Page 80 of Unhinged Cain

“You were watching me?”

“Yes, I never left you alone, even when you felt alone.” I looked down at the top of her head as she stared at the now-empty workspace.

“How long have I been here?”

“Three weeks tomorrow.”

Her eyes went wide, and she looked up at me. “Three weeks? Wow, time flies.”

“Is that a good thing,” I asked, unsure how to judge her reaction.

“It’s a baffling thing. Everything just kind of blends together,” she said as I guided her across the large space to the stairs that went up to the farmhouse.

From outside or even upstairs, you’d never know this large space existed, which was what I loved about it. I unlocked the thick metal door and stepped into the hall to let Kirby emerge. It was dark because of the time of day, but she looked around and blinked like the sun was shining through the windows.

“I grabbed some more of your things and bought you some stuff I thought you’d like,” I said and led her down the hallway and up the stairs to my bedroom.

She was quiet and looked around in a way that worried me she was going to try and bolt. We entered the bedroom that was now twice the size it used to be when I was a kid. I’d decided to knock out the wall between it and the sewing room that had been on the other side. Kirby’s reaction fascinated me. She wandered the space, still clutching the few items that had been on the floor and still as naked as the day she was born.

I tried to see the room through her eyes. The paintings I’d completed of her were hanging on the soft grey walls. The first one I did, hung as the centerpiece of my collection. If my brother ever came up here, he would’ve thought I’d gone mad, but luckily he never made it further than the door to the basement.

The comforter was grey and white, but I’d added some purple pillows to help it feel more like it was her space too. The dresser held her jewelry box and a number of other small things I’d been able to take when I was at her mother’s home. I’d also slipped into the campus and taken all her clothes, books, and computer equipment when her roommate was in class. I would’ve liked to have seen the look on the girl’s face when she returned to a half-empty room.

She paused as she reached one of the paintings I’d just finished of her. It was of her lying down on soft green grass with a sunny glow shining down on her back, and her lips were curved up in a small smile.

“These are exceptional, Cain,” she reached out and touched the canvas painting. “You really are talented.”

“Does that mean you like them?”

“Love them.”

“You asked me how I see you. I’m not good at forming words to express emotion, but all these images and the many more I want to paint tell you how I see you.”

She turned to look at me, and I wanted to toss her down on the bed and take her again right there, but instead, I gently took the items she’d brought upstairs from her hands and set them in prominent places around the room.

“I’m not much for decorating, so if you want to change something, go ahead. Did you want to shower?”

“Yes, please.”

Walking over to the bathroom door, I opened it and pointed inside. “Everything you could want is in there, and your clothes are hanging in half of the closet. All your underwear and socks are in here.” I tapped the top of the dresser.

Walking back over to where she stood in the center of the room, I couldn’t help but admire her beauty and the artwork I’d created on her stomach and chest. It would be healed in a couple of days, and I already knew the next masterpiece I wanted to create using her as my ultimate canvas. I knew I needed to control how much I played with her, but the thrill it brought was well worth the wait.

“I’ll go make dinner. Come down whenever you’re ready.”

“No chain or rope, or will you sit and stare at me?” Her small smile spoke volumes.

“Not anymore.” Leaving her in the room alone, I jogged down the stairs and began cutting the vegetables for the stew I’d planned on making. As soon as I could hear Sunshine in the shower, I jumped in the one on the main level and quickly rinsed off. Everything was simmering by the time the water turned off upstairs, and my Sunshine wandered down.

“It smells good down here,” she said.

I watched her out of the corner of my eye as she spotted the large knife on the counter. I knew she’d go for it. She snatched it off the counter and pointed it at me.

I slowly turned to face her and wiped my hands on the dish towel as I analyzed her face. She looked very uncertain about what she wanted to do. This was the moment that she needed to decide who she would be once and for all. While the cuffs were on it was easy for someone to think they knew what they wanted, but what would they do once set free of the shackles? Sunshine had expressed that she loved me. I believed her. I’d looked into her eyes and saw what she was thinking and feeling, and the same emotions danced in her eyes now.

“Stay back. I will kill you,” she said as I stepped forward. “I said stop,” she said, and her hand shook.

I knew she wasn’t scared. She was tougher than that. She had a war going on inside her, and it was just a matter of who would win out—the old Kirby or the new Kirby ready to emerge.