Stockholm Syndrome [The Cheshire Cat & Zaira]

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He left his dish where he was sitting and stood up to get closer. Then he sat down once again and rolled up his sleeve. Maybe he could show her the main ones without completely taking his shirt. Anyway, he noticed that he couldn't get out more than half an arm like that. He slightly frowned and started unbuttoning his shirt. After he completely removed it, he extended his right arm. He had a tattoo sleeve on it, and it was the first thing that called people's attention. It was all covered by animals, but it had some abstract designs joining them on a beautiful way in the background. An owl, a tiger, a wild dog, a bear, a wolf, an eagle, an elephant and a snake coiled around his wrist. Non of them were realistic, some didn't have their whole bodies, and some others were really small. The sleeve also extended a bit through his shoulder and chest. "I've had all of these throughout a few years, and lately added the background. I have eight animals on it." told her, glancing at his arm. It wasn't only that he loved animals, but most of them had a meaning to be tattooed. Anyway, he didn't want to bore her explaining every one of them.

He then showed her his other arm. He had a clock on it on the upper arm, two celtic symbols on his forearm, and, on the inner side of it, a latin phrase. It said 'aut viam inveniam aut faciam'. After giving her enough time to look at it, he slightly smiled. "Oh, and I have my own phoenix. I think you'll like it." told her and lifted his left arm a little. On that side of his body, and taking also part of his back, he had a tattoo of a phoenix and a dragon. They had their tails curled, but were looking at each others as if there were tension between them.

Finally, the last visible one, was a small black horse, drawn upon the left side of his chest. Following the path of its tail, there was a name, 'Angie'.
 
She once again unconsciously tensed when he approached her, but she relaxed once he sat down. When he rolled up his sleeve, she leaned forward a little but she couldn't see much. She sat back when he withdrew his arm, she wondered what he was doing. When she realized he was taking off his shirt, she blushed a little. She was going to say something, when he took it off and extended his arm. For a moment she glanced at his bare chest, wow he's very muscular. She thought to herself, before shaking her head a little and turning her gaze to his arm.

She looked at his tattoos in wonder, she was intrigued by all the different animals. She had always been an animal lover, and these were absolutely amazing. She loved the abstract background, and the way it accentuated the sightly surreal feel to the animals. She studied each animal as she followed the design from his arm, to his chest and shoulders. She loved each animal he had chosen, despite their obvious differences they all seemed to have something in common.

She turned her attention to his other arm, admiring the clock and the Celtic symbols. When she noticed the Latin phrase, she was quite interested in this one. For a moment she forgot her fear, she was so focused on trying to read it she sort of forgot where she was. She leaned in closer to him so she could read the writing, she repeated the phrase to herself quietly. She knew a little bit of Latin, and she was trying to remember the translation. After a moment she looked up at him, "that means either i will find a way, or I will make one right?" She asked curiously, thinking that it was a good insight into is personality.

She moved back a little when he turned to show her his side, she loved the phoenix and the dragon. She loved the way they were intertwined, and the tension on their faces. She thought their expressions were a fantastic detail, and she wondered if they were his own designs. When he turned back to face her, she noticed a small black horse on his chest. She had been so absorbed by his animal sleeve, that he hadn't noticed it before. She looked at the name, then she looked up at him curiously. "Who's Angie?"
 
He smiled a seeing her so hearing her so focused on his tattoos. She seemed to like them, and for a moment he only felt as two normal people getting to know each other. For that moment, he forgot he was holding her hostage on his basement. When she talked about his latin phrase, he was slight surprised. He wondered if she really knew latin or she heard about that phrase somewhere else. "That's right. Do you know latin?" asked curiously. Even if he liked latin, he didn't know more than a few words.

As he heard her question, his smile slowly faded away. He didn't actually like talking about it, but he was still used to that question. "My sister." He told her, and slightly smiled once again. "She always dreamed on owning a horse. And she achieved it, so I know she wouldn't regret what happened. " added, trying to explain the horse. She had actually died riding it, but he didn't mind to explain it.
 
She was amused by his surprised expression, "i know a little." She wondered why he was so surprised, she supposed that knowledge of Latin wasn't that common. She had learned it when she was in school, she didn't remember it all but she could remember the basics. The phrase he had chosen was pretty famous anyway, she had always liked it.

When his smile faded she wondered why he seemed upset, was Angie his ex-girlfriend or something? His sister? The way he was speaking, it sounded like she was dead. Had she died in a horse riding accident? If that was true she felt very sorry for him, even if he was her kidnapper. "I'm sorry if i upset you", she said softly. "I didn't mean to pry." She was sorry for upsetting him, but she hadn't expected Angie to be his dead sister.
 
He smiled slightly hearing her. She really seemed sorry, and if he was the one being kidnapped, he would actually do whatever to make his kidnapper feel miserable. But she didn't seem to be like that, and he was glad about it. "Don't worry about it." told her, meaning it. "You probably though she was a lover, as everyone else, anyway. Actually, the dragon and phoenix are about that. I'm glad there are no names on it, though, and I still have an awesome tattoo, even thought its meaningless right now." added, a bit amused, trying to change the conversation. He realized he was a bit too deep into his personal life, thought, and he was still shirtless. He grabbed his shirt and dressed, slowly standing up.

"Do you need anything else, Madeline? If you don't, I should probably leave and let you rest." asked, looking down at her.
 
She was relived that he wasn't upset or angry about it, she thought that upsetting or antagonizing your kidnapper was probably a bad idea. Also she really didn't like upsetting people, it usually just made her feel guilty. She was surprised that she felt sorry for him, but she supposed it was just in her nature. When he changed the subject she was grateful, she didn't know what else to say and she felt awkward. She wasn't too surprised to hear that the dragon & phoenix tattoo represented a relationship, it was a great image actually.

She was a little amused by his comment, she had agreed that not having names was a good idea. She had always thought that you should never have a name tattooed on you, unless it was a family member or someone that you knew you loved more than anything. When he mentioned that he wasn't with that person anymore, she nodded to herself a little. That makes sense if he had family or a girlfriend to worry about, he probably would have thought twice before he killed those men.

She watched as he got up, and put his shirt back on. She looked up at him, she shook her head a little. "No I'm fine thanks", she said softly. She didn't think she was going to get an rest, but she didn't say so. It couldn't hurt to try though, and she had the books to read anyway if she couldn't. She wondered briefly if he'd lock the door, did it have a lock on his side or hers? She hadn't noticed but if it was on her side, he could always block the door with something.
 
He nodded slightly at her answer. "Alright. Good night, then." told her with a friendly smile, and walked towards the door. He picked up his dish on his way and exited the basement. Luckily, the old basement door had its own key, so it could be locked from either side, and opened on either side, but the key was needed. Anyway, what James had forgotten about was that, somewhere in those old box, there was a copy of the key.

After leaving the dish with still a slice if pizza lefr on the kitchen, he headed upstairs. Anyway, when he reached his room, he didn't feel very well. He couldn't help but worry, both about her and about what she could do. He didn't feel as if he kept things under control from there, so he went back down. Wondering what to do, he ended up laying down on his couch. As it was a lot closer to the basement door, he would be able to hear if she needed anything or if she tried anything. Anyway, it had been still hard for him to fall asleep.
 
She watched as he went upstairs, “goodnight.” She said softly, when she heard a small click she sighed. Obviously the basement door had a key, she wasn’t getting out that way. She wondered for a moment what she should do, she was a bit tired but doubted she could get any sleep. She picked up one of the books and started to read, trying to lose herself in the story.

Even though it was one of her favorites, she just couldn’t focus on it. Normally when she was reading she forgot everything else, and just became utterly absorbed by the story. This time however she just felt too restless, she put the book down and stood up.
She walked around the basement, glancing into the boxes. She didn’t really see anything she could use, but she wasn’t really checking them thoroughly. She figured that James had already taken anything useful, besides most of them seemed to only be full of old papers and photos. She reluctantly admitted to herself that she may be here for quite a long time, she could always sift through them later.

After a while she decided to at least try and sleep, it would make time pass faster. She figured it had to be getting pretty late anyway, plus being tired would hinder her thinking and that was the last thing she needed. She was about to turn off the light, when she thought of something. She turned to look at the door, she didn’t want him coming back in while she was asleep.

She glanced around for something she could use, one of the larger boxes looked quite heavy. She walked over and lifted it, it was heavy but she could manage. She carried it up the stairs as quietly as she could, then she set it down in front of the door. It wouldn’t keep him out but it was heavy enough that he’d have to push hard to move it, at least the noise would wake her up. She noticed that there was a keyhole on her side as well, if she could somehow get the key off him she could let herself out.

She walked back down the stairs, and went over to the light switch. She turned it off and then stood perfectly still for a moment, she suddenly felt very claustrophobic. She closed her eyes and took a few deep breathes, after a moment she felt a little better. She slowly and carefully made her way back to her bed, she laid down and pulled the covers over her. She closed her eyes and tried to relax a little, after what seemed like hours she started to drift off a bit. She fell into a doze, but it was light and she snapped awake at the slightest sound.
 
The night had been hard for James as well. Even if he got a good quantity of hours of sleep, he didn't rest peacefully. The whole night his head had been replaying some awful nightmares. The first one, he was in the spot of the two men he had killed. They fought him, and won over him by stabbing him. But, they didn't know he was still alive, and so they buried him alive. The worst thing of all was that, unlike normal nightmares, he didn't wake up to notice everything was okay. Another nightmare came after it, where he was found by the rest of the gang that he owed money to, and he spent the whole dream running away, until they finally caught him. The last one, the third one, he was with Madeline, and as she was trying to escape, he accidentally killed her. James woke up breathing heavily, and it took him a few minutes to calm down.

It was around 10 in the morning, and he was glad it was a sunday, so he didn't need to skip work. He still had no idea how he would proceed with his life, but at least he had the whole day to think about it. As soon as he stood up, he went straight to the bathroom. He washed his face a couple of times and brushed his teeth. The first thing he would need to do, was a deep clean in his kitchen, since there were still some small blood stains. But, he felt an urge on checking on Madeline first. Maybe if he walked in quietly he wouldn't even need to wake her up. Of course, in the case she had been able to get some sleep.

He walked towards the door and unlocked it as quietly as he could. Anyway, as he tried to open it, he found something blocking its way. Well, it was logic she tried to lock her in, with a 'psycho' having access to her room whenever he could. He couldn't blame her for that, but he still wanted to check how she was doing. In the case she was still in and she didn't find some secret passage to escape. Okay, maybe he was getting a bit paranoid. He knocked the door a few times. "Madeline? Can I come in?"
 
Madeline slowly opened her eyes, glancing at the walls around her. They were still the same, she sighed softly. A small part of her had been holding onto the hope that this was actually just a dream, and eventually she’d wake up in her own bed. Obviously though this was actually happening, this was her grim reality.

As naive as the thought had been, it was a nice escape for a little while. She needed to stay focused though, she couldn’t afford to just sit around and daydream. She sat up and yawned, she’d barely gotten any sleep and she was still pretty tired. She’d fallen asleep for a little while a few hours ago, but it had been light and she’d woken up soon after.

She had no idea what time it was, it could still be one in the morning for all she knew. She glanced at the door, the box hadn’t been moved. He hadn’t tried to get in while she was asleep, she was relieved. She could see light coming in from under the door, is that sunlight or just a light bulb? She supposed it didn’t really matter, but not knowing whether it was day or night was strangely disorienting.

She poured herself a glass of water, as she drank it she wondered what she should do. She was contemplating getting up and having another look around, when she suddenly heard James at the door. "Madeline? Can I come in?" That was oddly polite of him, why doesn’t he just shove the door open? He’d been oddly polite basically this whole time though, and maybe he just didn’t want to move it.

For a brief moment she considered ignoring him, just laying back down and pretending she hadn’t heard him. What would that accomplish Maddy? He’ll either keep calling you until you answer, or he’ll just keep pushing the door until the box ends up falling down the stairs.
Either way he’s going to get in here, but if he has to force his way in he’s going to be pissed.
She sighed softly, and got to her feet. “Coming”, she called out and made her way to the stairs.

When she got to the top, she didn’t look at him or first. She pushed the box out of the way, but there wasn’t much room on the top step so he’d only be able to open it halfway. He’d still be able to get through easy enough though, she took a few steps back down to get out of his way.
 
He waited patiently until she unblocked the door. After it, he opened it, noticing it hit something once again halfway. Anyway, it was enough to check on her. It wasn't even necessary to step in completely, and he was sure that Madeline would appreciate that. When he stuck his head in, he did it quite carefully. Although she looked as someone who wouldn't hurt even a fly, and would rather keep herself out of trouble, he still considered the possibility she would try to knock him out with whatever she could find. Anyway, nothing happened.

"Uhm, good morning, and sorry if I wake you up." told her, looking at her a few steps below him. "I just wanted to check on you." added, just speaking the truth to her. "And I thought I could ask you if you want something in specific for breakfast." he said, trying to keep making her as comfortable as a hostage could be. Even if he didn't have much in his fridge, he could go to a grocery store a few blocks from his house. Taking a small walk might even be good for him.
 
She watched as he slowly poked his head through, she was a little bit amused by his caution. She didn't have anything to hit him with, nothing that would have done more than give him a nasty headache anyway. Even if she did, she wouldn't have much room to swing at him with it. She wasn't sure if she had the stomach to do that anyway, she had no qualms about defending herself but a blow to the head could kill him. She didn't think she'd be comfortable risking that, she didn't want to be a killer even if he was one himself.

"Morning", she replied softly. At least now she knew what time it was, "You didn't i was already up." Check on me? Make sure i haven't gotten out you mean. When he asked if he could get her something for breakfast, she shrugged a little. She didn't really know what to ask for, she couldn't really think of anything she really felt like. Though his kindness was still suspicious and confusing to her, she did appreciate his efforts. "Anything is fine, but thanks for asking." "Some fruit might be nice." She added, just so he had some answer.

"Can i use the bathroom?" She asked quietly, she doubted he'd agree. She didn't really need to go, she really just wanted to wash her face. She wasn't trying to run off or anything, she just wanted to get out of the basement for a little while. Plus being able to wash her face would help wake her up, and make her feel better.
 
As she spoke, the thought that she wouldn't even hurt an insect intensified, which allowed James to relax and listen to her. Hearing she was already up wasn't something that surprised him. Even if he didn't know much about kidnapping people, anyone could imagine that sleeping while you are locked against your will on a stranger's basement wasn't something easy. But it seems that she had some rest at least, which was a good thing. James nodded as she answered his question. Luckily, he had a few fruits in his refrigerator, so he could go buy some other stuff later. Maybe after having a good breakfast himself.

Anyway, when she mentioned the bathroom, James felt quite stupid. He hadn't thought about it, which showed how much preparation his plan lacked of. Even if he took a moment to think about it, he finally decided it wasn't such a great think. "Sure, wait a sec." he told her and left the room, closing the door behind him. He didn't lock it this time, he wasn't going far anyway and would hear the door. James walked towards his closest bathroom on the first floor, closing every window curtain on his way to it. He couldn't risk having one of his neighbors seeing Madeline through a window. Right after he did so, he went back to look for her and opened the basement door as much as the box allowed it. "Okay, you can come out. I'll lead you there."
 
Madeline studied his face as she spoke, trying to judge his reaction to her. He seemed to be listening at least, and he seemed pleased when she mentioned that fruit would be nice. He must have some already here, he must be relieved he doesn't have to venture out of the house. He looked tired as well, perhaps he didn't get any sleep either. That makes sense, either he's worried about getting caught or he's feeling guilty for killing those men. If he was feeling guilty, she felt oddly better. It would at least show that he wasn't an emotionless monster, and that he regretted what he'd done.

When he agreed to let her out, she was a bit surprised. She hadn't expected him to, but then again there was no where else for her to go so she guessed he didn't have much of a choice. She waited patiently as he disappeared for a moment, she noticed he didn't lock the door but didn't open it. It wasn't worth the risk, she could hear him moving around and he was just too close. She stepped back a little as she heard him coming back, so he could open the door as much as it would go. She nodded when he said she could come out, she waited for him to step back a little so she could get through.

Once he did, she stepped through and stood beside him. She glanced around for a moment, then she turned back to look at him waiting for him to lead her.
 
As she came out, he stepped back so that she could get through. Even if, at that point, he was almost sure she wouldn't try anything reckless, he was still focused. "That way." he pointed for her, so that she would walk in front of him. Giving your back to your hostage was probably as bad as doing it to an enemy. It was a lot better to be able to watch her moves. James guided her to the bathroom, which wasn't far away from the basement's door, and when they got there, he opened the door for her and stepped aside. "There are a few dispensable toothbrush inside the first drawer. Take one, if you wish." he offered to her. The bathroom only had a small window, one that she could not possibly go through, and he doubted she'd want to stab him with a bottle of shampoo, so he didn't care about leaving her alone for a bit.
 
She looked in the direction he was pointing, and started walking that way. When he fell into step behind her, she wondered why he didn’t want to walk in front of her. She supposed it was so he could watch her better, and so she couldn’t take him by surprise. She had no weapons, though she thought he was right to be cautious.

She waited while he opened the door for her, once he stepped aside she walked forward. When he mentioned toothbrushes, she nodded “okay thanks.” She stepped inside, then closed and locked the door behind her. She scanned the room, but there was only the one window. Unless she could shrink like Alice, there was no way she was getting through it.

She took her time looking around; there was nothing useful to her. Not unless she could spray him in the eye with his aftershave, or beat him with a bar of soap. The idea was ridiculous, and the thought of trying it made her smile a little.
She wouldn’t mind a shower, but she had no change of clothes. She wasn’t dirty anyway, so washing her face would be enough. She ran the water as cold as it would go, then splashed it onto her face. She felt a lot more awake now, she dried her face and then opened the drawer.

She chose one of the brushes, and picked up the toothpaste. As she started brushing her teeth, she wondered why he had a drawer full of disposable toothbrushes. Did he use a new one every time? It didn’t really matter, but she thought about it for a while anyway.
A while later she looked up, suddenly realizing she’d been standing here for ages. She’d started thinking about unimportant things as a distraction, she was subconsciously delaying the moment when James took her back into the basement.

She sighed and rinsed out her mouth, she did the same with her brush and left it by the sink.
She didn’t want to go back downstairs, but she couldn’t just stay in here all day. She glanced in the mirror and fixed her hair, then she opened the door and stepped out. She thought she heard him in the kitchen, so she glanced that way.
 
He waited outside the bathroom for a while, but then he knew she could take long in there. It was normal, thought, since she'd go back into the basement right after it. It was then when he decided to go to the kitchen in the meantime. Anyway, the front door was locked, and he didn't believe she'd just run to try to escape. And he'd catch her if she did, since she wouldn't find the keys on time. James took from his fridge a couple of fruits. An apple, a banana and a pear. Believing it was enough, he washed them and put them on a dish. As soon as he heard the bathroom door opening, he placed the dish down and hurried to see her. It seemed he wasn't so sure that she wouldn't try anything.

Of course, she didn't look happy, but she did look a bit better. And, for some reason, it made him smile slightly. "Uhm, I was thinking, if you want to take a shower later, I can get you some clothes." offered her. He didn't have anything for women, and his clothes would be too big for her, but it would be clean at least. "And would you like something else to drink, other than water?"
 
Madeline looked up at James as he hurried back into the room, obviously he was worried she might get out. She’d already glanced around the room though, she could see all the exits were locked and there was no sign of the keys. She assumed they were in his pocket or something so unless she could smash a window, she wasn’t getting out of here anytime soon.

She looked at him curiously, wondering why he was smiling. Maybe he was just trying to look friendly; he didn’t seem to be aware he was doing it though. Whatever the reason, she thought it was a nice genuine smile.

When he offered to get her a change of clothes so she could take a shower, she was a bit surprised. She didn’t know where he was going to get them from, or if he was just going to give her some of his. It didn’t really matter either way, having a shower would make her feel a bit more normal.

She nodded, “that would be nice.” She said softly, grateful for his offer. "And would you like something else to drink, other than water?" She didn’t really want to ask him for anything, but he was making an effort to be nice so she had to give him some answer. “Some juice maybe? Or some tea?” She said quietly, “anything is fine really.”
 
Being standing in his hall, talking as if it was a normal situation, made him feel a lot more comfortable around her. He believed it might be dangerous, though, since he'd probably lower his guard that way. Anyway, she didn't look as a thread, and didn't act like one neither. So maybe he could allow himself to relax just a little bit.

James nodded at her answer. The smile already left his expression, but he still looked friendly. Or that was what he was trying to, at least. "Great, I'll get them after having breakfast, okay?" said, talking about the clothes, without expecting an answer. "That's sound good. I think I have some orange juice, but I still need to check." told her, glancing at the hall that lead towards the kitchen. "Do you want to join me? It wouldn't be human keeping you down there the whole day, but I'd still like to keep an eye on you. So maybe we can have breakfast up here?" offered, raising his eyebrows as he waited for an answer. He would understand if she'd prefer the dark basement to keep away from him, though, but wouldn't mind having her around. He had already made sure every curtain was closed, and the keys of the front door were in his back pocket. It was only a matter of keeping her away from the knives and phones.
 
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