Number Thirteen (8 page)
There’s just nowhere to escape.
“G
irls, kneel, please,” I order.
Nine girls go to their knees slowly, their heads bowed. I stare down at them, and I know they’re frightened. I understand that. I respect that. The only way for them to understand what I’m doing here is to learn to trust that I know best. I do not want them to fear me; fear is a weak man’s way of getting what he wants. I don’t use fear as a tactic to gain. Instead, I am trying to teach them that I f`ɽing isnhave their best interests at heart.
“It’s been a few days now, and you’re all doing very well. I know you understand where you came from, and you understand your lives before this were less than desirable.”
They don’t move. They don’t need to. They understand what I’m telling them. This group of girls knows about their lives. I’ve allowed that. The group I have selected for myself don’t. They’re far more damaged; it’s up to me to keep those memories from them until I feel they’re ready to accept them fully without breaking down. This is one of the few chances I have to speak to the other nine girls while my group are handling all the chores.
“I’m allowing you to ask me one question each. It’s the only chance you will have. One at a time, you can ask me a question, and I will answer it.”
George walks over, and he taps Number One on the head. She lifts her eyes, staring at me with a look of confusion. I’m in the shadows, so they’re only able to see a very small amount of me.
“Ask your question, Number One. It will be your only chance.”
“W...w...what do you want with me?”
“That answer is simple; I want to give you a better life. But to achieve that, you need to learn your place.”
“Number Two,” George says.
“Are you going to...r...r...r...rape me?”
That word makes me sick. I would never, ever inflict that kind of pain on another person.
“No, I am not,” I grind out, trying to keep my voice steady.
“Number Four.”
“I w...w...want to know about my younger sister. Is she...d...d...d...dead?”
My chest clenches. I promised I’d answer any of their questions, but not all of them have good results.
“Are you sure you want the answer to that, Number Four?”
“Yes,” she whispers.
“Then I’m sorry, but yes. Your younger sister is gone.”
She makes a pained sound. I take a deep breath, and move on.
“Number Five?”
“Are you going to kill us?” she asks, her voice stronger than the rest.
“Of course not.”
It’s going to take longer for them to understand this than I’d anticipated.
“Number Six?”
“Will we be hurt?”
“That depends,” I say quietly. “If you misbehave, then yes, you will be punished. Sometimes that punishment will hurt. As I’m sure you know, Group Four was punished yesterday. One of the girls received twenty lashes to her back for trying to escape. If you don’t wish this to happen, then you need to follow all my rules.”
She makes a whimpering sound, but nods her head and lowers it.
“Number Eight?”
She doesn’t say anything.
“Number Eight,” George says again.
“I have no questions,” she mutters.
“Are you sure about that?” I say, curious.
“Yes,” she bites out. “I’m sure.”
“Very well,” I say. “You won’t get your chance again.”
“Number Nine?”
“Why aren’t we allowed to see you?”
I flinch. It takes me a moment to be able to answer her as truthfully as I can.
“You need to earn the right to communicate with me, Number Nine.”
“Number Ten?” George continues, cutting off her small protest.
“Can they find us?”
“Define they?” I urge.
“Our old masters.”
I understand her fear. She came from a man who was rather brutal and cruel. She was sold to him a little more than four years ago, but that was long enough for him to change everything about her.
“No, they cannot find you here.”
She seems to lose some of the tension in her body.
“Number Eleven, you’re last,” George says.
“I have nothing to say to you, you fucking pig.”
I straighten. Number Eleven is one of the more brutal of the group, but she’s also had quite a hard past.
“I’ll give you only one chance, Number Eleven. Ask a question, or stay quiet. If you wish to run your mouth off, then you will be punished for it.”
“So punish me, you sick fuck,” she growls.
I sigh, rubbing my temples. “George, escort Number Eleven to the main living room. Have her sit with a gag in her mouth, chained to a chair. She will sit and watch as all the other girls walk past her, staring at her, and she will learn and understand that it is rude and disrespectful to bite the hand that feeds you. She will learn that if she wishes to embarrass me in front of a group, I will return the favor. If she does not learn, then she will remain there until she does.”
“You piece of...”
She doesn’t get to finish before George hauls her up and drags her out of the room.
There’s always one.
We’ve been here ten days now. Nothing has changed.
We get up, we do our chores, we go to see the Master, and then we go to sleep, only to start it all over again. To say I’m confused would be putting it mildly. I don’t know why we’re here, or what purpose he has for us. He’s clearly not intent on hurting us, at least, not if we’re behaving, and he’s certainly not going to rape or torture us. So why does he have us? What could he possibly need all these girls for?
A finger trails over my thigh, and I shiver. It’s not a bad shiver, but a curious shiver. I’m with Master William again tonight, and as always, he’s got me on his lap. He rarely speaks, and if he does, it’s usually in a different language. He murmurs words I don’t understand into my ear while he holds me. The first few times he did this it scared me. Now I seem to find a strange comfort in the words I don’t understand.
I still fear him though, because there’s something about this situation that warrants a good amount of fear. It’s really the only emotion we understand right now, and so we hang onto it, like it’s the only thing we have control over. He’s unpredictable, and none of us are sure that this isn’t just an act to gain our trust before something worse comes along.
I don’t remember anything. It doesn’t matter how hard I try, there’s nothing but a fuzzy mess. My memories have been stolen from me, and it’s not likely they’re going to be handed back anytime soon. The fact that they have been so cleverly taken tells me that they’re worth protecting. He doesn’t want me to have them for a reason, and it doesn’t matter how many times I ask him, he refuses to give them back.
He’s keeping a piece of me from myself, and that’s not somethi ss nI dng I’m okay with.
“You’re behaving well tonight,” he murmurs, shocking me out of my thoughts with his smooth, deep voice. “I’m rewarding your group with a notepad and a pen each. You can write on it, or draw, whatever you like.”
I feel my lip tremble, but I don’t know what to say. So, I say the only thing I can.
“Thank you.”
––––––––
M
aster is having a dinner guest tonight, so we’ve been put on kitchen duties to make sure it’s all prepared and ready to go. It’s day eleven, and each day I count and mark in the tiny notepad I keep by my bed. We’ve been working in the kitchen all day, and it’s getting hot in here. None of us speak a lot to each other. We’re still so tangled up in our own desperate thoughts.
“Master has requested that you finish up in here, and get back to your room,” the guard says, entering the room just as I’m finishing up.
I nod obediently and finish flavoring the roast, and then I push it into the oven. I slide a tray with vegetables and potatoes in the other oven, the one that I’ve set at a lower temperature so they cook slower, then I turn to the guard. “The meal will be ready within two hours.”
“We can take it from here.”
He shoves Number Seven and I out of the kitchen, and leads us to our rooms. The others girls were sent off two hours ago to tidy up for the arrival of Master William’s guest.
The minute we step into our room, the guard turns and barks a few orders at the others guards walking past. He walks off down the hall for a second, to speak to the guard right at the end, and it’s at that moment I forgot that I didn’t turn the oven on for the roast; I was too busy seasoning it. They’ll be waiting all night if I don’t do so. Not wanting to be punished again, I run out of the room and head towards the kitchen.
The guard doesn’t notice; he’s too busy laughing with the other guys.
I’m nearly to the kitchen, when I round a corner and slam into a tall, muscled form. His hands instantly come up and curl around my arms, steadying me.
“Whoa there, I’m sorry—I didn’t see you,” he says, letting me go quickly.
I straighten up, letting my eyes dart up to the man in front of me. He’s a tall, extremely beautiful man. He smiles down at me, causing the skin around his sky-blue eyes to crinkle. I can’t help but flush. He’s the kind of man that gives you a funny feeling in your belly. He’s tall and well built, wearing a gray suit and a blue tie. He’s got unruly hair that sits messily on his head. His face is heavenly, his olive skin and sky-blue eyes giving him a breathtaking look.
“Hello there,” he almost purrs. “I haven’t seen you around here before. Do you work for Will?”
He’s talking about the master, and he’s also clearly not aware of who I am. I could tell him—the urge to do so is massive—but if he didn’t believe me, I could be punished again, and ruin all chances of escape. Panic rises in my chest, and I find myself fighting against being sensible. I want to tell him who I am; I want someone to give us a chance to be freed from this. But I don’t know who this man is, and it’s too big a risk to take. I open my mouth and stammer, “I’m just...I ah...”
“Do you have a name, sweetheart?”
Do I have a name? My mind is becoming confused, and that familiar swell of frustration consumes me. I let my eyes travel past him to see if the guards are around, but they haven’t come for me yet.
“I, well, I...”
He smiles warmly, and chuckles softly. “I have this affect on most women, but rest-assured, I won’t bite. I’m Ben,” he murmurs, extending his hand.
I reach out and take it, feeling my heart hammer against my chest. He shakes my hand softly, still smiling down at me. “That name?”
“I, um, I just work for Mast...I mean, William. I’m sorry, I’m just in a hurry,” I say, avoiding the name question.
“Benjamin,” a voice says from behind me, and my body stiffens. It’s the guard.
“Well, hello Bill. I was just talking to this lovely girl here.”
My guard’s name is Bill? Who knew?
“She’s just one of William’s new employees, I’m so sorry you ran into her.”
Ben shakes his head. “I really don’t mind.”
Bill glares at me while Ben isn’t looking, and my heart twists.
“I was just...the oven wasn’t turned on, I didn’t want William’s dinner not to cook,” I manage to stammer out.
“Very well, go and turn it on, then you can retire for the night.”
I nod, and rush towards the kitchen.
“Maybe I can get your name next time, then?” I hear Ben say.
I look over my shoulder at him, and he gives me a wink before disappearing around the corner with Bill.
Oh.
Goodness.
That was something I never expected to happen.
“W
ho was he?” Number Twelve whispers, sitting on my bed beside me with her hands placed in her lap.
“I don’t know,” I murmur low into her ear. “He was someone Master William knows.”
“Do you think he knows about us?”
I shake my head. “No.”
We all sit in silence a moment before the other girls join me on the bed, and lean in close so the cameras can’t pick up on what we’re saying. I speak again when they’re all settled.
“I think he might help us. If I can talk to him, maybe I can tell him we’re being held here against our will.”
“Do you think he’ll believe you?” Number Seven whispers, her eyes hopeful.
“I don’t know, he might. He seemed really friendly,” I say, my voice hopeful.
“What if he never comes back?” Number Three asks.
“He was familiar with the place. I think he’s been here a few times.”
Number Twelve shifts beside me. “Why didn’t you tell him tonight?”
“It wasn’t the right time. I would have been caught out and punished. I can’t take any more punishment right now, and neither can any of you. If I seek his help, it has to be planned out properly. I have to find out more about him.”
They nod, and before we can say anything else, the door swings open, and Bill steps in.
“On your own beds,” he barks.
The girls scatter quickly, returning to their beds. He glares at us all for the longest moment, before t sent he urning and reaching outside the door. He rolls in our dinner cart and leaves it by the door, before growling, “Stay in your own beds, or I’ll chain you to them. Eat your dinner, shower, and then go to sleep. The master will be having more guests tomorrow evening, and the place is to be cleaned impeccably tomorrow. You’ll need all your strength.”
He’s having guests? My heart flutters.
He gives us one last look before leaving and slamming the door. We all slowly make our way over to the cart. When we reach it, Number Seven leans in. “He’s having guests.”
I nod, giving her a look, but not answering her. I take my tray and walk back to my bed, sitting down and placing it on the bedside table. I lift the lid, and stare down at the chicken pot-pie with a side salad. I pick at it, not able to eat as much as I’d like. I know the guards will get angry, but I just can’t force it down my throat without making myself sick. I subtly place the lid over the tray, turning my back towards the camera as I slip the glass of milk in, too.