Chapter 4 - The Kitchen Table Negotiation
The fluorescent lights of the kitchen hummed a harsh, sterile tune. I sat at the head of our mahogany dining table, Lily clutched tightly in my lap, her little heart hammering against my chest like a trapped bird. Vanessa stood near the patio doors, the heavy brass poker resting casually against her shoulder, though her eyes never left mine. Julian had dragged himself out of the cavity far enough to sit on the kitchen floor just past the threshold, nursing a cup of water Vanessa had begrudgingly tossed him.
"This is completely insane," I muttered, staring at the grain of the wood. "Even if you keep us here for a day, what's the endgame? People will notice. The police will come looking for Lily at school."
"School doesn't start for another three weeks, darling," Vanessa replied smoothly, checking her manicure. "And as for your disappearance, I've already drafted a scheduled email from your account to your boss, stating that you're taking an unscheduled week off to clear your head in the mountains following a minor family dispute."
"And me?" Julian rasped from the floor, coughing up a drop of water. "What about my grand reunion, Nessie? Do I get to see the sun again, or am I going back into the box?"
"You're going back into the box, Julian," Vanessa said without missing a beat. "The only reason I let you out today was because Lily found the loose baseboard panel you spent six months chiseling away with an old spoon. You couldn't just keep your hands to yourself, could you?"
"The kid was starving me!" Julian hissed, baring his yellowed teeth. "You forgot to drop the rations down the chute on Tuesday! I was chewing on my own belt!"
A cold dread pooled in my stomach. Tuesday. That was the day Vanessa had claimed she was visiting her sick mother two towns over. She had left me alone with Lily, while right beneath our floorboards, my twin brother was rotting away in a custom-built cage.
"You're both psychopaths," I whispered, my mind racing through every possible exit strategy. The kitchen window was too small for me, but Lily could—no, Vanessa was watching the patio doors like a hawk. One wrong move and the heavy brass poker would come down.
"We're survivors, Arthur," Vanessa corrected, walking slowly toward the table. She reached out and gently stroked Lily’s hair. Lily flinched, pulling back into my chest. Vanessa’s smile didn't reach her eyes. "Now, here is how this is going to work. You are going to write a confession letter. You’re going to state that you embezzled funds from the startup, discovered that I knew about it, and threatened both me and Lily before fleeing the state."
I stared at her in disbelief. "You're framing me for your crimes?"
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"I'm securing my future," she corrected coldly. "And once the letter is signed, sealed, and timestamped... Julian and I will decide whether to keep you as roommates or turn the permanent lock."
Julian let out a raspy, blood-chilling laugh from the floor. "I vote for the permanent lock, Nessie. Two brothers enter, one brother stays."
