Chapter 4 : Desperate

"You have to help me," I whispered to the two gorgeous women as soon as we were out of Boris''s earshot.

The women giggled. "Help you, honey? We wish we were you!" Salvia said. Sylvia nodded enthusiastically.

"Please, I don''t have much time. He has other girls in the basement!" I said.

"You''ll all get homes eventually. It''s not permanent," said Salvia, apparently the more talkative of the two sisters.

"You''re sisters?" I asked.

"Yes, adopted," they said in unison.

"Would you let your sister be treated like this? Locked in a cage in the basement? Sold off to some man?" I asked, pleading with them with my eyes.

I wanted to just run away from them. They would be easier to escape from than Boris, but I felt I needed an ally to get out of this place. It was a mansion behind those iron gates in that gated community I had been running through in the rain. The guard at the gate was in on it. What if the whole community was in on it too? I needed some information, at least, to plan my escape. I wanted to befriend them and appeal to their emotions. They were women. They could understand being treated like an object.

"Oh, dear," said Sylvia, finally speaking again. "Let''s talk in private."

She took my hand and led me through a wide, long hallway with an arched ceiling. More paintings adorned the walls, but I could no longer admire them. Her sister hurried behind us, her heels clicking against the marble. They led me to what appeared to be a dressing room. There was a huge vanity with a mirror lined with lights. Cosmetics covered the counter, all neatly organized. There were racks of women''s clothing and a shelf of shoes. There was another shelf of perfumes. I recognized a lot of designer labels on various items.

"It''s five o''clock already, Sylvia," said Salvia. "We need to hurry."

"What day is it?" I asked quickly. I had been kidnapped Thursday night.

"Saturday, honey," said Salvia.

I gasped. I had been knocked out for almost 48 hours. I suddenly realized how dry my throat was. My stomach grumbled.

"We can get refreshments and get ready," said Sylvia kindly, ringing a little bell.

Another beautiful woman appeared. This one was golden-skinned like me and also had curly hair. She was much taller than I was, though. She looked younger than the sisters, possibly in her twenties. All of these women were so statuesque. I felt self-conscious suddenly being the shortest and the grimiest. I snapped out of it. Who cared? I was a prisoner. Beauty was the least of my worries.

"We need snacks!" said Sylvia.

"And wine!" added Salvia.

"May I have some water?" I added softly.

The girl nodded. "Yes, Luna," she said to me.

"What? My name is Orchid. Please, you girls have to help me..."

"I''m Ophelia," said the maid. "We are going to help you, Luna Orchid, don''t worry!"

Ophelia returned quickly with my water. I gulped it down, not even stopping to consider if it was drugged. I regretted drinking it immediately, but I didn''t feel strange. It must have been normal water. She had also brought a tray with three wine glasses, a bottle of white wine, and a plate of cheeses, crackers, cold meats, and macarons. Salvia encouraged me to have some wine, but I refused. Salvia drank my glass and hers. Sylvia sipped from her glass.

"The bathroom is through there," Sylvia said, pointing to a door. "Go bathe and come back to us."

I ran into the next room, shutting the door and locking it. There were no doors in this room besides the one I had just come from. I cursed silently. There was a huge bathtub and a shower. There were shelves of towels and a rack where plush robes hung. The counter where the sink was had a variety of soaps, shampoos, conditioners, and leave-in conditioners on it. There was a container with brushes and combs. I had to play along. I showered as quickly as I could. It was a beautiful bathroom in which to take a soak in the tub, but I couldn''t even fathom relaxing even for a moment. I shampooed and conditioned my tangled curls. I put on the robe after my shower and detangled my hair with the leave-in conditioner. Everything smelled incredible. I had never smelled such aromatic products.

I looked at myself in the large golden oval mirror above the sink. The bruise covered one of my cheeks. It was slightly swollen and red. The scrape had stopped bleeding. I had some minor scratches on my hands, and my palms and knees hurt from the fall on the way down the hill. That seemed like a lifetime ago. I burst into tears, unable to hold it in any longer.

A knock at the door startled me. When I didn''t open it, a key must have been used, for the door clicked and then opened to reveal Sylvia and Salvia, their faces worried.

"Don''t cry, please!" begged Sylvia. "It''ll make your eyes puffy! Alpha will be so furious already because of the bruise," said Sylvia, breathing as if they were all deeply afraid of this Alpha.

I sniffled, starting to feel afraid of him too. My kidnappers feared him. He must be an incredibly brutal man, and yet, he didn''t want me bruised in any way. I didn''t get my hopes up that he would be decent. He was buying a girl—me. He probably wanted me pristine for his own sick pleasure, not my wellbeing. He had spent his money''s worth and wanted undamaged goods. I shuddered.

They wrapped a towel over me though I was already in a robe, probably thinking I was cold. They gave me underwear to put on, and when I stared at them while standing there motionlessly, they exchanged glances and then turned their backs on me. Now would be a good time to knock one of them out, but they were being decent to me. By decent I meant non-violent. If I angered them too, I would be in an even bigger mess. I put on the underwear. It was a nude-pink set, lacy and honestly quite beautifully designed.

They offered me a dress. It was a dusty pink color with a sweetheart neckline and billowy sleeves that tapered at the wrists. It was floor-length but had a high slit. It was fitted at the top and the waist before it flared out around me. They curled my already curly hair, making it bouncier and leaving the loose curls down. They plucked my eyebrows, shaved my legs and wiped the hair away. They put makeup on me—rosy cheeks, cat eyeliner and mascara, and a pink-nude lipstick that was natural-looking. I did look much better. I actually found myself pretty, forgetting momentarily that I was an item to be purchased by some crime boss calling himself Alpha.

"It''s seven o''clock!" squealed Sylvia.

"Please, you have to help me!" I cried, my panic rising again.

"Trust me, down this—you need it!" said Salvia, handing me a full wine glass.

I downed it. I wasn''t sure why. Maybe I was giving up.

They hurried off to get themselves ready, leaving me alone. I was shell-shocked for a moment. Then, I tossed off the heels they had given me and ran to the door. It was unlocked. I ran down the hallway and descended the stairs so quickly, I almost tumbled downwards. I tried the door that led to the basement. I gasped. All the cages were empty. All the girls were gone. They were probably being auctioned. I held back a sob. I apologized to Rose silently as I ran to the double doors by the staircase. They were unlocked! I threw them open triumphantly, only to reveal a furious Mr. Caro.