Raven Garnett was sleeping peacefully on her bed when a sharp 'no!' startled her awake. The scream made her spring up and scramble to turn on the lights. It had been a long time since she had awoken with a start that she had to take a quick second to gather her thoughts and come back to the world of the living.
When Garnett turned to her right, she saw Keira squirming and thrashing in bed. The brunette's clothes clung to her skin, and a shimmering sweat sheen covered the still sleeping girl. Garnett noticed the tears that streamed out from in between the younger girl's closed eyes, and how they had already pooled beneath her and had stained the bedsheets. For a minute there, Garnett had totally forgotten about Keira's nightmare affliction and wondered if the twenty-year-old had always been plagued with them, or they had started since Garnett's lackeys had plucked Keira from society. An unexpected pang of guilt hit Garnett as she speculated it was most probably the latter.
Raven made sure to grab the box of tissues on her nightstand before she scooted across the king-sized bed to Keira's side.
"Kristia, stop!" Keira muttered. Her facial features and tone indicated agony and suffering.
Garnett stopped momentarily at the name Keira uttered. At least now, Raven knew who was tormenting the girl's dreams. Garnett's suspicions had been confirmed, at least for tonight's nightmare. The heartless doctor should not care if her prey was suffering, it should be entertainment for the predator, but the thirty-three-year-old felt remorseful that she was the perpetrator. Garnett found herself at odds. Why was this bothering her so much?
Raven set the box of tissues on the bed while she scooped up the flailing brunette in her arms.
"Keira, sweetheart, you have to wake up," Garnett encouraged as she brushed Keira's hair out of the girl's face and wiped away the copious tears that fell.
Keira was still jerking in Garnett's arms, so Raven secured the young girl's limbs to prevent her from hurting herself. Garnett spoke once again to wake up Keira. It seemed to be working this time because Keira's wriggling was subsiding. Something in Keira's nightmares, however, still seemed to be snatching a hold of her and not letting go because her eyes showed her struggling to wake up but quickly falling back asleep again and continuing to dream.
Garnett patiently tried again to wake up the tormented girl, and to her relief, Keira stirred awake. Raven had to hold down Keira tighter as she tried to push herself away from Garnett and try to get up. The girl was disoriented, and her eyes were frantically flitting across the room as if searching for something.
"Shh, shh, you're okay. Everything is fine. You're safe. It was just a nightmare," Garnett cooed at Keira while stroking the girl's head. "It's over. You're okay."
Keira's breathing was still erratic, and the tears kept falling. She pulled her arms away from Garnett's grip and grasped tightly onto Raven's top and buried her face in the doctor's chest while sobbing loudly. Garnett tenderly embraced the trembling girl.
"Please don't let Kristia near me! Please!" Keira begged, still crying her heart out.
"It's okay, Keira. That was just a nightmare. Nobody is here except me," Garnett reassured and pulled Keira in tighter.
"No, I mean in real life!" Keira shot back, looking up at Garnett. The hurt in Keira's eyes shook Raven, making the doctor's features soften.
"Why? What happened with Kristia?" Garnett inquired, growing suspicious at Keira's request. Keira had not even spent enough time with Kristia for her to want Kristia as far away as possible. In any case, Garnett would understand if Keira's plea was about Mia.
"I just don't want her near me," Keira cried.
"That's not a valid reason, Keira. Is there something else going on?" Raven's brow shot upwards.
"I... I can't..." Keira's voice broke as she tore her eyes away from Garnett's and continued weeping into the older woman's chest.
Garnett did not press the matter any further, at least not for tonight, but rest assured, she was going to get her answer one way or another.
Raven kept up her work trying to calm down the frantic girl. She hugged Keira tighter and rocked her back and forth. It had already worked in the past, after all.
This was the last straw, Garnett was decided that starting tomorrow, she was going to put Keira on some anti-anxiety medications because, frankly, the girl's nerves were out of control. Garnett was not in the business of self-blame, so regardless of where Keira's anxiety stemmed from, the fact was that it needed to be dealt with now.
As the doctor's rhythmic motions slowly set the younger girl at ease, Garnett grabbed a couple of tissues and handed them to Keira so that the brunette could clean her face. Meanwhile, Raven had taken more tissues so that she could dry off Keira's arms and neck, then gave the girl the option of drying her torso or having Garnett help her with that. To Raven's disappointment, Keira chose to do it herself, of course.
It is so hard for Garnett to not do what she wants. She is not used to having to ask for permission. If she wants something, nothing gets in the way of her getting it, so this new approach that Garnett is trying with Keira, having self-restraint, and respecting the girl's boundaries, is proving quite cumbersome for the doctor. But Garnett must keep at it, she must test her hypothesis.
Garnett watched intently as Keira's arms went under her shirt to dry herself off. As the girl's shirt slightly rose to reveal her toned abdomen, Garnett could not help but bite her lower lip, wishing it was the doctor's hands roaming the brunette's body instead. Raven's nails were unwittingly digging into Keira's deltoid as she held back her primal urges. When Keira winced slightly at Garnett's grip, that is when the doctor snapped out of whatever lust-filled fantasy had possessed her. Neither Garnett nor Keira said anything.
Once the young girl had finished recomposing herself and had dried off, Garnett offered her a change of shirts. Keira accepted the doctor's offer, so Garnett reluctantly let go of the girl to head over to the drawer and look for any comfortable shirt that Keira could wear.
Raven returned with a black shirt, which she handed to the girl. Keira thanked Garnett for the shirt and looked back at the older woman, waiting for her to give the younger girl some privacy to change. When the doctor did not get the hint, Keira outright asked her.
"Um, can you turn around so that I can change?" Keira requested shyly as a slight blush crept up her cheeks.
"N- Yes," Garnett let out with a heavy sigh as she turned around, fighting, and reminding herself that she has to act nice around Keira if she wants to see any change in the way the girl responds to the doctor's presence. Nobody ever said the change would be easy.
After Keira had slipped out of her sweaty shirt and into the clean one, she handed the shirt, along with the dirty tissues, to Garnett who took them and disposed of them.
Once again, the young girl's emotions drained her energy levels. Keira's stress was leaving her more mentally and physically depleted than she had ever previously experienced. The brunette was fearful pretty much all the time now, and her interrupted sleep was hindering any small progress that Keira had in controlling her mental health.
By the time Garnett had returned to the bed, Keira had already fallen asleep facing down. Raven pulled the covers higher up on the girl, then went back to her side and debated if she should cuddle the sleeping girl. It was a weird feeling for Raven, but the thought of cuddling overcame her. She was not one to be all touchy-feely with other people, especially her experimental subjects, but she could not shake the feeling of wanting to experience it with Keira. The younger girl had already fallen asleep on top of Garnett, but it was not the same thing. That time, Keira had been crying too and was exhausted, so she had collapsed in Garnett's arms. Raven, however, wanted this time to be authentic, but for a second time, Garnett struggled to do what she pleased and instead finally settled on honoring Keira's wishes. If Keira was sleeping that close to the edge of the big bed, it was obviously because she desired space.
Raven finally settled back in bed and turned off the light, making sure to sleep facing in the opposite direction from Keira so that she would not be tempted to scoot across to the brunette's side.
Keira did not seem to have any more nightmares for the rest of the night.
-
Garnett must have been tired because she woke up at 10:03 am, a rarity for this early bird. She rolled over in bed not caring that it was so late, besides, it was her day off, and she was going to make the most out of it.
This last week had been exhausting ever since Keira arrived. It always gave Raven a great sense of excitement whenever a new subject would be brought to her, but it was also a time of lots of work. New subjects meant an awful lot of paperwork in documenting every single aspect of where and when they were found, in what state, the medical files that had to be opened, the training, everything.
Raven glanced to her right side towards Keira and saw that the girl was still fast asleep. The corner of the doctor's lips lifted slightly when she noticed that the brunette seemed to be resting peacefully, so Garnett decided to let the young girl sleep a little while longer, at least until breakfast arrived.
Garnett swung her feet over the side of the bed and headed to the bathroom for her daily morning routine.
In the bathroom, Raven noticed that she had forgotten to drain the tub. Walking over to the still pool of water, Garnett wondered what had exactly freaked Keira out last night.
Was it because she was having a nightmare, or perhaps it was because she found herself bathing with Garnett? No, that did not seem like it because Keira was not moving at all during all the time she was in the tub, and she did not even turn around to see if she was accompanied. Her movements were too sudden.
Could it have been the water itself then? Why would something so innocuous cause her to become overwrought? Then again, when Keira reached for the glass of water, her reach faltered and hovered before it, seeming nervous about it. That seemed suspicious, a little too suspicious.
Could something have happened to her during those two days that Garnett had not visited Keira? No, it could not be. Nobody in this base would be so stupid as to defy a direct order from Garnett, would they?
Whatever was the case, Raven was going to be wary until she found out the truth.
Garnett pulled out the tub's plunger and resumed her personal hygiene routine. Once she had finished, she exited the bathroom to head over to her closet and picked out the clothes for the day. Since today was going to be a lazy day, Raven settled on a pair of black leggings, a dark gray sports bra, and a red tank top since she was planning on exercising and having Keira follow suit. Even if Keira still had burns on her back, she could start exercising anyway. Besides, Garnett was decided that Keira was going to start working out every day as a coping method for the girl's anxiety. If Keira is focused on exercising and too tired from it, her mind will not have time to be idle, therefore, fewer chances for her anxiety to escalate. Apart from the anxiety, the exercise will benefit Keira overall and will keep her in shape, just like how Raven liked it, so it is not purely out of good intentions. Also, Keira is set to start taking part in the cell fights soon, so it is best to keep her in optimum shape.
Once she had changed her clothes, Garnett walked over to the couch and turned on the TV. She flipped the channel to the news to see if they were still talking about Keira's kidnapping. Just as she had suspected, the news was no longer covering Keira's disappearance, it was old news after the third day anyway. Garnett could certainly count on how quickly today's society would go through the information and how fast it would become obsolete. Content that her tracks were covered, the doctor turned off the TV and picked up her communicator to order breakfast for both, plus the new medications for Keira.
Garnett stood from the couch and walked over to Keira's side of the bed. Since the sleeping girl was as close to the edge of the bed as she could be, the older woman had no place to sit, so she crouched next to the sleeping girl and softly placed a hand on the back of the girl's head to gently nudge her awake.
"Keira, darling, it's time to wake up." Garnett's hand rubbed Keira's head. The brunette stirred slightly, so Garnett tried again, a little more insistent this time. "Keira, breakfast is almost here, get up."
Keira's eyes fluttered open, and a heavy groan escaped her lips. She was still tired from yesterday's events. The girl lifted her head slightly and wiped off the drool from her chin and the bedsheets. Without missing a beat, Keira turned her face opposite to Garnett and pulled the covers over her head. "Not now, I wanna sleep," she grunted sleepily.
Raven stood and inhaled deeply as she closed her eyes, pushing down her want to forcefully pull Keira out of bed. Garnett hates to repeat herself, especially if it is an order.
"Little one, do not test my patience first thing in the morning. Get up now and go brush your teeth," Garnett said sternly.
Keira realized that Raven had gone back to using a pet name for her. Her inflection change did not go unnoticed either. Begrudgingly, Keira sat up, groaning as she rubbed the sleep out of her eyes.
"Ok... Mom. I'm up," Keira said sarcastically to Garnett as she yawned and stretched.
"Careful there, little one, watch the attitude," Raven replied warningly placing a hand on top of Keira's head, slightly amused as one of the corners of her lips turned upwards at the bold reply. Keira's spark seemed to have resurfaced.
"Yes, Mistress. Sorry." Keira's head bowed a little. "I'm just really tired."
"You've already slept a ton, why are you still so tired?" Garnett questioned as the hand that was on Keira's head traveled to cup the girl's chin to lift it so that Keira established eye contact with Raven. She was still suspecting that Keira was hiding something.
Keira hesitated before answering, "I don't know, I just am."
Garnett hummed skeptically once again but did not push the matter any further. "Go, get up, and brush your teeth. Breakfast is arriving shortly," Raven replied as she let go of Keira's chin.
"Yes, Mistress." Keira trodded over to the bathroom, wanting to end the conversation quickly and not give Garnett another chance to keep questioning her.
In the bathroom, Keira stayed as far away from the tub as she possibly could, noticing that it was empty, but that still did not put her at ease. The potential of what it could be and do to her terrified the girl.
Refusing to still look at herself in the mirror, Keira brushed her teeth while her eyes spotted a hairbrush. After rinsing with as little water as possible, her hands quickly went to grab the handle of the brush. Something so mundane felt like a privilege. It had been so long since Keira had brushed her hair. She cherished how the brush caught in the tangles and broke them up. Something that she once hated doing now felt so comforting. So much had changed in a week.
Before exiting the bathroom, Keira wanted to wash her face, but she was not going to splash water on it. The feeling of vulnerability at having her eyes closed with water potentially going up her nose was something that she did not want to relive. Thinking about how she could solve this problem, she grabbed a couple of squares of toilet paper and wet them, then used them to wipe her face clean.
Once back in the room, Keira saw Garnett already sitting at the round table with the food trays served and her back turned to Keira. A sinister thought crossed Keira's mind. If Keira were to come up behind Garnett, would she be able to choke her? How feasible were her chances of escape? Would it even be worth it now? Then again, she should not think about that now.
After everything that has happened, Keira felt safer being alone with Raven than taking her chances with the rest of the people on base, especially if there was even the slightest chance of running into Kristia or Cleary. At least Keira knew what to expect out of Garnett, for the most part, the doctor was straightforward with what she wanted. Being with Raven felt like the safest option because she would not let Cleary or Kristia mistreat Keira while Garnett was present, since those had been her rules after the branding while Keira was recovering.
"I hope you're not thinking of doing anything to me, little one," Garnett said in an amused tone.
What the hell? Raven's words brought Keira out of her thoughts.
"How did you know?" Keira asked befuddled.
Garnett laughed. "Because you are being so obvious, little one. Why else would you come out of the bathroom and stand there without making a sound?"
"Aren't you worried at all that your back is to me?"
"Not really. You are not back to full strength. If you were to have done something, I could easily overpower you. It might have been interesting for me, but I doubt you are ready for another punishment. Besides, I don't even want to think about punishing you in your current state, so don't force me to. Now come here and sit," Garnett said without taking her eyes off the book she was reading.
Keira rolled her eyes and inhaled deeply at the way she was talked to. Surely, if Garnett had seen Keira, the doctor would most probably have retaliated against the attitude.
Keira walked warily over to the table, wanting to eat, but not necessarily wanting to share the meal with Raven. The younger girl looked around, making sure that the people she wanted to avoid did not suddenly spring out of thin air and attack her. After ensuring that they seemed to be alone at the moment, Keira let out a breath of relief as she pulled the chair back and sat in it, eyeing Garnett who was reading the same book as the night before.
The girl's eyes roamed the older woman's body, taking in the definition of the woman's bare arms.
Now feeling a little more at ease, Keira thought that maybe there was a small possibility that she would be capable of overwhelming the doctor. Maybe not with brute force, after all, she did it once before.
Garnett let out a short sigh, knowing that Keira was staring intently at her. Raven placed the book on the table and locked eyes with the smirking girl. "What's on your mind, little one?" Garnett returned Keira's smirk with one of her own, not expecting the girl to have awoken with such an attitude. The doctor was genuinely curious at the cogs that were turning in Keira's head.
Keira let out a small chuckle. "So, you actually think that I could overpower you if I were at one-hundred percent?"
Garnett burst out laughing. "That's what you were thinking of? Keep dreaming, sweetheart. You got the one-up on me once out of pure luck."
"Maybe I'll get lucky twice then," Keira riposted while still grinning defiantly.
"Look at you feeling bold today!" Raven chuckled. "Sure. Whatever you say, little one. Now, let's eat before the breakfast gets cold."
Keira did not respond, instead, she uncovered her tray and dug into her food.
They were eating in awkward silence, while Keira was hoping and praying that Garnett would not broach the subject of Cleary and Kristia. Those two caused more than their fair share of damage, and Keira was cautious of what they could do to her if Raven ever found out what they did.
Garnett, on the other hand, was waiting on Keira to say something first. If the girl was the one to initiate the conversation, she would be feeling more willing to answer Raven's questions.
During the meal, Garnett observed Keira's demeanor. Even though the young girl had awoken seemingly audacious, her body language screamed the opposite, it was guarded and squirrely. She would occasionally steal glances toward the door and around the room, as if making sure that nobody else was present.
On one occasion, Garnett had accidentally knocked the butter knife off the table with her elbow and when it fell to the ground with a loud clatter, Keira had jumped out of her chair and gotten into a defensive position facing the door. The girl was trembling and forcefully gripping the chair she had been sitting on that her knuckles had lost their color. She was ready to use the seat in self-defense. Raven was not only taken aback by how fast the girl reacted, but by the disproportionate response to the loud sound.
It took more coaxing than expected to convince Keira that it was just the knife that had made the loud sound, and that there was nobody else in the room except for the two of them. The girl was so worked up, that when Garnett approached her to try and calm her down, Keira had flinched back so suddenly at Raven's touch that she almost fell backward when she hit the couch behind her. Garnett had been quick to grab a hold of Keira so that she would not fall and forcefully pulled her into a hug until her breathing and heart rate had calmed down, and the tension from her muscles had dissipated. During the embrace, Raven had tightened her grip around Keira's body and the back of her head so that the girl would focus on Garnett's words and not her surroundings, as she kept trying to look towards the door.
After Garnett had calmed down Keira and convinced her that she was safe, Raven settled her back down on the chair to finish her breakfast. Garnett walked to the other side of the table without taking her eyes off Keira for a second. Raven finished her omelet and took out three pills, which she handed to Keira when the brunette had eaten all her food.
"What is this for?" Keira asked, looking down at the pills that the doctor had placed on her palm.
"The new medications you will be taking starting today," Garnett assured.
"For what?" The young girl was not keen on taking any unknown drugs.
Raven sighed, "One of them is the oral form of the pain medication you currently have going through your IV. I want to wean you off that medication as soon as possible and only use it if it's needed. Today, I'm taking out your IV for the next couple of days and giving your veins some time to rest and recover for when it's the moment to do your grafting surgery. I did not remove your IV yesterday because I wanted to make sure that you had a full stomach." Garnett stopped to take a breath. "The other two are for your nerves. One will help keep your anxiety levels at bay all day long, but it can take weeks to start working, and the other is for moments like this one where you freak out suddenly, so it acts quickly to calm you down."
Keira's gaze shifted from Garnett to the pills. The doctor did not sugarcoat things, she outright said what the medications were for, and she sounded truthful. It would make sense, given how Keira had reacted at various times since she had arrived at the compound. After listening to the doctor's explanation, the young girl was not entirely opposed to taking them. Maybe now she would not feel so mentally exhausted all the time, but then again, she would not have even needed to take any medications if it were not for these people.
"Why do you want me to take them? I mean, I get the painkiller, but why the other two? Why do you care about that?" Keira looked back up at Garnett.
Raven pondered for a moment on how to answer. It is true, she should not care if her experimental subject was anxious or not, she had not given it a second thought in the past, but she had already taken that variable into account. "It's because I want to see how a subject treated for anxiety fares in my experiments," Raven lied, using the excuse of wanting to test out a new variable and seeing how it impacted the data.
Keira's face suddenly turned sullen, that was not the answer she wanted to hear. "Oh, I see," Keira responded dejectedly. "Well, who am I to keep you from your precious data, then?" The brunette grabbed the glass of orange juice and swiftly downed the three pills, one after the other. It is not like her opinion mattered anyway, and there was no way of getting out of taking the new medications since Garnett always got her way, so Keira complied.
Raven did not like how the young girl was now crestfallen, but she still had to maintain an air of authority around the brunette.
The doctor got up and took out Keira's IV before heading to the dresser where she had placed the bundle of clothes and a pair of sneakers for Keira that one of the soldiers had fetched when he had brought in their breakfast. Garnett walked back to Keira's side and gave her the clothing and shoes. "Here, change into these clothes, I have a couple of things planned for today."
Keira felt the weight of the shoes on her hand and marveled at the fact that she was receiving a pair of footwear to put on. All this time she had been walking around barefoot, another aspect that made her feel vulnerable and small.
"You-you're giving me shoes?" Keira could not help the tears that filled the brim of her eyes. This was another thing that she had taken for granted, the sense of security that footwear could provide.
"Yes, they are yours to keep, little one," Garnett replied.
Keira was feeling so overwhelmed with the 'gift' that, without thinking about it, she quickly stood up and hugged Raven. A couple of joyful tears had slipped down the girl's cheeks. Garnett's features melted at the authentically tender moment. Her arms slowly found their way around Keira's body, not wanting the younger girl to pull away at the doctor's touch. The older woman's head bowed to rest on the girl's. This was the first-ever sign of affection that the brunette displayed towards Garnett. That simple action warmed the older woman's heart because it was not forced nor prompted.
The girl pulled away looking red in the cheeks, cleared her throat, and without a word went to the bathroom to change, leaving the feeling of her warmth on Raven's body. Garnett stood in the same place for a couple of seconds, wrapping her head around Keira's action, as a smile unwittingly crept up on the doctor's lips.
When Keira had come back into the room dressed in the sports-type clothes that Garnett had given her, the doctor went to grab an eerily familiar black box.
"I know you're not going to like this next part but trust me when I tell you it's for your benefit," Raven stated as she approached the young girl.
Keira's eyes widened, her hands shot up with the palms facing outwards and her arms tucked in. She took a couple of steps back.
"No, please, not that again," Keira begged. "I will behave, I swear! I won't even talk if that's what you want, Mistress. Look, I'll even kneel!" the girl pleaded as she dropped to her knees. "Just don't make me wear that thing again."
Garnett smoothly stepped towards the kneeling girl and slowly got down on one knee in front of her, placing a hand on the girl's shoulder, giving it a light squeeze. The doctor's brows melded together as her forehead furrowed, "I know you hate it, but I assure you that I won't shock you or hurt you until you finish recovering, however, if you choose to misbehave, know that your actions will have consequences later on."
Keira looked at Raven with doe eyes, her bottom lip slightly quivering.
"I know for a fact that you are going to like where I'm going to take you, but the only caveat is that you have to wear the collar. After we have finished, I can take it off. How does that sound?" Garnett tried to bargain with the brunette.
Keira did not reply, instead, she averted her gaze to the ground, sat back on her heels, and nodded twice, letting Garnett brush the girl's hair back and securing the collar.
Raven extended a hand to Keira and helped her to her feet.
"Let me put on my sneakers, and then we can head out," Garnett noted.
Keira abhorred having the collar on, but she was curious as to what Garnett wanted to show her. Also, seeing Raven out of her professional-looking work clothes and high heels and into training clothes and shoes gave her a different perspective of the doctor.
"I'm taking the leash and the remote for the collar. Please don't make me have to use them, little one," Garnett warned.
"Yes, Mistress. I'll behave." Keira did not even want to think about getting shocked again or debasing herself by wearing the damned leash.
"All right, I'm giving you a big chance today, do not squander it," Raven cautioned. "Come on, follow me."
They exited Garnett's room and headed to the elevator, passing by the guards that were outside the doctor's room.
Keira's movements were slow and guarded, looking around every which way. Raven placed a hand on the girl's lower back and guided her to the elevator.
In the elevator, Keira saw that Garnett pressed the 'G' button. A newfound sense of excitement overcame the girl as they made their way up to ground level.
When the elevator doors opened, Raven guided Keira down various hallways and past an unusual number of soldiers and trainees, who stopped to formally salute Garnett as she walked past them. The two women came up to a door that had the word 'Kennels' written to the left of it.
Keira stopped right in front of the door. "Wait, is this for real? You actually have dogs here?"
"Only one way to find out," Garnett replied with a grin as she opened the door.
Keira stepped through the threshold and the unmistakable sound of muffled barking could be heard. The girl gasped in delight as her eyes widened with a shimmering spark.
"No way! Are you serious?" Keira asked in joyful disbelief.
"I know you love animals, so I figured you might like to see the ones that we have. Beats looking at the inside of four walls all day. Besides, I figured you could use a pick-me-up," Garnett reassured.
Keira's hands rose to her gaping mouth. She was speechless.
Animals are the purest beings on this Earth. They can do no wrong, in Keira's eyes, and their emotions are always pure and straightforward. They do not cheat, lie, steal, or hurt others out of malice. Their actions are based on instincts.
"Come on, you'll want to see this," Raven said, outstretching her hand towards Keira. The girl seized the offer and took a hold of Garnett's hand. A wave of goosebumps erupted on the girl's skin, sending sparks flying from the contact point.
The doctor led the brunette down the hallway where they passed by many kennels, most of which were empty since those dogs were being trained or were working. Keira marveled at the large dogs present, among them, she could point out German Shepherds, Belgian Malinois, Labrador Retrievers, Rottweilers, and Doberman Pinschers.
Even though Keira wanted to stay longer and look at the dogs, they had reached the end of the hallway, where they were met with yet another door. Garnett opened the door and pulled Keira with her. When the girl saw what lay on the other side of the threshold, she let out a high-pitched squeal as she let go of Raven's hand and rushed to the nearest playpen full of puppies. A guard who saw the brunette running towards the pen was making his way to stop the girl when he saw Garnett lifting a hand at him to signal that it was okay and to let the girl be. He apologized and went back to tending the other pens full of puppies.
Keira could not contain her excitement as she jumped into the playpen and was soon swarmed with five playful pups, who immediately went to greet her. The German Shepherds were all over the girl, licking, nibbling, and jumping all over her. A couple of tears of joy escaped the girl as she hugged, kissed, and petted the doggies, burying her face in their soft fur while letting out a heartfelt laugh.
Raven stood back with a huge grin on her face as she took in the sight before her. She had never seen Keira this happy, and it warmed her heart.
Garnett took advantage of her presence in the kennel to quickly make sure that everything was in order and check the charts on the dogs' progress, even if it was her day off, that way she could let Keira have more time with the animals.
The brunette, on the other hand, was jumping from playpen to playpen, greeting all the puppies and losing herself in the happiness that they brought. For a good hour there, Keira forgot where she was, what had happened to her, all of her hurt, and everything bad with the world. She was enjoying the moment to the fullest.
Once Garnett was satisfied with how much time Keira had spent with the puppies, she approached the girl, placing a hand on her shoulder. "It's time to go, little one. There are a couple of more things that I want to show you."
Even though Keira would have loved to have spent all day with the pups, she obeyed Raven and followed the doctor out of the kennels. If the first thing Garnett showed the girl was so wonderful, then surely what would come next must be just as good, if not better, Keira thought.
Before exiting into the main hallway where Keira had seen the door with the word 'Kennels' to the left side of it, Raven stopped to face the girl. "For this next part, you're going to have to be blindfolded."
Keira looked apprehensively up at Garnett and swallowed.
Without missing a beat, the doctor saw the girl's discomfort and quickly reassured her that everything was going to be okay. The brunette reluctantly agreed, took off her glasses, and let her sense of sight be taken away.
Raven grabbed the girl's glasses, then took both of the young girl's hands and slowly led her down other corridors until they came up to two sets of double doors. Garnett pushed her way past the door and walked about ten more feet. Meanwhile, Keira had sensed a sudden change in temperature and smell and was curious as to what might have caused it.
Garnett let go of Keira's hands and walked behind her. The older woman put both of her hands on the younger girl's shoulder and whispered in her ear. "Are you ready for this next part, little one?"
More goosebumps erupted on the girl's skin, as she had not expected the woman's closeness.
"Yes, Mistress." The words came out barely audible.
"All right then, close your eyes and only open them when I tell you to. I'm going to remove the blindfold now, is that understood?" Garnett ordered.
"Yes, Mistress," Keira responded louder this time. The girl shut her eyes and waited on Raven's command.
Not letting the girl wait any longer, Garnett removed the blindfold and put Keira's glasses back on the girl. Raven then stood in front of the girl, but off-center. The doctor told the brunette to open her eyes, and when she did, the girl immediately fell to her knees as her eyes watered. More joyous tears streamed down the girl's face. Her arms rose to either side of her, and she tilted her head back, taking in a huge breath.
When Raven witnessed this sight, she felt an unfamiliar prick at the corners of her eyes and a heaviness in her throat, forcing her to turn away from Keira.
For the first time in a week, the sun was shining down on Keira. The grass beneath her felt welcoming. The trees in the distance swayed happily. The sight of freely flying birds made her laugh. The imposing mountains lined the horizon. A breeze caught the girl's hair and made it dance uninhibitedly. It was warm and a welcome respite from the cold compound.
Keira could not believe she was outside. Outside!
After rejoicing in her surroundings, the girl finally stood and wiped off her tears.
A small 'thank you' reached Raven's ears, making her turn around to see the smiling girl. It was such a cute sight for the doctor to behold that she felt an uncharacteristic heat spread across her cheeks.
Garnett cleared her throat and told the girl to follow her. They walked behind the structure they had just exited, passing by an obstacle course, various soldiers and trainees training in their squads, and a couple of soldiers training dogs until they reached a large fenced-off area where Keira could see horses grazing in the pasture.
"You have horses here too?" Keira questioned in shock.
"Yes, we do. And guess what?" Raven asked playfully.
The girl wanted to answer, but it could not be, things were too good to be true, and she did not want to get her hopes up over nothing, so she pushed back her feelings. "What?" Keira was skeptical.
"We're going to ride them!" Garnett replied excitedly.
No way. This cannot be happening. It is not going to be real until Keira is actually sitting on top of the horse.
"Please, don't lie to me. For real?" Keira looked directly into Raven's eyes.
"When have I ever lied to you, little one?" Garnett countered.
That is true. Raven has always been straightforward with Keira from the start, whether it be good or bad, the doctor has always been truthful.
They reached the stables, where they were met with the horse keepers and other soldiers and trainees. Garnett ordered one of the keepers to prepare the doctor's horse and another keeper to prepare a horse fit for Keira. The second keeper looked over at the young girl, then bowed at Garnett and turned to look for a horse.
Keira was marveling at the horses, approaching their stalls, and petting those whose heads were sticking out. Raven approached the smiling girl and asked her to follow the doctor outside to receive their horses.
"Have you ever ridden a horse before, sweetheart?" Garnett asked the brunette.
"Only once when I was younger. I was maybe six or seven at the time. All I remember is that I had tons of fun and my horse was cream-colored with a cyan stripe painted on the tail," Keira replied, detailing her experience. "It's one of the fondest memories I have with my godfather."
Even if it was a minor thing, Raven loved that Keira had shared a past memory with the older woman.
Garnett proceeded to explain the basics of riding to Keira, just in case. The doctor also warned the girl that they were going to head out of the perimeter of the compound and if she decided to attempt an escape, the consequences were going to be severe regardless of her current state of recovery. Keira's horse was also going to be tethered to Garnett's and the older woman was going to make use of the shock collar if she saw herself forced to, even if it meant Keira might fall off the horse.
Keira did not question Garnett, nor did she attempt to speak out. The girl felt it was an easy compromise and a privilege despite where she was currently at.
The first horse keeper brought out a gorgeous, large, all-black horse, which he handed to Garnett. Keira gazed at the stallion in awe.
"His name is Goliath. He's a Thoroughbred that was born and raised here. He is two and a half years old, highly spirited, and energetic. I had the pleasure of training him and look at what a magnificent horse he has turned out to be. Goliath here is very proud and has not let anybody but me ride him," Garnett exclaimed while rubbing the horse's face in between his eyes.
Shortly thereafter, the second horse keeper brought out a pinto black and white horse. The mare was smaller than Goliath but just as beautiful. He secured a tether from the mare to the stallion before leaving the two women to themselves.
"Her name is Coco. She is a Spotted Saddle horse gifted to us from a sister compound. She is five years old, well-mannered, and friendly. A great companion and riding horse for beginners. Coco is a sweetheart and quickly takes a liking to new people. You'll notice that she is calm and obedient, so you should not have any problems riding her," Raven pointed out.
Keira was beside herself. She was incredulous that she was going to ride a horse, more so out of the base's perimeter. This was an exceptional time to gather information on her surroundings and maybe find out where exactly she was located. It seemed absurd to the girl that the older woman was allowing Keira to find out such critical information. It was best for the girl to stay quiet and silently gather as much data as possible for any probable future endeavors.
Both women mounted their horses and rode out of the compound's gate. They headed into the tree line, across several creeks, steep terrain, and up the mountain. After about two hours of riding, they came up to the end of a trail, where Garnett told Keira to dismount. The doctor secured both horses to a nearby tree and took out a small bag that was hanging on the side of Goliath and slung it over her shoulder. Raven turned to the girl and told her that for this next part, the leash must be attached to her collar.
"No! Why? I have been following all your orders without a problem. I haven't disobeyed or tried to escape. I'm not going to do it now, I swear," Keira argued.
"I'm sorry, but I can't take that risk for where we're going." Garnett took a step towards the girl.
Keira backed away from Raven. "No. Wait! Please give me a chance to prove it to you. I'll behave."
"Little one," Garnett took another step forward, making Keira back up further until her back hit a tree, "I am not going to ask again. I am not going to give you a choice in this matter, either. It's not about proving yourself; I'm just not going to take the risk right now. You can either let me put on the leash willingly or I won't have a choice but to use the remote, either way, the leash will get put on."
Keira's instincts told her to look for a way to distance herself from Garnett, so her eyes were darting left and right. Garnett, on the other hand, was already palming the remote, ready to use it at a moment's notice. When Keira saw Garnett's face shaking 'no' warningly, she sighed and bowed her head in defeat, not wanting to escalate the situation and possibly losing her chance at another outing.
"Good choice," Garnett said as she took one final step to close the gap between herself and the girl. "Don't think too hard on it. I know you hate this, but it's a necessary precaution for this next part. Oh, come on, don't look so glum!" Garnett cupped Keira's cheek so that the girl would look up at the doctor. "I can guarantee that you'll love what you're about to see."
Raven ordered the brunette to follow her until they came up to an impressive rocky overlook.
The overlook took Keira's breath away. From their elevated vantage point, she could see the gorgeous mountainous views, a wide river, followed by plains and civilization. The closest indication of other people was unfortunately miles away.
Garnett stood next to Keira, also taking in her favorite view in the world, then she sat down and set the bag on the rocky ground.
"Here, you must be thirsty," Raven said as she extended a water bottle towards the girl. "Please, sit."
Keira took the bottle and obeyed, sitting at more than an arm's length away from Garnett, an act that was not lost on the doctor. Raven felt a little saddened that the young girl would still want to keep her distance, but did not comment on it, not wanting to make the girl feel bad.
Garnett knew that the leash and the collar would drive a wedge between them, but she was hoping that Keira could see that their use was justified today. Raven had to make sure that Keira was tethered for the overlook. The girl had already expressed her want to die, so the doctor could not risk any rash actions from the brunette, especially when there was over a 300-foot fall down the rocky precipice.
"Are you still mad at me for putting on the leash?" Garnett broke the ice.
"I'm upset that you didn't trust me enough to give me a chance," Keira replied, bummed out.
"I couldn't take that chance, Keira. You've said before that you want to die, and I can't have that. Just bringing you out here is a huge risk that I'm taking, so I have to control the situation as much as I possibly can," Garnett replied matter-of-factly.
"Okay, fine, I get that, but did you ever stop to think that I wouldn't be in this situation if it were not for you? Never in my life have I ever felt as bad or had any thoughts of dying until all of this happened." Keira pointed at herself, showing off the collar, leash, and burns.
"You're right, but I can't do anything about it now," Garnett acknowledged.
"You can start by letting me go back home, and hopefully I can forget that all of this ever happened," Keira fired back.
"You know I can't do that--"
"Why not? Just pretend like your little experiment failed and your subject died. It's as easy as that!" Keira lashed out.
"You're smarter than that, Keira. You know and have seen too much. Letting you go is out of the question. That's why I want to make you a part of the base's personnel. You'd have some freedoms, and I would not use you as an experimental subject," Garnett answered calmly to counteract the girl's heightening emotions.
"So..." Keira looked down and twirled her thumbs, choosing her next words. "I would be stuck under your rule until my last dying breath, while somebody else takes my place?"
"Basically."
"I'm sorry, but I can't let that happen! As much as I hate everything that has happened to me, I will not be able to rest knowing that I'm the reason why an innocent person had their whole life uprooted for your sake. If my suffering means that I can prevent a single person from suffering my same fate, then," Keira sighed heavily and forlornly, pulling her knees to her chest, "I won't have a choice but to remain in my current state. I'll reluctantly give myself up for as long as my body can endure your torture."
Garnett did not have an answer to Keira's statement. They sat in silence for a good five minutes. It was best to change the subject.
Raven grabbed the bag and pulled out two sandwich bags, handing one to Keira. "Here, eat this. It's a PB and J sandwich."
"Thanks." Keira's taciturn reply still demonstrated her disapproval.
They ate in tense silence.
Out of the blue, Keira started coughing harshly, hitting her chest with the side of her closed fist.
"Drink some water, Keira!" Garnett insisted as she held the water bottle towards the choking girl.
Keira denied with her hand, preferring to dislodge the piece of food that had gone down the wrong pipe herself.
"Jeez, don't be so stubborn. Drink the water and get it over with!" Garnett demanded, since she could not slap the back of Keira's back to help her displace the food. The girl once again refused.
Raven did not have a choice. Choking or not, Keira was still coughing, so she got up and pulled the girl to her feet. Standing from behind Keira and putting one of her feet in between the girl's, the doctor wrapped her arms just under the girl's diaphragm, making sure that the side of the doctor's fist rested in the center while her other hand was on the other end of the closed fist, she then forcefully pushed inwards and upwards.
The build-up of intrathoracic pressure was enough to push out the food that had gotten stuck.
Keira was now bent over on the ground coughing, trying to rid herself of the lingering itchy sensation she felt at the back of her throat.
Garnett kneeled next to the girl and was rubbing her back. "Drink the water, Keira. It'll make you feel better," she cooed.
Keira finally accepted the now uncapped bottle from Garnett and took five seconds to look at it before clenching her eyes shut and taking a sip. The girl looked as if the water was foul-tasting.
After settling down, Keira sat back and Garnett took the opportunity to sit close to the girl, but directly in front so that the doctor could look directly at the brunette.
"Keira, sweetheart, we have to talk." Garnett tried to say as gently as possible, wanting to show the girl that she was not a threat.
Keira suddenly tensed at the words, dreading what Garnett was going to ask next. The girl knew where this was going, but that still did not prepare her for the anxiety that soon crept up. Once again, she pulled her knees tightly to her chest and wrapped her arms around her knees. She tucked her head in between both knees, looking down at her feet and firmly gripping her forearms.
"We are alone. I promise that whatever we talk about now will stay between us. You don't have to hold back, and I will not penalize you for anything that you say during this conversation," Garnett reassured.
Keira gulped and waited for Raven to finally ask what had been eating at the girl.
Will Keira be able to tell Garnett the truth of what happened to her?