Song: Enjoyment - KiDi

The morning sky was clear and bright with the beautiful morning sun. A single black bird striped with yellow settled on the window sill, singing happily, reaching a crescendo and singing so hard that his chest heaved and his whole body seemed to squeeze. He paused to get his breath back, when Nate pulled back the curtains, making the frightened bird fly away in a frenzy.

"Morning sleeping beauty," he grinned.

I sat up, feeling slightly better, though I knew I was coming down with a fever. "Did anyone come looking for me?" I asked him.

"Nope," he said, popping the 'p'. "Were you expecting anyone?"

Kofi had tried to kill me, there was no two ways about it. He believed that I wouldn't have survived, that was why he didn't even send someone to check up on me. "N-no. No one's looking for me." Even my family back at home didn't know that I had been kidnapped, so they wouldn't think to look for me. The thought of the disgrace they must've been going through made my stomach churn. I noticed that the pungent smell of horse dung was absent. "Did you bathe me?" I asked, almost bewilderedly.

"Is that a 'thank you'?"

"No!" I pulled the sheets closer to my body, glaring down at the man.

He bellowed with laughter. "Calm down, I didn't undress you, if that's what you fear?"

"So... you left me in wet clothes?"

"I had to. I didn't think you'd like if I undressed you. I towelled you dry as much as I could, though your hair looks a bird nest, I apologise for that."

I touched my shaking hands to my hair, my eyes widening when I realised that the hairs were sticking out and felt frizzy.

"You kept shivering through the night, I thought you were cold so I wrapped you in blankets. Then your temperature spiked and you began sweating. Are you okay?"

"I don't know," I replied with a frustrated frown. "I was completely fine about two days ago."

"Maybe you caught something whilst resting in horseshit."

I laughed, against my better judgment. He wasn't going to let this go anytime soon. That is, of course, if I continued to encounter this handsome stranger. "I agree, that was such a bad idea."

He grinned. "I hope you're feeling better. I got you some paracetamol, that is if you're in pain of course."

"Yes, thank you," I told him. He handed me a glass of water and a box containing the painkillers. I was glad that he didn't remove the pill from the box for me because trust didn't come that easily to me, especially after everything that had happened. He could've been giving me Viagra for all I knew. After I swallowed the pill, I just smiled at him.

He scratched his long hair and smiled back. "Remember our deal?"

"What deal?" I asked, slightly confused.

"You were supposed to tell me why you were in Fluffy's stable."

"Who named him that?"

He snorted. "It's a long story actually. My brothers haven't outgrown the toddler stage."

"You have brothers?" I asked, stupidly.

He nodded, smiling when he thought about them. I could see that he loved them very much. "Yes. The silliest idiots alive."

"What are their names?" I asked.

"Rhys and Devan."

"Ghanaian?" I asked.

"Well, we all are, but I suspect that they're both mixed with other races. I'm fully black though."

"Different mothers?"

"No. We don't share any parents in common, other than our adopted ones."

"Oh," I replied, nodding.

"How about you? Any family?" He asked me.

"N-no," I lied. If he could tell, he didn't interrogate me any further.

"I did notice, however, that you're intentionally deviating from the topic at hand," he said, cocking his head like how people did when they were curious.

I groaned. "That obvious?"

He snorted. "Kind of."

"Okay, it's a long story and I don't even know why the heck he brought me here!"

"He? Who?"

I shook my head, thinking aloud rather than talking to him. "I thought he said I could never leave. The door is right open!"

"Actually, it's closed. You'd have to hold the handle down and push back before-"

"And he left me to die!"

"That sounds extreme. He sounds li-"

"With that awful beast!"

"What beast? Fluffy? Don't you wonder why we call hi-"

"What if some virus walked into my mouth whilst I was in his dung!"

"I don't think viruses walk. Wow, I got to finish a sente-"

"How could he be so cruel?"

"Maybe it's heredit-"

"I hate him so much! I mean I never really liked him but now I'm so sure that I hat-"

"As fun as this is, I'd appreciate if you stopped rambling and actually talk to me." Nate laughed.

"Sorry," I blushed inwardly. I sighed. "There's this guy. He's really good looking..."

"And he left you to die in Fluffy's stable? How does he know Fluffy and how did he get access to this place?"

I didn't look at him whilst I was talking. I was a bit sure that I wasn't supposed to tell anyone about the mansion in the forest - which is why no one can leave - but Kofi would never know. "I don't know, but he's got me locked up in a mansion in the thick forest which I'm never allowed to leave. I told him one tiny little joke about having a microscopic penis, and next thing I knew, I was being shoved into Fluffy's stable. He must know Fluffy because he really liked him."

Nate didn't get the chance to reply because his phone rang loudly. He was looking at me when I met his eyes. "You should get that," I told him, gesturing to his trouser pocket.

"Yeah," he replied softly. He pulled the phone out and left me in the room.

When he was gone, I buried myself under the covers. It seemed like I was getting better, well, except the unexplainable fever.

I was getting bored. Nate had been gone for over twenty minutes, so I snuck outside with much difficulty due to my swollen ankle. I limped into the hotel lobby and went to the receptionist who regarded me with a pleasant smile.

"Good day miss," she said. "What can I do for you?"

"Nothing, really. Just inform Nate when you see him that I've gone to see Fluffy," I told her, so that Nathan wouldn't think that I had absconded.

"Sir Nathan?" She asked, looking confused.

I stared at her. "Yes, the stable boy?" I asked uncertainly.

"Stable boy?" She asked, forgetting her formality, and laughing.

Not wanting to be the subject of ridicule, I ignored her. I decided there and then that I didn't like her. Then again, I'd never really liked most girls except Edinam, and even she turned out to be a traitor.

"Darling," she said and I bristled silently at the pet name I could do without. "He's not a groom. He owns all of this. He and all the Faye brothers."

"Faye?" I frowned, trying to remember where I had heard that name from. "Isn't that a first name?"

She shrugged. "Who cares? They're loaded with money."

"The Faye brothers," I repeated. I'd asked Kofi who Faye was but he didn't even let on that he had heard me. Suddenly, a horrible thought had me recoiling. Neither of his brothers had that name though, it just couldn't be.

Just as I was about to rush out of the hotel, Nathan strode in... along with Kofi. I screamed. It was a short scream and I had covered my mouth quickly with my hands but the effect was already in motion. Nathan gave me a guilty look, Kofi looked as indifferent as ever and the receptionist was staring at me like I had grabbed one of the bananas from her fruit bowl and was jumping up and down with it and making monkey noises.

I turned around to run, but not before Nathan could call out, "Wait!"

Oddly, I was frozen in my tracks. I stopped, the rational part of my brain telling me that it was just because I knew I wouldn't get very far because I didn't know the place, I had a swollen ankle, throbbing head, and nose and those two men wouldn't give up on chasing me. I turned around. "I'm not going back there." I deadpanned.

Kofi was right in front of me, Nathan behind him, hiding, probably, in shame. "Yes, you are."

"Can we talk about this, Dev?"

"Oh no," I muttered, nearly fainting. It was only the dull ache in my head keeping me on my feet. I was right, Kofi was his brother. "Did you lie to me?" I asked Nathan. With that innocent look in his eyes, I couldn't find it in me to be angry, but I couldn't help feeling betrayed.

"No, not exactly," he looked at Kofi who didn't even spare him a glance. He was looking at me like I was the only one in the world, not that that was a good thing. "This is Devan, but he likes to go by his Ghanaian name, Kofi."

"That means... you know about the mansion in the forest?" I asked him, already knowing the answer.

Kofi finally took his eyes off me and looked at the receptionist who was pretending not to listen. "Let's take this upstairs, shall we?"

I didn't want to go anywhere near that monster, but my curiosity was getting the better of me. I wanted to know just how much of a terrible person Nathan was. The most good - looking ones were always the worst.

Just before I had limped up the stairs, I turned to look at the receptionist who was looking at me with clear jealousy and a fair amount of hatred in her eyes. I sighed and followed the men. Barbie was the only woman I'd met who wasn't like the rest of them, who was nice to me even though I was being a major female dog. I made a mind note to be nicer to her when I saw her next. Then again, I hoped I never had to see her again.

We were back in the room I'd woken up in. "Let me guess, Wolfgang is Rhys, isn't he?"

Nathan smiled at Kofi. "She's smart."

Kofi, obviously the negative one here simply rolled his eyes. "And so damn annoying."

At least he agreed that I was smart. "Why 'Wolfgang' though?"

"He heard it on TV one day and liked it."

"Do I get a nickname too?" I asked, smiling hopefully.

"Sure thing. How about-"

"She already has one. It's annoying bitch." Kofi glared at me.

"Really, after leaving me in that horse's stable to die, you still haven't gotten over that?" I deadpanned.

"Okay stop this nonsense," Kofi said, looking angry. "Stop acting like we're your friends. You're my recalcitrant employee who I'm going to take back to work right now."

"You're a..." Nathan paused as if he didn't want to offend me. If I didn't know any better, I'd have said he looked disappointed.

"I'm not," I said simultaneously as Kofi said, "She is."

We glared at each other. "I'm not a prostitute. I didn't go there of my own volition. Your brother, Rhys, kidnapped me from my home and brought me here, and your other brother Devan won't let me go back home!"

Nathan looked at Kofi. "Is that true?"

I opened my mouth in shock. "Of course it's true! I said it!"

Nathan winced, already looking apologetic without saying the actual mean thing. "No offense, but I don't know you. He's my brother, I've known him since we were just kids."

I nodded, even though that hurt. "Fair enough."

"She's lying," Kofi/Devan scoffed.

"What?" I coughed.

"Are you going to believe her over me?" Kofi asked, pointing at me like I was trash.

Nathan spared me a glance, then he looked at his brother much longer. "It still doesn't explain why you left her in Fluffy's stable. You know how erratic he can be."

"Yes, why don't you explain to him why you tried to kill me if I willingly went to that cursed dump," I told Kofi sweetly.

He didn't hide his hatred. "I didn't try to kill her. She was being an annoying bitch - no surprise there - so I locked her in with Fluffly, and I know you and all your annoying heroic tendencies. I knew you'd take her out that's why I didn't bother coming to check up on her."

My ankle was throbbing angrily, so I plopped myself onto the bed, fisting my hands. "He nearly killed me! He broke my ankle and my nose!" I yelled angrily.

Kofi shot me a mocking smile. "If your ankle were broken, you'd be in serious pain. It's merely bruised, stop being a drama queen. The same can be said for your nose. You would've been fine if you didn't sneeze." I opened my mouth to protest. "Shut up. He wouldn't have attacked you if you didn't sneeze."

I was so angry that I was envisioning ripping his head off. "I threw myself in a pile of horse dung to keep living."

Nathan smiled at the memory. "That's true bro. I spent hours washing it off her and making sure she smelt like a decent lady again." He sniggered.

"Wow, there was a time when she smelt like a decent lady?"

"Why won't you just admit that you tried to kill me?"

"Because I didn't. Now get up, we're leaving," he snatched my arm and pulled me up so suddenly that my head spun and my stomach churned. It didn't take long for the rest of the last meal I'd eaten to splatter all over his clean white shirt.

Nathan gasped, choking with laughter. I got worried when he started coughing from laughing too hard. Kofi couldn't believe his eyes. He just kept staring at his shirt. The vomit was sliding down and dripping onto his trousers and a few more refractory rivulets were sliding onto his skin, behind his trousers.

"Wow, now it'll be difficult to spot your reproductive organ even with a microscope!" I chuckled, feeling a lot better. I felt like that was the last time I was vomiting.

Kofi was still in shock apparently. He couldn't move a muscle... and that was when he decided to show up. "Rhys is in the house!"

I rushed without thinking, completely forgetting about my swollen ankle. My leg gave out due to the pain. It was quite embarrassing, but my hands broke the fall this time before my nose could take the brunt force.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked, kneeling next to me.

"Was that supposed to be a murder attempt? Because, beautiful, if I didn't like you, I'd be showing you how that should've looked like."

"You like this infuriating bitch!" Kofi yelled, louder than necessary.

Nathan was helping me onto my feet just as Wolfgang drank in Kofi's appearance. He whistled teasingly. "That's... an exciting new look, Dev."

Kofi glared. "Kofi, and that thing did this to me!" He pointed at me like a child.

I frowned. "That wouldn't have happened if you had been gentler."

"Yeah Dev, be gentle," Wolfgang said, resulting in everyone looking at him in disgust.

"You know what, I don't care. You brought her here, she's your problem," Kofi told Wolfgang pointedly.

"You were lying and she was right," Nathan stated with narrowed eyes. Both brothers froze. Something told me that they were hiding a lot from their brother. A lot which I was going to figure out.

"I did bring her here but -"

"By force?"

"No," he said just as I said, "Yes!"

Nathan frowned. The first one I'd seen on his face since I'd known him. "You can't go around kidnapping people Rhys."

"Wolfgang. And you should've seen her back there, she was miserable!"

"More miserable than I am here?"

I was leaning all my weight on Nathan, but at the moment, I hated the Faye brothers with all my heart, so I detached my arm from his and went back to sit on the bed. Kofi rushed to the bathroom, probably having caught a whiff of his scent.

"Yes. You haven't given this place a chance Ellie!" He whined, pouting like he was a toddler. I had to admit, it was cute. It was only Nathan whose childish side I had yet to see, and I was sure that he had one. "Just give me a few days, I'm going to make you like it here!" He said ecstatically, clapping his hands.

"Tone it down, sheesh," Nathan rolled his eyes. "What do you say, Ellie," he said my name like he was teasing me. "Do you want to give him a chance?"

I had a feeling that Nathan had the power to take me back home. "No."

Wolfgang groaned. "You're so stubborn," he turned to Nathan. "You know she can't go back; she'll tell! I know her, she's a vengeful little bi-"

"Enough with the insults," Nathan said in a commanding tone, cutting Wolfgang off. "She's not going to tell. Right Ellie?"

"Elorm, and yes, I will six-nine and have both you and your brothers jailed for running a prostitution business," I told him plainly. This was illegal, and as a patriotic citizen, it was my duty to report it. Who am I kidding? Patriotic citizen my arse. I just don't like them.

Nathan snorted. "You can keep her," he told Wolfgang.

"What?" I yelled in frustration.

"I'm sorry, but I can't let you put my family in jeopardy. They might be idiots, but I love them," he scratched the back of his neck guiltily.

Wolfgang was giddy with excitement. He shot me a wide smile and held his arms open for a hug. "I missed you beautiful." When I stared at him with derision written all over my face, he advanced and hugged me so tight that I could hardly breathe. He managed to push us back onto the bed so that he was lying on top of me.

"You're crushing me," I muttered through gritted teeth even though he'd balanced his weight on his elbows.

"I could kiss you right now," he murmured, staring at my lips.

Even though all this attention made my head swell, my eyes widened in shock and protest, but before I could kick him between his legs, his brother had pulled him off me. "Let's not get carried away brother," Nate warned him. "She's our guest and you can only do stuff like that with her if she's willing."

"In other words, never," I scoffed, sitting up.

"We'll see beautiful," he winked.

Just then, Kofi came out of the bathroom. My eyes widened, seeing that he was bare chested. I averted my eyes shyly, only daring to briefly gawk at his beautiful physique.

He was grinning, something which I was unused to. "Hey Elorm, catch." Before I knew what was happening, his vomit covered shirt was flying at me at the speed of light. I smacked me right in the face, smearing the vomit all over the right side of my face, before it dropped quite unhelpfully onto my lap.

I screamed for so long that Rhys and Nathan had their ears covered, but Devan was revelling in my suffering, laughing like I'd never seen him laugh before.

"Why are so mad? It's your own vomit after all," he cooed, crossing his arms over his broad chest and leaning his side on the doorframe.

"I will murder you," I told him.

"Not if I can do anything about that," Nathan told me pointedly.

"I don't need you to fight my battles, Nate. I think I can take care of a dreary village girl." Kofi glared at him.

"This one can be feisty. I would watch my back if I were you," Wolfgang laughed, finding this whole situation amusing.

Kofi rolled his eyes. "Hey Ellie, I think you have a little something on your face," he pointed to the right side of his own face and laughed at his joke.

I was trying my very best not to move because I didn't want the droplet of vomit hanging onto my right nostril to fall onto my lips. I wouldn't be able to take that.

"Stop torturing the poor girl," Nate said, getting bored of the whole show. He grabbed toilet paper from the bathroom and used it to wipe my face. I snatched one piece of paper and wiped the vomit droplet, then I let out a relieved breath.

"Thank you," I told him.

Wolfgang frowned. "Back off Nate," he literally shoved his brother aside and pulled his handkerchief from his pocket, using it to wipe the rest of the vomit.

"Why the heck are you guys fighting for her attention? I'm right here," he gestured to his body. Nathan was right, his brothers really were childish but you'd never see it unless they were together. It was beautiful and I found myself wishing that I had that kind of connection with my siblings.

Anyway, his brothers ignored him.

"Come on, a little soap will get rid of that smell," Wolfgang told me, helping me up and letting me lean into him because of my bad ankle.

"Hello? She vomited on my babymaker? I don't see anyone helping me with that," Kofi said angrily.

His brothers just stared at him like he just gave birth to an alien spaceship.

"Your brother needs psychiatric help," I whispered into Wolfgang's ear.

"You think?" He whispered back.

I smiled, then chastised myself. I wasn't here to make friends with the enemies, no matter how playful and friendly they were being.

When we were in the bathroom and Wolfgang was trying to wash my face whilst balancing me and trying not to get me wet, Kofi strolled in like he owned the place.

"What the heck do you think you're doing?" Wolfgang asked him as he was pulling down his flap zipper.

"I'm trying to wash off the rest of this girl's insides," he murmured. "Obviously."

I don't think he realised what that sounded like and I really don't think he'd appreciate it if I told him.

"You can't scar us like that," Wolfgang said.

He really should learn to speak for himself.

"It's nothing you've not seen," he scowled. "And I don't care much about the other one."

Good thing he doesn't mind.

"Yeah, except when I last saw it, it was pencil thin and an inch long. I know it has changed and I do not want to see that change. Please, if you love me, you won't do this to me, please," Wolfgang begged like his life depended on it.

I would never admit it but I really wanted him to shut up.

Kofi laughed. It was quite beautiful, I found myself entranced. He shouldn't ever be without his brothers. Maybe he was just being a grouch because he missed them. It didn't change the fact that he tried to kill me though. "Okay fine. Just be out soon okay? It feels really disgusting." He glared at me before he left.

When he was gone and Wolfgang was scrubbing my face with more force than necessary and I was making his life difficult by stepping on his foot and turning my head every which way - that sentence was longer than necessary - Wolfgang sighed and said, "Hey princess."

I glared at him through my soap covered lashes. "I don't know if your memory is failing you but you've been talking to me for the past ten minutes. Why the heck are you now saying hi?"

He put the sponge down and sat at the edge of the jacuzzi. He grabbed onto my waist and pulled me onto his lap before I could protest. I made a show of trying to get up but I was quite comfortable on his lap.

"I hope you don't hate me?"

"For kidnapping me and taking me away from my fiancé whilst ruining my image even further? No, I love you," I told him sarcastically.

"I just... I don't know. I realise now that it was a rash decision."

"You think?"

"And no one ever comes here by force, you're the first."

"I just love trying new things."

"And trust me, I don't want to keep you here by force."

"Oh, I trust you a truckload much."

"But I can't take you back either, it's too risky."

"Good idea. I'll just burn this place down and kill you and all your brothers."

"You don't have to be a prostitute, like Nate said. But you can be my personal slut!"

"That sounds exciting! That's what you've been getting at all this while! Marvellous ending! Really my spirits are lifted!"

"I know right!" He said, finally not ignoring me. I knew even he wasn't dumb enough not to detect the sarcasm in my voice.

"Ugh, you're an idiot," I flicked his ear and pulled myself off his lap.

"They do say God's time is the best time," he said cheekily.

I stared at him incredulously. "You think God wants me to be your semen dumpster?"

"Yes, He works in mysterious ways. Who knows? I might fall in love with you and we'd get married and have a couple of kids."

I kept staring at him. If there was anyone I would seduce to get out of here, it'd definitely be him. I smiled calmly, knowing that my escape was guaranteed.

"Maybe," I laughed.

He frowned at me. "Already? I thought this would take more time."

"What?"

"You warming up to me."

I realised that I was moving too fast. I'd have to tone it down a bit. "Me? No way. The relationship between us is colder than Pluto."

He sniggered. "I just love you."

When we came out of the bathroom, Kofi was frowning. Not that that was a surprise, but Nate was frowning too and they were both staring at a phone screen. Wolfgang, realising that something was deathly wrong, strode over to them and stared at the phone.

Then, so uniformly that it was creepy, they all looked at me and Nate asked, "You're a drug addict?"

* * *

Can I just say this is my favourite chapter yet?

I've been a bit lazy to proof read these past few days, so ignore the typos. You can also prompt me in the comments if you see one. It's also because my speak command has disappeared from Word. :(

Pray for America, people. They have over two hundred cases of COVID-19 as of now. It's scary, I have family there!

Anyways, see you on Chapter Sixteen!

Don't forget to vote! Love you all! #Stayhomestaysafe