drops from my face, and I hear him walk away.
“You’ll never have it,” I scream, before the guards come over and jerk the shackles off me.
“Girls,” he says, ignoring me. His voice is smooth as he speaks, calm, even. “I’m disappointed in you. Do you think I enjoy taking this out on you? Do you think I truly want to hurt you? I’m trying to take care of you. I’m trying to teach you to be better people. It bothers me that it has to come to this, and on your first day, nonetheless.” Then I hear him shuffle about, and I realize when he speaks again, he’s talking to the guards. “Ten lashes for her, five for the girls in her group.”
My entire body stiffens. “No!” I scream. “No, it wasn’t their fault.”
“There were rules put in place, rules that were made very clear to you, Number Thirteen,” Master William says in a warm, silky tone. Like it doesn’t e Sesnat were maven bother him that I’m about to get belted. “I’m a man of my word. I follow through with my promises, and my threats. You were told if you make a mistake, everyone in your group suffers.”
“You’re a monster,” I wail, thrashing. “We’re just girls!”
He comes closer; I can feel him. I twist in the guard’s grasp, but I can’t move.
“You may be girls, but you’re also human . There are consequences for every action. If you don’t want those consequences, then you don’t make mistakes. What I am doing here is giving you a lesson .”
“By hurting us?” I bellow.
“No,” he says simply. “By teaching you to be a good person.”
I hear him shuffle away. My heart is pounding; I don’t want the other girls to be whipped. I can hear Number Three sobbing. This will break her. It will damage her to no end. I have to stop this; I can’t let them suffer for my bad behavior.
“I’ll take all of them,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
“I beg your pardon?” Master William says.
“You heard me. I made the mistake. It was on me. They didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m telling you to let me take their punishment.”
It’s quiet for a long, long moment before he speaks again. If I’m not mistaken, I can hear a hint of pride in his tone. “Very well. She will receive twenty lashes, but they will all remain down here for a full twenty-four hours with no food.”
I hear the door squeak open, and once again I catch a flash of a tall, powerful man before it’s dark again. He’s not staying? He’s not going to watch? I feel a strange burn of what seems like disappointment. Why would I be disappointed that he’s not going to be in here to witness me being punished? Maybe because a tiny part of me wanted him to see how far I’m willing to go to protect what I believe in .
And again, why do I need to prove that to him?
I hang my head as the guard leads me over to a chair, and pushes me over it.
He doesn’t speak as he raises my shirt, and brings the belt over my back twenty times. The pain is intense, and each crack of the belt echoes through the room. I don’t scream; I won’t give them that. I bite my lip so hard blood fills my mouth, and tears run down my face as he nears the end. My back feels like it’s on fire, and the hate I have for William burns in my chest.
I sense he is watching, even though he’s not here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
NUMBER THIRTEEN
T hey leave us down here for twenty-four hours. In that time, the guards come and take Number Twelve. She’s gone for only an hour before she’s returned, looking pink in the cheeks. They immediately take Number Seven after her, and I know they’re taking them to Master William. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but it seems he’s seeking something in us girls. He picked this group for a reason, though I can’t see enough of a similarity between us to know what that reason is.
The only thing we have in common is that we’re gentle. There’s something fragile about all of us.
Though I’m sure Master William has changed
“You’ll never have it,” I scream, before the guards come over and jerk the shackles off me.
“Girls,” he says, ignoring me. His voice is smooth as he speaks, calm, even. “I’m disappointed in you. Do you think I enjoy taking this out on you? Do you think I truly want to hurt you? I’m trying to take care of you. I’m trying to teach you to be better people. It bothers me that it has to come to this, and on your first day, nonetheless.” Then I hear him shuffle about, and I realize when he speaks again, he’s talking to the guards. “Ten lashes for her, five for the girls in her group.”
My entire body stiffens. “No!” I scream. “No, it wasn’t their fault.”
“There were rules put in place, rules that were made very clear to you, Number Thirteen,” Master William says in a warm, silky tone. Like it doesn’t e Sesnat were maven bother him that I’m about to get belted. “I’m a man of my word. I follow through with my promises, and my threats. You were told if you make a mistake, everyone in your group suffers.”
“You’re a monster,” I wail, thrashing. “We’re just girls!”
He comes closer; I can feel him. I twist in the guard’s grasp, but I can’t move.
“You may be girls, but you’re also human . There are consequences for every action. If you don’t want those consequences, then you don’t make mistakes. What I am doing here is giving you a lesson .”
“By hurting us?” I bellow.
“No,” he says simply. “By teaching you to be a good person.”
I hear him shuffle away. My heart is pounding; I don’t want the other girls to be whipped. I can hear Number Three sobbing. This will break her. It will damage her to no end. I have to stop this; I can’t let them suffer for my bad behavior.
“I’ll take all of them,” I blurt before I can stop myself.
“I beg your pardon?” Master William says.
“You heard me. I made the mistake. It was on me. They didn’t do anything wrong, so I’m telling you to let me take their punishment.”
It’s quiet for a long, long moment before he speaks again. If I’m not mistaken, I can hear a hint of pride in his tone. “Very well. She will receive twenty lashes, but they will all remain down here for a full twenty-four hours with no food.”
I hear the door squeak open, and once again I catch a flash of a tall, powerful man before it’s dark again. He’s not staying? He’s not going to watch? I feel a strange burn of what seems like disappointment. Why would I be disappointed that he’s not going to be in here to witness me being punished? Maybe because a tiny part of me wanted him to see how far I’m willing to go to protect what I believe in .
And again, why do I need to prove that to him?
I hang my head as the guard leads me over to a chair, and pushes me over it.
He doesn’t speak as he raises my shirt, and brings the belt over my back twenty times. The pain is intense, and each crack of the belt echoes through the room. I don’t scream; I won’t give them that. I bite my lip so hard blood fills my mouth, and tears run down my face as he nears the end. My back feels like it’s on fire, and the hate I have for William burns in my chest.
I sense he is watching, even though he’s not here.
CHAPTER SEVEN
NUMBER THIRTEEN
T hey leave us down here for twenty-four hours. In that time, the guards come and take Number Twelve. She’s gone for only an hour before she’s returned, looking pink in the cheeks. They immediately take Number Seven after her, and I know they’re taking them to Master William. I don’t know what he’s looking for, but it seems he’s seeking something in us girls. He picked this group for a reason, though I can’t see enough of a similarity between us to know what that reason is.
The only thing we have in common is that we’re gentle. There’s something fragile about all of us.
Though I’m sure Master William has changed
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