4. Bird in a cage

William might be hated by Lotti but somehow he's comforting her and telling her to be strong.

 Having nothing to do but wait until William came back I headed to the large vanity. On the table rested a large horse hair brush that looked brand new. A small box sat in the corner of the table under the wide mirror. I opened it to discover it had been stocked with all different kinds of colored powders and black liquid like substances. I'd never seen makeup before but I was certain that's what this was. Why I would need it was beyond me. I wondered if they had specifically obtained these items just for me. They couldn't have been inexpensive.
   I looked at myself in the mirror, which was something I rarely did. My dark hair had grown several inches since the last time I'd seen my own reflection. My small round face was child-like with full lips and wild gray eyes. It almost looked too feminine to be a boys but it still managed to fool people somehow. My body was thin, my skin pale under the layers of dirt and grime.
   I tried to wipe some of the dirt off of my face with the scratchy material of my sleeve but only succeeded in smearing the ash from the London air on it.
  I sighed and looked to the wardrobe. Curiously, I walked to it and opened the heavy wood door to reveal clothes. All girl's clothes, again making me wonder if they had gotten them for me. I pulled a dull maroon dress down and held it up to myself. I'd never liked girl's clothes but the dress was extravagant. I scrunched my nose at it and tossed it to the floor.
   I heard the door downstairs open and close, followed by the footsteps of William coming back. This time he was carrying a tray of food. I watched him as he carried the tray to the bed and set it down. He looked up at me and then down to the dress I'd carelessly discarded.
   "I take it you don't like the color." He said with a hint of a smirk.
I refused to satisfy him with a response so I looked away, closing the wardrobe. I approached the tray of food, trying to keep the hunger from showing in my eyes.
   "I'm not hungry." I lied, crossing my arms.
   "If you don't eat you'll grow weak. If you grow weak you won't have the strength to continuously give me a hard time at every turn and it will be easier for me to run the proper tests on you. I don't believe you'd allow that, would you?" He said, amusement once again shining in his eyes.
   "What are you?" I asked him.
   "Right now I am just a mortal man." He replied with a sigh.
   "What does that mean?" I asked him.
He looked away from me but I could see in his eyes that he was somewhere else in his mind for only a moment before he looked back at me.
   "You'll find out in time, little dhampir." He started to walk towards the stairs but I stood in his way causing him to stop and look me in the eyes.
  "Why do you both call me that?" I asked, desperation leaking from my voice. "What is it?"
He stared into my eyes for several seconds, seeming to be debating with himself on something.
   "You are not human." He said. "But you are not like him either. You're better. The perfect combination." He paused, against lost in his mind. Every part of me was screaming in frustration for him to finish but I didn't dare break him out of it, afraid he might not speak more.
    "You're the prefect breed, Little dhampir." At this he place his hand on my face, rubbing my cheek with his thumb. He was looking at me with the intensity that one might look at someone they loved or admired. Perhaps a mother, a father or maybe even a lover.
   I felt heat rising to my cheeks. No one had ever looked at me that way. I turned my gaze and face away from him. I felt hot tears stinging at my eyes and forced them away before I looked at him again.
   He seemed to have shaken himself out of his haze and stepped around me to the stairs.
   "Your bath will be ready within the hour." He said just before he disappeared down the stairs.
After I heard the door close and lock I let the tears run down my face. Once I'd gotten my sadness out I sat down with the tray of food and ate everything on it. He was right about one thing. I knew he'd be able to over  power me but I wouldn't make this easy on him. I'd fight every second of every day.

   William showed up a short time later and I was ready for him. As he reached the top of the staircase I bolted past him and  ran for the door, almost falling but managing to keep myself on my feet. I reached the door and looked over my shoulder to see him coming down after me. I tried to turn the knob but my body was filled with dread when it wouldn't turn. He'd locked it.
   I started banging on the door, trying to bust through it, kicking at the knob. William reached the bottom and wrapped his arms around me, holding me to him in an attempt to keep me from either breaking the door or causing harm to myself, I didn't care which. I screamed and flailed against him, my anger and frustration reaching its breaking point.
   William held me tight, letting me wear myself out. I stopped fighting and just started to cry. William pulled me down as he sat down on the stairs and I let him. I hated that I was being weak. I was showing him how much of a weak child I was but I couldn't help myself. I couldn't stop the emotional break down. William held me there in his arms while I cried. But he wasn't holding me to keep me from getting away anymore. He was holding me up. Without him I would have crumbled into a heap of a mess on the floor.
   I let him hold me there for a long time. As much as I hated him it felt nice to have someone comforting me. I don't know if that's what he was trying to do but it's what he was doing. I felt myself calm down, the tears stopped falling.
   "Please, William." I begged. "Just let me go."
I couldn't see his face but I felt him rest his forehead on the back of my shoulder.
   "Just stay strong, Lotti. Never stop fighting. Don't let this break you." He whispered.
 I didn't have the strength to argue with him or beg anymore. I knew it was useless. I was a prisoner in this place. So far it hadn't been bad but I was used to being free. I didn't know what was to become of me in this place. I was a tiny bird trapped in a cage.