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“It’s not,” I whispered, hating myself for giving her the truth that would no doubt be her downfall. “It’s something else.”
“I had a feeling,” she said. “Will… do you think we’ll ever get out of here? Do you think they’ll let us go?”
I looked into her beautiful eyes and struggled with my answer.
Amber was a beautiful girl, a gorgeous redhead with porcelain pale skin and a pretty, petite body. I’d seen the way the guards in the Mansion looked at her and did my best to keep them away, but I knew I wouldn’t be able to watch over her forever. Sooner or later, one of them would slip through the cracks, and she would be lost, just as I had been when Thorn took over my body.
“Not me,” I replied finally. “I don’t think I’ll be able to leave. I don’t think he’ll let me.”
“Thorn?” she asked softly, and I found myself nodding.
I’d wondered what she thought about the man who had taken me. They hadn’t interacted much, but he seemed to treat her somewhat like a younger sister. For that I was grateful – it meant he would protect her from any harm that could come to her in the house.
“He… cares about you,” she said, and I responded with a sad smile that spoke volumes. “I can tell. The way he looks at you… he must feel very deeply about you.”
We were avoiding the elephant in the room, the ever-present question that neither of us wanted to address.
Why had Thorn taken me? And what was going to happen to Amber?
“I wish I had all the answers,” I finally said. “I wish I understood what they’re trying to do here. I don’t know why Thorn brought you here. I don’t know if you will be able to leave. And every day, I hate myself for being responsible for you being here. I’m so sorry, Amber. I truly am.”
I felt tears burning my eyes, and I turned my head to the side, not wanting her to see how emotional I was feeling because of the turn of events.
“Hey,” Amber said softly. “Let’s take things one day at a time. Marchante is an incredible coach. My dancing has gotten so much better since I’ve been here.”
It was true. She connected with our new teacher and blossomed under his slightly less strict approach. I, on the other hand, missed Madame more than I ever thought I would.
She’d always been especially strict with me, but now that I was training with someone else, I found myself wishing I’d been more grateful when I’d had the chance to work with her. I knew she wasn’t everyone’s cup of tea, but I felt powerful under her strict approach; it suited me. I struggled to find the same connection with Marchante, a kind older man who never went too hard on me. But Amber loved it.
A sudden desire to get away from everything overtook me, and I glanced around the room to make sure we were alone. The door to the new dancing studio was left ajar, but I ignored it, leaning over to Amber to whisper in her ear.
“I want to leave,” I told her. “I want to get away from here. I want to go back to my life in London. I don’t want to stay here forever. Are you with me?”
She gave me a surprised look as I squeezed her hand, needing her to agree with my plan. My eyes begged her to respond, and her own danced over my gaze, trying to decipher if I was being serious.
“Get out of here?” she whispered. “Go back to London?”
I nodded.
“But we have everything here…” she went on. “Do you really remember London? Do you remember the dreary weather? How poor we were? We could barely pay for our food.”
“But there were opportunities,” I insisted. “The chance to become someone… To be a dancer. To go to auditions. To dance!”
“We can dance here,” Amber said softly. “You dance for Thorn, don’t you?”
I blinked away the tears. She didn’t understand. I pulled my hand away, but the moment I did, she grabbed it back and looked into my eyes.
“I’ll come with you,” she said softly. “I’ll do what you need me to do. I’m always here for you.”
I nodded, feeling more emotional than ever.
“You’re a good friend,” I told Amber, and we exchanged heartfelt smiles before finally changing into our regular clothes.
I didn’t want to tell her the truth. The truth that I wanted to run away, because I wasn’t only worried about myself – I was worried about her, too, convinced she’d be sold or worse if we stayed at the Mansion.
I wasn’t going to run because I was selfish.
I was going to run, because I wanted to protect us both.
Chapter 3
Rose
We were having dinner, sitting in the dining room with two maids serving us then standing off to the side, ready to give us anything we wanted. I glanced at them curiously, just like I always did, still not completely understanding what their story was, but I was too scared to ask Thorn, because I didn’t want to know the awful truth. They were prisoners, just like me. But unlike me, they’d been hurt permanently, their tongues cut out and their bodies maimed for a reason I didn’t want to learn.
