I tried to stand up straight as Ben circled the stool. He asked questions as he walked. About my happiness? And the question of how excited you are about the future. I kept my posture straight and a fake smile on my face.
I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. The pain spread to the soles of my feet and I wanted to move. Ben walked into the room when he saw me fidgeting. My eyes fell on the mobile phone in his hand. I wanted to run and snatch it away.
"How's she doing?" Bethany asked Ben.
"She's doing better today," Ben said.
Oliver turned the phone in his hand. The screen didn't light up, but his attention was focused on it.
"I told you there was nothing to worry about," Bethany said, turning to Oliver. "I said you could take Ben to see her."
"I think it's too early."
He circled me again and cleared his throat. I stopped moving, tired, and he continued his questions.
I was relieved when I heard him say: "Step down."
I jumped from the stool onto the soft carpet at my feet. There were footsteps in the corridor and I understood why he asked me to get off my stool.
I looked back and saw Oliver and Bethany
"If you say no, he'll get suspicious. That's not good for you."
My heart pounded as Ben put his hand on my shoulder.
"Can I ask what you're talking about?" Ben asked.
"Dr. Alexander was very interested in Diana," Bethany said. "He invited Dr. Sweeney and Diana to his home a week in advance."
"You don't think he'd want to..." Ben's voice trailed off.
"Add her to his collection?" she finished his sentence. "He might want to." "No," said Oliver. He shook his head. "That didn't happen."
"We'll see," Bethany said. "He'd probably have a lot to offer her."
"Are you selling people?" I asked.
My stomach twisted as I listened to them talk nonchalantly about my fate. Ben curled his fingers around my shoulders. This was a warning to me to bite my tongue.
“I’ve had her for less than a week,” Oliver said. "I'm not planning to sell her yet."
"Well, you never know what's going to happen," Bethany said. "He can always deny you membership if you don't let him have her. He's petty."
My chest felt tight and I had trouble breathing. I clutched my chest, trying to get some air. Oliver and Bethany looked at me and Bethany rolled her eyes.
"Are we going to collapse again?" she asked.
Ben grabbed my elbow and shook his head.
"I'll take her to her room," he said.
He pulled me out of the room without waiting for Oliver's approval. "Take Ben," I heard Bethany say to Oliver. "It will be fine."
Ben pulled me down the hall and into the bedroom. I pulled my arm out of his grasp. He reached out to me again, but I shook his hand away.
"They want to sell me?" I asked. "Who is this Dr. Alexander?"
Ben raised his finger to his lips to shut me up.
"They can hear you," Ben said. "If Oliver hears you yelling, he'll sedate you again."
I took a deep breath and could feel my body shaking.
"Who is he?" I asked.
"Alexander is the founder of this club," he said. "The Caribbean dinner was held at his mansion."
My knees were shaking and I was worried I would fall to the floor. I took a few steps back until I was sitting on the edge of the bed.
"Why did he buy me?" I asked.
“He had his own personal collection,” Ben said. "He bought and kept the experiments he liked."
"What did he do to them?"
Ben shrugged.
"I don't know," he said. "I just hope and pray that Oliver has the backbone to not do this."
I closed my eyes and tears began to burn. The bed caved in and my eyes flew open. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. Ben moved closer to me on the bed so that our knees touched. He put an arm around my shoulders and put his other hand on my leg. I kept my eyes on my legs.
"You're not going to die," Ben said. "Greg is interested in you, so Oliver won't kill you. If he ends up selling you, he'll give you to Greg."
"What's going to happen when Greg and I get together?" I asked.
"I don't know," he said. "He was very private when it came to the lives of his subjects."
I wiped the tears from my cheeks. Ben leaned closer and rested his cheek on the top of my head. This was comforting, but he could only stay like this for a few seconds before there was a knock on the door. Ben pretended to jump out of bed.
Sunbathing is nearby and should be anywhere near me.
Oliver opened the door. Over his shoulder, I could see Bethany crossing her arms and tapping her feet. He looked back and she raised her eyebrows.
"We're going to the Caribbean tomorrow," Oliver said. "Ben, pack your bags for Diana and yourself. Let's go together."
Ben devoured the food. But I can't eat it. My stomach hurts and I can't swallow. I'm sitting on the floor now, leaning against the coffee table. Ben was sprawled out on the couch.
"Eat it while it's hot," Ben said.
"Do you want it?" I asked. "I'm not hungry."
"I can't keep eating your food. Oliver will get suspicious if he keeps seeing empty plates and you lose weight."
"What if I never leave the Caribbean?" I asked. "Trying to figure out a way out of this house is hard enough. What do I do when I'm stranded on a foreign island?"
I saw Ben's attention focused on the movie. I pushed the plate onto the coffee table. I stood up and pulled the hem of my skirt down.
"Where are you going?" he asked.
"Go to my room," I said.
"You haven't finished your dinner yet."
I rolled my eyes and turned around
"Diana, stop," he said.
I don't know why I stopped. I turned around and Ben was standing in front of me.
"I was wrong about you," I said. "You didn't want to run away. You tried to tame me and make me what they wanted me to be."
Ben frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I have already discussed this matter with you. We must act in accordance with their requirements before we can have a little freedom."
"Aren't you worried about going to the Caribbean? I may never come back to Canada."
"What are your plans, Diana? How are you going to get out?"
"I don't know," I said. "You have the key. We have to try it on all the doors."
"Oliver and Bethany are upstairs and they'll know we left the basement."
"How about when we leave tomorrow? I can run. I can run to the neighbors."
"You're not going to have the drugs. That's what keeps us here." "The police will ask him to tell them what the drugs are and the doctors can give us more."
"You don't know. He probably won't say anything. If he went to jail, he wouldn't let you live."
I took a few steps back and shook my head. I wanted to scream but I knew if I did I would be sedated!
"You have an excuse for everything," I said.
"I don't want you to make the same mistake I made," he said. "You know what happens? Ben reaches out and I step away. He steps forward and grabs my wrist. He pushes me against the wall. He pins my wrists to my chest. Ben towers over me, leaning over me. Lowering myself, I could feel his warm breath on my skin.
"I tried to escape many times," he said. "Afterwards, I would be confined to my bed for weeks. I was sedated most of the time and would only wake up when the feeding tube was inserted down my throat."
I swallowed the lump in my throat. I looked away from his intense gaze. He squeezed my wrist tightly.
"Look at me," he said.
I looked back into his crystal blue eyes.
"I promise you, I'll get you out of here," Ben said. "I promise the two of us will get out of this together. Work with me and trust me."
I took a deep breath and nodded. I noticed a complete change in his attitude when Bethenny and Oliver were around. He doesn't want to be here. He just convinced them all that he was happy.
"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just want to get out of here."
"Me too," he said. "I just want to be free. We won't go back to normal life, but at least it will be a free life."
A slight smile. Ben pressed his lips to my forehead and let go of my wrist.
"Come on," Ben said. "I'll help you finish dinner before Oliver gets back."
