PART ONE
The blazing morning sun peeking through my curtains blinds me awake, I rub my eyes in hopes it would take away some of the light. I squint one eye open and remember where I am and grunt as I roll over to the bed side cabinet and reach for my phone. 10am, December 18th. 7 days. It’s been 7 days since I have been snowed into this fucking cabin, no flights no boats to get me home as of yet, and to make matters worse, I’m stuck with 3 of the most infuriating men I have ever met. One that barely talks and makes every conversation awkward, one that’s always moody for no reason and can barely understand half the time. And the one. The one that’s the biggest arsehole I have ever met. This one I am fully convinced was only created to wind me up to the point of breaking. Since I came here 10 days ago to interview these arseholes for a shitty “exclusive” article my boss seems to think is a blessing I have not wanted anything more than to strangle them all.
Not only did I have to travel here because they refused to be interviewed elsewhere and refused an online one, but the day before I was scheduled to fly back the biggest snow storm in years happened and here I am. Still. With three, big headed, ego filled, more muscle than brains dickheads. I try to stay in my room most of the time and watch for any flight up dates but, just like now, I need to risk facing them to feed myself. And I really needed a coffee.
Hyping myself up I grab my dressing gown and slip on my slippers and head out towards the kitchen, I keep my eyes glued to my phone and pretend I’m reading something important to help avoid them as much as possible. Which was a usual tactic most mornings. The smell of coffee and bacon getting stronger as I get closer, still avoiding eye contact I sense them all sat at the table, knowing they will all be up as they are everyday at the crack of dawn doing god knows what. There isn’t anything to do in the middle of nowhere on a snowy mountain.
Knowing the cabin layout by now it made it easier for me to walk without having to look up, simple log cabin with wooden beams, living room and kitchen open plan and a few doors down a corridor for bedrooms. One floor, really cozy log cabin and somewhere I would enjoy, with the right company.
I head towards the coffee station eyes still down, which I instantly regretted not looking around the room for a second as I collide into something with my purposeful force. My gaze jolts from my phone to the asshole staring me down with his dark eyes that look so dark they almost look black. Like a demon. He stands leaning his back on the counter arms crossed across his chest.
“You might want to take your eyes of that stupid phone for once and watch where you are going”
He says to me in an annoyed tone. I ignore him and attempt to step around him to reach the coffee, he shifts in front of me blocking any space for me to grab anything. I exhale a breath in annoyance and move to the other side to which he shifts and blocks me again. I drop my phone to my side gripping it so hard I might end up breaking it and stare at him.
“Can I get some coffee please”
I say in an angry tone. He doesn’t say or do anything he just stands there blocking the counter giving me a death glare through his Balaklava, which they all wear to hide their real identities, which is part of why I’m even here in the first place. To find out why, which I still don’t know. All I know is their age and first names, if they are real or not who knows.
I try to side step him to get around but he blocks mw again, I grunt frustrated. Is he for fucking real? almost double my age and he’s acting like a 4-year-old. One of the others starts to laugh at the performance.
“Let her get her coffee Si, so she can crawl back into her little pit”
I whip my head around to where the voice came from, fury on my face seeing him, Greyson, sat smug watching me while chewing on a piece of bacon. His own Balaklava lifted to just over his top lip to allow access. The other who never speaks, Aidean, tending to the fire with some logs acting like none of this is happening as usual.
The low rumble of a laugh vibrates next to me and I look back at him, not sure how but I can tell he’s grinning under that stupid fucking mask.
“what are you gonna give me in return if I move?”
I scrunch my face at him ignoring his request and try to shove him away but he doesn’t even move at all, he’s so tall and is heavily muscular so I shouldn’t be surprised I couldn’t shift him. He laughs at my poor attempt and which makes me even more angry.
“Stop being an arsehole and fucking move”
Both of them laugh, fucking laugh at me.
“Seriously? your all almost double my age grow up” I bellow at them and storm straight back towards my room and slam the door as an act of my annoyance reminding myself of a moody teenager. I grab my pillow from my bed and scream into it to let out some frustration. Fucking arseholes. I’m so angry I’m shaking.
I’ve had enough, days this bullying torment has been going on. I don’t know how much longer we are going be stuck here but I can’t stand another day of this. Remembering all the different times, me, hiding my things or moving them to places I can’t reach, numerous mocking comments on my clothes, throwing all of my fucking towels in the snow while I showered, criticizing me for the most random things.
The memories fuelling my rage, before I know it, I’m up and out of the room, my feet taking over, quickly pacing back to the kitchen almost running.
With how close the kitchen is to my room I’m there in seconds. He hasn’t moved from the counter I just left him from, I stand in the entrance way to the kitchen, fury on my face, I cross my arms over my chest. Standing like an angry teacher about to yell at her class.
“I am fucking sick and tired of this childish bullying, I’ve been nothing but pleasant since I met you all, even though I thought of you all as absolute pricks to which I could put up with until we got snowed in here. So, I stayed out of the way only coming out when needed and even, then you all still treat me like shit for not fucking reason and I’ve had enough. I don’t like you all, and you all obviously don’t like me either so enough. Let’s leave it at that and stay out of each other’s way until we can get out of here. Okay?”
Silence.
All of them are just staring at me. motion and emotionless. My bold confidence built from my rage slipping as the silence lingers longer. Almost starting to feel awkward, but I keep my stance, showing I mean what I say.
I decide to take the silence as an agreement, I turn to head back to my room and split second later I hear heavy footsteps, before I can process and turn around, my body is slammed into the wall, my face pressed against it, a hand pinning me from the back base of my neck. I try to scream but the angle of my head making my throat twist it just comes out as a whimper.
He slams his other hand against the wall next to my head with the clear intention to make me jump, which works.
“You think what we have been doing to you is bullying? You have no idea sweetheart.”
Si growls into my ear, I can feel his breathe on the curve of my neck. My heart beating so hard I fear it might burst out from my chest. I try to wriggle out of his grip.
“Get the fuck off of me” I bite to him through my gritted teeth.
He presses his body against me, caging me in. All the muscle he has pressing on me feeling as solid as the wall I’m up against. My breathing hitches, my body is getting hot. Am I getting fucking turned on right now? A flash of the image of him taking me up against this wall flashes in my brain. I gasp at the stupidity of the fantasy. It’s been too long since I’ve had sex, clearly if the idea of this prick taking me gets me going and in this situation is crazy.
“Who the fuck do you think you are speaking to us like that? Especially coming from a filthy mouthed reporter.”
“What the fuck do you mean by that?” I gasp out
“All you reporters are the same, you meet us, judge us, ask the wrong questions to get the answers you want to make you look good. Then slander us all over the press. You don’t give a shit about the truth, about us really. You’re just looking for your next cash in.”
I scoff.
“Hardly slander when you all act like pricks all the time, look a you now pinning a woman less than half your size to a wall for calling you out on your bullshit behaviour. Which has been long over-due by the way.”
His breathing getting heavier, still warming my neck. My stomach flips. I tense frustrated at my body betraying me.
“After a while, when everyone starts believing what they read, you just become what they expect you to be”
The emotion in his voice changed, less anger and more frustrated. Softer.
“Then why did you agree to speak with me if you are just expecting me to write bullshit on you all?”
A pause, he doesn’t speak he just starts to move the hand that is still on my neck, sliding it slowly down my back towards my hips. Fuck I’m getting hot again, I try to steady my breathing not letting him think he’s getting to me. He forcefully turns me round using my hip, slamming me again now on my back into the wall.
His eyes burning into me again. Feeling more intense as I am unable to see the rest of his face. I almost look away from how nervous it makes me. But I keep my stare back locked, trying to show him, he doesn’t bother me as much as I care to admit. I don’t know how long we stand there staring for, there is a couple of times it looks like he is going to say something. Or wants too.
“BOYS” he shouts making me jump.
“you heard her, lets keep out of her way until we get out of here, no talking to her, no looking at her. Don’t even breathe in her direction. Nothing.”
I can’t see the other two from where we are, assuming they are seeing this entire encounter as he addresses them.
His stare hardens again.
“Happy?” raising his eyebrows awaiting my approval.
I swallow a big lump in my throat that refuses to go down. And slowly nod.
Slowly stepping away from me, he gives me one last slow glance from top to bottom. Realising I’m still wearing my pyjama pants and vest top all this time I suddenly felt exposed.
He turns away walking towards the back door and orders the other two to follow him to gather more wood for the fire. Leaving me still stood against that wall. After he leaves, I try to bring my breathing back to normal. I close my eyes and try to calm down my nerves. Confused, slightly turned on and? Something else I can’t describe. All I know is I’m sweating but my body won’t stop shaking. I was scared but, not? After a few minutes when my heart stops pounding and my breathing some-what normal I try to rationalise what just happened.
His statement repeating in my head.
you heard her, let’s keep out of her way until we get out of here, no talking to her, no looking at her. Don’t even breathe in her direction. Nothing.
Good. I got what I wanted. To be left alone until we could all go home and I could write this stupid article and never see or hear from them again.
But something wasn’t sitting right with me. The way he said the word reporter with such venom. Heading over to the now accessible coffee station moments keep flashing back.
after a while, when everyone starts believing what they read, you just become what they expect you to be
For a moment that one statement lingered and I started to dwell for a second. The whole experience in itself was a confusing mess of emotions, I feared there was a moment I felt something other than hatred for him. I decided it was probably the strange twang of arousal talking. Which I was still concerned about but decided to ignore and pretend that never happened. Pushing the ordeal to the back of my mind I headed back to my room now comforted at the knowledge of peace I will have for the rest of this horrible experience.
PART TWO COMING SOON
FantasiaByShahna 