The Unclaimed Human Luna
Chapter 9

El POV

El drove herself into Logan. It was a really nice mountainous road, very pretty, she thought to herself absently as she drove along. She parked her car and headed off to the chemist to get a morning after pill. She’d not recalled Conner using protection and didn’t want to risk becoming pregnant to him, had listened in health class. It only took one time, even your first time, you could get pregnant and she was going to be responsible for herself. Also, she booked herself in to see a doctor and would sort out birth control, do that responsibly as well.

Not that she thought it was going to happen again with him, but she wanted to be safe just in case. Though she was pretty darn certain that his demonstration this morning was meant to tell her she was nothing to him. That, what had happened was a simple one-night stand. She wasn’t going to risk it.

Sitting in a coffee shop sipping a mochacinno, she thought about what happened in town. Conner, getting into it with that guy named Milton. She had barely met him, bumped into him by accident only. It had been clear from watching the two of them, they did not like each other. Why he bothered to step up and have words with him she didn’t know. He’d made it clear she was just a f**k, and nothing more.

Saw him move to grab her arm and side stepped his hand, saw him look at her as if he couldn’t believe she’d actually done that. But why would she let him touch her ever again after what he’d done to her this morning. Heard him call Milton a man w***e, and she was done. She walked away and left them to it. Let them argue about it. She didn’t really care, was only going to be here a few months and then she was gone.

Had no intention of calling that Milton guy, he was to hansie, touched her h*p and then her face. What stranger did that? Certainly, none she knew of. It was most likely he was a man w***e. She was not interested in another a*****e.

Went and put that cheque in the bank and heard it was going to take three to five days to clear, hoped it wouldn’t bloody bounce, was going to need that money to live on once she left. If it bounced, she would know that Logan was a real piece of s**t, and would tell her mother so. If it bounced, she was going to do her level best to get her mother out of there. It was likely, as she thought, a cult of some sort, but she had to wait on the proof of it. A small part of her wanted that cheque to bounce, or have him cancel it so she could take it to her mother and show her the man had no intention of giving her their money back.

Got her appointment and prescription filled out, took herself back to the pack and found Logan waiting for her, got out of her car and looked at him “You were gone near on 5 hours.”

“I had things to do.”

“Like what, Eliza?”

“That is personal.” She told him, “but here I am back where you require me to be.”

Saw him frowning down at her as she walked up the stairs, “You went to the doctor why?”

Stopped walking and looked right at him, “You had me watched?”

“I told you I would send someone for you if you weren’t back in three hours.”

“You’re a control freak.” She muttered and walked away from him.

“Eliza, I don’t like the disrespect you show me.”

“Ditto.” She shot at him and continued to walk away and up to her apartment. Couldn’t actually believe he’d had someone go and find her, watch her, that was just bloody ridiculous. She was capable of driving into town and running a few errands.

Closed the door to her apartment and sighed to herself, looked at the room and frowned as she glanced around. It had been cleaned in here. Moved her eyes to the bed it had been made. Walked over and realised it was not just made but the sheets changed as well. She didn’t ask anyone to clean her apartment.

Saw several brochures on the coffee table and walked over to pick them up; Utah State University, Utah State University Brigham City, The University of Utah, plus a bunch more all here in Utah, one in Idaho and two in Wyoming. Shook her head.

She had told Logan that after summer ended, she was going abroad to study. He’d stated they’d discuss it, guess this was his way of discussing it. A bunch of places he thought were acceptable for her to study at. Not at all what she wanted or was going to do either. She made herself something to eat and noticed as she did, the kitchen’s pantry and fridge had been restocked as well.

Wondered if her mother had been in here? or if it had been one of the cleaners? She’d seen roaming about the apartment building. Shook it off, had to be a cleaner, if it had been her mother, she’d have asked a million questions about the state of her sheets. Who the boy was and when was she going to meet him? Not something El was about to go blabbing to her mother. She could discuss it with Cordi. She was her closest friend had known Cordi since she was five years old. There were no secrets between them and no subject was off limits, or taboo. Heck Cordi had told her the day she’d lost her V-card to Collin. Nothing didn’t get discussed between them.

Got a text from her mother to ask if she’d looked at the brochures for schooling.

Got up and took those bloody brochures downstairs. As she texted her back, she could have them back. Found her mother coming up the stairs from the ground floor, “El, why don’t you use the elevator? These stairs are tiresome.”

“I can’t” she shrugged, “I don’t have the code for it.” Saw her mother stare right at her and then sigh and shake her head “I’ll give it to you.”

“Don’t bother, the stairs are fine. If Logan wanted me to have the code, I’m sure he would have given it to me.” She walked to the bottom floor.

“I’m sure he just forgot, is all.”

“Mmm.” She held the brochures out to her mother, “I’m going to Italy. I don’t need these.”

“El, I’d prefer you stay here and study. I’ll miss you too much if you go overseas.”

Looked right at her mother, never before had she ever uttered that, was or had always been excited about her going to Italy, to the university El’s father had attended. Now she was saying she didn’t want her to. Logans, influence she thought.

Continued to hold them out to her “Take them back to your husband.”

“El, please honey. Just look at them, see what they offer at least.” Her mother pushed them back at her.

“I don’t need to; I’m going to Italy.”

She saw her mother’s jaw tighten and she actually looked angry with her. “Just look them over, it’s not going to hurt Eliza. I expect you to do this or you’ll be going nowhere at all. I’ll make sure Logan doesn’t even let you leave this place.” She snapped right at her and then turned and stalked away from her.

Watched her mother bang right into Logans office, slammed that door good and proper. Seems she was going to be bloody stuck here. Walked outside and over to the grassed area in front of the apartment building and sat herself down. Looked down at the brochures, needed to do this to get the hell out of here.

Was going to never be allowed to leave, was once again starting to feel like a prisoner, had been given a one-day leave pass, and now was back and locked in. She was damn certain her mother had gone right to Logan and told him exactly that. That she wasn’t allowed to leave, and she knew he would do it. Had done it once before.

She was sitting out there when she heard both her mother and Logan coming this way. They were talking, turned and looked at them, walking hand in hand, smiling and laughing with each other. She turned her attention back to the grass.

“El, we need to talk.”

“I’m sure you think we do, mother.”

“Eliza, did I not speak to you about respect earlier?” Logan chastised her.

“You did.” She nodded.

“I expect you to extend that to your mother, as my wife. She is given respect by all here, including you.”

“That’s nice to know.” She said drearily. “What do I get, but made to come here, locked up here?”

“You’re not locked up, El. We just want you to settle in, is all. We also really want you to consider studying here. Please look at the brochures I had sent to you.” her mother stated.

“Sent to me. Couldn’t bring yourself to walk to my room. Or is it that it’s just too far away, you forgot where he put me?”

“Eliza.” Her mother snapped, heard the warning tone.

She stood up from the ground and looked at her. “So far away from everyone, segregated me completely, from anyone and everyone that lives here. It’s very clear to me, I’m not actually welcome here.”

“Eliza, that is not what happened.”

“Isn’t it!” she looked at Logan. “There is no one down there, just me alone in a part of your apartment complex. You could have put me anywhere, but you chose that place away from everyone. Chose it to keep me separated from even my own mother. She didn’t even know you’d put me down there, till you dragged me here.”

Saw him take a deep breath in and knew she was pushing his buttons, stared right up at him, didn’t care if it made him mad, her deduction was right, and she knew it. Had walked the halls, been told by Conner himself, she wasn’t allowed in their wing of the top floor. She was not family. Had told him exactly what she’d felt. Like a prisoner.

He stared right back at her, and she could see his jaw was ticking, it looked like he was getting real pissed off with her staring him down.

“El, please we can discuss a room change another day. I’ll find something for you tomorrow, something not so far away from everyone. You are right. I was unhappy with where you were put, did not get informed of that.”

“Brit, I explained why?” Logan looked to her mother, and she saw her mother nod.

“Let’s leave it for now, discuss it tomorrow. El the University brochures, please look at them at least.”

“What do you think I did while sitting out here? I looked at them. None of them are what I want. I want..”

“Eliza, you will choose one of these. This is what I am willing to pay for. I’m not about to send you overseas to another country just to study art. You can do that, at any university.”

“Yes, I can, it was my father’s university and I plan to follow in his footsteps. I will be going.”

Saw that temper of his flare and his eyes harden on her, watched her mother put a hand on him, “El, if you’re going to behave like a child and not even consider it. Then I will treat you like a child, and ground you.”

Stared right at her mother incredulously, “You can’t ground me. I’m already a f*****g prisoner, up there in solitary confinement. This here is just a yard pass.”

“Enough Eliza.” Logan snarled right at her.

Her eyes whipped right to him, and she felt fear pour through her body, as he glared right at her, and took a step away from him.

“This is not a prison.” He continued to snarl at her, strode towards her, looked completely furious with her “and you will show some bloody respect or so help me, I’ll punish you.” He roared at her.

Her whole body was trembling, and she could feel the tears welling up. Every part of her body and mind screamed at her to run away from him, turned and bolted away from him, just ran away too scared to be anywhere near him.

Ran right into the woods and just kept on going, didn’t even care to look where she was going, just wanted the hell away from him. Ran till she couldn’t run anymore, and then just sank down on the ground. She didn’t recall ever feeling so afraid of anything or anyone in all her life, fear had just flooded through her like a gate had been opened and she knew she had to run or she was going to die. Knew she was right about him all along, he was a terrible person, and she was not safe here.

She sat there and hugged her knees to her chest, didn’t even know what she could do right that minute. Just tried to breathe and calm down. Finally, she managed to calm herself, though how long it took she didn’t know, got up and looked around her, didn’t even know where she was. Could see the flickers of the lake down through the trees, headed down to it, and then just found a place to sit. The sun was going down, had been lost in the woods all evening, it seemed.

Leaned her head back on the tree and stared at the darkened lake out there as night fell, heard her phone ding and ring a million times, it was her mother and an unknown number, dismissed them all or just didn’t bother with them at all. Didn’t care right this minute, wondered how far it was across to the other side of the lake.

Knew she was never going to be allowed to leave, perhaps this was the only other way out, a very long swim to freedom, had been granted it today and stupidly not driven the hell away from here, had opted to come back to try and get her mother to see sense. But knew now that was never going to happen.

Even when that man had been yelling at her, a full rage threatening her, she’d done nothing to stop him, just stood there and watched on. Hadn’t even come after her, hadn’t messaged her to see if she was okay until hours later. She was right, she was not welcome here, needed to find a way out. Didn’t think she was going to be able to just get in her car and drive out the gate right this minute. Swimming the lake was likely her only chance. She wasn’t a bad swimmer at all, but this lake, when she googled it, said it was 8 miles wide. Did not think she could swim that far. Sat there and chewed on her l*p.

Turned and looked into the woods behind her at the sound of a wolf’s howl, and then several more, just bloody great, a pack of wolves roaming about, though they didn’t seem close to her. Stayed put and quiet. Switched her phone to, do not disturb mode so as not to attract their attention, knew it wouldn’t so much as vibrate while in that mode.

Text Cordi she believed she was in trouble and was going to find a way out. Was once again locked in.”

“I’ll come get you.”

“No, I don’t think it would be safe for you here. I’ll let you know when I’m out.”

“Be careful, El.”

“I will be.”

She put her phone down as she stared at the darkness of the lake. This was likely her way out. She just needed to be able to come down here without causing suspicion of any kind. She stood up and looked at the lake, wondered if she should just go now. Didn’t have something waterproof for her phone or any water or snacks and she was going to need all that. 8 miles of swimming and then who knew how long to walk to the nearest town to sit and wait in a hotel for Cordi to get to her.