As I'm washing my hands in the kitchen sink, thinking about what happened with my truck and how I got here, something else dawns on me.

I was gone for three months. 

What happened here while I was gone? How is it no one noticed you disappeared? Why wasn't a search party organized? No investigation? This place hasn't been taped off or anything.

Reuben wouldn't care what happens here...
Then again, he's done some very questionable things.

Would there be a possibility he warped space-time within this vicinity to manipulate people's minds and shift their attention elsewhere? Maybe that's why nobody noticed. I can't imagine any other reason.

Clever bastard. He probably did this to cover his tracks in case something happened. Or I could be giving him too much credit; he may have left a trail, which would be the portal he opened to grab you.

"Your truck... what happened to it?"

I finish washing my hands and glance out of the corner of my eye at you.

Look at you, standing there in the doorway so curiously and strained. You wouldn't be able to understand any of it. Words could never get the point across. I'd have to show you, but you're... too delicate in the head now. Fucking crippled, almost. 

"You acted like you were going to tell me." Any hint of hope drains from your face, replaced with a sort of aggravation.

I toss the towel across the counter as I face you, my head tipping to one side. "You really want to know what I think about that?"

You eye how I move and ask with a small shake of the head, "Why are you being so strange about this...? Did somebody steal it or what?"

"You know what? I'm feeling adventurous right now... How about I show you what my world looks like?" I step toward you slowly, extending my hand. You look at it warily and move back.

"Stop running from me. I just want your hand."

You keep backing away. "What are you talking about?"

Pausing, I sigh heavily through my nose and blink in annoyance. "Addison..."

Suddenly I advance toward you, making you shriek, and I snatch your hand. "I don't want you to experience an episode and cause a lot of racket. We don't need that. Now stop being such a bitch to deal with and take what I'm giving you!" You gape up at me with large glassy eyes.

"Look at me." I point at my eyes, "Stay there. Focus."

Frightfully, you zip your attention from my left to my right eye. This brings back a memory... That time when I had you paralyzed after witnessing the death of your boyfriend. You looked so beautiful with that horrified, pleading look in your eyes. I wiped him out of your mind soon after the event, but I will always cherish this memory.

"Hm..." I smile slowly, watching you, "Good girl..."

I start showing you when I discovered what Reuben was doing to you. It was the vision I saw. This memory of mine already has you quivering and your heart is beginning to thump harder. My hand tightens around yours.

Listen to my voice. It's not real. This is not happening.

Your brows slowly rise as you hear me in your head. It's oddly calming to you; the familiarity and tone loosens you up a little. Why is this, you wonder. You can't help giving in, even if you wanted to.

This makes me grin. I have you right where I want you...

The show must carry on.

I let you see when I told that family I was leaving, and the moment you see what I've done and how I thought about that 17 year old girl, Rosemary, I feel your heart skip a beat and your temperature changes a bit. More uneasiness is setting in. I don't stop here; you wanted to know. Let's see how much you can take without losing it.

I show you how Jack led me in shadow form, the things he revealed to me about you; how you were being used in so many unnatural ways. The blood slowly draining from your body, the cables, the wires, your cries for help -- everything. The sight of it all is so shocking, so disturbing, and saddening, you feel like you're going to burst.

"Oh my god..." you whimper.
My kitten, your eyes are so big and teary. Your skin is getting paler by the second.

The way you see it in my mind seems to distort your own memories. You're so easy to believe just about anything. I don't really blame you. Anything was possible there when it came to consciousness.

I give you more; the memory of when I saw Reuben's face and crashed the truck, how my victims were parked on both sides of the interstate and emerged from their vehicles-

"STOP!" You break away from me, holding both sides of your head, eyes frantically darting around the floor. "This is- this is what happened? Those people; I felt their fears, all those horrible cries and shouting, all this running and that man -- the officer -- he was one of the victims too! He looked like one of those things from the realm! He looked like ONE OF THOSE THINGS-!" You're jumbling your words, trying to catch your breath.

While you're squeezing your hair to the point of nearly ripping it out, I slowly lower my head, staring past my eyelashes.

I didn't think you would feel what they felt, or see the officer.

You collapse with your hands on your face, bawling your eyes out.
"You brutally murdered them all, you monster! You wanted to do the same to me. You came to get me, and it WASN'T to save me! I was going to be just like THEM!"

"No, Addison..."

You throw your hands down, snapping your head up and hissing at me, "Why don't you just do it! I'm suffering already!"

I gently kneel in front of you with my arms resting over my knees, gazing at you.

"I would never do that to my kitten."

"Stop calling me that!" 

I study your behavior, trailing my eyes down your body, then back up to your face.

"DON'T EVEN LOOK AT ME!" You turn and start crawling upon trying to get up. I grab your foot, stopping you. You spin your head around to me, "LET GO!"

I look up from your leg, "...No."

Pure terror spreads across your face. You kick at me and it makes me chuckle. I catch both of your legs and yank you closer to me.

"NO!!!" you quickly shield your face. I pry your arms apart and move in close to your face, but again, you turn your head like before.

"You're such great fun to play with." I laugh quietly.

"Please don't bite me again!"

The phone rings just then.

I lift my head, looking around. "Your cell phone?" I smirk down at you, "I think you had more than biting in mind, baby..." I inhale deeply, then suddenly lunge down to your ear.

"Mm!" you gasp, tensing.

I whisper in a deep, soft voice, "You want to know why I showed you those things? It's because I know you're strong. If I learned anything while I was there, it's that mind over matter really does work. So fight me... kitten..." I lick your ear and teasingly bite it. How you react with a jump and another gasp gives me a little simper.

I get off of you and go to get the phone.

But just before I pick it up, I hear; "Well done, Gabriel... I'm proud of you."

The sound of his voice and how he says that sentence completely freezes me.