The Circle: Abduction

I felt like crying again, but the tears wouldn’t come. I felt empty and cold, as if my life had ended when Layla died.

Circe sat her book down but remained in her chair. “It’s our way. Even the most valued of slaves my choose the freedom of death. We have a reverence for it. Meeting your Moment with bravery and sacrifice to please our Masters is a great honor, I hope one day you will understand that.”

I heard the words but it was if she were speaking another language. None of it made sense and I drew my knees up as I studied her flawless and implacable face. “I could never understand such brutality. You and your brother must be insane. What he did…” I was at a loss for words and I grew quiet, wishing I could summon the tears Layla deserved.

Circe remained quiet for a moment before answering. “You cannot know it now, but what he did was a mercy. That girl was not going to be easily broken, but I assure you they would have broken her eventually. But only after she suffered for days or even weeks. There are Masters who would have taken her for just that purpose alone. There are men who would have tortured her and broken her body slowly. She would have been killed anyway, but only after suffering a pain you could never imagine. Marco knew this. That’s why he killed her when he did.”

I laughed bitterly at the arrogant absurdity of her logic. “A mercy? That’s what you call it? He fucked her while she was dying! What kind of sick fuck does that!”

“Be careful with those words, Jessica. Between us as females, we may be able to say such things, but if he were to hear you, you would be punished severely.”

Then she glanced down at her hands, as if she were struggling to say what came next. “You should be thankful to him. He could easily have just taken her and sent her to her fate, but what he did, he did for you as much as he did for her.”

I wasn’t yet sure what she meant, but a cold chIll passed over me at what she implied. “He did it for me? How could killing her possibly help me?”

Circe rose slowly and sat on the bed next to me, I recoiled away but she made no effort to touch me. “You look on me as your captor, but as I’ve told you, I am a slave, nothing more. Nothing that happens to you hasn’t already been done to me and I too must face the possibility of one day having my Moment forced upon me. I was born to it, just as Marco was.”

“In my youth, I was taught to sing and recite poetry, but once I reached my eighteenth year, I was taken by a man, just as Marco took you. Our only difference is that I have known no other way.”

Circe gently took my hand, not as a captor or Master, but as a friend. “Marco sees in you a strength that makes him believe you could adapt and survive. Most of those we take from the outside don’t last long, but you can, as long as you understand what’s at stake. By killing poor Layla, he hoped you would.”

My stomach almost retched at the idea that she died for me. I wanted to deny it because simply accepting it as fact made me complicit in Layla’s death.

I must have looked ashen to Circe and my head spun so terribly I felt I might pass out, but deep down, her words carried enough truth that I couldn’t deny them. I had seen the brutality of the world I was in and I knew in my heart I would do whatever I needed to to be spared her fate.

“I wouldn’t have believed it had I not seen it myself,” I finally said. “That’s why he killed her? As an example to the rest of us?”

“No,” Circe said coldly. “The other two are almost certainly doomed. We will try to teach them, but they have withdrawn into their minds and are not responding to us. If that doesn’t change, they will be sold to a Master who will enjoy pulling them out of their shell. I’m only glad I won’t have to see it.”

It was horrible to hear, but I had no strength left to concern myself with their fate. I saw a ray of hope in her words and my only thoughts were focused on what I needed to learn. “So, what must I do to avoid that? How can I survive when so many others fail? What use have I to them?”

Circe smiled hopefully and squeezed my hand. “Learn to enjoy it, Jessica. You are a female whose purpose is to give pleasure. If you can learn to enjoy it and withstand the occasional pain it carries, you may yet live.”

I said nothing more as Circe rose and headed for the door. Before she left, she turned. “This door isn’t locked. You have a bathroom here and some clothing in the closet. You are like me now. You have the run of the ship. Your life can be free of stress and filled with joy if you can take it. The price is to simply give of your body when the demand is made. Think on it, Jessica. Marco will soon come for you again. I can offer myself in your stead, but I believe he will want you.”

“But aren’t you his sister?”

“Yes, but that only makes me more desirable.” With that, she slipped through the door and left me alone with my thoughts.

Once she was gone, I checked to see if I could lock the door behind her. It was made of heavy oak and I hoped it could keep him away from me. The heavy, brass knob turned easily and I opened the door to peer down the hall.

Unlike my cell in the bowels of the ship, this hall was more like one would find on a cruise ship. It was wide and well lit. It’s floor was carpeted and paintings lined the walls between other, equally beautiful stateroom doors. There were no guards or anyone else around. I was alone. Circe had been right about my being allowed to leave the room.

The bad news was that there was no lock at all. It seemed the price of my freedom would be that I would be denied any real privacy. The thought that Marco might come through that door and rape me again sickened me and another tear formed in my eye. I had no doubt that he would, and with Layla’s sacrifice fresh in my mind, I would submit to whatever he chose to do to me.

Retreating into my room, I checked the closet for something clean to wear. The clothes inside were simple tee shirts and jeans. I saw none of the delicate dresses that were displayed in his shop. Not that I would have chosen to wear them. The last thing I wanted to do was appear desirable to him.

I showered afterward. The hot water was the first true pleasure I’d had since I was kidnapped and I stayed under the spray until it began to run cold. It was strange how calming such a simple luxury could be and by the time I dried off, I felt relaxed and maybe even a little safe in my gilded confinement. I slipped on a white linen robe and went into my room with the sole intention of putting on some clean cloths. When I came through the door, I gasped and my heart leapt into my throat.

Marco was sitting in the same chair his sister had occupied. He sat with his fingers steepled together, waiting for me to come to him. His head turned and his eyes burned darkly as I stood paralyzed in his predatory gaze.