Weenie freed me from my bonds. He stood behind Philip. She pulled the corners of my eyelids aside and put a twinkle in my eye. My vision blurred into a hazy fog. She looked back at Vinnie and he uncrossed his arms.
"Go get her something to eat," she said to him. "I'll go back and wait for your good news."
"She's kind of a fighter," he said.
"I think I can handle it," she said.
Winnie let out a breath and headed for the stairs. Philip got off the bed. She reached into the pocket of her lab coat. She put the phone to her ear and turned her back to me.
"Ben," said Philip. "I have something I need you to do."
She has a cell phone and a signal. I wanted to take that phone away from her and call the police. I would lock myself in the bathroom and wait for the police to come.
My head throbbed as I sat upright. I held my head in my hands as pain radiated from behind my eyes to the back of my skull. I pulled the blanket off my knees and my skin tugged. I glanced down and saw an IV sticking out of my arm. I grabbed onto the pole as I swung my legs over the edge of the bed.
"She has nothing," Philip said. "You need a brush, deodorant, shampoo."
I slid forward and my toes hit the cold floor. I grabbed the pole to steady myself, holding on to the bed for balance as I stood up. Taking a small step forward, the wheels of the IV stand squeaked.
"Buying clothes," said Philip.
When she turned around and saw me, she rolled her eyes. "She's probably a size four. I gotta go. Be here in an hour."
Philip hung up the phone and stuffed it into her coat pocket. She shook her head as she walked towards me. She put her hands on my shoulders and pushed me down on the bed. I slapped her hand. I kicked out and she jumped out. He immediately reached out and grabbed my ankles. She turned my body so that I was lying on my back. I clenched my fist and punched Phillip on the chin. She screamed and covered her face.
She leaned against me, her phone sticking out of her pocket. I caught it. When she saw me holding her phone, her eyes widened. I slide my finger across the screen, password protected? My hands were shaking as I tried to return to the menu screen to find the Emergency Call button.
She grabbed my neck. Pressing against my throat, I gasped. Trying to pry her away.
She squeezed my neck tighter. My legs kicked wildly. She released one hand from my throat and snatched my phone away. She let me go and stuffed the phone back into her pocket. I gasped, clutching my throat.
"Please!" Warm tears flowed down my cheeks. "Please, you don't have to do this."
Philip said. "We have to do this. It's like being God, it's a lot of fun."
"Where are my eyes?"
Philip shrugged.
"I don't know," she said. "But that's okay."
The door clicked open. I sat up and wiped the tears from my face. I leaned back on the pillow. Winnie came in with a bowl in his hand. It's filled with macaroni and cheese. Cheap stuff. The bowl warms my hands.
Philip touched my chin. It begins to swell and bruise. She pressed her fingers against the swollen flesh and flinched.
"What's wrong?" asked Winnie.
"She stole my phone and hit me," she said.
"I warned you."
He sat down in his office chair.
"You need to eat, Diana."
"I'm not hungry," I said.
"Got to eat something," he said.
"And I said I wasn't hungry."
"I suggest you eat something or we're going to have to put a feeding tube down your throat."
I looked at Winnie. His elbows rested on the arms of his chair. He leaned back. I could barely see his smile and he nodded and I looked down at the bowl. "There is no such thing as stubbornness,"
Philip said. "We always get what we want."
"I want to go home," I said loudly
I don't know how many days I was gone, but my mother must have been looking for me everywhere. She used to call me at least once a week. She must be worried that I didn't answer. My roommate must be worried that I'm not home, but what if she doesn't notice yet? My coach must have known I was gone. I never miss practice.
My eyes burned as more tears ran down my cheeks. I wiped them off my face and took a sharp breath.
Philip put his hand on my knee. I looked up and saw an ice pack pressed against her chin.
"It's the best thing that ever happened to you," she said. "You will be blessed with something special and you will be adored for it. As long as you behave well, you will have everything you want in life."
"I want to see my mother," I said.
"Who knows what the future holds," she said. “It’s a big privilege and you have to work hard for it.”
"How hard are you trying?" I raised an eyebrow.
"Yes," said Whinney. He shifted his weight in the chair and leaned forward. "You have to make us trust you, and that starts with lunch."
I didn’t want to eat it, but I knew I had to. If I resisted again, they would force me. If I want to leave here, I also need strength.
Philip watched me take a few bites, then walked around my bed to Winnie. She sat on his chair with his back to me. Philip crossed her legs.
I saw her skirt ride up. I looked down at the bowl, trying to hear what they were saying. Philip let out several high-pitched laughs.
After eating, I reached out and put the bowl on the bedside table. Winnie turned and stared at me. I lay back on the bed and he turned back to Philip.
The bell rang. Philip slid off the table.
"That must be Ben," she said. "I'll take him down right away."
She quickly walked up the steps and closed the door. Sweeney pushed himself against me. I brought my knees to my chest and wrapped my arms around myself.
“You have to listen to Ben,” he told me.
"That dinner was one of the most important nights of my life. I'm not going to let your actions ruin that."
"I'm not going to pretend I'm happy to be here either," I said. "You're going to have to take me to dinner kicking and screaming."
He shrugged. "Then I'll kill you!"
Silent again, a smile curled up on his lips.
"If I don't join this club, there's no point in keeping you alive," he said. "It will all be in vain."
Whinny leaned forward, his warm breath on my face. My fingers dug into my skin.
"You better hope I get admitted," he said.
The door opened and two people's footsteps came down the stairs. I rested my forehead on my knees. I tried to take a few deep breaths and try to slow my heart rate down.
I could hear Philip whispering something, a male voice mixed in with hers.
"It's nice to see you again, Ben," said Whinney.
Ben looks a few years older than me. He has black hair and fair skin. He was wearing a leather jacket and a scarf. I saw a backpack and a bunch of plastic bags sitting against the wall.
"It's an honor, Dr. Whinney," he said. "I'd be happy to help." "It would do a lot of good," Philip said. "She needs a lot of help and will probably be settled in two weeks."
"She's hurting herself.
"You have to be careful when you tie him down," Whinney said.
Philip reached out and put her hand on Winnie's shoulder. She smiled at him.
"Let's go upstairs," she said. "We have a few calls we need to make."
"Okay," he said. "Take good care of her, Ben."
Ben looked at me and I squeezed my eyes shut. Don't want to pay attention to all this!
The bed was sinking and I opened my eyes to see Ben sitting on the edge. He looked back. He turned to face me as the door clicked shut.
"I'm not like them," he said.
"What?" I asked.
"I'm not like either of them!"
I furrowed my eyebrows and Ben laughed.
"Dr. Whinney and Dr. Philip," he said. "They believe they brainwashed me into being their perfect little pet,
Ben took off his jacket and scarf. He was wearing a white T-shirt and I could see a dark patch of skin on his arm. I couldn't stop myself from reaching out and grabbing his arm. I ran my fingers over the black spot and it felt rough and scaly.
"What did they do to you?" I asked.
"She's been replacing my skin with reptile skin," he said.
He took my fingers off his arm.
His bright blue eyes take center stage. Another piece of black leather was exposed at the collar of the shirt.
I swallowed the lump that formed in my throat. Is this what the rest of my life is going to be like? Showing when people check me out? Ben and I had just met, but our focus was on the modifications we were making to our bodies.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Diana," I said. "how
How long have you been like this? "
"I've been here too long," he said. "Almost three years."
A wave of nausea washed over me, and I curled my fingers into my robe.
"Three years?" I asked. "Why are you still here? Why don't you come out?"
"What do you suggest I do?" he asked. "I tried. You know, you're lucky to have your surgery so close to dinner. They didn't care if I hurt myself after the surgery, so I was tied up for months. It taught me, though, that this is very important matter."
"what is that?"
"The key to surviving is to outsmart them. That's what I'm going to teach you."
