closing in on James. He paced the floor, his mind racing through a maze of impossible solutions. He was sick with worry about his stepmother—the one person who had always provided the warmth his father lacked and his friends. Since Hazel had destroyed his old phone and replaced it with a locked-down device, he was cut off from everyone; he hadn't memorized their numbers, a detail that now felt like a personal failure.
"Even if I knew their numbers," James muttered, "it's not like I can do anything about it. That damn father... I swear, if not for his mess, I would make her regret every second of this." He let out a frustrated shout, the sound muffled by the expensive wallpaper. "Do whatever she wants? She's insane. I'm going to kill her."
The following morning, the reality of his new life set in. He wasn't allowed to walk to campus; instead, he was driven in a sleek car by Hazel's driver. At school, his classmates swarmed him, asking where he had been. He stuck to the story Hazel had provided that he had been ill. Under the table, he sent a tense text to Hazel asking for permission to visit his parents later.
"Can't believe I need to ask her for fucking permission," he hissed under his breath when she finally messaged her agreement.
"What's going on with you?" Daniel's voice startled him as his friend fell into step beside him. "I called you a dozen times. Did you change your phone or something?"
"I lost my contacts," James said shortly, his eyes fixed ahead.
Daniel frowned, looking him over. "You've lost weight, man. Are you alright?"
James glanced down at his new phone, his thumb hovering over the screen. "I'm on a diet."
Daniel let out a loud laugh. "You? On a diet? Don't make me laugh."
"You've already laughed," James countered, his voice flat.
"Seriously though," Daniel continued, "you haven't been eyeing any ladies lately. Should I be worried? Oh, wait I forgot. Ashley is around, isn't she?"
James's expression darkened. "Ashley is not the one I should be worried about right now."
"What?" Daniel began, but the question died in his throat.
James saw them both at once. Ashley was approaching from one side, a bright smile on her face, but Hazel was walking toward him from the other, her gaze like a physical weight.
"Hey, James!" Ashley called out.
Hazel didn't even acknowledge Ashley's existence as she reached them. She looked James dead in the eye, her voice cold and commanding. "Follow me."
Without waiting for an answer, Hazel turned and walked away. James clicked his tongue, his face twisted in a mask of pure rage and humiliation.
"I'm sorry," James muttered to a stunned Ashley and Daniel. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Hey! Where are you going?" Ashley called after him, but James didn't look back. He fell into step behind Hazel, his head low.
Daniel stood frozen on the sidewalk, his jaw dropping as he watched the "Golden Boy" follow the quiet girl like a disciplined pet. "What the heck..."
The heavy door of the sleek sedan was held open by the driver, a silent reminder of the invisible walls now surrounding James. He trailed behind Hazel, his jaw set in a hard line of resentment as they reached the curb.
"What are you doing?" James demanded, his voice low so the lingering students wouldn't overhear.
"Get in," Hazel commanded, her voice devoid of any emotion.
James let out a sharp, bitter scoff. "This fucking trick isn't going to move me," he hissed, his eyes darting toward the street where his freedom used to be.
Hazel tilted her head, a ghost of a smile touching her lips. "Trick? I only wanted to take you where you asked to go".
"I said I was going to see my parents, damn it!" James snapped, his frustration boiling over. "Don't get involved with this. And I won't allow you to cause some car accident just to keep me in line. You can die for all I care".
The air between them seemed to drop twenty degrees. Hazel moved with a sudden, sharp grace, closing the distance until she was inches from his chest. Without warning, she drove the narrow heel of her shoe down onto his toe, grinding it into the pavement.
James gasped, the sharp pain shooting up his leg, but before he could recoil, Hazel leaned in. Her face had shifted the "dead eyes" he had seen on the couch were now burning with a cold, terrifying intensity that made his blood run cold.
"I would advise you to do as I want," she whispered, her breath ghosting against his ear. "Don't make me repeat myself. Get in the fucking car. Whether we die in an accident or not... the fact that we would die together is a joy to me. So get in. I don't think I can let you die quite yet".
Something in her expression was so unhinged, so utterly devoid of fear or humanity, that James felt a primal jolt of terror. He blinked, his bravado vanishing in an instant as he realized she was entirely serious.
With his heart hammering against his ribs, James slowly lowered himself into the leather seat, the click of the door closing sounding like another lock in his expanding cage.