world.
Humanity is gone.
“She’s locked up, Master. So are the rest of the girls in her group.”
“Very good,” I say, watching the guards securing the fence lines with barbed wire.
“She did it so smoothly, we didn’t see her. I’m sorry, Master. We should have been paying more attention—especially on their first day.”
I turn slowly, glancing at George whose body is rigid, his face filled with shame. People screw up, and when those screw-ups aren’t intentional, they should be forgiven for them.
“It wasn’t your fault, George. She was very clever.”
“I’ll say,” he mutters. “Are we to punish them?”
I meet his gaze. “They were told if they made mistakes they would be punished.”
“And the rest of the girls in the group?”
“The only way to teach a lesson is for that lesson to go deeper than pain. She needs to see that her actions have caused the other girls to suffer, too.”
“Yes, sir.”
I glance at the tiny girl sitting in my basement with her hands shackled above her head, a head that’s lolling forward, and is causing her blond hair to tumble down over her face. I have an urge to reach out and touch the screen. This one has a determination I don’t see in the other girls. She’s got courage.
She’ll be far more of a challenge to break.
But I will break her.
~*~*~*~
NUMBER THIRTEEN
I wake slowly, my head pounds as I slowly flutter my eyelids open. The first things I see are my legs splayed out in front of me. I lift my head, and my neck aches. I cry out and try to tug my arms down, only to realize they’re shackled above me. Reality dawns, and panic swells in my chest. I squirm, but it’s to no avail. I can’t get out of the heavy metal clasps around my wrists. I let my eyes scan the room, and I see I’m in a massive basement.
I also see I’m not alone.
Number Seven, Three and Twelve are shackled beside me, their heads drooping. The guard’s words come back to haunt me. “If one of you does wrong, you’ll all be punished.” It’s my fault these girls are here. I put them in this position by attempting to jump that fence. I didn’t think, nor did I consider them wh F2wn wn en I did it. All I could think about was escape, and now that escape will be nothing more than a fantasy.
They’ll be watching me now.
My eyes burn with unshed tears, and my body fills with shame. If I had thought it through, I could have worked out a plan, figured it out so I could have escaped when the guards weren’t so close. I’m disgusted in myself, and because of my behavior, we’re all here, and I don’t know how long for. I don’t know what they’ll do to us, or what will happen in the next few days. Will they starve us? Whip us? Worse...will they let us die down here?
I hear a quiet groan from beside me, and I see the other girls beginning to wake. Number Three wakes up first, and when she realizes what’s happening, she begins to scream and shake. This brings the other girls around quickly. Soon their eyes are darting around the room, and horror fills their expressions. They’re frightened, just like me. Number Three’s screaming becomes louder, and I know if she doesn’t stop, our punishment will be far worse.
“Number Three,” I say, as quietly as I can, but loudly enough so she can hear, “stop screaming.”
“That’s not even my name,” she wails. “I am not Number Three. I have a name, a name I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember? It’s not even my fault we’re down here. It’s your fault. Why can’t they see it’s all your fault. Do they know that? Do they?”
I give Number Twelve a frantic expression. She turns to Number Three.
“You need to stop screaming. If they hear you...”
“I don’t care,” Number Three screams loudly. “I don’t care if they hear me. Let them kill me; let them take me away. I don’t want to be here...with that...that... monster !”
Is she speaking about Master William?
“Did he hurt
Humanity is gone.
“She’s locked up, Master. So are the rest of the girls in her group.”
“Very good,” I say, watching the guards securing the fence lines with barbed wire.
“She did it so smoothly, we didn’t see her. I’m sorry, Master. We should have been paying more attention—especially on their first day.”
I turn slowly, glancing at George whose body is rigid, his face filled with shame. People screw up, and when those screw-ups aren’t intentional, they should be forgiven for them.
“It wasn’t your fault, George. She was very clever.”
“I’ll say,” he mutters. “Are we to punish them?”
I meet his gaze. “They were told if they made mistakes they would be punished.”
“And the rest of the girls in the group?”
“The only way to teach a lesson is for that lesson to go deeper than pain. She needs to see that her actions have caused the other girls to suffer, too.”
“Yes, sir.”
I glance at the tiny girl sitting in my basement with her hands shackled above her head, a head that’s lolling forward, and is causing her blond hair to tumble down over her face. I have an urge to reach out and touch the screen. This one has a determination I don’t see in the other girls. She’s got courage.
She’ll be far more of a challenge to break.
But I will break her.
~*~*~*~
NUMBER THIRTEEN
I wake slowly, my head pounds as I slowly flutter my eyelids open. The first things I see are my legs splayed out in front of me. I lift my head, and my neck aches. I cry out and try to tug my arms down, only to realize they’re shackled above me. Reality dawns, and panic swells in my chest. I squirm, but it’s to no avail. I can’t get out of the heavy metal clasps around my wrists. I let my eyes scan the room, and I see I’m in a massive basement.
I also see I’m not alone.
Number Seven, Three and Twelve are shackled beside me, their heads drooping. The guard’s words come back to haunt me. “If one of you does wrong, you’ll all be punished.” It’s my fault these girls are here. I put them in this position by attempting to jump that fence. I didn’t think, nor did I consider them wh F2wn wn en I did it. All I could think about was escape, and now that escape will be nothing more than a fantasy.
They’ll be watching me now.
My eyes burn with unshed tears, and my body fills with shame. If I had thought it through, I could have worked out a plan, figured it out so I could have escaped when the guards weren’t so close. I’m disgusted in myself, and because of my behavior, we’re all here, and I don’t know how long for. I don’t know what they’ll do to us, or what will happen in the next few days. Will they starve us? Whip us? Worse...will they let us die down here?
I hear a quiet groan from beside me, and I see the other girls beginning to wake. Number Three wakes up first, and when she realizes what’s happening, she begins to scream and shake. This brings the other girls around quickly. Soon their eyes are darting around the room, and horror fills their expressions. They’re frightened, just like me. Number Three’s screaming becomes louder, and I know if she doesn’t stop, our punishment will be far worse.
“Number Three,” I say, as quietly as I can, but loudly enough so she can hear, “stop screaming.”
“That’s not even my name,” she wails. “I am not Number Three. I have a name, a name I can’t remember. Why can’t I remember? It’s not even my fault we’re down here. It’s your fault. Why can’t they see it’s all your fault. Do they know that? Do they?”
I give Number Twelve a frantic expression. She turns to Number Three.
“You need to stop screaming. If they hear you...”
“I don’t care,” Number Three screams loudly. “I don’t care if they hear me. Let them kill me; let them take me away. I don’t want to be here...with that...that... monster !”
Is she speaking about Master William?
“Did he hurt
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