81

Ava’s hair was matted and looked lifeless; its usual golden blond was a dull dust beige. There were only faint bruises visible on her face. It didn’t look like any permanent damage had been done. But she looked like a walking dead. Her skin was dull, her eyes sunken in and she had a weary look in her eyes Ava didn’t recognise. She sighed and wondered if she should strip out of her dirty clothes and lie on top of the bed. The thought of getting naked made her skin crawl. She sighed and went back into the room and slid down to sit next to the bed, resting her back against it. Ava fell asleep like that and was awakened by the klick of the lock. She struggled to her feet as the door opened. In walked the woman Johnson had brought to Zane’s office. She looked as surprised to see Ava as Ava did to see her.

“Hi,” Ava rasped.

“The water has been turned on. It will be shut off in ten minutes,” the woman informed Ava, and held out a towel and small bottles with shampoo and conditioner. Ava was torn between running into the shower to get clean and wanting to talk to the woman. But in the end, she grabbed the towel and the bottles and made her way as fast as she could into the bathroom. Ava stepped into the shower before the water had a chance to heat up. She didn’t care, she didn’t have long. Ava used the shampoo on her hair and body and rinsed it off. She barely had time to rinse out the conditioner before the shower turned off. Ava wanted to cry, but she stood in the shower, dripping, for a moment to collect herself. She wrapped herself in the small towel and walked into the room. To her surprise, the woman was still there. She now had a glass of water and a cheese sandwich in her hands.

“For me?” Ava asked. The woman nodded. Ava hardly chewed the sandwich as she consumed it and then gulped down the water. “Thank you.” The woman shrugged.

“There are clothes for you on the bed,” she told Ava. Ava turned around. To call it clothes was generous. There was a tiny pair of panties and a silky robe that went halfway down Ava’s thighs. Ava looked questioning at the woman. “It’s what we are allowed to wear when we are at the mansion,” the woman explained. Ava realised she was wearing a similar robe.

“What is your name?” Ava asked. The woman looked at her.

“We aren’t friends.”

“I know. But I would still like to know your name.”

“This is not like your former master’s house. I could see he spoiled you when we met the first time. Here, life is suffering, and the goal is to make the pain as bearable as possible,” the woman said. “Don’t fight him. It will only make it worse for you when you finally give in. There is no use in fighting. They are too many, too strong, and they control everything we do.” With this advice, the woman turned around to head for the door.

“My name is Ava. Thank you for telling me,” Ava said.

“I’m Fatima,” the woman said. She said it as if she was out of practise and needed to think about it for a moment.

“Nice to meet you, Fatima. How long have you been here?”

“Time has no meaning here. What date is it?” Fatima asked. Ava did some calculations in her head.

“I think it’s 25th November,” Ava told her.

“What year?” Ava looked at her and then told her. She saw the woman pale a little.

“Three years,” she then told Ava.

“I’m sorry. I wish I could help you,” Ava said. She got a humourless laugh from Fatima.

“You should worry about yourself. You think the worst is behind you. It has yet to come. When old man Johnson gets a new pet, he takes them out for a spin. Usually to one of the brothels, or ‘gentlemen’s club’, as he likes to call them. It’s to see if she can be a good pet. If the night goes well, he takes her for the first time in one of the VIP rooms. If it goes badly, he lets the guest use her as they wish for free. If Johnson likes what she gives him in bed, he will take her to the doctor. One moron for a son is enough for him. He doesn’t want his pets to breed. Then a life awaits of endless cycles of punishments, rape and self-loathing,” Fatima told her. Ava felt dizzy. He would be taking her out for a test run the next day. Or was that today? How long did she sleep?

“What time of day is it?” she asked.

“It’s late at night. You should get some sleep. I hear you have a big day tomorrow. Remember, don’t make it worse for yourself.” Once Ava was alone, she collapsed onto the bed. She pulled the cover over her and curled into a ball and cried. It was the first time she had allowed herself to cry since this thing had started. Ava just felt so alone, so helpless, and so scared. What if Johnson took her to the doctor and she never could have children? She had never really thought about having children. But now, knowing there was a risk she never would have, she knew she wanted them. She wanted a whole little family, and she wanted it with Zane. Ava had thought if she just survived, rescue would come. But now she wondered if they came after tomorrow, what would they find? How broken would she be? Would there be a point when she would no longer be fixable?

At some point, Ava had fallen asleep, and she woke up, still curled into a ball, as the lock clicked. She tried to crawl out from the cover and stand up, but Johnson entered as she still was trying to detangle from the cover. His fiery gaze lingered on the naked skin the small robe didn’t cover.

“Sleeping in, are we? It’s okay, for this once. You will get used to the rules around here soon enough. Turn around so I can have a look at you,” he told her. Ava swallowed and turned around, slowly. Pick your battles, she thought. “Good girl, you clean up nice. But I already knew that. I have some treats for you today, seeing as it will be our first outing. We are going out in about three hours. When I leave here, I will turn the water on in your shower for twenty minutes. I will also allow you to drink tea, or coffee, instead of water before we leave. What would you like?” Ava looked at him. He was acting like he was giving her priceless jewellery.

“I would like coffee with some milk in it, if I may,” she said.

“That will be fine. It will be brought up to you an hour before we leave together with some clothes and makeup. I expect you not to disappoint me,” he told her.

“Yes, sir. Thank you, sir,” she said.

“Master, Ava. Call me master,” he reminded her.

“I’m sorry.”

“That’s okay, you will learn. I will leave you to it,” he said, opening the door to retrieve something. “I’m not giving you a razor. I’m not stupid. But here are some hair removal cream. I expect there to be no hairs on your body except on your head tonight. Understand?”

“Yes, sir.” she told him. He sighed and handed her a tube of the cream.

“Don’t test my patience, pet.” With that, he left the room, and the lock clicked as it slid into place. Ava hurried into the bathroom and started getting ready. She needed to have a plan in place. If no one was going to come for her, she needed to get out on her own. Maybe she would be able to find out who the rat was? Maybe she could get a message to Gabriel or Zane. Her mind was all over the place as she showered. When the water turned off, she didn’t have the urge to cry. She had got some of her determination back.