Idol Week 2: “If It’s Any Consolation…”
Jun. 29th, 2025 03:30 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
inkstainedfingertipsNow…
Mia’s eyes fluttered open as she ascended to consciousness. Her lungs burned and a loud breath burst from her mouth like she had been underwater far too long. A flash of pain behind her eyes made her wince, the back of her throat was coated in acidic bile, and she tasted the vomit clinging to the roof of her mouth.
Mia’s head felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton and cobwebs, and she was having trouble thinking. She slowed herself down and took several long, cleansing breaths. Eventually, her heart began to slow and the fog in her brain lifted.
“What’s happening to me? What the hell is going on?”
Mia’s eyes cut left then right, but all she could see was the mirror on the ceiling above her, reflecting her naked body. Her ankles and wrists were shackled to the stainless steel table she was stretched out on, and there was a tremendous weight on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
The creak of a floorboard sent a rush of panic through her. Unable to move her head, Mia cut her eyes to the left and there, hovering at the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw the shape of the man hovering in the shadows.
“Who’s there? Who is that?”
“What was the one rule we had in this house, Mia?”
The sound of his voice sent a cold chill through her, and she shuddered.
“Mr. Lowe. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know you said—”
“It was the one rule in this house.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come in here.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“Please, Mr. Lowe. I’m sorry.”
“I’m afraid we’re past that, Mia. We are well past that.”
* * * * *
Before…
Mia stood on the porch with ten-year old Rachel, watching her parents drive away. For the past few years, she had been taking babysitting jobs through an online agency, saving every last dollar she could earn—had been for the last couple of years. And the Lowes had come to her through an offsite referral from somebody she’d sat for before.
She had been elated to land the Lowes as clients. Not only did they pay incredibly well—almost double what she earned from the online board—but she didn’t have to give a percentage of what she earned to the agency. She got to keep every last dollar she made. The Lowes were gone so often, she had been able to put together a nice little nest egg to start herself out. Mia was going to turn eighteen in a couple of months, and the day she did, she was getting the hell out of the dysfunctional, abusive hellhole she called home.
“Well, there they go,” Rachel said.
“Yep. There they go.”
“Did you call your parents and tell them you were here? I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
“Of course,” Mia lied.
The truth was, she doubted her parents would not only not care, they were probably so drunk and/or high, they wouldn’t notice she wasn’t there. Mia had stopped telling them where she was going or when she’d be back long ago.
“So, what are we going to do first?” Rachel asked.
“How about we order pizza?” Mia offered. “I’m starving.”
“Yay, pizza!”
Mia spent the day eating pizza, watching movies, and having fun with Rachel. She didn’t plan on having children, but if she ever did, she hoped they’d be like Rachel. The girl was smart and precocious. She was a little shy and didn’t have any real friends, but she had a bright, shining personality. Rachel was a delight to be around. She was like the little sister Mia never had.
“Do I really have to go to bed?” Rachel asked. “My parents aren’t home. They’d never know if we watched another movie or played another game.”
Mia offered her a smile. “The rules are the rules, kiddo,” she said. “But if you’re good, maybe tomorrow we’ll go to the zoo.”
Her eyes grew wide, and her face lit up. “Really?”
“If you’re good and do what I say.”
“I’ll be good,” she cried. “And I’ll do what you say!”
Mia laughed as she got to her feet. “Then we’ll see.”
Leaning down, she kissed Rachel on the forehead and walked to the door. She turned off the light and was just about to close the door when the girl stopped her.
“I love you, Mia.”
Her heart swelled, and a smile crossed her face. “Love you too.”
“Mia?”
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“You’re not going to leave me, are you?”
“What? No. Of course not,” she replied. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because people leave. And I don’t want you to leave like the others,” she said, her voice heavy and sounding older than it should. “I want you to stay here with me. Forever.”
Mia’s smile faded into a frown, and she was glad Rachel couldn’t see her through the darkness. She heard the grief of loss in the girl’s words. She heard the loneliness in her voice. Rachel obviously bore a pain and emptiness a child should never know.
“Get some sleep, kiddo. I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Sweet dreams.”
Mia closed the girl’s bedroom door and stared at it for a moment. She and Rachel had more in common than she ever would have thought when she took the job. Rachel grew up privileged. Perhaps a bit spoiled. And her parents seemed to go out of their way to make sure the girl had everything she could ever want. They showered her with love. Things Mia never had.
As she walked down the hallway toward the stairs down to the first floor, she passed the door. Mia stopped and turned to it. As she had so many other times, she opened the door and stared at the staircase that led up and ended at another door. The Lowe’s were gracious and had given her free run of the house, telling Mia that when she was there, their home was her home. Nothing was off limits to her.
Except that door.
The attic room was completely off limits to her. They’d explained it was their home office and was filled with things related to their work. It was not a playground. And even though Mia had always obeyed their rule, it hadn’t stopped her curiosity. She was naturally curious—something that had never failed to annoy her parents. She had no idea what they did for work. She’d always gotten the idea they had important jobs, which was why they traveled so much, but what that work was, they’d never told her.
So many times, she’d ascended the staircase and pressed her ear to the door, listening for anything. But of course, she’d never heard a thing. That was as far as she’d gone though. The Lowes had always been good to her and not wanting to risk that relationship since it was funding her escape from home, she’d always obeyed the rule. But as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks had turned to months, her curiosity had only grown.
“How would they know if I just took a peek?” she whispered to herself.
The first step creaked beneath her feet. Her mind screamed at her to stop. To turn back, close the door, go downstairs and watch a movie on their giant TV. Her body though, fueled by her curiosity propelled her forward. Almost like it was against her will, Mia’s body kept climbing the stairs until she was standing in front of the door.
“Stop,” she said through gritted teeth. “Go back.”
Her body, though, refused to obey, and she felt like a passenger in her own mind as she watched her arm reach out, grasp the doorknob, and turn it. She gave the door a nudge, and it let out a long, sonorous groan as it swung inward. Mia tried to fight herself, but she couldn’t stop her body from crossing the threshold. Reaching out, she fumbled along the wall in the darkness, but finally found the switch and turned on the lights.
She stood just inside the door for a moment, her heart dropping into her stomach and her throat growing dry as she struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. The creak of a floorboard rang in Mia’s ears, sending white-hot fear sizzling through her veins. before she could turn around, she felt a sharp prick in her neck…
… and then the world turned black.
* * * * *
Now…
“Why can’t I move?” she asked, her voice quivering.
“I gave you a paralytic.”
“What are you going to do to me, Mr. Lowe?”
Tears spilled from the corners of Mia’s eyes and her heart pounded in her ears. “Please, Mr. Lowe,” she whispered. “Please let me go. I won’t say anything. I didn’t see anything.”
“Our daughter was afraid you were going to leave.”
“I wasn’t. Please—”
“Come now, we both know this wasn’t a forever job for you. You were going to leave,” he said. “And that would have been okay. It’s the natural way of things. You’re a young woman coming into your own and you had your whole life ahead of you.”
Had? Why did he say had?
“Mr. Lowe—”
He finally emerged from the shadows and looked down at her a little sadly. “If only you had obeyed the rules, Mia. It was one simple rule.”
The tears flowed freely and Mia’s heart beat so hard, she was sure it was going to burst. Mr. Lowe reached down and swiveled the table, pushing it up so although she was still strapped to the table, Mia was in a standing position and was able to take in the room for the first time. A gasp burst from her mouth and her stomach roiled.
Four women stood in a line against the wall in front of her. Mia knew these women had been alive at one point, but that Mr. Lowe had done something to… preserve them. Their skin was waxy and had an unnatural sheen, their eyes were open and lifeless. The women had been made up and dressed like… like dolls.
He rolled a table over to her filled with a wide variety of surgical instruments and a choked sob burst from Mia’s mouth as a fresh wave of tears streamed down her face.
“Please, Mr. Lowe,” she said, her voice thick and quavering with terror.
“If it makes you feel better, you really are Rachel’s favorite,” he said. “She really enjoyed these four—Heather, Sara, Maisey, and Gina—but she really does love you most of all.”
“And I love her. Please, Mr. Lowe—”
“And now you can be with our daughter forever,” he said. “That will make Rachel so profoundly happy. And that makes us happy.”
“Please, Mr. Lowe. Please don’t do this.”
The man picked up a scalpel, the overhead light glinting off the razor-sharp edge. He turned to Mia and offered her a warm smile.
“Let’s begin…”
Mia’s eyes fluttered open as she ascended to consciousness. Her lungs burned and a loud breath burst from her mouth like she had been underwater far too long. A flash of pain behind her eyes made her wince, the back of her throat was coated in acidic bile, and she tasted the vomit clinging to the roof of her mouth.
Mia’s head felt like it had been stuffed full of cotton and cobwebs, and she was having trouble thinking. She slowed herself down and took several long, cleansing breaths. Eventually, her heart began to slow and the fog in her brain lifted.
“What’s happening to me? What the hell is going on?”
Mia’s eyes cut left then right, but all she could see was the mirror on the ceiling above her, reflecting her naked body. Her ankles and wrists were shackled to the stainless steel table she was stretched out on, and there was a tremendous weight on her chest, making it difficult to breathe.
The creak of a floorboard sent a rush of panic through her. Unable to move her head, Mia cut her eyes to the left and there, hovering at the edge of her peripheral vision, she saw the shape of the man hovering in the shadows.
“Who’s there? Who is that?”
“What was the one rule we had in this house, Mia?”
The sound of his voice sent a cold chill through her, and she shuddered.
“Mr. Lowe. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry. I know you said—”
“It was the one rule in this house.”
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to come in here.”
“And yet, here you are.”
“Please, Mr. Lowe. I’m sorry.”
“I’m afraid we’re past that, Mia. We are well past that.”
Before…
Mia stood on the porch with ten-year old Rachel, watching her parents drive away. For the past few years, she had been taking babysitting jobs through an online agency, saving every last dollar she could earn—had been for the last couple of years. And the Lowes had come to her through an offsite referral from somebody she’d sat for before.
She had been elated to land the Lowes as clients. Not only did they pay incredibly well—almost double what she earned from the online board—but she didn’t have to give a percentage of what she earned to the agency. She got to keep every last dollar she made. The Lowes were gone so often, she had been able to put together a nice little nest egg to start herself out. Mia was going to turn eighteen in a couple of months, and the day she did, she was getting the hell out of the dysfunctional, abusive hellhole she called home.
“Well, there they go,” Rachel said.
“Yep. There they go.”
“Did you call your parents and tell them you were here? I wouldn’t want them to worry.”
“Of course,” Mia lied.
The truth was, she doubted her parents would not only not care, they were probably so drunk and/or high, they wouldn’t notice she wasn’t there. Mia had stopped telling them where she was going or when she’d be back long ago.
“So, what are we going to do first?” Rachel asked.
“How about we order pizza?” Mia offered. “I’m starving.”
“Yay, pizza!”
Mia spent the day eating pizza, watching movies, and having fun with Rachel. She didn’t plan on having children, but if she ever did, she hoped they’d be like Rachel. The girl was smart and precocious. She was a little shy and didn’t have any real friends, but she had a bright, shining personality. Rachel was a delight to be around. She was like the little sister Mia never had.
“Do I really have to go to bed?” Rachel asked. “My parents aren’t home. They’d never know if we watched another movie or played another game.”
Mia offered her a smile. “The rules are the rules, kiddo,” she said. “But if you’re good, maybe tomorrow we’ll go to the zoo.”
Her eyes grew wide, and her face lit up. “Really?”
“If you’re good and do what I say.”
“I’ll be good,” she cried. “And I’ll do what you say!”
Mia laughed as she got to her feet. “Then we’ll see.”
Leaning down, she kissed Rachel on the forehead and walked to the door. She turned off the light and was just about to close the door when the girl stopped her.
“I love you, Mia.”
Her heart swelled, and a smile crossed her face. “Love you too.”
“Mia?”
“Yeah, kiddo?”
“You’re not going to leave me, are you?”
“What? No. Of course not,” she replied. “Why would you ask me that?”
“Because people leave. And I don’t want you to leave like the others,” she said, her voice heavy and sounding older than it should. “I want you to stay here with me. Forever.”
Mia’s smile faded into a frown, and she was glad Rachel couldn’t see her through the darkness. She heard the grief of loss in the girl’s words. She heard the loneliness in her voice. Rachel obviously bore a pain and emptiness a child should never know.
“Get some sleep, kiddo. I’m not going anywhere,” she said. “Sweet dreams.”
Mia closed the girl’s bedroom door and stared at it for a moment. She and Rachel had more in common than she ever would have thought when she took the job. Rachel grew up privileged. Perhaps a bit spoiled. And her parents seemed to go out of their way to make sure the girl had everything she could ever want. They showered her with love. Things Mia never had.
As she walked down the hallway toward the stairs down to the first floor, she passed the door. Mia stopped and turned to it. As she had so many other times, she opened the door and stared at the staircase that led up and ended at another door. The Lowe’s were gracious and had given her free run of the house, telling Mia that when she was there, their home was her home. Nothing was off limits to her.
Except that door.
The attic room was completely off limits to her. They’d explained it was their home office and was filled with things related to their work. It was not a playground. And even though Mia had always obeyed their rule, it hadn’t stopped her curiosity. She was naturally curious—something that had never failed to annoy her parents. She had no idea what they did for work. She’d always gotten the idea they had important jobs, which was why they traveled so much, but what that work was, they’d never told her.
So many times, she’d ascended the staircase and pressed her ear to the door, listening for anything. But of course, she’d never heard a thing. That was as far as she’d gone though. The Lowes had always been good to her and not wanting to risk that relationship since it was funding her escape from home, she’d always obeyed the rule. But as the days turned to weeks, and the weeks had turned to months, her curiosity had only grown.
“How would they know if I just took a peek?” she whispered to herself.
The first step creaked beneath her feet. Her mind screamed at her to stop. To turn back, close the door, go downstairs and watch a movie on their giant TV. Her body though, fueled by her curiosity propelled her forward. Almost like it was against her will, Mia’s body kept climbing the stairs until she was standing in front of the door.
“Stop,” she said through gritted teeth. “Go back.”
Her body, though, refused to obey, and she felt like a passenger in her own mind as she watched her arm reach out, grasp the doorknob, and turn it. She gave the door a nudge, and it let out a long, sonorous groan as it swung inward. Mia tried to fight herself, but she couldn’t stop her body from crossing the threshold. Reaching out, she fumbled along the wall in the darkness, but finally found the switch and turned on the lights.
She stood just inside the door for a moment, her heart dropping into her stomach and her throat growing dry as she struggled to comprehend what she was seeing. The creak of a floorboard rang in Mia’s ears, sending white-hot fear sizzling through her veins. before she could turn around, she felt a sharp prick in her neck…
… and then the world turned black.
Now…
“Why can’t I move?” she asked, her voice quivering.
“I gave you a paralytic.”
“What are you going to do to me, Mr. Lowe?”
Tears spilled from the corners of Mia’s eyes and her heart pounded in her ears. “Please, Mr. Lowe,” she whispered. “Please let me go. I won’t say anything. I didn’t see anything.”
“Our daughter was afraid you were going to leave.”
“I wasn’t. Please—”
“Come now, we both know this wasn’t a forever job for you. You were going to leave,” he said. “And that would have been okay. It’s the natural way of things. You’re a young woman coming into your own and you had your whole life ahead of you.”
Had? Why did he say had?
“Mr. Lowe—”
He finally emerged from the shadows and looked down at her a little sadly. “If only you had obeyed the rules, Mia. It was one simple rule.”
The tears flowed freely and Mia’s heart beat so hard, she was sure it was going to burst. Mr. Lowe reached down and swiveled the table, pushing it up so although she was still strapped to the table, Mia was in a standing position and was able to take in the room for the first time. A gasp burst from her mouth and her stomach roiled.
Four women stood in a line against the wall in front of her. Mia knew these women had been alive at one point, but that Mr. Lowe had done something to… preserve them. Their skin was waxy and had an unnatural sheen, their eyes were open and lifeless. The women had been made up and dressed like… like dolls.
He rolled a table over to her filled with a wide variety of surgical instruments and a choked sob burst from Mia’s mouth as a fresh wave of tears streamed down her face.
“Please, Mr. Lowe,” she said, her voice thick and quavering with terror.
“If it makes you feel better, you really are Rachel’s favorite,” he said. “She really enjoyed these four—Heather, Sara, Maisey, and Gina—but she really does love you most of all.”
“And I love her. Please, Mr. Lowe—”
“And now you can be with our daughter forever,” he said. “That will make Rachel so profoundly happy. And that makes us happy.”
“Please, Mr. Lowe. Please don’t do this.”
The man picked up a scalpel, the overhead light glinting off the razor-sharp edge. He turned to Mia and offered her a warm smile.
“Let’s begin…”
no subject
on 2025-06-30 01:40 am (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-06-30 03:29 am (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-06-30 04:12 am (UTC)Dan
no subject
on 2025-07-02 12:57 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:58 pm (UTC)Thanks so much for giving me a read!
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on 2025-06-30 05:51 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-06-30 07:11 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:58 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-06-30 10:17 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-01 03:59 pm (UTC)I'm so happy to read you agaiiiin <3
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on 2025-07-07 04:59 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-01 06:15 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:00 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 06:20 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-01 06:38 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:02 pm (UTC)Thank you for giving me a read!
no subject
on 2025-07-01 09:52 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-02 07:44 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:02 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-02 09:42 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:03 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-03 12:01 am (UTC)Poor Rachel. I hope she doesn't realize what is in her attic!
Great contrast between the good and "bad" characters!
no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:06 pm (UTC)Thanks for giving me a read, Maria!!! <3
no subject
on 2025-07-03 01:21 am (UTC)Based on the beginning and the setup, I kind of wondered if the Lowes (or, Mr. Lowe) didn't necessarily leave when Mia came over to babysit. It appears that he instead or eventually waited in the attic like a giant, creepy spider, just waiting for prey to land in his net. o_O
no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:07 pm (UTC)Like a giant creepy spider. ha ha. I love that image.
Thank you for reading me!
no subject
on 2025-07-03 03:10 pm (UTC)no subject
on 2025-07-07 05:07 pm (UTC)