valerien, eaven, and a beautiful sunset. theyve been sitting in bliss for quite some time. laughing together about silly things and running their hands through grass ; throwing it at each other and making daisy chains as innocently as preteen children would run around their school playground. val watches eaven intently while it smokes, as she runs her fingertips around the soft and delicate petals of a flower, embedded into the grass next to her. "this flower is so pretty, i love it."

"youre so pretty, do you know that?"

caught off guard and flustered, she turned her head away from it. "stooop, youre pretty..-er?" chuckling, at her awkward little comment, he decided to leave her alone.

val pulled the strap of his bag off of his shoulder and lightly placed it down on the black and white picnic blanket that sat underneath them. pulling a tall, crystal clear glass bottle out from his large, dark grey messenger bag, he gestured his preoccupied hand towards the girl.

"ive .. never smoked weed before... ive never smoked or drank or anything really...", he smiled at her sweet little innocent response. "dont feel like you have to. on top of that, i dont really want you smoking that much anyways, its bad for you." ...

a small pause of silence, before eaven spoke - strangely enthusiastically. - "well, maybe ill just try a small bit, whats the worst that could happen? plus, i know im safe with you. you always take care of me, always.
thats why i love you."

val lifted the girls head up off of his lap and spoke softly to her, "are you sure kiddo? id never want you to feel pressured about it, its really not a big deal to me. please - just say no if you want to, i promise that i wouldn't be upset, i'd probably be happy about it, seeing as i dont want you to overdo it or drink too much or-"

"can you.. actually.. relax? oh my god val.." and with that, she snatched the tall liquor bottle that was stood upright next to her. "alright, alright. i just worry!"

eaven twisted the plastic cap until it clicked, and flicked it off of the bottle.

she sat, thinking to herself in silence for a moment, her eyes gazing the empty field that lay outstretched ahead of them. "but i thought he said that he'd already had a drink tonight.. did he really finish a whole bottle? maybe a small one? i mean.. he seems fine and sober..? oh whatever. who even cares."

she hadnt moved or spoke in a little while, and val was about to check if she was okay. "hey.. are you alright? i said you dont have to d-" suddenly, and seemingly out of nowhere, she picked up the large bottle of vodka and - clearly having no experience in the taste of alcohol - began attempting to chug the whole thing straight.

"hey... hey nonono wait, eaven no! what the fuck! what the fuck are you doing?!" the unexpected feeling of burning in her throat took her aback, as she started to choke and gag up the liquid that she had just tried to down so quickly. seeing the little girls face after such an unexpected and horrible taste was hilarious, val couldnt help but burst into laughter.

oh wow, how cute. he thought to himself. this will be a night to remember.

he quickly reaches through his bag, "here, kid. take this, and for fucks sakes don't ever do that again!" handing eavens water bottle back to its rightful owner, its patterned metal cold to the touch. "eugh.. im sorry... i just wanted to try chugging it..."

he chuckled at her response, although he was seemingly extra observant over her current condition after that. "dont be sorry. youre the one who got the bad experience, kid."

the pair spent the next couple minutes giggling over what the girl had just done, but val still seems a bit.. worried about her.

"hey, you gonna be okay if i leave for 20 seconds?" he questioned, his calm voice masked with concern.

"ill be fine for goodness sake. it was just a stupid little thing that happened. stop worrying over nothing!!"

"listen. i know i can get annoying but i jus-"

"just stop worrying! lets just have a good night... pleeease..?"

riri has always known that this is vals favourite spot. every time hes upset, he comes here, if hes having fun, he comes here, if he needs to get away? he comes here. in reality, she knows that he would love this more then anything. he just, doesn't really think that this is good for her.

"okay, fine. whatever you like my love, as long as you're happy."

"YES YES YES!!"
she excitedly giggled in response.

"okay but seriously i have to go im going to piss myself," val blurted out.

"okayyy..... byee i love you.. pleeeaase make sure that you're safe, mwah.. mwah." clearly the warmth taking over her face and body had expanded into a more lightheaded, relaxed feeling. drunk for her first time and feeling quite dizzy, eaven blew kisses into the air towards him as he walked, back turned, away from her - blending into the collection of trees rooted not too far behind where she had originally laid their picnic blanket.

pushing his way through branches, he reached a small, open area, sitting down on a large, jagged boulder surrounded by forestry and thinking to himself for a little while ; until the sun had almost finished setting. oh how tonight could go. he watched her through a crack in the trees. oh how she was so pretty.
what a pretty little thing.

he undoes his belt buckle, as to "redo" it while walking back towards her, the setting sun having one last glaze of his skin. a small form of solidarity that subconsciously could put her mind to rest. "hey angel, i missed you-" val paused. he looks at her arm, her arm which is clutching his bottle, and then back at her, then back at the bottle, and then back at her again.

"did you... really drink all of that?" he asks her; his soft, kind tone dropping instantly once he realised what had happened in the few minutes he had been gone. "hey.. you had half...", she mumbled back, clearly slurring her words.

"yeah eaven, i did have half, because i am SIXTEEN years old today and i have been drinking since i was eleven. an entire fucking quarter of my LITER bottle of vodka? seriously?"

"mhmm.. but i feel good and like... good. this is soooo awesome.. i was practicing cartwheels while you were gone... wanna see?"

"no i do not want to see. eaven, you are most definitely fucked up already and i was gone for like less than ten minutes maximum. i need to get you home right now. for fucks sake."

"im sorryyy... i love you
though... like soo so much"

"yes kiddo, of course you do,
youre drunk. now come here."

eaven pushed herself up, and weakly said, "hey.. i can do things for myself you know... lets go... i can walk. watch me loser."

"i think you have the ability to move, but clearly not the ability to think straight."

"shut uuuppp.. pleeaaase lets just go vaaaal....."

"fine."

he began packing up his bag and quickly threw their picnic blanket inside. "come on. now, kid. lets go."

walking out of the field as they had so many times before, they reached the gravelly fork in the path leading quite a while, straight towards her home.

val stopped to check the time and his phone battery before realising that the stupid, drunken girl was stumbling down the wrong pathway.

"eaven.. eaven! get back here. oh my god, five seconds, i looked away for five seconds."

"i can... do.. this.. on my own.. you know....."

"no you cant kiddo, you cant even remember your own way home. god im never letting you drink again. just come here so i can get you home."

"im coming, im coming, just wait...."

"eaven... are you okay??"

"im aweeesome pawsome."

"right. come on, please. lets go."

val began walking a little faster, holding eavens arm around his shoulder. "you'll be alright once i get you home okay?"

"woah.. wait a second .... guh.. sorry.. my.. the trees.. are spinning.."
she released her weak grip on vals shoulder and rested all her weight through her arms, into her hands, leaning against a short, stone wall.
"i... i think im going to be sick."

"just fucking listen to me when i tell you how much you can have next time, and for the love of god, please dont let yourself throw up, okay kid? you're going to want to ; really badly, but it'll only make you feel worse, and it could make you really ill. i cant handle that, so please. hold it in."

what a fucking liar.

she began to gag, covering her mouth with her hand as val began quickly searching through his bag, looking for the bottle of water he had saved for this moment. the only thing he trusted to make this work. "fuck,"- he sounded quite frantic feeling around for the cold feeling of that plastic bottle against its hand.

"im fine...i promise.. i.."
she seemed out of breath, exhausted.
"i promise i wont let myself be sick."

"here. some water, angel." "auuugghhhh.......", she whined, "my mouth tastes like hand sanitiser val, help mee pleeease i dont like it val, please please why did i drink so much," she started swaying, and rested her whole weight on the cold stone, unable to take the drink that val was so kindly raising towards her hand.

"hey, no. stop. don't you fucking dare." he quickly threw the unopened water bottle on the floor before completely covering the girls mouth with his hand. "breathe, kid." he lifted her chin towards the sky, before pulling back. "open wide, ill go slow. dont choke, idiot." val mumbled to her, lightheartedly. "stay there." ; picking up the slightly dented, but cold water bottle and breaking open the flip-top cap with its thumb. "you okay? deep breath in, deep breath out." "mhm.." she nodded while looking up at him, but he could see that she was starting to tear up. holding the girls head up towards his face, he gave her a few seconds before gently lifting the bottle at an angle near her mouth, and lightly squeezing a thin stream of water into her mouth. "now sit."

"mmkay.."

the road was empty, lit only by a row of tired yellow streetlights. wind brushed quietly through the hedges behind them, and the night smelled faintly of rain and cement.

eaven sat on the short stone wall that ran along the sidewalk, her shoulders now slumped and her head hanging forward. one leg dangled lazily over the edge while the other dragged against the ground. the world around her felt slow and distant, almost like she was underwater.

val stood a few steps away, watching her carefully. “you okay little one?” he asked gently.

eaven let out a weak laugh that came out more like a sigh. “im… i think im drunk.”

“yeah, no shit, that part was obvious kid.”

she swayed slightly where she sat, catching herself with one hand against the cold stone. for a moment she just stared down at the pavement like it was moving. her eyelids drooped.

“hey... val..” she mumbled.

he stepped a little closer. “mhm?”

she lifted her head just enough to look at him, her eyes struggling to stay open. her voice was softer now, slower. less panicked. less frantic. maybe that weak, horrible feeling had gone away, or maybe she was just too drunk to care anymore.

“if i… fall asleep…” she said, her words slurring together, “can you get me home safe?”

his expression softened immediately. he nodded at her without hesitation.

“of course i will kiddo.”

eaven gave a small, relieved nod, like that answer solved everything. the last of the tension left her shoulders.

“okay… good..... thank you.."

her head tipped forward a moment later. her body went slack, and before she could slide off the wall, val stepped in and caught her.

“kid?” he said quietly.

no answer. she was completely out, breathing slow and steady against his shoulder.

val sighed softly, adjusting his grip to her so that she wouldn’t fall. he looked up the empty road, and then back down at her.

“mm. don’t worry little girl.” he murmured.

he lifted her carefully off the wall and slung her over his shoulder. he started walking back up the dim street, from the way he came, carrying all of her weight over him and instantly breaking his promise to get her home safe.


eaven woke with a sharp breath. everything hurt. her head throbbed, her throat felt dry, and something about the air felt wrong - too cold, too damp. she blinked slowly, trying to focus, but the room around her stayed blurry for a moment.

concrete.

that was the first thing she noticed when her vision cleared. the walls were bare gray concrete. nothing hung on them other than a small pink poster that she couldnt really read from where she was. the ceiling hung low with a single weak bulb that buzzed softly above her. the floor was cold beneath the thin mattress she was lying on.

her stomach dropped. this wasn’t her room. it wasn’t any room she recognized.

she sat up too fast, dizziness hitting her immediately. her heart began hammering as she looked around the small space. there was a metal shelf against one wall, a plastic chair, a large dog cage, and a locked door with no handle on the inside.

“hello?” she called, her voice shaking.
no answer.

panic surged up her chest. she pushed herself to her feet, stumbling slightly, and rushed to the door. she grabbed the doorknob instinctively before realizing there wasn’t one to grab - all she felt was smooth metal.

“hello?!” she shouted louder, pounding on the door.

footsteps echoed on the other side and the door unlocked with a quiet click. it swung open slowly. and val was stood there.

for a moment eaven felt a rush of relief just seeing a familiar face. “val-” she started, her voice breaking. “thank god. i woke up and I don’t know where i-"

but she stopped. because val wasn’t looking worried about her.

he was smiling.

not a normal smile. a small, calm one, like everything was exactly how he wanted it.

“hey,” he said softly.

eavens relief started draining away, slowly getting replaced by a cold, creeping fear.

“where… are we?” she asked.

val leaned against the doorway, hands in his pockets. “my place,” he said, no concern heard in his voice.

she shook her head immediately, glancing behind her at the concrete walls. “this isn’t your place.”

“no,” he agreed calmly. “it’s the basement.”

something in the way he said it made her stomach twist. “val…” she said slowly. “why can’t i open the door?”

he stepped inside and closed it behind him with a soft click. “because it locks from the outside.”

her heart started racing again.

“but why would you-” “you remember last night?” he interrupted gently. she swallowed. “not really.”

“you were leaning on that stone wall,” he said. “blackout drunk. could barely stay awake.” a memory flickered faintly in her head - the cold wall, the hedges.

“you asked me something.”

eavens voice came out quieter now. “hm?”

vals smile widened slightly. “you asked me to get you somewhere safe.” her chest tightened.

“i did,” she whispered.
he nodded slowly. “and so i did.”

the silence between them stretched.

eaven took a small step back. “val…”
she said, her voice trembling now.
“you can’t keep me down here.”

his expression didn’t change. if anything, he looked almost relieved that she finally understood.

“im not keeping you,” he said softly.
“youre here because i care about you, silly.”

her hands shook. “this is kidnapping.”
“im protecting you, kiddo.” he replied.

“from what?!”
“from leaving.”
the words hung heavy in the cold room.
eaven stared at him, the fear spreading through her chest.

val stepped closer, his voice quiet and steady.

“you don’t have to worry about anything anymore, little one.” he said. “you’re safe here.”

he looked around the basement like he was proud of it. “now you’ll never ask me to take you home again.” he kneeled down, his eyes met hers.

“because youre where you belong, kid.”


she woke again to the sound of the door unlocking.

the metallic click snapped her out of the restless half-sleep she’d fallen into. for a moment she didn’t move, hoping maybe she’d imagined it.

but the door creaked open.

val stepped inside, carrying a small folded bundle in his arms.

“good morning, kiddo.” he said softly.

eaven pushed herself up against the wall of the thin mattress, her eyes fixed on him. she hadn’t slept much. every time she closed her eyes, she remembered the concrete walls and the locked door.

“why am i still here?” she asked. val ignored the question. instead, he walked over and set the folded bundle on the metal shelf beside the mattress.

“i brought you something,” he said. she didn’t move.

“what is it?”

val carefully unfolded the fabric. a soft pink dress fell open in his hands. it looked new - light cotton, with small sleeves and a ribbon at the waist. her stomach twisted.

“…why?” she asked quietly. he looked at the dress like it was something precious. “i saw it in a shop a few weeks ago,” he said. “i thought it would look nice on you.”

eaven stared at him. “youre holding me hostage,” she said, her voice shaking.
“and now you’re bringing me clothes?”

“im not holding you hostage,” he replied calmly, but his patience was clearly thinning. “i'm taking care of you. dont be an ungrateful little girl.” he held the dress up slightly, imagining it on her. “you never dressed up enough.” he shook his head gently. “i can fix that.”

“im not wearing that.” vals expression didn’t harden - but it didn’t change either. he just set the dress neatly on the shelf beside her. “yes you are." he said quietly.

eaven felt frustration rising through the fear.
“youre insane.” he crouched down so they were closer to eye level. “no,” he said softly. “i just see things clearly, kiddo.”

she tried to push past him suddenly, making a desperate move toward the door.

val reacted instantly, grabbing her arm - not violently, but firmly enough that she couldn’t pull away.

“hey,” he murmured. “don’t do that kid.”
“let me go!” she shouted.
“you'll hurt yourself, little one. stay here.” he said calmly.
"val!”

he sighed softly, almost disappointed in her behaviour, and guided her back toward the mattress. “why are you fighting me?” he asked. “i love you.” her chest heaved as she tried to pull away again.

“you locked me in a basement.”
“no, i made a place for you. a place where nothing can take you away from me.”

the words landed like ice in her chest.
val stood and straightened the pink dress on the shelf, smoothing the fabric carefully. “you’ll see,” he said quietly. “once you calm down.”

he glanced back at her. “you'll see that you're safe here.” then he stepped toward the door. “and when you’re ready,” he added, nodding toward the dress, “you can try that on.”

the door closed behind him.
a second later, the lock clicked again.

eaven sat frozen on the mattress, staring at the soft pink fabric sitting neatly on the shelf - like it belonged in a completely different world than the cold concrete room around her.


a few hours of silence and the lock clicked again. eaven didn’t move at first. she had been staring at the pink dress hanging off the shelf for what felt like hours. the soft, frilled fabric looked so out of place against the gray concrete wall that it almost made her feel sick.

footsteps came down the stairs. slow. deliberate. her heart began pounding again.

the door opened and val stepped inside, carrying something else in his arms. a small box this time. he smiled when he saw her awake. “good,” he said. “youre up.”

eaven stayed pressed against the wall of the thin mattress. “i’m not wearing that,” she said immediately, her voice rough. val glanced at the dress on the shelf. “you haven’t even tried it yet.”

“im not going to.” he sighed lightly, like she was being difficult over something small. “eaven.” her name sounded strangely patient in his mouth. “you’ll feel better once you change.
those clothes from last night are dirty.”

“i don’t care.”

val walked closer and set the box down on the metal shelf. he opened it carefully. inside the box were things that made eavens stomach twist again.

a pair of white socks.
a small pink brush.
pink ribbon, tied in bows.

her breathing became uneven. “why are you doing this?” she whispered. val picked up the dress again, holding it gently between his fingers. “because. i like the idea of seeing you like this,” he said.

“like what?” she questioned.
“like the perfect little dollgirl that you are.”
he looked around the basement with quiet satisfaction.

“youre so safe here, kid. right here.” eaven shook her head, backing away slightly.
“im not a thing you can just keep.”

val tilted his head slightly, studying her like he was trying to understand something confusing.
“i think you know that isnt true, kiddo.” he said softly.

he stepped closer. “you asked me to keep you safe.” her stomach dropped again. “thats not what i meant!” val reached out and lightly brushed a piece of messy hair away from her face. “you were falling asleep on that wall, little girl.” he said. “you trusted me.”

his voice lowered. “so i kept you safe.”
eavens hands shook. “you can’t keep people." val didn’t argue. instead he carefully hung the pink dress on a hook that had been screwed into the concrete wall. he adjusted it so it hung perfectly straight. then he stepped back to admire it. “youll look soo nice in it,” he murmured.

eaven stared at him like she was seeing a stranger. “what.. what are you going to do with me?” she asked.

val turned toward her again. for a moment he didn’t answer. then he gestured around the room. “i made space for you,” he said simply.

his eyes moved from the mattress… to the shelf… to her. “everything here is for you, kid.”

the light above them buzzed faintly. eaven felt a cold wave of realization crawl up her spine.

val wasn’t acting like someone who was hiding a crime. he was acting like someone arranging a collection. and clearly, she was his newest piece.

Edit

Pub: 03 Oct 2021 03:52 UTC

Edit: 12 Mar 2026 12:36 UTC

Views: 163