different brand. This brand looked more expensive.
Quinn shook her head, not wanting to dwell on that. She needed to hurry. She squirted a good amount of shampoo into her hands and then began running it through her hair. She had to close her eyes when the shampoo started going down her face.
She lowered her head, opening her eyes again once the shampoo was no longer a bother. She watched the water hitting her now clean thighs, watching the remaining blood spin around the drain. She was like Carrie at the beginning of the novel and movie. Another painful cramp making Quinn feel as if she were experiencing her period for the first time.
Quinn didn’t even bother with the conditioner. The last thing she used was the body wash, and once she was done with that she turned the shower off. To her relief she was right about the steam. She hurriedly stepped out of the glass shower and reached for the towel that hung to the side. She wrapped it around her body, securing it tightly from any chance of falling.
“The pads are under the bathroom sink.” Steve's voice made her jump in place. When she turned to look at him she saw that he was already staring at her. Her blood went cold, wondering when exactly he stopped looking at the ceiling.
Quinn didn’t even mutter a thank you, too scared. She slowly walked over to the sink and bent down. When she opened the bathroom cabinet doors she was met with the sight of a box of tampons and sanitary pads. The pads were the ones that had wings on them. She preferred pads without wings but she wasn’t about to complain to Steve.
She nearly dropped the pad in her hand when turning around and seeing Steve step closer to her. There was a gleam in his blue eyes. She suddenly felt nauseous, and it wasn’t because of her period.
“You should be happy with the body you have, Quinn.” Steve commented in a low voice, taking another step closer to her. Quinn's back hit the bathroom counter. It dug into her as she tried putting space between them.
“A lot of women pay thousands of dollars to have half of what you have.” Steve licks his lips, giving her a slow up and down look. It didn’t matter that Quinn had the towel wrapped around her because with the way Steve was looking at her she knew he sneaked a peek when she was showering.
That motherfucker.
Quinn wanted to punch him so badly right now.
“Trust me when I say your body is as perfect as it’s going to get. I am a doctor after all.”
Her anger and trepidation was pushed aside as shock appeared on Quinn’s face. “You’re a doctor?”
“Plastic surgeon.” Steve told her with a chuckle.
That fucked with Quinn even more. He was a fuckin’ doctor?
Her mom’s sister, her Aunt Kathy, was a doctor. She was a dermatologist, something the older woman took pride in and Quinn understood why after learning how much time her aunt put into her career to get where she was today.
Her aunt did all that because she loved helping people. And that was the whole point. It didn’t matter the medical field, all doctors were supposed to help people. Yet Steve was doing the complete opposite.
Quinn felt so small the more Steve stared at her. She tightened her hold on the towel. Steve was so close all he had to do was gently tug and the towel would fall off.
“I really need to change.” Quinn said, cursing in her head for how timid she sounded.
“Go ahead and change, petal.” Steve murmured.
The fucker wasn’t going to look away this time. Not when he basically admitted to seeing her naked already.
So Quinn would have to change but she was going to do it as skillfully as possible. She went back where she left the clean clothes. Opening the pad she put it on the clean underwear, pulling it up her legs while still wearing the towel. The sweatpants were next.
Quinn turned around, only showing her back to Steve as she put on the bralette he’d given her and then the loose grey t-shirt. When she turned to face him again he had an amused expression.
“So much better, right?” Steve breathed her in.
Quinn gave him a sharp nod. The cramp she felt right then felt like a punch. She clenched her fists as Steve walked over to her. He took hold of her face again much to her disdain.
“I’m going to need to change your mattress and blankets.” Steve kissed her cheek instead of her forehead. Quinn was quick to stop herself from flinching. “But I’ll do that later.” He softly spoke, lips still against her cheek. “Right now you need me.”
Steve took hold of one of her hands, leading her out of the bathroom. Quinn’s left cheek twitched out of annoyance. Steve once again cuffed her wrists together. He sat on his large bed afterwards.
“Let me dry your hair.” He patted the empty spot next to him. It was clearly a demand for her to sit down. Quinn took a deep breath before begrudgingly doing as she was told by him.
He proceeded to gently run a clean towel he’d gotten through her hair. He did this for about a minute before he got up and returned with a hair brush. If this was him trying to be pampering he was fuckin’ failing. Quinn wanted to shout that he shouldn’t brush her hair while it was still very wet. She bit her tongue, stopping herself.
“You have very beautiful hair.” Steve leaned forward, taking a whiff. The smell of mangoes filled his nose. He groaned, satisfied that the smell he favored was back. “Just like the rest of you.”
Quinn was really fuckin’ glad she was facing away from him. Otherwise he would have seen the disturbed look on her face and that would've upset him.
Steve continued to brush her hair even when he’d got rid of all the tangles. The gentleness did nothing to relax Quinn. She was nowhere close to being relaxed. It was like she was at the edge of a cliff. A simple push would have been enough to send her falling to her doom.
Finally after what felt like forever, Steve set aside the brush. Quinn was about to get up thinking her time upstairs was over. Steve beat her to it, making her too nervous to move from her spot now that he stood over her. The older man said nothing to her as he opened a drawer near his bed and pulled out a chain. He attached it to her right wrist before securing it onto the bed frame.
Quinn’s stomach was in knots, worsening her period. He was going to keep her upstairs with him?!
Steve slowly then pushed her down on the bed with him. She immediately turned, facing away from him. That didn’t stop him from touching her. One of Steve’s hands went under the grey t-shirt she wore, hand on her tummy slowly rubbing it. Quinn's chest tightened, coldness going through her body. Steve's other hand was playing with her hair that was drying. He was gently petting her as if she were a cat.
“Hmm, my sweet petal. I know you’re in pain but I’m here now.” Steve whispered in her ear the same moment Quinn felt another painful cramp. She didn’t want this. She wanted to push Steve away. However doing that would have been stupid considering she was chained to his fuckin' bed.
So Quinn kept her panic and anger on the inside, letting it fester. As she did this a random thought appeared in her head.
For whatever reason Quinn suddenly remembered an episode of Killing Eve. It was the episode where Villanelle was injured and stuck inside a creepy man’s house. She eventually got out, and even killed the bastard in the process. She recalled cheering with Raquel when Villanelle stabbed the creep in the neck with a knitting needle.
Quinn would have loved doing the exact same thing to Steve. Except she wasn’t a trained Russian assassin who was also a psychopath. The real psychopath in her situation was currently whispering supposed sweet things in her ear as he continued rubbing her stomach and playing with her damp hair.
So things obviously wouldn’t go exactly as they did with Villanelle’s character.
Quinn did have one thing going for her. As Hope pointed out, Steve liked her. She didn't know the reason why but what she did know was that she could use whatever Steve felt for her against him.
The fucker wanted her to be more affectionate with him? Fine. She’d show him some affection but it wasn’t going to be genuine. Not that he needed to know that. Quinn would simply fake it and in the appropriate time she would make her anger known. That’s when she would strike.
Quinn just needed to make it believable, gradually building up to it. Unfortunately until then she would have to endure Steve's affections, praying they wouldn’t escalate.
Chapter 9: Thinkin' about her
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
Changing things up a bit in this chapter. We are getting Raquel's POV this time. We learn more about her character in this chapter and how she really feels about Quinn. It's obvious they have feelings for each other.
Chapter Text
Eighteen year old Raquel Pérez was known for not being a softhearted person.
Growing up, her father, Máximo Pérez, would tell her she was a real spitfire.
He’d say that she was a lot like him during his youth. According to her mother, Viviana, the older woman had never been that way. She was as soft spoken as they came, so that made her less understanding when it came to her daughter’s bluntness.
Raquel wasn’t the type to let people shit over her, or the people she cared about. Screw politeness. She didn’t keep her mouth shut when she wanted to speak her mind.
The brunette was aware the people who knew her in Hillsboro, Oregon would have described her as funny in a rude way, or just plain rude. Whichever didn’t matter to Raquel but she knew those closest to her would greatly disagree. She didn’t just mean her family when she said those closest to her.
She also meant Quinn.
Her best friend.
Her only real friend.
Before moving to Hillsboro, Oregon with her family, Raquel had lived in Madrid, Spain. They moved when Viviana got a promotion at the beauty company where she worked in PR. A promotion that made Raquel move to the last place she’d ever think she’d ever live at.
A boring city in Oregon.
Raquel had been against the move from the beginning. She didn't think living in Oregon would be better than living in Spain. She absolutely loved Spain. It was where she grew up. But no matter how much she protested, the move still happened. She’d been eleven when she left Spain. Her younger brother Emiliano, eight.
The house they moved into was nice, certainly big. Both of her parents' incomes had everything to do with that. Her mother was a bigshot in her PR job and her dad was easily able to transfer to another dental office in the states and resume working as a dentist.
Everything had been set up for them to live in Hillsboro, Oregon. Even when it came to starting school, which Raquel had been dreading.
She dreaded starting school in the states, but not because she was worried about her English. Raquel was able to speak English really well. While living in Spain both Pérez siblings had taken English classes because their parents wanted them to learn the language from a young age.
No, the reason why Raquel dreaded school was because she would be starting the fifth grade in the middle of the school year. In Spain she had friends because they were people she’d grown up with. They were used to her abrasive personality. She never had to seek out companionship before, it was always there. Now she was across the world and knew no one. The thought of going up to another kid her age to build a friendship from the ground up bothered her.
The first day at her elementary school went as Raquel expected. She’d open her mouth and her classmates would hear her perfect English mixed with her Spanish accent and immediately look at her oddly...like she didn’t belong.
It angered Raquel and she made that anger known with her glaring. To her amusement her glaring scared off the other kids who looked down their noses at her.
During recess the night day she told herself that she was fine being on her own. She didn’t need friends.
Then Raquel met her.
Quinn Lennox.
Years later, Raquel still remembered their first conversation. Raquel had been sitting on a swing with a grumpy expression when an auburn hair girl in pigtails took a seat next to her. She began to lightly swing as she spoke.
“I think your accent is cool. You’re from Spain, right? The Cheetah Girls Two was filmed in Spain. Have you seen that movie?”
“Yes, but that movie was filmed in Barcelona. I moved from Madrid.”
“Can you tell me about Madrid?”
After exchanging names, Raquel did tell Quinn about Madrid. All her discontent left as she started talking. The brunette found it so easy to talk to the auburn haired girl. Unlike with the other kids, Raquel never glared at Quinn, never gave her attitude. Quinn had done the one thing that the others should have done from the beginning. She'd been nice, welcoming.
The friendship between the two girls blossomed from the first day they spoke. As time passed the rest of their classmates began to open up to Raquel but the brunette wasn’t interested in being as close friends with them as she was with Quinn.
Raquel didn’t think she needed friends, plural. Not when she already met the best person in the whole world.
Raquel knew, based on the movies she'd seen and books she'd read, there's friendships that diminish over time. A lot of friendships lose strength and meaning. That thankfully wasn’t the case with Raquel and Quinn.
Even as they entered middle school and later high school, nothing came between them. Not even their dating life. Although Raquel dated more than Quinn, no past boyfriend or girlfriend who entered her life ruined what they had. And none of the few girls Quinn kissed and flirted with made a dent to their connection.
Their friendship never faltered.
Quinn and her basically did everything together. Where one girl went the other followed. They were a pair. There were no secrets between them.
There was one secret Raquel kept from Quinn. A secret she’d been debating telling her. She thought it best to wait until they graduated high school and started college at UCSB. It made perfect sense because they were entering adulthood together. If Quinn's response was the one Raquel hoped it would be then they'd be entering a new phase as more than best friends.
But then Quinn went missing. Her disappearance came out of left field.
No one, and she meant no one, ever expected for Quinn Lennox to go missing.
The call Raquel got from Quinn’s parents often played in her mind. How worried Michelle Lennox sounded when asking her if Quinn was still at her house. Asking if she had decided to sleepover. Raquel’s answer had been a confused no, that Quinn left hours ago. Her heart then dropped to her stomach when her mother said Quinn never made it home.
It was the most scared Raquel had been in a long time.
The next thing Raquel knew the police were at her house asking her all sorts of questions. It was a scene straight from a thriller movie. Raquel was overwhelmed. She couldn’t believe this was happening. The brunette often saw the news and learned about people going missing all the time. She even watched YouTube videos about missing persons cases to raise more awareness and listened to podcasts.
Quinn and her often did this together because they had a fascination with true crime. But to have someone important in her life go missing, to experience that herself? That shit was surreal. No matter how much she wanted it to be a bad dream the truth was that Quinn was gone….and that broke Raquel’s heart.
The police tried coming up with possibilities as to what might have happened to the auburn haired eighteen year old. They suggested, because of her age, perhaps Quinn had run away from home. Raquel had been pissed when hearing that.
Thank God for Quinn’s parents. Michelle and Ethan Lennox quickly shut that down. It was the only time Raquel had ever seen Ethan Lennox, a man who was usually lighthearted, so angry.
After calming down Quinn's parents explained that simply wasn’t possible because Quinn had no reason to run away. She had a loving family who she had a great relationship with, and was about to start college in the fall with her best friend. Why would the happy eighteen year old want to give all that up?
So after further investigation by the police they came to the conclusion that Quinn was more than likely taken by someone. Raquel was so annoyed and angered that the police took their sweet ass time to officially confirm that. Quinn’s parents and Raquel knew that already.
Her best friend had to have been taken. By who, remained a mystery. No one knew who could have taken Quinn Lennox. Not even the goddamn police. The search parties that were done around Hillsboro, Oregon found no traces of Quinn. None of the belongings Quinn had with her on the night she disappeared were found.
Not even a drop of her blood.
It was like she vanished into thin air.
Not knowing was slowly killing Raquel from the inside. She had to live knowing that she was probably the last person Quinn saw before she went missing.
For all she knew Quinn could already be dead. Everytime she thought this though she would start to cry. So Raquel refused to believe that. Quinn couldn’t be dead. But if wasn’t dead then she was being held captive by someone.
What if she was sold into sex slavery? It made Raquel sick to think that maybe some freak had her best friend locked away somewhere selling her body. Waking up in the middle of night from nightmares was a recurrence now for Raquel. The brunette would wake up crying, to then hide under the covers as she thought about her beloved best friend and what she must be feeling in that exact moment.
Raquel was an emotional wreck. It was the most tormented her parents had ever seen her. They did give her some space, knowing coddling her wouldn’t help. Their daughter hated to be constantly asked if she was okay. So they didn’t do that.
But after two weeks of her moping around and spending so much time on her laptop, checking the various social media accounts she made for Quinn’s disappearance, they decided to intervene. They wanted her to get out of the house, but they also didn’t want her going to the Lennox household. When Raquel hadn’t been hiding in her bedroom, she would go over to visit Quinn’s family.
Apparently the Lennoxs' weren’t doing so well, and why would they? Their only daughter was missing.
Raquel learned that Ethan had fallen into a deep depression, leaving Michelle to basically handle everything herself.
The last time Raquel saw Michelle Lennox she’d been keeping a steady face but she knew the older woman was barely holding on. The rest of Quinn’s family was still there, lending a hand, but Raquel knew they wouldn’t be able to stay there forever. The adults had jobs to go back to. As much as they wanted to keep the button on pause, they simply couldn't.
That morning Raquel planned on going to Quinn's house, despite her parents saying not to go. She was going to go behind their backs when Viviana asked Raquel to keep her company while she ran errands.
Viviana didn’t let her refuse so that’s how Raquel found herself in a line at Starbucks while her mom went to pick up some dry cleaning from across the street.
This wasn’t so shocking as it was annoying. Raquel’s parents were sneaky like that. Finding ways to get out of the house. She knew the real reason behind it. They wanted her to continue living her life as if Quinn hadn’t disappeared. As if she could ever continue living her life the same as before. She was just passing through now. There was no color without Quinn. Everything seemed dull.
But her parents insisted. They were making her so angry these days.
The only one who seemed to be understanding of her dismay and determination with finding Quinn in her family was her younger brother. Emiliano and her tended to butt heads, as any brother and sister would do. Lately they've been arguing less.
Emiliano had stopped blasting music from his bedroom to give Raquel peace and quiet while she worked on spreading awareness in Quinn’s disappearance. Her brother even helped post missing fliers with Quinn's face around the city with her.
In a way it was like old times before they entered their adolescent years. They were getting along. Raquel wished she could have enjoyed it but she couldn’t enjoy anything while Quinn remained missing.
“It’s tragic, isn’t it? Those poor parents, worrying over their daughter’s disappearance.”
Raquel furrowed her eyebrows, hearing a female's voice tsk behind her. She discreetly looked over her shoulder and saw two women around her mom’s age, maybe even older. The one who spoke was currently scrolling through her phone. She was a dark blonde.
“Maybe she ran away.” The other woman, a strawberry blonde, offered with a shrug.
The dark blonde looked from her phone. “You think?”
“Maybe she met a guy and decided fuck it and left with him. You know how young girls are nowadays. Hardly any morals anymore.”
Raquel couldn’t stay quiet anymore.
“She wouldn’t do that.” The eighteen year old turned to glare at the two older women. “God you two don’t even know her. If you did then you’d know that Quinn never would have left willingly.” She let out a scoff. “Especially not with some stupid guy. She’s gay for crying out loud! The thought of a penis being near her face makes her want to throw up!” She yelled, causing the rest of the people in the Starbucks to look over her way.
Raquel didn’t give a shit about all the eyes on her. Everything she said had been true, especially the last sentence. Quinn had told her before in the past. She didn't think announcing her best friend's sexual orientation in a Starbucks to be an issue either because Quinn had been out since Freshman year. Quinn was confident with her sexual orientation. Always wearing LGBTQ+ shirts and pins. She'd always post stuff about LGBTQ+ rights online too. The message was clear, Quinn wasn't ashamed, and that was something Raquel admired.
If any of these people had a problem with Quinn being gay then that was on them. And if they wanted to think she was insane for yelling all that, then whatever.
All Raquel cared about was giving these two women a piece of her mind. How dare they talk about her best friend as if they knew her like she did.
“I suggest you two shut the fuck up!”
The two women were left with their mouths open. Raquel couldn’t even properly enjoy their shocked faces after getting yelled at by her because all Raquel thought about was Quinn. The ache in her heart made her want to cry.
Raquel didn’t want to cry in a fuckin’ Starbucks of all places so she got out of line. Fuck getting coffee. She'd make up some excuse to her mother about not having her Mocha Frappuccino. Raquel needed some fresh air before she started crying in front of a bunch of strangers.
Once outside Raquel sat down on one of the empty chairs up front. She looked at her wrist, gently touching her bracelet. The half butterfly charm didn’t make her feel better. However, knowing that Quinn, wherever she was, had the other half of the charm let Raquel know there was part of her with her best friend. She hoped that in some way the friendship bracelet offered Quinn comfort.
When Quinn was found, and yes when, no ifs, when Quinn was found, Raquel would reconnect her half of the butterfly charm with hers. They'd be together again, and would face whatever came their way.
What Raquel didn’t know was how right she'd been about Quinn being taken.
At this very moment while Raquel was missing her best friend, Quinn remained chained and wide awake in the arms of her captor. She was doing her best to not cry as she was being held tightly by Steve.
Quinn's heart raced, her thoughts mainly about her parents and Raquel. How she longed to be with them instead of this deranged man who didn't want to let her go.
Chapter 10: You deserve it to be special
Summary:
She looks like his sister at that age. So of course he takes her.
Quinn Lennox's life will never be the same thanks to him.
Notes:
Uh...Steve makes his intentions clear in this chapter about what he wants with Quinn. I'm pretty sure we already knew that though. 👀😬
Chapter Text
To Quinn’s dismay, she remained in bed with Steve holding her against him tightly. Her cramps during this time didn’t get any better, they actually got worse. She blamed the way Steve rubbed her bare stomach and his nauseating sweet whispering in her ear. The occasional kiss to her cheek closest to him also worsened things.
Him doing all of that was absolutely revolting and it stressed her out.
Quinn never minded when Raquel spooned her. She liked feeling her soft arms but being spooned by Steve? Quinn was disgusted by him. His arms tightly wrapped around her made her want to cry, and frankly she was proud of herself for not doing so already.
She let out a stuttered breath from hearing Steve groan behind her. He was finally waking up. He actually managed to catch some sleep while she was trapped in his arms. Quinn didn’t dare fall asleep. There was no way she could anyways. Not with him lying next to her. She gulped when she felt Steve bury his face into her almost dry hair.
Steve greedily took in the scent of mangoes. “Hi.” He greeted and once he saw she was awake he began to turn her over to face him. Quinn knew better than to protest this, so she went along with it, reluctantly.
One of Steve’s hands still lingered on her waist while the other now pushed hair away from her face to get a better look at her. “How are you feeling?” He asked as he stared into her blue eyes with his own.
The smell of sandalwood coming from him made Quinn want to wrinkle her nose. She really hated the smell now. “Same as before.” The auburn hair girl went on to answer quietly. She struggled with her next sentence even with the hatred she had for him. This was all still embarrassing. “I…I need to go to the bathroom.”
Steve licked his lips, his stare on her never losing its intensity. “You’re right.” He answered after a pause that made Quinn regret telling him she needed something. “You should probably change your pad now.”
The eighteen year old let out a relieved breath when Steve got up. She felt so much better from not having his arms around her anymore. Quinn sat up, watching as Steve unlocked the chain that connected to the bed frame.
Now free, Quinn stood up from the bed. She barely took a step towards the bathroom when Steve suddenly gripped her wrist. A gasp left her lips as she looked up at him with nervous eyes. Steve was staring at her with narrowed eyes.
“I just remembered you never apologized for the way you acted towards me.”
The anxiousness she felt was replaced with irritation once again.
“Oh.” Quinn wanted to scream. She foolishly thought she wouldn’t have to apologize to him. That maybe he’d let what she did go but of course he wasn’t about to let go of that so easily. Fuck.
“I think now would be the time to do so, petal.” Steve crossed his arms over his chest as he stared down at her. “Go on. Say you’re sorry to me.”
“I…” Quinn took a deep breath to calm down the anger she felt on the inside. “I’m sorry for the way I acted.” No I’m not. “I shouldn’t have thrown those books at you.” I should have thrown a whole shelf of books at you. You deserve worse. “I won’t do that again.” You’ll get what’s coming to you, fucker. Just you wait.
Any sternness on Steve’s face disappeared. He was pleased now. The smile on his face showed that, along with his perfect teeth. Quinn wanted to knock them all out. “I accept your apology, petal.”
“Can I go to the bathroom now?” Quinn asked and then threw in the next part quickly because she didn’t want her rage to slip through her tone. “Please.”
“Go right ahead.” Steve gestured to the bathroom. Quinn started walking, not needing to look back to know Steve was following her. But she did look back when she heard Steve snap his fingers.
“That reminds me, I have Midol for your cramps. If you need it, that is.”
If she needed it? Of course she fuckin’ needed it. He knew that. Quinn felt her left cheek twitch. “You had Midol this whole entire time?”
Steve shrugged his shoulders with an impish expression. “I guess I just forgot to tell you.”
Quinn knew that was utter bullshit. He’d just been holding it from her out, and now that she’d apologized for how she acted he was willing to give it to her.
That fucker.
“So do you want some?”
Quinn had to take a deep breath in order not to snap at him. “Yes.”
“Yes what?” Steve drawled, making this even harder for her.
This time Quinn had to bite down on her tongue almost to the point where she bled. Thankfully it didn’t come to that. “Yes, please.”
Steve chuckled. “Such a good girl. Using your manners.” Abruptly his demeanor took a turn.
Quinn saw the softness in Steve’s eyes return before they darkened. Her heart went wild against her chest, not liking the way he was looking at her now. It was the way he looked at her in the bathroom when he invaded her personal space. He was doing the exact same thing now, making her back up from fear until she hit the wall to prevent her from escaping him.
“You’re so fuckin’ beautiful.” Steve declared as he stared at her trembling form. Her blue eyes were wide and watery. “So young and supple.” Just like Audrey had been. Oh, Audrey. His sister’s name echoed in Steve’s head while caressing Quinn’s face, genuinely believing they were the same person at that moment.
Quinn felt her body go cold when his other hand went under the t-shirt was wearing to give her waist a gentle but firm squeeze. She was so frightened that she missed the words coming out of Steve's mouth.
“You look so much like―” Steve stopped talking, closing his eyes. There was a pained expression that quickly went away once opening his eyes again. He shook his head and he let out a laugh. “You’re just so perfect, petal.” He kissed her forehead and then pressed kisses down to both her cheeks. “So perfect and just for me.” He rubbed his nose against hers. “Mine and no one else's.”
Quinn’s breathing picked up. He had frozen close to her lips. The smell of the sandalwood cologne he wore was stronger now. It made her want to gag but instead she let out a whimper when his cool breath hit her face. She couldn’t fake being okay with this.
“No.” Quinn whispered as a few tears fell down her cheeks. She really thought he was about to kiss her but to her relief he ended up kissing her nose instead.
Steve pulled back, chuckling. “Silly girl. I wouldn’t kiss you so suddenly.” He moved both his hands to cup her face. “It wouldn’t be right. A first kiss should be special, and you deserve it to be special, petal.”
Quinn blinked rapidly, making more tears go down her face.
This creep actually wanted to kiss her? She knew he had some kind of infatuation with her but so far all he did was touch her and to her horror, stay in the bathroom while she showered. She was sure the bastard even got a peek of her too.
It hadn’t gone beyond that though. But a kiss? That was a step closer to crossing the line Hope mentioned to her.
Thank fuck Quinn already had her first kiss. At least that gave her a little bit of relief that she wasn’t going to experience her first kiss with a creepy guy who was much older than her. She wasn’t about to tell him that though.
Quinn had a feeling Steve would get very upset if he found out his ‘precious petal’ had already kissed someone. And not just someone, a few girls actually since the age of fifteen.
Although Quinn had kissed other girls there were still a lot of things she hadn’t done yet. Compared to other people her age she was very much on the inexperienced side.
And it wasn’t like Quinn was the waiting till marriage type. She was just waiting for the right moment with the right girl. And for her there was only one girl who she wanted to experience everything with.
Quinn certainly did not want to experience anything with Steve. Her captor, who not only kidnapped her, but also kidnapped other women. And with those other women he would slowly take them apart, keeping them alive for as long as he could as he sold their meat. He was fuckin’ insane if he thought she would ever willingly kiss him.
“Anyways there’s no reason to rush things between us because you’re not going anywhere.” Steve softly told her, caressing her wet cheeks. Quinn’s trembling hadn’t stopped but it got worse with what she was hearing now. “We have all the time in the world. Isn’t that great?”
Quinn wanted to shout no to him and cry her eyes out. Actually she was already crying and that did nothing to help soothe the sinking feeling in her stomach.
Not only did Steve want to kiss her, he wanted to do more with her. So much more apparently.
Quinn closed her eyes. This time she didn’t stop her flinching when she felt Steve’s lips on her cheeks again. His lingering kisses cleaned the tears that were there.
It sickened Quinn that Steve wanted her in such a carnal way. According to him it was going to happen eventually because they had all the time in the world.
Quinn, however, was equally terrified as she was angry. Being with her in that way was Steve’s fantasy but it wasn’t hers. Quinn’s fantasy now was getting the fuck out of here and making Steve pay for everything he’d done.
As much as it made her sick to her stomach, having his way with her may happen but she certainly wasn’t going to lie on her back and take it. She’d fight as best she could.
Quinn kept thinking that even when Steve brought her back down to the room in the basement.
Beeezy on Chapter 2 Thu 31 Mar 2022 04:14AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 2 Thu 31 Mar 2022 04:16AM UTC
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Avain_3vilQueen on Chapter 2 Thu 31 Mar 2022 07:30PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 2 Thu 31 Mar 2022 07:34PM UTC
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inlovewithhisblueeyes on Chapter 3 Fri 01 Apr 2022 08:03AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 3 Fri 01 Apr 2022 08:05AM UTC
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inlovewithhisblueeyes on Chapter 6 Mon 11 Apr 2022 08:03AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 6 Mon 11 Apr 2022 08:05AM UTC
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heckalecki on Chapter 6 Mon 11 Apr 2022 10:25PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 6 Mon 11 Apr 2022 10:25PM UTC
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inlovewithhisblueeyes on Chapter 7 Thu 14 Apr 2022 08:31AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 7 Thu 14 Apr 2022 08:33AM UTC
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inlovewithhisblueeyes on Chapter 8 Mon 18 Apr 2022 03:15PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 8 Mon 18 Apr 2022 03:55PM UTC
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sarahyellow on Chapter 8 Thu 21 Apr 2022 03:22AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 8 Thu 21 Apr 2022 04:25AM UTC
Last Edited Thu 21 Apr 2022 04:46AM UTC
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inlovewithhisblueeyes on Chapter 9 Fri 22 Apr 2022 02:31PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 9 Fri 22 Apr 2022 04:00PM UTC
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Account Deleted on Chapter 9 Fri 22 Apr 2022 07:53PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 9 Fri 22 Apr 2022 07:54PM UTC
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Account Deleted on Chapter 10 Tue 26 Apr 2022 03:50AM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 10 Tue 26 Apr 2022 03:53AM UTC
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Lizardryan42 on Chapter 10 Tue 20 Sep 2022 10:25PM UTC
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Winchestergirl123 on Chapter 10 Wed 21 Sep 2022 04:24AM UTC
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