Daydreammer

Chapter 19

After she met with Clarice, the guard took Shelly back to her cold, dark cell. Clarice's ominous words echoed in her mind - that nobody ever left the Velvet Bawdry until they were bought outright or died serving their purpose there. Shelly shuddered at the thought of either fate befalling her. She had to keep her sanity and find a way to escape this dreadful brothel.

As Shelly sat on the cold, hard floor, lost in her troubled thoughts, the sound of the cell door opening made her jump. A guard roughly slid a tray of food through the narrow opening and then slammed it shut without a word. Shelly's stomach turned at the sight and smell of the gruel, but she knew she needed to eat something to keep up her energy and strength if she hoped to get out of this nightmare.

Looking around the bare cell, Shelly was thankful for small mercies - at least she had been given a change of clothes before being thrown in here. The thin fabric didn't provide much warmth against the damp chill, but it was better than being left in the tattered rags she was wearing when captured.

As Shelly nibbled on the stale bread, her mind raced with possibilities of escape. How could she get out of this underground cell block undetected? Where would she go if she managed it? She shuddered to think of the consequences if caught trying to flee.

A faint noise from the neighboring cell interrupted her anxious thoughts. At first, she thought her mind was playing tricks, but then the muffled voice came again.

"Hello? Is someone there?" The voice was hushed but unmistakably that of a young girl.

Shelly crept to her cell door, peering through the narrow bars trying to see into the next room over. "Hello?" she replied tentatively.

A small hand emerged from between the bars of the next cell over. "Over here! I'm Angella."

Shelly couldn't make out Angella's face in the dim light. "I'm Shelly," she whispered back.

"I heard the guard, you're the new girl who just got brought in yesterday," Angella said quietly.

Shelly felt a sliver of relief at having someone to talk to in this waking nightmare. "Yes, that's me. Please, do you know anything about this place? About how to get out?" She knew she shouldn't place too much hope on this mysterious girl, but she was desperate for any sliver of help or information.

"Shelly, I don't know much," Angella said apologetically. "I only arrived a week ago myself. But I've picked up on some things you need to know."

Shelly leaned in closer, straining to hear Angella's hushed voice through the bars.

"I heard the guards saying you've been assigned to Clarice for training. You need to be very, very careful around her," Angella warned. "She seems nice enough at first, but if you disobey her or make her angry, the punishments are..." Angella's voice trembled. "Well, let's just say you don't want to cross her. I've heard the other girls' horror stories about being disciplined by her."

A knot formed in Shelly's stomach. The ruthless look in Clarice's eyes and her harsh demeanor came vividly back to mind. What sort of depraved training did she have in store?

Before Shelly could ask for more details, they heard the approach of the guard's footsteps. Angella withdrew her hand and hissed, "I'll try to tell you more another time, but we can't let the guards catch us communicating like this!"

The guard's heavy footsteps faded down the corridor. Shelly was frustrated at not getting more information from Angella, but perhaps it was for the best. The less she knew about the grisly inner workings of this brothel, the better. She just had to stay strong and bide her time for a chance to get away from Clarice and this whole horrific place.

Shelly laid down on the thin, mildew-stained mat that passed for a bed, but Angella's terrifying warnings about Clarice's disciplinary actions made sleep impossible. What new torments would the morning bring?

Just as the first rays of sunlight started filtering into Shelly's cell, she was roughly roused by the sound of a guard's baton banging on the metal bars.

"Up and at 'em, you little tarts!" the guard's gruff voice barked. "Time to start earning your keep!"

Shelly scrambled to her feet, fear gripping her at the thought of displeasing the guards and earning some horrible punishment. Her cell door clanged open and the towering guard gestured impatiently with his baton for her to join the small group of frightened young girls being herded out into the dingy corridor.

As she fell into the shuffle of meek, downcast females, Shelly felt a tug on her sleeve. It was Angella, her round youthful face etched with worry and dark rings under her eyes from lack of sleep.

"This is it," Angella murmured gravely. "Time for training to begin."

Shelly felt her heart pounding so hard she thought it might burst from her chest. What demented education did the masters of this depraved brothel have in store?

The line of girls was marched down a maze of dreary hallways before arriving at a large, dank chamber where four aerated metal bathtubs were set into the stone floor. Several stalls lined the walls, and there were racks for hanging clothes and linens.

"All right, you little guttersluts, get cleaned up!" the head guard barked gruffly. "We can't have you stankin'' and scarin' off good payin' customers!"

Shelly felt her face flush with humiliation and shame as the burly man leered openly at their unclothed bodies while they hurriedly stripped and immersed themselves in the tepid, grimy bathwater. She couldn't meet any of her fellow captives' eyes.

As the other girls scrubbed themselves with rough cloths and harsh lye soap, Shelly huddled miserably in the tub, trying to make herself as small and invisible as possible.

She jumped when she felt Angella's tiny hand on her arm under the murky water. The young girl leaned in close to murmur, "This is just the start. The real training comes after..."

Shelly's heart dropped into her stomach as she was struck by the full, terrifying meaning of Angella's words. Of course, the cleaning was just a prelude - the preparation to make them presentable for whatever sick "tutoring" the staff at this house of ill repute had in store...

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Keep reading for more adventures!

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