No Matter What

Chapter 3

"Good girl." He said with a devilish smile as he backed away from me. I sigh in relief as the pain in my back is released, but the tension he has put in my chest has not yet subsided. Before I can even catch my breath he grabs my left arm tightly, almost cutting off the circulation, and pulls me to him.

"But it shouldn't take that long to get you to comply with directions, should it?" He says in his raised, intimidating voice. I'm frozen, but I can tell from his eyes that he wants a response. I open my mouth to answer, but no words escape my lips. "SHOULD IT?!" He shouts. Now grabbing me by my hair, pulling my face just inches from his.

"N...no." I finally respond, my voice shaking in fear. At my response he releases my hair and pushes me to the ground.

"Then next time it better not. Unless of course you WANT the consequence." He says, that evil smirk coming back on his face. I feel a shiver go down my spine at his words. Unless of course you want the consequence. My head doesn't want to think of what he has in mind, although my memories obviously already know.

"Let's go." He says. "You've already made us late."

As I stand he makes his way behind me, tying a familiar price of cloth around my eyes. As I feel the knot being tied behind me head, I feel his hands creep down to my waist as he rests his chin on the nape of my neck. Please don't, I think.

"Later." He whispers into my ear as his lips brush my neck. I hold my breath as he releases me and guides me forward. The door unlocks in a loud screech and he pushes me forward. I can feel the ground change from the cold concert box into soft, familiar carpet under my bear feet. I hear the door screech close behind us, submerging me in a different kind of hell.

****

The car ride there goes by in a blur with the same familiar sounds of light traffic, and the subtle smell of smoke and exhaust. Before I know it the car comes to a jilting stop. Here we go, I say to myself.
When the door to my right opens, Sir grabs my arm and pulls me out of into the open, a slight wind brushing against my face. "Come on." He says.

As we walk forward the crisp, clean wind dissolves from the surrounding air, and a musky eeriness replaces it. My feet trace along the ground from what feels like rough, sharp asphalt to cold concrete again. We head down a long passage way in silence, the only sound audible is a sort of echoing whooshing sound, like water through pipes. I let my mind drift as I blindly walk forward. Kate. I can't help but think about my sister. Can't help but have the image of her face in my mind, the feeling of her touch in my fingertips. I can even remember the sweet smell of her hair....

We suddenly come to a stop as his grip on my arm tightens, jilting me backward a few paces. Sir whispers something to himself, or to someone else, it's hard to tell, but when he silences himself I hear the door unlatch and open with a screech. I feel his rough palm on my shoulder then his hot breath near my face.

"Have fun." He said. Although my blindfold was still on I could sense the smirk on his face at his sarcastic comment. Sir roughly pulled the blindfold off of my eyes and before they could focus, he pushes me into the large, gymnasium like room, the door shutting behind me.

It takes my eyes a few seconds to adjust to the dimming light streaming in from the windows at the top of the prison. I'd be quite beautiful in different circumstances, the thin beams of light casting down into the dreary room. As I look in front of me I see many of the girls in the corner far off in the left quietly talking among themselves, and others hanging around the perimeter or the room. I see Danny sitting on the right wall, playing with the ends of her hair. My feet start toward her before my brain is aware of my actions.

As I approach, her head lifts up and and I notice her pale green eyes brighten a little bit. "Hey El." She says, her voice very somber.