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“Gosh, I’m sorry, Mara. I’ve been here so long I almost forgot how scary it was at first.”
“So long?” Mara blurted, staring at the girl. “How long have you been here?”
“A little over a year. I can’t remember exactly. The first month was kind of a blur. I was strung out on meth when they found me, and detox took a while.”
“How old are you, Scarlett?” Mara asked, sympathy for the girl temporarily overwhelming her own concerns.
“Twenty-four.” Scarlett’s cheeks dimpled into a smile. “But I know I don’t look it. Some of the guests want a girl, you know, a virgin, and they always pick me.” Her voice took on a sudden little-girl quality that made Mara’s skin crawl. “Oh, please, sir, don’t hurt widdle Scarlett. I’m so scared of your big, massive cock, sir. Please be gentle.” She laughed, the sound a harsh contrast to the baby voice.
“Scarlett!” Dawn’s voice made both Scarlett and Mara jump and turn toward the sound. Dawn stood in the doorway of the bathroom, her hands on her hips, a frown on her face. “I sent you to fetch Mara, not to stand there gabbing. Supper’s already on the table. Let’s go, girls. Move it.”
Mara, clad only in a towel, pushed her wet hair back from her face and took a step forward. Dawn shook her head. “Hang your towel on one of the hooks, young lady. Girls in training are kept nude at all times. Didn’t Scarlett tell you that?”
Reluctantly, Mara hung the towel on a hook and followed the women out of the bathroom. They moved past the bedroom doors and through the large entry hall of the building, continuing through a lounge area containing sofas and chairs and into a room that held a long, low wooden picnic table with benches fixed along either side, a large chair at one end.
The benches were occupied by six women, all of them wearing dresses in varying colors, similar to the one Scarlett wore. Each had a necklace like Scarlett’s. Some wore diamonds, the others a red gem that looked like a garnet or a ruby. Suddenly Scarlett’s earlier question—do you want to be a diamond or a ruby—made some kind of sense.
The women were silent, all of them staring at Mara as she entered the room. Their hands were in their laps, no one touching the food set on plates before each of them. All of them were pretty and slender, each somewhere in her twenties. Mara felt herself blushing at their focused scrutiny. Scarlett took a seat on the end of one of the benches.
“You’ll sit there.” Dawn pointed to a space opposite Scarlett. Dawn took her seat at the head of the table.
Mara looked down at the food heaped on a plate before her—slices of pork, mashed potatoes, a half-cob of corn and a biscuit. There was more food on platters in the center of the table, along with a pitcher of iced tea. There was a full glass of tea beside each plate. Mara’s mouth watered, her stomach rumbling at the sight and smell of the food. She started to reach for her fork, but Dawn’s words stopped her.
“Everyone bow your head for grace.” All the women at once lowered their heads. Not daring to disobey, Mara did likewise, though she barely succeeded in biting back a snort of contempt at this hypocrisy, as if they were at a church gathering, rather than imprisoned sex slaves, or whatever the hell they were.
“Lord, thank you for this bounty,” Dawn intoned. “And thank you for our diamonds and rubies, and the chance to serve our guests with grace and passion. Amen.”
“Amen,” echoed the women around the table. Mara, who kept her lips pressed tightly closed.
At once there was the clink of cutlery against china as everyone began to eat. Mara, too hungry to resist a moment longer, also picked up her fork. The meat was delicious—smoky and tender—and she eagerly cut and ate another piece. The potatoes were freshly mashed and the biscuit was flaky and buttery. She’d been expecting prison fare in this nightmare scenario in which she’d found herself, and she thought of her mother suddenly, her high, sweet voice an echo in Mara’s memory. See there, Mara, dear, there’s always something good to be found, even in the darkest places.
No one spoke during the meal, everyone focused on her food. Mara did likewise. When she’d cleaned her plate and eaten a second helping of everything and drank two glasses of the lightly sweetened iced tea, she finally set down her fork with a satisfied sigh.
Dawn clinked lightly against her glass with a utensil. All eyes turned at once to her. “Girls, please welcome our newest member, Mara.”
Scarlett gave Mara an encouraging smile, though no one else at the table was smiling. Mara now regretted all the food she’d crammed into her belly, as it twisted with anxiety and fear of whatever was to come.
