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I shut the door and lock it before looking down at the paper again. I scrub a hand along my chin as I read it, some kind of instructions from Ginger.
Sin,
I haveboard meetings today and won’t be around. There’s a training area downstairs that you may use as you see fit. In the meantime, I’ll have someone come take you there at 9 AM.
Ginger
I turnmy neck to crack it. Looks like it’s time to explore.
I dress quickly,don’t waiting for someone to come get me before heading into the fortress that is CASH-ULTY. There are a few guards who wander around who eye me suspiciously, I assume because in the past I’ve wandered these halls unseen. Or in chains.
Other than that, I see a few other people around, doing various things like cleaning the floors, then find myself following the smell of cooking food.
It doesn’t take me long to find the large and well-equipped kitchen. There are at least a dozen people moving around, stirring pots and doing whatever the fuck else people do in kitchens like this. There’s a row of maids to one side picking up trays of some kind of porridge or stew then heading down a back staircase.
With no one paying attention, I follow behind the last one.
I’m only part way down the stairs before I realize this is the way to the dungeons, and I feel stupid for not realizing what’s happening.
They’re feeding the prisoners.
I stay back as I get to the bottom of the stone stairs and watch as trays of food are pushed into each cell. At the end of the room, I see empty plates pushed out, apparently the first round.
The servers continue to ignore me as I make my way down the hall, peering into the rooms as I pass. There’s a kennel of some kind at one end of the hall that I ignore. Some of the rooms have several people in them, usually timid looking women. Others have only one person, and there’s one room at the end that looks to be the youth room based on the ages of those inside.
It’s clear to me that the chains and solo room I received were very special treatment.
When I look into the youth room, my eyes land on a young boy who looks to be no more than ten or so. He has blond hair and no tears in his eyes as he looks back at me.
Gentle and loud sobs punctuate the air as I lose myself for a moment in the young boy's eyes. I see no imploring, no request for help in his gaze. Just resignation. Acceptance.
My reverie is broken by a sound that sends chills up my spine. Though you’d never be able to tell by looking at me, cold fear washes over me. I don’t hear footsteps over the barking dogs, but I see a shadow before someone turns the corner.
“Shut those fucking things up!” A voice says, barely louder than the frantic animals. I steady myself before I turn to see Krystof walking down the hall toward me, a severe look on his face.
“What the fuck are you doing down here?” he spits at me. “Get the fuck out!”
“I believe I work here now, same as you,” I tell him, and he narrows his eyes. Too fucking easy to rile. Apparently, the years have only made him less calm.
He crosses his arms, and is about to open his mouth when his phone rings. He doesn’t take his eyes off me as he pulls it to his ear to answer.
“Yes? Why?”
I watch as surprise and anger cross his face.
“Fine.” He shuts the phone, looking away from me.
“Get the fuck out of here. Ginger wants you in her office.”
I debate for a moment about giving him more shit and hanging around longer, but I won’t fucking deny that I want to see her. It took everything I had not to go visit her last night.
I know I have weeks, if not days, before everything here comes to a head, and despite fucking everything, I look forward to spending the bit of time I can with the ruthless bitch. Shaking my head, I head up the stairs.
Fucking puppy.
Chapter 29
Ginger
