You Own Me (Owned 1)

“Okay,” Vic said.

“Great! Umm...” I searched for a letter. “Q!”

Vic furrowed his brow, thinking. “I,” he finally said.

“I?” I repeated. Qi? What can I do with that? More importantly, what can he do with that? “I give up. What are you spelling?”

Vic shrugged. “I don't know. It's an old scrabble trump word. Q-I.”

“You can't do that,” I said indignantly.

“You said spell words,” Vic said, shrugging.

“You have to know what the words mean!” I wrestled ungracefully with my seatbelt trying to face him. I watched his expression change

. The more amused he got, the more annoyed I got. And of course, that made me more irritated, which in turn, made him more amused. I couldn't win.

“Oh, I see. When Lenny starts losing, all the obscure rules come out,” Vic said, chuckling.

I faced forward again and folded my arms. “Fine. Pick a letter.” I really was a poor sport. Much too competitive to play games. No one picked me for sports at school because I always took it too seriously.

“No time. We're here,” Vic said, as he pulled into a gravel driveway. I looked up, my irritation dissolving. We were entering a garage attached to a huge cabin. It wasn't your run-of-the-mill cabin. I had been expecting rustic, what I was getting was opulent and mansion-like in its size. I made sure to keep my mouth shut, because I had a feeling it was about to fall open.

Just how much money did Vic make? And how?

“It would be very hard for you to walk off my property. Not only do I own this house but also the surrounding grounds.”

Vic's voice pulled me out of my spell. He owned the woods too? Well, I was definitely going to explore them later. Maybe I'd find his skeletons.

“I have to do some work later tonight, but after that I'll be available. We can do whatever you want.” Vic took the key out of the ignition and dangled it from his forefinger.

Ah, the elusive work. Part of me wanted to spy on that more than explore, but I knew I wouldn't be welcome.

“I have video games, board games, TV, a hot tub...” Vic trailed off, looking at me.

“That all sounds fun,” I replied, still dumbfounded.

“Good!” Vic clapped his hands together, gaining my attention. “I'll show you to your room and then you can do whatever you want until I'm done working.”

We both got out of the car and I followed him into the cabin and up the stairs. The cabin had an open floor plan. The great room had a cathedral ceiling, and the hallway on the second floor was a big balcony overlooking the first. It was really a breathtaking design. Vic led me into my room off of the balcony/hallway. The room was just as stunning as the rest of the cabin.

I set my big suitcase on the floor and took it in. King sized bed, big window overlooking the woods, private bathroom, wood everything. Who was this man? Fighting the urge to gape at him and his cabin, I shifted awkwardly on my feet.

“If you need anything, I'll be downstairs in my office. You should be able to find it. Just knock first,” Vic said to my back.

I turned to him, folding my arms across my chest. “Like you knocked with me?”

He smiled broadly and nodded. “Like I knocked with you.” Vic practically skipped out of the room, leaving me in his cabin. In this opulent room. In the middle of the woods. Alone.

There was a forest outside the cabin. As twilight approached, I decided to go for a walk. There was a trail that led through the thick trees and flora. Surprisingly, I didn’t sense many animals nearby. The whole area felt deserted and very private. As I followed the trail, I reached a series of rock formations. The sun was going to set soon, and I just knew at the top there would be a great view.

It obviously wasn't safe, but remember how I said I could be impulsive? Without much forethought, I began to climb. The rocks were steep and slick. With each rock I climbed, I felt more empowered. I was conquering the forest, conquering something. I hadn't conquered anything in quite a while.

Eventually I reached the top.

The view was spectacular. I could see beyond the trees, beyond the cabin, and into the mountains. The sun was setting, and I settled on a flat rock to watch.

Now, I was never one for sunsets. When someone said, “Look at the sunset!” I usually just glanced and said, “Yeah, that's a sunset.” This sunset, however, was magnificent.