CAGED

Chapter 11: Tamed

I have learned to behave very well. I have only gotten one bad punishment, which was really bad. It was because I was really bad though, and I agreed that I needed to be punished.

Ten Months Ago
I had gotten out of my room. I knew better but I wanted fresh air, and to feel the grass between my toes. So I put tape on the door so it wouldn't shut right, and I left my room after midnight. Master had such a beautiful home, and I had never seen it before; I was not allowed to see anything but my room. I took my time walking through the hallway, admiring the walls and furniture as I made my way to the stairs. I took each step slow, holding my breath as I descended them. I took each step slow and carefully as I slipped through the grand foyer and to the front door. I twisted the locked out of place and opened it wide. A gust of wind hit me as an alarm went off, breaking the serene silence in the air. I panicked and dropped down into a ball, covering my ears and crying.

Master came running down the stairs and saw me. He was mad that I tried to go outside, he thought I was going to escape. I was too busy crying to tell him I would never do that, that I only wanted to touch the grass. Master slammed the door shut and made the loud alarm stop ringing. He grabbed my hair and pulled me into a standing position, then slowly caressed my cheek.

"Pet," he said in a low voice. "What were you doing? And do not lie to me." His tone had an under carry of threat, but I knew he wouldn't hurt me unless I deserved it.

"I wanted to feel the grass," I told him in a small voice. "I wasn't gonna go anywhere, I just wanted to touch it."

"I believe you Pet, because you looked frightened by the alarms." Master loosened his hold on my hair and smoothed it back down. "But you still need to be punished. That was very wrong of you, you could have gotten hurt."

I nodded my head fast, I knew he was right. I could have gotten hurt, or worse, lost. I don't know what I would have done if I had gotten lost and Master couldn't find me. Tears welled in my eyes but I didn't let them fall because Master does not like it when I cry.

"There, there," Masters voice was soothing as he took a firm hold of my arm, his fingers easily wrapping around it. "I am going to punish you, Pet. But not out of anger or hate, only out of love. I do all of this because I love my little pet, and I don't want anything bad to happen to her."

Master led me down the hallway to a door that opened to a descending staircase, my mind told me it was a basement though it took a while to grasp at the fleeting word. Master briskly guided me down the steps, one at a time, until we had reached the bottom. Master pulled me over to a wall and took hold of the chain there. He clasped the manacles around my thin wrists and pushed me towards the wall until my nose was touching it. He ripped my dress down so that my scarred shoulder was exposed to him.

"This will hurt, Pet. Because it won't be a scar. This will be even more permanent than that. This will be a tattoo, of the home made variety." Master spoke so softly that I almost didn't catch it. A tattoo. He was going to put ink on my flesh that would never leave. I began to squirm against my restraints as a whimper slipped beyond my lips.

I turned my head so I could watch him as he prepared his tools. He took a thick sharpie marker and drew a line on my shoulder blade, a long one. He then turned and grabbed a long needle, the kind my uncle used when fixing his leather jacket. Master lit a large candle and turned the needle over the flames. He stayed close to me so that he could do his task with quick and efficient movements. He quickly took the needle and jabbed it into my skin where he had drew the line with the marker. Two dots of the needle, then he was warming it again over the fire. He repeated the action for what seemed like hours. It may have been hours for all I knew. I stayed there pressed against the wall by thick metal restraints as I screamed out in pain and agony as he continued to stab my shoulder repeatedly with the smoldering large needle.

I passed out after some time, near the end I suppose. Master left me chained there for three days before he was kind enough to release me. He allowed me a hot shower and a quarter cup of dry oatmeal before he locked me away in my room, reminding me once again that the outside world is very dangerous for a nobody like me.

Present Time
Master said I get a surprise today, because I have been with him for a year, and I have been a very good girl for many months now. I don't try to leave, because Master is right when he said I have nobody to go to. My mother and friends have forgotten me by now. If Master is correct and I have been with him for a year, then I've been gone from home for a year and a half. Who would still be looking for me? Nobody.

Instead of thinking about that though, I sit on my bed patiently. I am wearing a new dress, this one is also grey, but longer. It covers my bottom, and almost touches my knees! The front is still cut low and the straps are thin, but Master has given me a shawl to cover my shoulders with. He says it is kind of cold right now, and he does not want me to be sick. I was allowed to fix my hair, leaving it in a long braid down my spine. I am proud of myself for being able to look okay enough for Master. I hope that he likes it!

I wait in anticipation until finally the lock on the door comes undone with a loud click. The door slides open and I greet Master with a wide smile as he returns the gesture.

"Pet," Master says in a soft and deliberate tone. "I have a surprise for you. Close your eyes, and take my hand. Do you trust me?"

"Of course!" I reply without hesitation.
"Good," I can hear the smile in Masters pleased voice. "Then come with me."