CAGED

Chapter 10: Something Different

I am now standing in a corner, my nose pressed flatly against the wall. My back is stiff as wood and my knees shake from staying straight and having so much pressure on them. It's my punishment for not greeting Master quick enough when he came into the room again. I had been inside of my own head and had not heard the door click and open. I had not noticed him move to stand beside me. I had not responded when he regarded me. I hissed when he slapped me across the side of my head, knocking me out of my own mind and down to the floor.

I had spaced out so hard before he struck me, my mind racing with the events of the last few months. My mind had finally gone silent, ice forming around my brain and my heart and freezing my core. I could not bring myself to cry at the feeling of his hand picking me up by my hair. I did not cry as his hand curled into itself and slammed into my stomach. Once I caught my breath again Master threw me into the corner, my head hitting the wall with a loud crack. Master slowly approached me and wrapped my hair in his hand and pulled until I was standing. He left with his two words hanging heavily in the air, threatening to choke me.

"Don't. Move."

My vision is a blur as my brain prepares itself to explode violently within my skull. I can't tell how much time has passed since he skillfully has no clocks or anything in the room, jist like James; not that I would turn my head to look at one with his threat hanging like thick smoke in the air. I try to settle my mind again so that I don't pass out or fall down, but the ice around it had shattered when I collided with the wall.

Tears had dried on my flushed cheeks because I was too scared to wipe them away. I feel my body sway slightly and lean against the wall briefly. I can feel it with every fiber of my being that I am going to pass out, but Masters words have me too petrified to react before it happens.

I almost cry when the door flies open, but it opens too fast and hits the opposite wall with loud bang. I nearly flinch out of my skin and let an uncontrollable sob leave my lips. I pray that Master did not hear it as I feel him make his approach. His presence behind me is like a bomb going off on my back. I hold my breath and wait.

"Turn around," Master commands. I am quick to comply, though my head and body scream in protest. "You look lovely as you stand there trembling in fear." Masters voice is soft, almost loving, but I can hear the mischief in his words.

I'm proven right when Master grips my arm tightly and drags me into the bathroom. He positions me in front of the sink and mirror, and my eyes struggle to form a clear picture. I stare at the sink, not wanting to accidentally look into Masters eyes. If he hits me again I really will pass out. I can't risk it, because not knowing what is happening is worse than knowing.

"I want you to look at yourself in the mirror." Master says in a low voice. "Not me, but only you."

Afraid of what he would do of I don't comply, I bring my eyes up barely enough to look at myself. I flinch hard at my appearance, suddenly unsure if it is me or if it's a trick.

My cheeks are so indented, and my starved thin body is beaten. Black, blue, purple, green, and yellow color my arms and my neck, my chest and my face. My lip has a long cut across it, and my eyes are dark. I look like a dead figure standing. A sob rips through my throat and escapes, violently shaking my shoulders and bringing tears to my eyes again.

I don't look up at Master, my eyes now crying and letting tears flood from my eyes. I feel his hands move to slowly caress my shoulders and he leans his head down so that his breath freezes against my ear. "Beautiful," he breaths into my ears. Another sob breaks my resolve and I break down crying."I enjoy seeing you like this, broken in every way. Physically, emotionally, and mentally."

As my entire being shakes and breaks down I am able to utter a single word, "why?"

Master laughs viciously, his face still just beyond mine. "Because, pet, broken things can't go anywhere. Nobody wants a broken person, nobody but the one who broke them. Even if you manage to escape, no man will ever want you. No friends will ever look at you with anything more than pity. No family will see more than a broken shell of a girl they used to hold close. You are broken, and useless, and will never know anything but pain."

His words slowly froze me, every cell in my body now filling with ice. Where could I go if I did get out? Mom wouldn't be able to see past the broken person that I have become. Kitty would cry if she ever saw me again. I am alone here, and I would be alone at home. At least here, Master can understand me. He will know not to pity me; he won't see a destroyed girl.

Master knows that I need him, he knows that nobody will be able to understand me but him. My sobs increase as his words wash over me. I drag my eyes to the floor and turn my body towards Master. I don't speak as Master opens his arms, an inviting gesture that I accept.

"Thank you Master," I mumble beyond my tears. Master slowly runs his fingers through my hair.

"You don't need to thank me, pet," Masters voice is calm and almost soothing. "I'm just teaching you how your life is now. You can never leave me. You need me. You are nothing without me." I nod my head against his chest, my tears finally ceasing and my breath becoming a little more even. Master is right, of course. I need him.