Ensnared Read online

  Contents

  ENSNARED

  COPYRIGHT 2017 Sian B. Claven

  Dedication

  Acknowledgements

  Prologue

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  About The Author

  ENSNARED

  By

  Sian B. Claven

  COPYRIGHT 2017 Sian B. Claven

  All characters; events and establishments in this publication, other than those clearly in the public domain, are fictitious and any resemblance to real persons, living or dead is purely coincidental.

  The moral right of the author has been asserted.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, without the prior permission in writing of the author.

  Cover Design by Southern Stiles

  Dedicated to Jackie, who taught me the power and beauty of a good horror story

  ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

  There are so many people to thank for the creation of this story, but first and foremost I would like to thank Kiara Knott, who gave me the idea while we said goodbye to our family at the airport. You didn’t mean to but it happened, and now look at what I created.

  To my mom, who never stopped believing in me, and started telling people what a talented writer I was, before I’d even written anything worth reading.

  To Jackie and Darren, thanks for tolerating my discussion of The Rebel Trilogy for so many years (I think it’s been 16) and for always listening to me, and helping me come up with excellent character names - perhaps one day Jessica will get her story. Until then, I hope you enjoy this one. Thanks for nurturing my writing - after all it was born in your house in Primrose, on a computer we didn’t own, in a time when Kayla was too little to be dark and twisty.

  To the girls. Kayla, Cakes and Kels. You inspired me to create stories for your enjoyment, I hope other people enjoy my tales as much as you did. I love you so endlessly.

  To Danielle Swanepoel, my best friend and forever sister. Thank you for always being the ear that heard all my terrible plot ideas - including that time with that Sherlock fanfic I was sure would make me a millionaire. For reminding me that I could write, and for reading and editing my work. Friendships like ours are once in a lifetime and for a lifetime.

  To Ashleigh Giannoccaro, my author guru, who taught me about scrivener, teasers, marketing and so much more. Who taught me that being independently published is the bomb, who introduced me to Poppet and thus the magic covers happened (And my obsession with her work). Most important, for the friendship Ashleigh gave me, which means so much to me.

  To Andrew Christie, who insisted I write, all the time. Who would listen to me whine, cry, mope and moan. Who would laugh with me and make me laugh, especially when I didn’t want to. Who gave me seriously amazing advice, both personally and professionally. I don’t know where we found each other, but I am so damn happy that we did.

  To Brandi Starkid Borders, the person who I have tortured most with plot twists, all-nighters, character creation and one hell of an emotional rollercoaster. Your friendship means so much to me, and always will. Please don’t ever change the amazing person you are.

  To my beta team! Lisa Botes, Cindy Carrick, Juliet Jay Rakobane and Brandi Starkid Borders. Thank you for being so patient with me. I couldn’t ask for a greater beta team, nicer friends and amazing editors. Thank you for taking the time to delve into Kiara’s story with me. This book would be nothing without your input.

  To the friends who have always supported me – Sash, Liesl, Toni, Darren, Robyn… to name a few. Thank you to all of your who have helped me and supported me along the way.

  Finally to all the authors, readers, bloggers and general members of Books & Everything. Thank you for always standing by me (in the interwebs) and giving me invaluable advice, great criticism and awesome books to read. We really are the best book group ever and our fearless leader has done an amazing job.

  Without further ado … the story …

  PROLOGUE

  Take this one away from me,

  I pray to Thee,

  Great Deity.

  Take this one far away,

  To never see the light of day,

  Great Deity.

  Take her to worlds a many,

  Take her to worlds that vary,

  Great Deity.

  Take this one away from me,

  I pray to Thee,

  Great Deity.

  Take this one and plant her there,

  That she may never again breathe air,

  That she may never see daylight,

  That she may live in eternal night,

  That never again I will see her face,

  That never again she will me disgrace,

  Take this one away from me,

  I pray to Thee,

  Great Deity.

  CHAPTER ONE

  Amari sat in the car and watched the scenery pass by. She couldn’t believe that her parents had actually gone through with their idea and purchased a farm in the middle of nowhere. The worst part was that she had to accompany them because, although she was twenty years old, she was still dependant on them.

  Loaded into the Range Rover, they had driven four hours cross country to get to the farmlands. The scenery was beautiful and she thought it magical, but they were far from towns or other people, and anything fun to do.

  Her parents expected her to work on the farm and help plant and tend crops. She was also not looking forward to that. Physical labour had never been Amari’s favourite pastime. She was expected to do this until colleges opened up for registration again, then her father wanted her decision on what to study, or he was going to make it for her.

  Before she knew it, her father had turned onto a dirt road, kicking dust up as they travelled through a dead forest. There were trees on either side of them, but the branches were bare and they had an ominous look about them. Amari tried to peer as far between the trees as she could, but the car was travelling too fast for her to see anything.

  She sighed and sat back, bored and already dreading starting her work on the farm.

  As they passed what must have been a boundary wall for the farm, she saw a small girl sitting on the edge of it looking up the road. Amari swung around in her seat to look back as they went by. The girl didn’t seem interested in their car, staring instead up ahead. Amari shifted around to see what she was looking at and saw it, directly in front, the farm house that she could only assume was their new home.

  It was exactly as Amari had imagined it would be. Old and broken-down looking.

  Her father, Jono, stopped the car right outside the house and turned around to smile at her. “Well, here we are. You excited yet?”

  Sashqua, her mother, glanced back to gauge her reaction.

  Amari gave them a hesitant smile. “Yeah … sure …”

  She could see the disappointment written all over their faces and her father muttered something about ungrateful children as he climbed out of the car. She clambered out after him and reached out to touch his arm, but he was already walking towards the house.

  Her mother rounded the car and smiled at her. “I know it’s not what you wanted, but we can make it work, can’t we?”

  Amari gave her mother a grateful smile. Her mother was amazing. Sashqua Ida always knew how to sympathise with her daughter and give her hope for whatever venture they set out on. This one was no different.
/>   She was far from the nearest sign of civilisation, so there would be little to do that was not farm related, and there would be nowhere to escape to except the creepy forest with the weird little girl on the wall. Amari wondered about her and wondered if she lived nearby. Her parents were either brave or really negligent for allowing their daughter to stray from home in such a rural area. She mentally shook herself, because she needed to be present and accounted for while her parents gave her the ‘grand’ tour of their new home.

  Her father opened the front door and before it reached the wall of the house it came off of its hinges and hit the floor with a loud BANG. Amari and her mother tried not to laugh, but after Jono gave them a horrified look, they both burst at the seams and their laughter echoed throughout the house.

  They crossed the threshold and Sashqua searched for a light switch. Amari stood glancing around at what she could make out in the dim light from the open door.

  From what she could see their furniture had already arrived, although how it was still here with the door being that unstable was a mystery to her. If she were a robber she would have cleaned this place out. Then again, she reminded herself, they were so far from civilisation that any would-be criminals probably didn’t know this farm existed.

  Sashqua found the switch and flicked it, but nothing happened. She looked at Jono meaningfully and he gave her a bright smile.

  “It’s probably just switched off at the breaker,” he said, “because there was no point leaving the electricity on while there were no residents.”

  Sashqua didn’t reply and simply placed her hands on her hips.

  Jono quickly exited the house.

  Amari grinned at her mother and went to stand near her while they listened to the sounds of the creaky old house settling and the shuffling of her father digging through their bags in the boot.

  He soon returned, looking triumphant with a flashlight clenched in his hand. “See! I am always prepared!” he exclaimed as he turned the device on.

  Both women shrieked as bright light shone directly into their eyes, leaving them seeing large spots when he moved the light away while apologising profusely. Before her mother could lay into him for being inconsiderate, he quickly made his way into the kitchen to look for the circuit breaker.

  “It must be downstairs in the basement,” he called to them.

  While they listened to him struggle with a door, Amari looked at her mother. “There’s a basement?” she asked curiously.

  Sashqua nodded. “Yes, it’s where we’re going to build dad’s workshop for all his junk.”

  Her father called out, “I heard that and it’s not junk! They are collector’s items!”

  Amari heard him wrench open the door at last and make his way downstairs. The loud thump of his feet hitting wooden stairs echoed eerily through the house. She shivered and moved closer to her mother.

  “It’s cold and creepy, mom,” she whispered, not wanting her father to be upset with her first comments on their new residence.

  Sashqua rubbed Amari’s arms to warm her up. “That’s just because there are no lights and we haven’t opened windows and curtains yet. Once we’re settled it will be better. You’ll get used to it before you know it.”

  The lights suddenly came on.

  Her mother smiled. “See? It’s a start. Now why don’t you help me open up everything so it can get some air before we offload the car?”

  Amari didn’t argue as she moved into the living room and opened dusty curtains and windows to let in air and light. She looked around as more and more light entered and noticed that there seemed to be cracks along all the walls and that each room, from the living room to the kitchen to the bathroom, needed a fresh coat of paint.

  She didn’t even want to know what the bedrooms would look like, but she knew she had to at least check it out before the offloading started, so she would know where to take her things. She ambled to the stairs and, after flicking three light switches near the banister, managed to find one that turned on a dim bulb hanging precariously over the staircase.

  Slowly climbing the stairs, she ran her hand gently along the wall as she did so. She reached the top and looked around. There were four rooms, if the doors were anything to go by. She went to the one directly in front of her and found the upstairs bathroom. About to move to the door to the left, she thought she heard something. She paused and held her breath, straining her ears to listen.

  There it was again.

  A soft sound came from somewhere near the basin.

  Amari stood by the door. To her left was a toilet and opposite the toilet was a large bath. At the end of the room directly in front of her was a basin with a large cabinet mounted on the wall to the left of it. White tiles were yellow with age. Paint peeled off the ceiling and the glass light fitting was shattered. The mirror on the front of the cabinet was so dirty that she could barely see her reflection.

  She kept as quiet as she could and heard it again. It was the sound that the plastic wrapping around a cigarette box made when people pulled it off and crumpled it up. A wrinkling sound. A crackle of thin plastic. And it was coming from the cabinet near the basin.

  Amari swallowed hard and slowly edged her way into the bathroom, checking behind the door for good measure. She approached the basin and, once facing the cabinet, she reached up to open the door. As the door swung open she came face to face with the largest rat she had ever seen.

  The sudden appearance of the rodent elicited a shriek of terror from both her and the rat. Before she could shut the cabinet door on it, it had leapt out at her. She crouched quickly, still shrieking for dear life, and when she thought it had gone over her she sprinted for the door, only to stand on it and illicit another screech from both of them. An indignant bite through her trainer followed.

  Amari fled the bathroom and scampered downstairs.

  Sashqua, hearing Amari’s scream, had made her way to the staircase to pinpoint where her only child was. As she rounded the corner Amari threw her arms around her, shivering. Her mother held her, but was unable to understand the gibberish coming out of her mouth, and glanced around for the source of her daughter’s current state.

  Jono came running upstairs from the basement, yelling, “What happened? What happened? Are you hurt?” He roughly pulled Amari from her mother’s warm arms and looked her over worriedly. “AMARI! Stop gibbering and tell me what happened!”

  Amari shook in his arms and swallowed. “It was a giant rat, dad. It jumped at me and when I tried to run away I stood on it and it bit me.”

  Sashqua seemed as though she was about to laugh, but Jono quickly made Amari sit on a stair, tugging at her shoe. “You could have rabies or Hepatitis or something! We need to see that your foot isn’t infected.”

  Sashqua put a hand on his arm. “Jono. Jono, calm down. I am sure the rat got more of a fright than Amari did and I am sure she is fine. Why don’t you go get her a cold drink out of the car and I will look at her foot.”

  Jono immediately dropped Amari’s foot.

  Amari, who had not been expecting him to let go, winced as her foot hit the ground hard.

  Jono straightened. “You’re right! She is having an adrenaline rush now, but she could crash at any moment. She needs something sweet.” He hurried out of the house and Sashqua tried her best to suppress her smile.

  “Now, which foot did he bite?” she asked.

  Amari pointed to her left foot. She was calmer and also amused by her father’s over reaction to the situation.

  Sashqua nodded. “Okay, let’s get that shoe off.” She gently picked up the left foot, smiling to herself as she glanced at Amari’s right shoe half off, Jono having not bothered to ask which foot the rat had bitten. She removed Amari’s trainer and pulled the sock off and examined it. “Ah, all five toes still accounted for. It seems the rat’s aim is about as good as your father’s.”

  She handed Amari her sock and trainer to put back on as Jono came in with a bottle of coke. He ope
ned it and handed it over, sitting beside her. “Drink, Amari-belle,” he said, calling her by her childhood nickname, “we don’t want you fainting or anything.”

  Amari sipped gratefully and tried not to laugh as she said, “Thank you, dad, you take such great care of me.”

  Jono beamed at her proudly and Amari met Sashqua’s eyes and they shared a smile. Jono thought they were smiling because they were both so proud of him. They knew they were smiling because he was always a crazy mess when anything happened. Everything was a disaster to Amari’s father.

  Once they had unloaded the car, Amari began to set up her room. After the excitement of the rat, she was back to being disappointed. Her parents got the main bedroom and she got the second biggest room, but it was still tiny and she barely got her furniture in.

  In fact, a lot of her boxes had to be stored in the garage until they could figure out where to give her more space. She asked if she could use the third, smaller bedroom as a study, but her parents quickly denied her request because they needed a guest room for when family came to stay over. Her father assured her that once they made enough money, he was going to renovate the entire house and she could have a bigger room.

  Those comments were the ones that she hated most.

  When they had more money they could get internet. When they had more money they could get cable. When they had more money they could get nicer dishes. When they had more money, Amari could get her own car.

  After her parents bought the farm using most of the money they had - all because her parents were tired of the ‘busy city life’ - that was all Amari heard about.

  Jono wanted to plant crops and get a few animals and live a peaceful, hard labouring work life, like his grandfather had. Sashqua wanted peace and quiet away from the urban noise and dangers, where she could work on perfecting her baking skills.