Echo sat in silence in her prison cell. It wasn’t much of a prison cell; however, a barred door was the only barricade from the outside, and the room was decorated with the most glamourous and expensive furnishings she had ever seen. The walls were a soft pink with scarlet paintings decorating the walls, and the ceiling itself was painted by Romero Britto. It was a scene of two wine glasses toasting with hearts and flowers bursting from the cups. It was colourful, but not in her taste.
Flowers were laid at the base of her bed, a king sized mattress with overhangs and drapes. Gifts upon gifts were stuffed under the bed frame itself; boxes of exotic and foreign chocolate, teddy bears woven from silk, empty designer diaries and sketchbooks, and even a few jewelry boxes filled with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. The gifts seemed sketchy to her at first, but she eventually took it for granted.
Echo herself was on her bed, watching the clock roll the minutes by, waiting for the next day to come, as that was when Christopher came back from a month-long business trip to China. She was restless for reasons unknown to herself, and she didn’t even know why she cared for the man who kidnapped her. Maybe it was part of the Stockholm Syndrome she heard about when she was free.
She heard a knock at the door.
“Come in!” She called. As the captive, she felt strange for saying it.
Unsurprisingly, it was Christopher who came in. He had a loose fitting suit on, grinning like an idiot. He held a silver plate with a metal cover, no doubt her dinner.
“It’s about time you came.” She said defiantly, sticking her nose up in the air, but glanced back soon enough.
He took a step into the room, but the rug caught his shoes and he tripped and the silver platter fell. The metal cover flew off and revealed a bowl of tomato soup, which spilled all over the white rug.
“Oh no, oh no oh no!” He said, quickly getting up to clean up the mess he just made.
She couldn’t help but give a small chuckle, covering it with her hand. She smiled, but didn’t let him see it.
“S-sorry, Echo… I’ll get this cleaned up right away.” He ran off to get servants, but he was mumbling about how he made it himself.
She blinked. “Why didn’t he get his chef to make it?” She shrugged and went back to watching the clock.
A few moments later, Christopher and several servants came to clean it up. Well, mostly the servants. Christopher actually came with another plate.
“Alright, steady, steady…” He said to himself, carefully walking into the room. He set the plate down on the nightstand by her side and took off the metal cover. There were two bowls of tomato soup.
“Two? I can’t finish this all.” She said, holding up her hand to the plate as if she was denying her dinner.
“It’s for… us.” He mumbled out, looking down to cover his face.
She looked at him. “E-eh? I don’t know what trick you’re trying to play here, but—“
“It’s no trick!” He interrupted. “I just thought… we should have a nice dinner together, since… y-you’re my “guest” and all…”
She blinked again, and after a moment, she finally said. “Fine.”
He seemed delighted at this answer and handed her a spoon. “I made this tomato soup myself. I had help, of course, but…”
She rolled her eyes. Of course he had help; he’s the richest guy she ever saw. Ignoring what he was saying, she took a sip of the soup. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything new.
“-eird, but… I was thinking that you and I could… take a walk?...” She suddenly caught interest, her cat ears perking up. She was waiting to see the outside world once more, as it was ages since she felt fresh air.
“A walk? Sounds ama--” She stopped herself. She had to feign indifference.
“…. Sounds okay. Yeah, fine. Whenever you want.” She held back a smile at the thought of getting out.
He grinned again. “Great! Tomorrow, then!”
“Actually, how about right now?” She knew it was dark outside, and she knew this could be a chance to escape. She sent a silent prayer that this idiot would take it.
“Okay, yeah! Right now!” He gleefully replied. A servant whispered in his ear and glanced at Echo, but he ignored him. Getting up, Christopher took her hand and tugged it.
“Let’s go to the park!”
----
The park was nothing new. She’s been there a million times, yet it seemed completely different at night and with a cute boy by her side. She had a light jacket on and a coppola to cover her tail and ears. They sat on a park bench by the pond, with the city lights reflecting perfectly off of the stagnant waters. He was still holding her hand, and she looked away from him to cover her blush. Bystanders looked at them and whispered to each other. They thought she couldn’t hear them, but her cat ears were more than capable of doing so.
“Isn’t that the billionaire Christopher Ward?”
“Who’s that by his side?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a family member?”
“Sure doesn’t look like it…”
She felt her ears involuntarily flicker against the inside of her cap in irritation. They shouldn’t gossip.
“Damn them.” She thought. “They’re just—“
“Echo?” he asked, shaking her back to him.
“O-oh, I’m sorry, I was…” She glanced at the bystanders. “Distracted.”
He gave of a chuckle. “Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, as I was saying, don’t you think the park is lovely at night?”
“U-uhm, I’ve… never been here…” She lied. In her head, she thought. ‘Please show me around, please.’
He looked stunned for a second. “Never been? But you must have! This is New York City1 we’re talking about!” He smiled. “Want me to take you around?”
“I’d… like that.” She smiled back, brimming with excitement.
He got up and offered to take her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. She giggled and took it.
“Where are we going?”
“To see the side of this City that most people never see.”
Flowers were laid at the base of her bed, a king sized mattress with overhangs and drapes. Gifts upon gifts were stuffed under the bed frame itself; boxes of exotic and foreign chocolate, teddy bears woven from silk, empty designer diaries and sketchbooks, and even a few jewelry boxes filled with diamonds, rubies, and sapphires. The gifts seemed sketchy to her at first, but she eventually took it for granted.
Echo herself was on her bed, watching the clock roll the minutes by, waiting for the next day to come, as that was when Christopher came back from a month-long business trip to China. She was restless for reasons unknown to herself, and she didn’t even know why she cared for the man who kidnapped her. Maybe it was part of the Stockholm Syndrome she heard about when she was free.
She heard a knock at the door.
“Come in!” She called. As the captive, she felt strange for saying it.
Unsurprisingly, it was Christopher who came in. He had a loose fitting suit on, grinning like an idiot. He held a silver plate with a metal cover, no doubt her dinner.
“It’s about time you came.” She said defiantly, sticking her nose up in the air, but glanced back soon enough.
He took a step into the room, but the rug caught his shoes and he tripped and the silver platter fell. The metal cover flew off and revealed a bowl of tomato soup, which spilled all over the white rug.
“Oh no, oh no oh no!” He said, quickly getting up to clean up the mess he just made.
She couldn’t help but give a small chuckle, covering it with her hand. She smiled, but didn’t let him see it.
“S-sorry, Echo… I’ll get this cleaned up right away.” He ran off to get servants, but he was mumbling about how he made it himself.
She blinked. “Why didn’t he get his chef to make it?” She shrugged and went back to watching the clock.
A few moments later, Christopher and several servants came to clean it up. Well, mostly the servants. Christopher actually came with another plate.
“Alright, steady, steady…” He said to himself, carefully walking into the room. He set the plate down on the nightstand by her side and took off the metal cover. There were two bowls of tomato soup.
“Two? I can’t finish this all.” She said, holding up her hand to the plate as if she was denying her dinner.
“It’s for… us.” He mumbled out, looking down to cover his face.
She looked at him. “E-eh? I don’t know what trick you’re trying to play here, but—“
“It’s no trick!” He interrupted. “I just thought… we should have a nice dinner together, since… y-you’re my “guest” and all…”
She blinked again, and after a moment, she finally said. “Fine.”
He seemed delighted at this answer and handed her a spoon. “I made this tomato soup myself. I had help, of course, but…”
She rolled her eyes. Of course he had help; he’s the richest guy she ever saw. Ignoring what he was saying, she took a sip of the soup. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t anything new.
“-eird, but… I was thinking that you and I could… take a walk?...” She suddenly caught interest, her cat ears perking up. She was waiting to see the outside world once more, as it was ages since she felt fresh air.
“A walk? Sounds ama--” She stopped herself. She had to feign indifference.
“…. Sounds okay. Yeah, fine. Whenever you want.” She held back a smile at the thought of getting out.
He grinned again. “Great! Tomorrow, then!”
“Actually, how about right now?” She knew it was dark outside, and she knew this could be a chance to escape. She sent a silent prayer that this idiot would take it.
“Okay, yeah! Right now!” He gleefully replied. A servant whispered in his ear and glanced at Echo, but he ignored him. Getting up, Christopher took her hand and tugged it.
“Let’s go to the park!”
----
The park was nothing new. She’s been there a million times, yet it seemed completely different at night and with a cute boy by her side. She had a light jacket on and a coppola to cover her tail and ears. They sat on a park bench by the pond, with the city lights reflecting perfectly off of the stagnant waters. He was still holding her hand, and she looked away from him to cover her blush. Bystanders looked at them and whispered to each other. They thought she couldn’t hear them, but her cat ears were more than capable of doing so.
“Isn’t that the billionaire Christopher Ward?”
“Who’s that by his side?”
“I don’t know. Maybe a family member?”
“Sure doesn’t look like it…”
She felt her ears involuntarily flicker against the inside of her cap in irritation. They shouldn’t gossip.
“Damn them.” She thought. “They’re just—“
“Echo?” he asked, shaking her back to him.
“O-oh, I’m sorry, I was…” She glanced at the bystanders. “Distracted.”
He gave of a chuckle. “Yeah, I can see that. Anyway, as I was saying, don’t you think the park is lovely at night?”
“U-uhm, I’ve… never been here…” She lied. In her head, she thought. ‘Please show me around, please.’
He looked stunned for a second. “Never been? But you must have! This is New York City1 we’re talking about!” He smiled. “Want me to take you around?”
“I’d… like that.” She smiled back, brimming with excitement.
He got up and offered to take her hand in a gentlemanly fashion. She giggled and took it.
“Where are we going?”
“To see the side of this City that most people never see.”
