Mabel Shot Part 4

Yelena grabs my arm below hers and rubs my hand where she hit it, easing the sting with her calm touch. I stay silent and walk with her out of the room as she leads us through the house filled with decorations, colorful vases, and old tapestries hung on the walls. Sieta walks slowly behind us, following. Yelena stops only when she enters a door at the end of the hallway she brought us to, opening it slowly. I look into the large room, with a soft, thick carpet on the floor, several pillows scattered across it, decorating the space, and a giant mirror on the wall with a golden frame. The only furniture in the room is a large wooden wardrobe in the corner.
“Come in,” she says, releasing my hand and stepping forward to open the wardrobe's large doors. “Choose one.”
My eyes are glued to the inside of the wardrobe, observing the number of masks hanging from the lining.
“Wow…” I murmur, surprised, stepping closer.
Masks of all colors. There are leather ones, wooden ones, animal-shaped ones, Greek and African masks like the ones Mr. Gregovik has in his house, and others that are darker, completely black with only the eye openings.
“Do you want me to choose one?” I ask, lost, not understanding the reason for this.
“Yes, any one that catches your attention, that sparks your interest. Just raise your finger and point to it,” Yelena says, smiling and nudging my shoulder.
I turn my face back, looking for assistance from Sieta, but she just smiles and shakes her head.
“Choose!” Sieta says, stepping into the room and leaning against the wall.
I return my gaze to the wardrobe, feeling lost, not understanding why I need to do this, but after everything that has happened so far, what would choosing a simple mask matter? My eyes wander over them, not really finding any that catch my interest until I rest my gaze on a delicate black mask, almost hidden among the others, tucked away in the corner at the very back of the wardrobe. The smaller pointed ears tell me it represents an animal. I observe the golden details on the sides that outline the eye openings. A black snout, edged in gold, makes it even more beautiful, and there’s a red stone embedded right in the center of the forehead. Without realizing it, I find myself raising my arm and pointing my finger at it.
“Take it, child.” Yelena pushes me forward, laughing, pointing into the wardrobe.
I bend down and take the mask in my hands, bringing it close. Its texture is firm, like acrylic, and I run my finger over the golden designs, realizing they are hieroglyphs.
“It’s Egyptian,” I smile and examine it closely, trying to understand what animal the mask represents. It looks like a dog... I slowly turn it over and feel the satin ribbons on the sides.
“It’s the mask of Anput,” Yelena says softly, removing it from my hands.
“The wife of Anubis,” I murmur, looking at Yelena’s hands, recalling that I’ve studied Egyptian art before. You can’t study Anubis without hearing about Anput.
“The first slave of a master,” Yelena raises her eyes to me, giving me an intriguing look. “Known as a goddess to mortals, but for her lord, she was a submissive.”
Yelena lifts the mask slowly, turning it gently as she brings it toward my face, whispering as she walks behind me, making a slight bow:
“In Sodom, they say a submissive soul recognizes a dominator,” Sieta says, stepping away from the wall and stopping in front of me. “Just as a submissive always reveals their true essence when they choose their game mask.” She clutches her hand and presses it near her heart. “Mom usually does this bizarre test with every girl she knows who has a connection to Sodom; she did it with me too. I chose the boar mask; it represents strength and struggle. If I were to accept having a master to make me submissive, he would suffer at my hands, just as I would at his.”
“So my essence is that of a jackal, a kind of dog?” I laugh, raising my fingers to touch the tips of the ears. “God, I think I drank too much vodka; I can’t understand what the mask test is about!”
“No, my child.” Yelena circles around and holds my shoulders, slowly turning me. “Your essence is loyalty, just as it is obedience.”
She touches my chin, making me look straight ahead. I fall silent, seeing the mask on my face, covering the upper part. I feel a strange sensation, not recognizing the look of the woman reflected in the mirror, as if she were a stranger who had always been inside me.
“Look at her, Mabel, and tell me what you see,” Yelena steps back, speaking softly.
I raise my fingers, touch the mask, and trace the contours of the Egyptian designs around the eyes, the golden decorations on the ear, slowly lowering down to the tip of the snout.

“I see…” I whisper, lost, keeping my eyes on the mirror.
“What are you doing here?” A male voice startles me, making me take off the mask immediately and look toward the door.
Czar’s eyes are locked on me. I pull my hand back and breathe quickly, feeling Yelena's gentle touch on my shoulder as she moves closer.
“Hello, Aunt Yelena, how are you?” she reprimands him, looking at him. “It's been a while since I last saw you; sorry for being an ungrateful nephew!”
His brown eyes shift from mine to his aunt, who laughs and shakes her head.
“Hello, aunt,” he says, hoarsely, turning his gaze back to me and becoming focused on the outfit I’m wearing.
I feel Yelena's hand on mine as she takes the mask from my fingers.
“See how family can be selfish, Mabel? They only seek you out when they need something.” She pushes me forward, making me take a step toward Czar.
His eyes are fixed on my face as I hear the wardrobe close.
“Mom was showing Mabel the house's decor, you know how she is, an old crazy lady.” Sieta steps forward, leaving the room.
“I came to get you,” he says seriously, keeping his attention on me, stepping further into the room and making me almost weaken in my legs as I breathe in his scent.
“Come on, dear, let’s get you dressed! Remember what I told you? No sex today…” My cheeks flush, my eyes widen as she glares at Czar. “You heard me too, didn’t you, young man?! Her body needs a rest unless you want to hurt her!”
She pushes me and sidesteps him, leading us out of the room with Sieta as I hear the heavy sound of his angry breathing.
“My body needs this; I don’t remember you saying that…” I whisper to her, looking at her, confused.
“No, but let’s put him in timeout.” She winks at me and murmurs, chuckling softly.
I glance over my shoulder and see Czar leaving the room, hands in his black pants pockets, his eyes fixed on me, slowly lowering his gaze to my ass, reminding me of our conversation on the phone.
“Thinking about it, that’s a good idea…” I turn my attention back to the front and walk quickly, feeling the hairs on my neck bristle under the intense way his eyes burn into me. “A great idea!”
Automatically, my arms go behind me, my hands turning to cover my butt as if I could protect it from his devilish eyes.