"Keira, did something happen to you during those two days I was away?" Garnett inquired as tactfully as possible. "Did somebody hurt you?"
If I say no, she won't believe me. If I say yes, she will follow up with wanting to know what happened. Either way, she is going to make me talk.
"I can't answer your question, I'm sorry," I replied truthfully, looking down to the side. My voice lowered. I know she is not going to let it go.
"Look at me," her tone was still calm.
My heart was aching. Thinking back to that moment made my eyes water. I did not want her to see me like this. It was a stupid reason since she has seen me cry I don't even know how many times already, but this moment felt different.
I looked back up at her. Tears were brimming on the edge.
"Keira, if something happened, I could keep you safe," Garnett assured.
"No, I don't think you can," I responded quietly.
"Why do you say that?"
"Because you are only one person. It doesn't matter how much authority you think you have, ultimately, you are still one person," I argued.
She narrowed her eyes at me.
"What does that mean?" Her tone was starting to sound a bit stern.
"Exactly what you think it means. It doesn't matter if you give an order when your subordinates won't listen to it. It's like a king without a kingdom or a country without an army. If there is nobody to enforce your rules, you are nothing. So when I tell you that you can't protect me, it's because I mean it," my voice came out frail, thinking back to what I went through.
"What if I keep you by my side 24/7?" There were some hopeful undertones laced in her query.
"Are you not listening to a single word I'm saying? You don't stand a chance if you're outmanned and outgunned. You're not superhuman. There's nothing you could possibly do to keep me safe," I spat back, now exasperated at her lack of understanding.
"Okay then, now I'm the one saying to give me a chance. Nobody has to find out what I know except for you. I can keep secrets, you know. Don't underestimate me," she was basically pleading with me.
"And risk my life on your word? I don't think so. I'm trying to hold on to the few shattered pieces that I have left that make me, me. Not only that, but I feel like I'm at the edge of breaking down, and I don't want to lose myself. You have already taken everything from me but my life, and I fear that is not too far from reach. If you don't kill me, your lackeys will. Either way, I don't have much time left, so I'd rather make what's left of my life as painless and bearable as I possibly can." My voice broke every few sentences and a couple of tears spilled. I was trying my best to keep the floodgates at bay. I looked back down, away from her beautiful blue eyes.
"Keira..." She placed a hand on my lower leg.
"I don't want your pity," I spat scathingly at her, moving my leg away from her touch. "As you said, I am your pet, your slave, your plaything to do with as you please, when you please. The people on base are just biding their time until I recover so that they can get to play with me, that's what they keep saying. It's so common for them, that changing it now would look more than suspicious, don't you think? So why bother? Just leave me be and don't make me suffer any more than I need to." A pain was grabbing at my heart.
"You know, Keira, I am giving you the choice to tell me willingly. I don't want to have to force you to tell me the truth. It would be much quicker than going through the security footage outside your room to know who had access to you," she paused for a moment and let out a heavy sigh as if regretting what she was going to say next. "What do you think would happen to you if I were to go after Kristia?"
My breath caught in my throat as my eyes widened. I could have sworn I had dreamt that. It is getting harder for me to distinguish my nightmares from reality.
Ugh! How could I have been so stupid?
I gave everything away. Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!
Now, it does not matter if I tell her because she already knows it was Kristia. As she said, she can just get the footage and question Kristia herself.
I dug my own grave.
I slowly looked up at her. "What makes you think it was Kristia?" I tried to feign ignorance.
"Don't patronize me, Keira. Not only did you scream her name when you were having a nightmare, but after you woke up, you begged me to keep her away from you.
According to my records, you two should not have spent enough time together for you to be acting that way towards her, so that means that she must have had a hand in what happened to you. The only people who had access to your room for those two days were Mia, Dahlia, Cleary, Pvt. Winters, and I, so that means that at least one of them aided Kristia in gaining access to you.
Also, the radical change in your behavior in just two days is another indicator. Not only did you have an increased startle response when I accidentally knocked the butter knife to the ground, but you had another panic attack after you woke up in the tub.
Your movements are guarded, and you look terrified and hypervigilant as if something is going to happen at any moment. You keep searching for someone that isn't there.
Not only that, do you think that your recent aversion to water has gone unnoticed?"
She pieced everything together.
"So, I am going to give you one last chance to tell me what happened to you before I investigate for myself. I could make it interesting and not look at the recordings. That would not be fair to the innocent parties, though. I would have to employ some not-so-nice methods of interrogation, if you catch my drift.
Hmm... I think I will start with Dahlia, then move on to Pvt. Winters and so on."
"Please don't do that! I can't tell if you're bluffing or not, but I can't take that chance. Just... Just promise me that they won't find out you know until the last moment," I begged.
"I promise. I will do everything in my power to protect you from them," she said collectedly.
"Right. I'm not going to count on that. Well, fuck it --"
"Keira!"
"Raven!" I looked straight at her as I fired back with mocking indignation.
She started towards me. I scooted back with my arms up and a half-smirk.
"You said not to hold back and that I wouldn't be penalized for anything I said during this conversation, so don't back up on your word now!" I said as quickly as I could get out while bracing for a hit.
She stopped halfway to me with her hand up and ready to strike, then she exhaled sharply and sat back down. "You're right. I'm sorry. I'm not used to having to restrain myself."
I chuckled ruefully. "It doesn't matter anymore," I said, throwing my head back, looking at the sky with a mirthless smile and a tear running down my face. "How much time do we have?"
"As long as you need," she said comprehensively.
With one final heavy sigh, I told her everything in graphic detail.
I cried and sobbed at the recollection of the events. Not once did she interrupt me as she listened closely to what I was recounting. At some point, she had to give me napkins from the small rucksack so that I could wipe away the clear snot flowing out of my nose.
By the time I had finished retelling the incidents, she was sitting right beside me, leaning her body towards me with her left arm around my shoulders and my head resting in the crook of her neck with her head tilted contacting mine. Her right hand was stroking my arm in a soft and comforting manner.
"For what it's worth, I'll give you my word that I will get to the bottom of this." Her left hand moved to cup the side of my head from behind. "I just can't believe that they had the audacity to go behind my back and violate my direct orders. Thank you for telling me."
"It's not like you gave me much of a choice in that regard," I mumbled.
She laughed humorously. "Damn, you sure don't let things go, do you?"
"Can you blame me?"
"No, I suppose I can't," she let out a soft, wholehearted chuckle while giving me a side hug. "Come on, we should head back."
"Can we stay here a little longer? I don't want to go back just yet," I asked her, holding on to the side of her shirt.
Her features softened as she smiled down at me. "Okay, just a few more minutes."
"Thank you," I replied as I rested my head back on her neck.
-
After about fifteen minutes had passed, Garnett said that they had to be heading back so that they could have a proper lunch. By this time, Keira had yawned quite a few times already. With the new information that Keira had provided, Raven no longer questioned why the girl seemed to be so fatigued, so the doctor wanted to get her back to base as soon as possible so that the brunette could rest if she so desired.
Garnett stood first and helped Keira to her feet, then they headed back to their horses. Before Keira had mounted the mare, Raven took off the leash.
The women headed back to base, taking the same route which they had used. There was nothing of particular interest for Keira to make a mental note of. The trek back was through pure wilderness so finding a landmark for reference was out of the question, except for the occasional large rock, everything else looked pretty much the same. Keira wondered how Garnett managed to navigate her way to and from the base because if the young girl ever found herself alone in those woods, she would surely get lost.
They reached the compound's perimeter and dropped off their horses. Keira gave Coco one final pat and thanked her for the ride before hesitantly following Garnett into the building.
Just as before, the soldiers, trainees, and scientists who they passed by formally saluted or greeted the doctor. Keira was hoping and praying that they did not get to encounter Kristia, Cleary, or Mia. She kept her eyes peeled and her senses heightened.
They then made their way into the cafeteria, where everyone present soon fell dead silent as Garnett made her way across to the serving counter. Keira was following close behind the doctor, noting how this time around nobody was snickering or whispering to others about the young girl's presence, instead everyone seemed on edge and holding their breath as they watched Garnett order food.
Once Raven had ordered lunch for both, she exited the cafeteria and headed towards her room. Keira followed quietly behind, noticing how the people returned to normal as soon as they stepped foot out the door.
Inside the doctor's room, they sat at the round table where they had had breakfast earlier. Before digging into their food, Raven took off the girl's collar. Keira then uncovered her tray to reveal spaghetti in pesto sauce, sliced baked carrots, and salmon in guava sauce. Her mouth watered at the savory food before her, and soon she dug into her meal.
They were eating in silence until Keira decided to speak up.
"Mistress?" Keira asked formally as they were back on base, and she was no longer allowed to talk freely without fear of punishment as she did when they were on the stony lookout earlier.
"Yes? What is it, little one?" Garnett had also gone back to using her pet name for Keira.
"Why are we eating here and not in the cafeteria? Wouldn't it have been easier to have stayed over there?" The girl inquired.
"Hmm, yes, I suppose it would've, but I don't like eating somewhere knowing that nobody is talking because of my presence. You surely noticed how quiet things got when we got there. Nobody dares to say or do anything because they are too afraid of me. Don't get me wrong, I like the respect and the power, but there is no one to talk to during my meals, so I just eat here or in my office. It's easier that way, less of a hassle. Makes me feel less lonely," Garnett trailed off.
That last sentence made Keira do a double-take. Something like that was the last thing she ever expected to hear coming out of Doctor Raven Garnett's confident mouth.
Apparently, the big bad witch has problems of her own. It intrigued Keira to know that not everything is sunshine and flowers in the doctor's world.
"Heavy lies the crown, I guess," stated Keira.
"Yeah," Raven replied absentmindedly, twirling her spaghetti.
A couple of silent minutes passed.
"So, uh... Would you rather live in the ocean or the moon?" Keira broke the silence.
Garnett let out a short, genuine laugh. "What?" She said breathily.
"I said, would you rather--"
"I heard what you said, little one, mind your manners," Garnett scolded Keira quickly. "Why are you asking me such a random question out of the blue?" The doctor chuckled.
"Well, you just said that you don't have anybody to talk to during your meals, so I'm trying to break the ice," Keira looked at Garnett with large round eyes.
Garnett's heart swelled, knowing that Keira was trying to consider the doctor's feelings. Even after all that Raven had put the young girl through, the brunette was still willing to treat the older woman as another individual without spite lacing the girl's words.
As much as Keira detested where she was and the position she was in, she was still brought up to be considerate of other people's feelings even if they had done her wrong. The girl was taught that the first step to healing was to talk it out, something that she had forgone when her mother fell into her depression and vices, and only just recently she had started to put it into practice.
Even if Keira did not have the best of relations with her mother, she was beginning to work on patching it up and putting it behind her, forgiving her mother one step at a time.
With Garnett, Keira felt that the doctor was treating her much differently than when she had arrived. Granted, this was the first day that the girl and the woman had spent time together, but so far it seemed that Raven was trying a different approach with Keira, so it only seemed fair that the girl give the older woman a chance. After all, it could only benefit Keira.
"All right, little one, I'll play," Raven chuckled. "To answer your question, I would rather live in the ocean because there is so much to see and explore. There's a lot that we don't yet know about."
"Okay, what if there's a leak?" Keira quizzed the doctor.
"Same thing as if I were on the moon! The benefit is that you can surface and get back to civilization, if I were on the moon, it would be much harder if I wanted to return to Earth,” Garnett retaliated.
"Good point. I would have chosen the ocean too. At least there is life when you look out the window. Hmm, next question," Keira continued.
"Shoot."
"Have you ever had a significant other? Wait... Are you even capable of love?" Keira was suddenly curious because it was hard for the girl to imagine the doctor ever having a love life.
Garnett's eyes squinted, and her brows knitted themselves together.
"First of all, Keira, that's rude. Watch yourself. Secondly, what makes you say that?" Garnett uttered unsmilingly.
"It's an honest question. You can't blame me for making that assumption! Look around you and look at yourself. From the week that I have been here, what I've been able to gather is one: as you said, your subordinates fear you. Two: you are so immersed in your work that you barely even have time for yourself. Three: look at the jars in your office, look at what you have done to me, and look at how you treat others. It's always your way, however, and whenever you want. If you ever had a meaningful relationship with someone, I'm going to assume it must have been before all of this," Keira pointed to the room in general, "because, otherwise, you seem like the kind of person who just fucks and goes."
"You are walking on very thin ice, little one. What have I told you about cursing?" Garnett's tone was growing threatening.
"Okay, how did you want me to say it then? That you seem like a one-night stand kind of person? Sex and ditch? Screws and leaves?" Keira was trying to find more combinations.
"Thin ice, Keira!" Garnett stood from her chair and slammed her hands on the table.
"What? Can't handle the truth, Mistress?" Keira countered, standing up and leaning over the table to close the distance between herself and Garnett.
Without a moment's notice, Garnett was making her way towards Keira. The girl moved to the opposite side of the table, making sure that it was always positioned between them both.
"Aren't you proving my point right now?" Keira argued, mirroring Garnett's movements.
An enraged Garnett flipped over the table and threw it aside so that Keira no longer had a shield to hide behind. The girl backed up as quickly as she could, but Garnett was faster and managed to grab the girl's neck and forcefully slammed her into the wall behind her, eliciting a painful yelp from the girl.
"I have been trying to be nice to you, but you seem to be taking advantage of it. Looks like the only way to get you to obey is by force." Garnett growled as her grip around the girl's neck tightened.
Keira's hands rose to wrap themselves around Garnett's wrist and pull it away. Raven's free hand grabbed both of Keira's wrists and pulled them on top of her head.
"I... Was... Right... You... Are... A... Monster," Keira managed to get in between breaths.
Garnett was so blind with fury at this point that she clamped down even harder around the girl's neck. Keira's vision was starting to get fuzzy, but she was not going down without a fight.
The girl lifted her right leg and put all her remaining strength behind it as she kicked Garnett squarely in the abdomen, making the older woman fall back to the ground, knocking the wind out of the doctor.
Both women were now on the floor, one was on all fours coughing and holding her neck, while the other was on her side holding her stomach and trying to get a breath in.
Keira got up first and, against her better judgment, walked towards Garnett. The girl just wanted the doctor to stop choking her, not to hurt the woman.
"Mistress, please hear me out. I did not mean to offend you; I was just pointing out an observation." Garnett had already regained her breath and had gotten up to face the girl. Keira was sitting cross-legged on the floor, and Raven was stalking her way towards the brunette on all fours. Keira did not move from her position. "If you really are trying to change, you have to hear the ugly truth and not react in the way you did." Keira was leaning back as Garnett was already invading the girl's personal space. "If nobody ever had the gall to tell it straight to your face because they were afraid of you, then I just did you a favor!" Keira said, as her back was now flat on the floor. The girl's arms lay limp on either side of her to show no resistance to the doctor. Garnett's body was hovering over Keira, boxing the brunette in, as the woman's head slowly leaned down towards the girl's. "If one curse word sends you down a spiral like this, then you have some issues to work out," Keira kept saying. Her head was now turned to the side and her eyes were clenched shut. She was involuntarily trembling at this point, but was not resisting. Garnett was growling and dangerously close to Keira. "I appreciate what you've done for me today, and yes, you'll get better results if you act nice. That's a fact!" Keira yelled out the last sentence, bracing herself for whatever was to come. The girl knew she had crossed the line, but a necessary one at that, so that is why she was not putting up any resistance.
Garnett was enraptured by the dominant position she was in, seeing how submissive the girl under her was behaving. It was so titillating for the doctor to have Keira completely under her mercy that Raven found herself growing wet with unbridled lust.
The older woman's lips attacked the younger girl's exposed neck, feeling the saltiness of dried sweat on the brunette's skin. Raven's lips latched themselves hard onto Keira's supple skin, sucking and nibbling on the tender flesh. The doctor's teeth found the girl's pulse point and bit down on it, prompting the girl to let out a mixture of a whimper and a low, repressed moan.
One of Garnett's hands slithered its way under Keira's shirt and hungrily grabbed at the girl's abs. Raven squeezed with such a desperate force that she almost broke through the brunette's skin. Keira bit down hard on her bottom lip, suppressing a yell, while her eyes welled with tears and her hands balled into fists at the pain. Still, the girl was not fighting back.
The wandering hand snaked itself under the waistband of Keira's shorts and underwear. With a jolt, the girl's entire body stiffened.
"P-please, stop!" Keira cried out, not wanting Garnett to assault the brunette any further.
Without opening her eyes, the girl felt the woman's hand abruptly pull away as the doctor's lips detached from the girl's neck. Keira felt Garnett hovering over her, but no attempts from the doctor to move away from the girl.
Keira's cry had made Garnett stop dead in her tracks. The older woman's desire had overtaken her to the point that she had been acting like an untamed wild animal, satiating its primal urges.
Garnett scrambled to move away from the uncontrollably shaking girl, a wave of guilt washing over the older woman.
"Oh god, what have I done?" Raven said under her breath as she debated if to approach the distressed girl or let her be. "I-I- I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." The doctor said, extending her arms in apology to Keira, as the girl had backed away from the older woman and was cowering next to the wall. "I- Please, I-" The confident woman was having trouble finding the right words to mitigate the situation. She did not want the girl to experience yet another panic attack by the doctor's doing.
Garnett took a tentative step towards Keira, making the girl flinch back as if trying to disappear into the wall.
"Don't! Just don't!" Keira exclaimed, huddled on the floor with her arms extended at Raven. "After everything, I told you on the lookout, you do this?! Was everything you said all just a lie? Were your actions just a pretext?" Hot tears streamed down the girl's face.
"No! I- I was out of line. I'm sorry," Garnett tried to apologize.
"How do you expect me to believe you can protect me from your people when you can't even control yourself? First the branding, then the debriding, and now this! At least your goons don't try to sweet-talk me before hurting me, they just show their true intentions. You, on the other hand, are worse than all of them! You come off as ruthless, then make me lower my guard by acting nice or remorseful after you've scarred me physically, mentally, and emotionally, and then you strike while the iron is hot, both literally and figuratively!" Keira screamed at the doctor.
Keira was right. Raven had no arguments and at this point, there was nothing she could say to make the girl feel better. As much as Keira got on the doctor's nerves, Garnett was the one who took advantage and assaulted a noncombatant.
With nothing left to say, Raven decided it was best to take herself out of the situation for the time being and let the brunette simmer down, so the doctor got up and headed to pick up the mess she had made when she flipped over the table in anger. Meanwhile, Keira was on the floor slowly calming down, still with her arms wrapped defensively around herself. When Garnett finished cleaning the mess, she looked over to where Keira was huddled. Raven mentally kicked herself, regretting her impulsive actions.
Wanting to make amends with the girl, Garnett walked over to the bundle that was Keira and sat in front of her, close enough to have a meaningful conversation, but not too close to make the brunette feel threatened or on edge. Raven had to tread carefully around the girl if the doctor wanted Keira to open up again.
"You know, Keira, you're right. I could not handle the truth. I never thought I would lose my cool the way I did when you pointed out my insecurities." Keira looked up at Garnett when she said the word 'insecurities.' "At one point, I thought that something must have been wrong with me because I have never had a relationship before. I tried it once, but it did not end well, and after that, I swore to never even try it. In my line of work, my life was always too busy, and I could never find a person who could keep up with it. Everyone, eventually, became a stone along the way, so if I could not get anything useful out of a person I would just throw them aside. As time passed, it was easier to distance myself from everybody to the point that I would only use them for sex, nothing more. I did not have to work hard at it, either. When you're in my position, people just swarm to you like bees to honey, so whenever I felt like it, I could just pick whoever I wanted. Then, you came and said everything to my face without fear of who I am or what I can do, laying bare what I have willfully chosen to ignore. That made me resent myself, so I got angry at having to feel that way again and took it out on you. When you kicked me, I felt ready to pulverize you until you did not even dare to fight back. But when I got up, you did not resist no matter how close I got to you, and that drove me crazy to the point where I wanted to have my way with you. I'm sorry, you did not deserve that."
Keira had been listening so intently to Garnett opening up that she was no longer curled up with her knees to her chest.
"What happened to you?" Keira asked, befuddled at Garnett's confession.
"What do you mean?" Raven looked straight at the girl.
"When you said that you tried to have a relationship once, but it did not end well? What happened that made you this way?" Keira prodded further.
"Oh, uh, I don't talk about that. I've chosen to bury that memory as deep down as I can." Garnett was hoping the girl would drop it.
"You know, it's not healthy to keep trauma like that bottled up. I should know. Besides, if you really want to make amends with me and have me forgive you, I think knowing what happened is a fair compromise, wouldn't you say?" Keira was shooting in the dark.
"You sure do know how to bargain. Fine, umm, where do I start?" Garnett let out a defeated, heavy sigh. What Keira said seemed like a logical compromise indeed. "Um, I had never had a relationship throughout High School. I was too focused on excelling and being top of the class that I never even dared to look at anyone romantically. There were many guys and girls that were interested, but I always turned them down, even after my friends would tease me to get a partner because, to them, I was wasting the best years of my life.
I had never even had sex, clinging to the stupid belief that I wanted my first time to be with someone I truly loved because I wanted it to be special and to last forever. That was so ridiculously naive of me," Raven stated, throwing her head back while shaking her head 'no' with pursed lips. "When my friends found out that I was still a virgin, they tormented me relentlessly until we graduated and went our separate ways.
Once in college, I could start my life anew. Nobody knew who I was, so I decided to finally venture into trying to find a partner. That was never my main objective, but if somebody came along, I decided that I would not turn them down. I would at least give them a chance.
That's when Lillia arrived. I was 18 and she was 19. We were both in the same English Literature class. She was so carefree but so damn smart. She rarely had to study because she could remember pretty much everything from either hearing it or reading it once. I have to admit that made me jealous. Even when I had to spend countless hours toiling away at the books, she would wait for me so that I would not have to walk alone to my dorm room.
After some time, we were spending more and more time together. She gave me my first kiss, and I was soon head over heels for her. She could be demanding and dominating, but I did not care, I would do whatever she wanted.
Then, the time came for us to have sex. Naturally, I was a nervous mess. I did not know what to do or how to act. I was not even sure if I was ready to lose my virginity, but she talked me into it, made me feel less nervous. My heart was on the verge of exploding, but I was sure she was the one, the one I would get to spend the rest of my life with.
The night everything happened, we were in her room. Things were getting hot and heavy, and I was ready to give myself to her.
We were naked by this point, and she was on top of me when I heard the door open. I tried to get up, but she was pinning me down to the bed, using all of her body weight against me.
She was four inches shorter than me, but she was on the Judo team, so she was strong, unlike me. I was just a twig back then, the only workout I had ever done was in PE class back in High school and only because I had to.
Three guys came in through those doors. Apparently, they were carrying out their own form of Conversion Camp justice. Lillia was their scout, looking for girls to 'convert back' to how God intended them to be, 'serving men' according to her.
Despite my struggling and shouts for help, she did not let go of me. Since she rented a house off-campus and without any close neighbors, my cries would never be heard by anybody who could help.
She held me down while the guys had their way with me, all the while saying that it was all for my own good, that after that night, I would never think to look at another girl again.
At first, the guys took turns, then at one point all three of them were using me at the same time. Meanwhile, she was just watching or helping them hold me down if I fought back. She said that I should be grateful because I had finally tasted the pleasures of a man's seed.
After the guys had had their fun, they left me there, a crying, bloody, semen-filled mess. It hurt so much down there, but I was too afraid to move, terrified that they might come back. Lillia came to clean me up, saying how lucky I had been to have had the honor of servicing such fine gentlemen.
She then left the room, only to come back with rope, duct tape, chains, and rope. According to her, she could not take any chances of me going to the police, plus she had to make sure that 'the seed had been implanted.'
She had planned things out just right. All of this happened the day before winter break, so even if I got out, I would have a hard time getting far in the cold.
Lillia tied me up in her room, naked, and had duct-taped my mouth so that she didn't have to hear my screams. The only time that she ripped the duct tape off was when she would feed me some horrible slop that made me nauseous every time she shoved a spoonful in.
As if I wasn't already humiliated enough, whenever I had to go to the bathroom, she would stand in front of me until I had done my business. Since my arms were always tied behind my back, she had me bend over to make sure that I was spotless.
Every two days, she would drag me downstairs, tie me to a pole, and would hose me down outside. It was so cold, the water was freezing. She would throw dish soap on me, then take a coarse broom and scrub me down. After I was rinsed, she'd drag me back upstairs and tie me once again to the foot of her bed. Only after I was secured and quiet would she bring a towel to dry me off and blow dry my hair because according to her, the wet hair could've given me pneumonia, and she couldn't have that problem on her hands.
On the fifth day of being there, the same guys came for a second round because they had to make sure that 'implantation was successful.' That was the first time in five days that Lillia had untied my arms. I couldn't feel them, and I didn't struggle that time. They decided to do multiple rounds that day, all day. It hurt to even walk to the bathroom.
After they left, Lillia just took me outside and washed me off. The wind was biting to the point that Lillia didn't even take three minutes before she brought me back inside and gave me a blanket for the first time. There I was, sleeping on the floor, at the foot of her bed, with a blanket barely covering me.
The days after that, she stopped tying me up. I took the opportunity to escape. She made sure to put a lock on her closet door so that I would not be able to put on any clothes. The only thing I could use for warmth was the blanket she had given me and the ones on her bed. I wrapped myself up as best as I could and headed downstairs.
Apparently, she had planned this all along because the house was bare of anything that I could even remotely use as a weapon.
Without wanting to waste any more time, I headed out the front door. She was nowhere in sight, or so I thought. Barefooted and naked, except for the bedsheets, I dashed out and ran down the driveway. A thick coat of snow had fallen sometime after the last time I was outside, but I didn't care, I had to escape.
In my haste, I had failed to notice that she was waiting under the pine tree at the end of the driveway. Before I could leave, she was standing in front of me with a grin that cut straight across her face. She calmly said to return to the house, and she would overlook my transgression. Obviously, I didn't. I ran past her and that's when I heard the most wicked laugh coming out of a person.
She walked slowly after me at first, to give me some distance, then she was running after me. Her cackles mixed with my labored breathing and thumping heart were the only sounds I could hear in that lonely place.
She loved the chase, letting me run until I had almost collapsed. That's when she finally decided to put an end to it. She caught me and tied me up with rope and handcuffs, then made me walk all the way back. Halfway to the house, she took off my blankets so that I would walk back naked.
By the time we had reached the house, I was freezing. My hands and feet were numb. She drew me a hot bath and let me sit in it for about an hour, all under her supervision, of course. When she made me come out of the bath, she opened the door to her room, only to see five guys waiting for me this time. She said that was my punishment for attempting an escape, and the only reason she was doing it was because she loved me. It was a long night.
Lillia didn't have to tie me up anymore because the guys had brought in a cage for me.
Five more days had passed. I did not even try to escape, since there was a blizzard during those days. I was resolute that whenever I got out of there, I would exact my revenge on all of them.
She made me take a pregnancy test, only for it to come back positive. I was devastated.
On the fourteenth day, the guys came back. This time, they dressed me up and took me back to my dorm. I didn't know what to do. The guys would take turns monitoring my every move, making sure that I wouldn't report anything.
After two more weeks, I managed to slip past them and got myself to a clinic, where I aborted the baby. The next day, I went to the Campus police and the Dean of Student Affairs to tell them what had happened.
Nobody believed such a ludicrous story, according to them, because how could such upstanding and fine gentlemen of God be capable of doing such things. I should have known better.
All of them were rich and had connections on many levels. Their parents were generous donors to the University and were well-known members of society. One of the parents was a big-shot judge who managed to cover up the entire incident so that when I went to the police department, everything was already swept under the rug. I had no evidence to corroborate my story, just my word, and that wasn't worth anything to them. On the contrary, they tried to sue me for slander to shut me up, so I ended up running away to another state and starting over. Not even my own parents believed the story, although they did agree to keep paying for my tuition.
I vowed to never again be weak or be used, to never open or give myself to anyone. I vowed to never be in a position where I would be vulnerable. Nobody would ever disrespect me, or betray me again. No one would ever question me or challenge my authority. I would never be caught in that position once more. If those people had gotten away with what they did because of their connections, I would do the exact same thing and make them pay.
I would play their own game against them, so I decided to become a doctor. That way I would know how to make them suffer the most without killing them right away. I thought I had let everything go to waste when I had my license revoked, but then the government reached out, and that was when things took off for me.
The government said that they were looking for someone with my training who did not dwell too much on morals and would be willing to work hand in hand with them. Without oversight from the Medical Association and a handsome budget, I could perfect my techniques with my subjects.
My first subjects were the two guys who came in at the end. I wanted to experiment on them first, just in case things went wrong, I wouldn't feel too bad if they died quickly. That's what got me found out by the Medical Association and made me lose my license. Those guys were still alive, but they couldn't testify to anything, so the Association only had my word to go on.
When the police got involved, so did the government. That's when the government stepped in and basically made me disappear. The Association had revoked my license shortly before that. Then, I got those two guys back and kept experimenting with them until I was ready to exact my revenge on the main players. I made sure that their disappearance would seem like an accident, with no way to trace them back to me. It was risky, and I almost got caught, but once again, the government saved my hide.
With Lillia and the other three guys now under my possession, my experiments were able to blossom into what they are today. The cell fights and the rest of the things that go on here were thanks to them. I made sure to make them suffer as much as I possibly could for everything that they had put me through. One good thing did come out of all of that, people now feared me and would never dare to cross, lie, betray, or question me again.
After I was through with my first subjects, the work continued, and that's when we started picking people off the streets."
There were a few seconds of silence before Keira spoke up. "I, uh, wow. I see now. Um, what happened to the people who did that to you?"
"They're all in jars in my office," Garnett said nonchalantly. Keira just wanted to confirm what she already suspected.
"I, uh, I'm sorry that happened to you. However, there is still something that I don't understand," Keira continued.
"What is it?" Raven grew somewhat wary.
"If you went through all of that and know how bad it was and how much it impacted your future, why are you practically doing the same thing to others?" Keira reasoned.
"That wasn't my intention, but as the government needed results, unfortunately, one of the fastest ways to get subjects to obey was to dehumanize and debase them, along with torture. I'm not proud of what this has become, but if I step down, someone worse is going to take my place. The government is not going to stop this any time soon. They are getting the results they wanted, or better. So I decided to stay and keep running things my way for as long as I could before things went further downhill," Garnett tried to justify her actions.
"Oh, so you're a saint now?" Keira was skeptical.
"Not by a long shot, but trust me when I tell you that I am the lesser evil," Garnett forewarned.
"That's reassuring," Keira said sarcastically. "Does anybody else know about what you went through?"
"Apart from those I already mentioned, not a soul. So you had better keep your mouth shut," Garnett replied strictly.
"Don't worry, your misery is not my pleasure. I am not in the business of spilling people's deep dark secrets. I'm just concerned, that's all," Keira had a sympathetic look on her face.
"Concerned about what?" Garnett looked surprised at the girl's comment.
"Well, about you, of course. How can someone go through all that and then not have anyone believe them? Did you ever think about talking to a therapist about it?" Keira always wanted to bring out the best in people. She did not like seeing anyone sad or agonizing, especially about past events.
Garnett laughed out loud. "No! Of course not. That's not going to help. I'd rather just deal with it in my own way."
"A lot of good that's done. I think You should reconsider talking to someone who can help you process what you went through," Keira urged the doctor.
"Hm, maybe," Garnett seemed to be giving Keira's request some thought.
"I guess you're not a complete monster, but that still does not justify what you've done to others, to me. Sooner or later, you will have to atone for your sins. I just hope that when that day comes, you will be ready, and you will find your peace." Keira extended a hand at Garnett to help her up. Raven gladly took it and stood remorseful before the girl. "Thank you for sharing your story. I hope that this can be your first step in healing."
"I've never looked at it that way. Thank you. I-Is it okay if I hug you?" Garnett was unsure of how to proceed with the girl.
Keira looked perplexed at Garnett. The doctor was asking for permission to touch the girl!
Keira's face soon softened, acknowledging how hard it was for the feared, strong, and confident woman before her to display such vulnerability. "Yes," the girl said softly.
They shared a warm embrace. For the first time, both women were being emotionally intimate with consent. Even if it was just a simple hug, for Garnett it was worth a million.
Keira let Raven be the first to pull away.
"Come on, what do you say we go someplace else? The day is still young, unless you are too tired?" Garnett asked, taking Keira's fatigue into account.
"I'll be fine." Although tired, Keira was enjoying the day, something that she never would've imagined given where she was.
The doctor led the girl to the training floor, something Keira was not too keen on.
"Starting today, I am starting you on a training regimen. You are going to exercise every day, not only as part of your training for the cell fights, but also to manage your anxiety better," Garnett said.
"Do I have to participate in the fights?" Keira asked hopelessly, knowing the answer.
"Unfortunately, yes," Garnett gave a pitying look to the girl. "They are expected out of all of you, and I can't change that. I tried once, but I was overruled by the government. That is primarily where they can see the progress and results of the experiments. They make it a point to attend the fights, no matter if it's within the same cell. They make sure to always send at least one representative to supervise the fights."
Keira sighed defeated. “I guess I don’t have much of a choice then. When do I start fighting?”
“You’ll be starting in two weeks. It’s somebody from in-house. One of the scientists’ subjects. They are pretty easy to beat,” Garnett tried to give the girl a lifeline.
“I was told that in order to win, the other person must be unable to fight or die, and I don’t want to kill anybody.” Keira dreaded the thought of taking a person's life.
“You don’t have to, but things may quickly change once you’re in the ring. As you said, if the other person cannot keep fighting, then you win.”
“What if I refuse to fight once I’m in the ring?” Keira had to make sure to find any loopholes, if ever there were any.
“Then you’ll be tortured worse than what you’ve already gone through. You’ll be giving the government a free ticket to do whatever they want or see necessary to make you fight or get the results they want out of you. They are the ruthless ones. They will take you to the brink of death, but will not let you go. The government will use any and all resources to keep you alive until they believe they have everything they need from you, and once they do, they will let you die a slow and agonizing death,” Garnett explained the awful outcome, so that Keira would take the better option that was fighting.
“And what if I want to give up in the middle of the fight?” Keira was not giving up on exploring her options.
Garnett knew what the girl was fruitlessly trying to accomplish. “Same thing. For them, this is an all-or-nothing battle. The best outcome for both fighters is for one to be knocked unconscious. That’s the only way in which both come out alive. This is mostly seen for in-house fights, but not those between cells. The reason for this being that other cells teach their subjects to fight to the death no matter what, and only use in-house fights as a scrimmage match. When the match occurs in between cells, the winner not only gets more money from the government, but they can choose to take things from the losing cell like personnel, equipment, subjects, data, etc. Anything they would need to further their progress.”
With all of her options squashed, Keira decided to face reality. “Okay, so then, what’s the status of this cell?”
“We are currently ranked second overall, never being able to beat those currently in first place. I lost the pet who came before you in our last battle and left with important data from my research, setting me back quite a few months,” Garnett recalled bitterly.
“If they are first, then how do you expect me to win if I can’t even beat anyone here?”
“Don’t worry, we won’t be facing off for some time. By then, you should have a decent chance, unless I get somebody else to fill your position, that is,” Garnett gave Keira a way out.
“No, no. That’s okay. I told you that I don’t want anybody else to have to go through what I have.” Keira exhaled sharply. “What do I have to do?”
“Well, for today, you’re just going to run. We have to build up your stamina first, then we’ll work your way up to hand-to-hand combat.”
“Fine. Whatever you think will give me a better chance,” Keira was determined now.
“Alright then, just try to keep up,” Garnett smiled smugly.
Garnett was leading the way, and just after the two-mile mark, Keira stopped, completely out of breath. The girl had been pushing herself to try and keep up with the doctor, not wanting to be bested, but it proved impossible for the brunette.
Raven jogged back to the girl. “Tired already? It’s only been two miles.”
“... Only … two… miles?” Keira was holding her sides and breathing heavily. She dropped to the ground and fell backwards with her hands outstretched to either side, her chest heaving quickly. “You say… that… as if… it were… nothing!”
“It really isn’t. If you want to stand a chance, you should be able to easily do five miles, minimum,” Garnett was not even winded.
Keira let out a loud groan. “Oh, just kill me already!” She took in a couple more breaths, “That’s a lot!”
Garnett laughed, “don’t worry, you’ll get there. Come on, get up. You’ll get a headache if you stay lying on the floor.” Raven extended her hand at Keira. The girl huffed loudly, looking mad at having to continue. Garnett chuckled at the young girl’s expression, then patted the girl's shoulder.
They set off for the second half of the run with Keira wheezing behind. She stopped after one more mile.
“Keep moving, little one. You have two more miles to go,” Raven said as she put her hand on the girl’s lower back to encourage the brunette to keep going. “Come on, at least walk the rest of the way, and you’ll be done for today.”
“... Fine,” Keira let out.
After running three miles, walking two proved to be no problem for the girl. When she started to slow down her walking pace, Garnett let her.
Once Keira had finished the five miles, she threw herself back on the ground.
“You did it, little one! You completed five miles. Stand up, you’ll get a headache," Garnett was happy.
“... I don’t care… The floor is my friend,” Keira groaned.
“Alright, you win this one,” Garnett laughed as she sat next to an exhausted Keira.
Raven waited patiently until the young girl’s breathing returned to baseline to stand up.
“Okay, you’re good. Things will get easier the more you do them. Come on, let’s go,” Garnett helped Keira to her feet. “We’re going back to my room.”
After arriving at her room, Raven went to the drawer to pick out a fresh set of clothes for both. The doctor chose a loose fitting long-sleeved dark gray shirt and a pair of black, drawstring terry cloth shorts for herself. She then settled on burgundy soft fleece lounge jogger pants and a light gray short-sleeved shirt for Keira. The older woman then opened another drawer to retrieve fresh underwear. Raven turned to face Keira and handed her the bundle of clothes along with a new razor the doctor had ordered to be placed on top of her drawer.
“Here, time to hit the showers,” said Garnett.
Keira accepted the clothes, looked at them, looked at the razor, then looked up at Raven, “um, I’ll just clean myself off with a wet rag or something.”
“No, you’re going in the shower right now," Garnett was not compromising on this matter.
Keira chuckled nervously and took a step back. “Yeah, no, that’s okay. I’ll, uh, do it some other way,” Keira said as she turned around and had started walking away from Raven.
Garnett caught Keira’s free wrist. “Where do you think you’re going, little one? I am not playing around here. You’re going to go shower, and you’re going to do it now. I am not budging when it comes to cleanliness. Let’s go,” Raven said as she got behind Keira and was pushing the girl towards the bathroom.
“I am not going to shower in front of you!" Keira protested.
“Unfortunately, you don’t have that choice. You’re going to shower, and I am going to supervise," Garnett's mind was made up.
“Wait! Why? That’s just some creepy, perverted behavior!” Keira complained.
“You lost the privilege of showering by yourself when you expressed suicidal ideations," Garnett reasoned.
“Wait, no! In that case, I won’t shower then!” Keira tried to take a step back, but Garnett was stronger and kept pushing her forward.
“Little one, either you shower of your own free will, or it will be done for you, but you are not staying dirty and sweaty. I’d choose the former option if I were you, it would be a lot better for you,” Garnett's words were final.
“Okay fine! But you had better not try anything!” Keira said, fuming and defeated.
Garnett laughed at the young girl’s tantrum. “I can either watch you shower or shower with you, your choice.”
“Psh, pervert. Fine, then, just sit as far away as you can to enjoy the damn show," Keira said as she crossed her arms over her chest and turned her head to the side.
“Watch it, little one,” Raven said warningly.
When the women got to the shower, Keira put on the brakes. The girl had not realized just how afraid of being under a stream of water or being next to anything that could hold water would affect her. The brunette had been wary of even a glass of water, but the memories of the day before came flooding in as soon as she was in front of the shower. Even though the tub and the shower were separated, the fact that water was going to be splashed on the girl, made her anxiety rise.
“Um, wait! I- I can’t do this,” Keira's voice rose a few octaves.
Garnett let out a heavy sigh. “I figured you might react this way. We are going to work on what happened to you, and this is going to be the first step. You can’t go the rest of your life without bathing, so we are going to jump over that hurdle today and as many times as is necessary.”
Raven did not let go of Keira’s wrist as the doctor turned on the water. The girl jumped back.
“We’re going to take this one step at a time. Baby steps,” Garnett spoke slowly and reassuringly. “There’s nobody here except for us. Nobody is going to force your face into the water. How about we start with your arm?”
Keira did not say anything, she only nodded, and took a small step forward.
“I’m going to be here with you if anything happens. Go on, put your arm under the water,” Raven encouraged.
Keira reached out her right arm and shakily made contact with the running liquid.
“Good girl. That’s it. Now, I’m going to let go of your other arm and I want you to do the same,” Garnett said as she let go of Keira’s wrist and moved slowly to block the shower exit.
Although terrified, Keira was following instructions.
“You’re doing great, Keira! Now, try putting in one leg, then the other.”
The girl did as instructed, her clothes were beginning to get wet in the process, but she was much too busy thinking about drowning.
"How about getting your chest wet?" Garnett asked, but when she saw the girl tense up and step back, the doctor quickly added, "try your back instead!"
"No! I can't do this!" Keira said as she tried to manage her way past Garnett. Raven grabbed onto the girl and did not let go. "Let me go! I can't be here!"
"Keira, we're doing this! It's for your own good! I'm not letting go!" Garnett assured.
The girl was throwing punches every which way at Raven, not caring where her hits were landing. She just wanted out. On the other hand, Garnett was just bracing the impacts, knowing that she could not get mad at the traumatized girl.
"I'm not going to let you go. I'm here with you. You're not going to drown. The water is not going to hurt you," Raven said as she took a step towards the water, grabbing onto the girl.
"No, please! Not again! I can't do this again!" Keira cried out.
"You're not with Kristia or Cleary. I'm not going to let anything happen to you. I'm here with you. Trust me," Garnett responded firmly but calmly as her hand rose to cup the back of Keira's head and bring it closer to the doctor's chest. "Focus on my voice. Everything's going to be alright."
Garnett kept reassuring Keira as the doctor kept stepping forward until she was standing completely under the stream. The girl was tense. She was shaking. Her eyes were shut, and her nails were digging into Raven's back.
The doctor tenderly stroked the girl’s head to assure the brunette that no harm would come her way.
“Come on, let’s get you out of those wet clothes, so that you can get out of here faster,” stated Garnett.
Keira did not look up at Raven, so when the older woman grabbed the hem of the girl’s shirt and slowly began to lift it up, the woman waited a second to gain confirmation from the girl. Since Keira did not say or do anything to prevent Garnett from proceeding, the doctor ended up taking off the shaking girl’s wet shirt.
With the young girl still desperately clinging on to the doctor, Garnett reached over the girl and took off the brunette’s bandages. Raven then tried her luck and slipped her thumbs under Keira’s waistband and tentatively pulled down. The girl still did not protest. Having a seemingly green light, Garnett bent down to take off the girl’s pants and underwear.
A trembling Keira stood under the flow of the shower, covering herself as best as she could, but not pushing Raven away in any way, shape, or form. The girl was still terrified, but willing to proceed with Garnett’s encouragement.
A fully clothed and wet Raven slowly stood up and reached over for the bar of soap. She then had the soap in her open palm towards Keira. When the girl failed to take the soap from the doctor’s hand, Garnett saw that Keira’s eyes were fixated on nothing in particular, as if the girl was internally battling her fears of running out of the shower. The older woman did not wait for the girl’s internal torment to win, so Raven tentatively started washing the girl’s arms. Again, Keira did not protest.
Garnett made sure to bathe the girl thoroughly, clean her wounds, and wash her hair. The older woman could still feel the young girl shaking, her breathing a little jagged, but firmly rooted in place. Raven kept saying words of encouragement all throughout the process.
As a final attempt to get the girl to focus on something else while in the shower, Garnett reached over to where Keira had dropped her clothes just outside the shower and picked up the razor.
“Here, how about you give it a try now?” Raven coaxed the girl by holding the razor right in front of her.
Keira shakily grabbed a hold of the object, and under Garnett’s watchful eye, proceeded to slowly shave herself.
Having successfully shaved and now fully bathed, Raven told the girl that she was now free to get out and dress. Keira did not waste a second hopping out, drying, and dressing.
While Keira was busy putting on her clothes, Garnett was taking off hers. The girl did not dare turn around to look at the now naked Raven before heading out of the bathroom.
Once back in the room, Keira did not even entertain the idea of trying to open the door out of the bedroom. Instead, the girl looked around the room, thinking what she could do, until she settled on turning on the TV. It had felt like it had been a lifetime ago since the girl had watched anything on television. She finally settled on some true crime episode that was just starting while she untangled her hair.
Not even five minutes later, Garnett came out of the bathroom, fully dressed and with the supplies needed to debride the girl and bandage her burns. Raven strolled over the couch the girl was sitting on and plopped next to Keira.
“What are we watching?” Garnett asked.
“I dunno, it looks like true crime. I’m not really paying attention to it,” Keira replied. She did not particularly care for what was playing on TV, she just wanted the sense of normalcy that it gave her.
“Okay then. Here, turn around and lift your shirt. I’ll do this as quickly as possible so that you can get back to whatever it is you’re watching,” Garnett said, holding the medical supplies.
Keira did as instructed, already mostly used to the pain that the process of debriding caused her.
Raven was now able to see clearly how the burns on Keira’s back were healing. Apart from the areas that had suffered third degree burns and needed to be grafted, the rest was healing well. New skin was forming around the edges and was closing the gaps. Just like Garnett wanted, the areas that required grafting were diminishing in size, so that the doctor would have to harvest less skin from Keira’s donor site, thus causing less scarring. At this point, when the donor site healed, it would be practically imperceptible that there ever was a wound present.
Garnett placed a hand on Keira’s hip to steady her as the older woman started scraping away at the dead tissue. The doctor meticulously cared for the wound on the girl’s back and arm.
“There, you’re all done. I’m going to do the surgery the day after tomorrow, so that you don’t have to worry about this again,” Garnett stated.
Keira just hummed and nodded. She did not want to say anything regarding the burn.
“Okay, then,” Garnett said, slightly squinting her eyes at the girl, seeing that she was obviously not happy whenever Raven would mention anything having to do with the burn. The doctor did not think too hard about it. The deed had been done, and there was no point dwelling on what happened, they could only move forward from there. “Do you want to keep watching TV or do you want to play a board game or something while we wait for dinner to arrive?”
“What?” Keira chuckled. “You actually own board games? Ha! Who do you play with, yourself?”
“And what if I do? What about it?” Garnett replied, not amused by Keira's insinuation.
“Ooh, touchy subject, I see. Chill, chill," Keira put her palms up in surrender. "Sorry, didn’t mean to make you feel bad. Yes, I’ll play.”
“Alright then, go into the closet and choose one," Garnett dismissed the girl.
Keira walked over to the closet, and saw that there was a shelf with a couple of board games on it. The bright yellow box of one of them grabbed her attention. When the girl took it out, the bright colors of the Tetris-like shapes sealed the deal.
Stepping out of the closet and walking over to the round table where they had their meals, Keira placed the box on it.
“Ah, Blokus, I see. So, you like strategy games?” Garnett was pleased with the girl's choice.
“I’ve never played it before. I just liked the colors and shapes,” Keira pointed out.
“Well, in that case, I think you'll like it.”
Garnett took out the game and its individual pieces, letting Keira choose the colors she wanted to play with. The girl settled on the red and blue pieces, leaving the doctor with the yellow and green ones. Raven explained the rules of the game, having a practice round to clear up any doubts from the girl.
They played for an hour and a half before dinner arrived. The doctor was elated that she was finally having an opponent to play against, even more so when that opponent was Keira. A small smile found itself tugging at the corners of the older woman’s lips the entire time that they were playing. From time to time, Garnett stole glances at the girl seeing how cute the brunette looked deep in thought, calculating her next move trying to beat the doctor.
By the time a soldier wheeled in the dinner trays, the game had ended, with Garnett winning four out of five rounds.
They put the game away, and got ready to eat. Keira salivated upon seeing the beef bulgogi bowl in front of her. The first bite was an explosion of flavor, from the tender meat all the way to the green onions and carrot. The girl was on cloud nine.
Now that they were eating, Keira decided it was time for another round of questions. This time, the girl was not planning on instigating the doctor, or at least she was going to refrain herself from making any snide remarks.
“So, Mistress, do you have any friends, I mean like outside the base?”
“I do. A couple. Why?” Garnett took a bite out of her food.
“Just curious. I kind of want to get to know more about your past. So… are they doctors like you?”
“Two of them are.”
“Are they, um, good doctors? I mean, like, are they, how do you put it? Do they follow the moral and ethical code that doctors are supposed to follow?”
Garnett pondered the question for a second. She hummed. “Well, if you put it that way, then no.”
Keira’s elbow was on the table. She lowered her head to her palm with an almost audible thud. The girl pursed her lips, sucked in a breath, and exhaled nasally, looking cynical at the older woman.
“Oh, god, why do you say that?” asked Keira, rolling her eyes, berating herself for having thought that there was a possibility of Garnett having normal friends.
“Well, uh, there’s Leah. Last I heard, she and a friend of hers named Jennifer were with some girl named Mary up in Canada,” Garnett replied.
“Wait, wasn’t she the one that popped up on the news a while back? The one who was kidnapped or something like that?” Keira looked surprised at the possible realization.
“Yes," Garnett answered chastely.
“Wow, ok,” Keira said sarcastically. “I’m afraid to ask, but how about the other one?”
“The other one is Amelia Garcia. She was obsessed with this girl named Audrey. So much so that she devised this whole convoluted plan with Audrey’s current girlfriend to cut the girl off from everyone so that when the girl landed in the hospital due to her girlfriend, Amelia was going to step in and take care of her. Last time we spoke, Amelia had Audrey locked up in her house," Garnett recounted.
"That's, uh, what the hell is wrong with all of you? Did you all become friends due to your kidnapping obsession or what? Goddamn!" Keira exclaimed exasperated.
"Keira!" Garnett gave an angry warning look at the girl.
"Oh, come on! Don't blame me for reacting that way. I'll watch it, chill," Keira's palms were once again held up in surrender.
"Those two don't even know each other --"
"I don't even want to know. Know what? I'm just going to ask something else. What is that microchip you inserted in the back of my neck for?" Keira changed the subject quickly.
"That's insurance."
"Yeah, I was told that already. What does it do?" Keira prodded.
"Unfortunately, I'm not at liberty to say yet. Let's just say that you carry the newer generation model. It's much smaller, harder to take out, it's inserted in a better place, and won't cause any visible lumps like the previous version."
"Previous version?" Keira realized she might not be the only one with that type of hardware inserted in her body.
"Yeah. Remember my friend, Leah? Well, I gave her one of the prototypes to test out. She told me that Mary had scratched it, and it looked like it became infected, so Leah took it out and put it someplace else. When I received word of that, we got to working on a smaller version that could be placed somewhere where the subject wouldn't have easy access to it or be able to see it well," Garnett laid out.
"You-- I-- ugh! I don't even know what to say," Keira replied in frustration, trying to form a sentence.
"Want to change subjects?" Garnett half grinned.
"Please do!" Keira looked up at the ceiling, massaging her forehead.
"Is there any movie in particular you want to watch after dinner?"
"Okay, nice 180. Not really, I don't know," Keira said, looking back at Garnett.
"How about a horror movie, then?"
"Sure, I don't mind. It'd better be scary, though. Lately, I feel like there haven't been any good ones."
"Yeah, I see what you mean. Don't worry, leave it up to me," Garnett answered.
The women kept talking during their meal, until they had eaten everything. Garnett told Keira to go brush her teeth while the doctor set up the movie. Keira complied. Meanwhile, Raven turned down the AC and searched for a movie until finally settling on Annabelle because who does not love a creepy doll?
When Keira came back into the room, she complained of feeling colder than usual. Garnett gave her a fluffy blanket as the girl settled down on the couch next to the doctor.
Keira made it a point to sit as far away from Raven as she possibly could. The older woman did not say anything, she was just happy that the girl had chosen the woman's same couch.
Unbeknownst to Garnett, Keira only chose that couch because it was directly in front of the TV since the girl hated watching the TV at an angle, it had nothing to do with Raven being there.
During the first five minutes of the movie, Keira complained that she was still freezing, especially her hands and feet, and looked angry at Raven as to why the older woman could wear so little clothes and still feel fine. It wasn't fair. Garnett laughed it off and told the girl that if she wanted, she could slide her feet under Garnett's thighs to warm up.
Keira rolled her eyes, ignoring such a preposterous proposition, but after five more minutes, the girl gave up and stuck her cold feet under the doctor, making Raven jump in surprise at the ice cubes now under her. Keira laughed at the doctor's reaction, but cherished the warmth that the woman's body gave off.
A couple of minutes had passed, and Keira found herself unwillingly inching herself closer and closer to Garnett's body to warm herself up. Once they were shoulder to shoulder, Keira was just happy to have a heat source next to her.
The girl had goosebumps erupting, and she would tremble from time to time due to the cold. Without giving it much thought, Raven stretched her arm around Keira to warm the girl's outside arm. A wave of heat washed over Keira's core, but soon dissipated when she felt comfortable at her rising body temperature.
Already feeling exhausted and warm at this point, Keira's eyes grew heavy. The girl did not care for the movie any longer, she just wanted to rest, and right now where she was and how she was felt delightful.
Soon thereafter, the girl was sound asleep, her head falling to rest on Garnett's shoulder. Raven was beside herself. The girl had gotten physically closer to the doctor out of her own volition.
Not wanting to wake the girl up just yet, Garnett lowered the volume on the TV and finished watching the rest of the movie with Keira in her arms. Once the movie had ended, Raven slowly and carefully picked up the sleeping girl and set her down on the bed, tucking her in. Before leaving to brush her teeth, the doctor brushed Keira's hair out of the girl's face and placed a chaste kiss on the young girl's forehead.
After brushing her teeth, Garnett turned off the lights and got under the covers. Raven slid all the way to be close to Keira and draped an arm around the girl's waist, taking in the girl's fresh ocean breeze scent.
"Sweet dreams, sweetheart."