11. Reunion

~Abuse warning. Explicit wording (kept to a minimum). Sexual content~

I woke up sore and unable to move my upper body. Thankfully my abs had received little punishment; I used them to roll over. I could bend my arms at my elbows and I used that for leverage. Finally sitting up, I looked at my reflection and laughed. I looked like I put on a short sleeved turtleneck. "Good morning, Sunshine! You look stunning today. I love that color on you!" I continued to chuckle and winced as I took a breath. A full glass of water sat beside me, and beyond that, a tray with a single rice cake and two aspirin. I grinned. "Today is going to be a good day." I slowly stood up and tried to stretch all my limbs before I went through my morning routine.

As I went to turn on the water to wash my hands and any smeared blood, I noticed a small bar of soap with an equally small note. "They're always watching you. Use sparingly. Still pick up dirt." I moved the soap out of the way, turned on the water, and acted like I picked up some sand granules. I balled up the note and sent it down the drain.

"Thank you, Jess," I signed by my hip. Noah and I often communicated using sign language after one of Dad's tirades. He hated us checking up on each other, and so he forbade us to talk. We taught ourselves how to sign, then we learned how to keep it hidden from Dad; we were subtle and effective. People often wondered about our nervous twitch and we played it off as such. I didn't know if the cameras would pick any actual words, or would just see a twitch, but I had to thank her some way; vocalizing it would get one or both of us in trouble. I wish I had met her outside of this place; she seemed like she would be a great friend. I began to sing Staying Alive by the Bee Gees. To keep up my signing skills, I often signed to songs but to try and keep one secret, I refrained. My brother was the most important person in my life, there was no way I would give Lionel or Ronnie a chance to use him against me.

I paced the room. When I got bored, I sat down, ate the rice cake and took the aspirin. I saved half of my clear water for later. When I was done, I did sit ups, push-ups, mountain climbers, and any other floor exercise I could think of just to pass the time. My stomach growled. I ignored it and began to sing again as I worked out. My pain was beginning to feel like it wasn't even there. I laughed. I knew the pain was there, but I was grateful I could ignore, even partially. Seven songs later, my doors whooshed open again. Even with a black eye, Lionel leaned against the wall with a smug smile. 

"Please join me, 'Nettie. I have a present for you." 

"I'm sorry, you don't have the right to call me that. That's a very high privilege reserved only for my brother. You can call me Annie," I snapped, giving him the one name I detested as I stopped in front of him. "It's a nickname given by my parents and a few friends." My parents called me Annette, but he didn't know that. He reached over and stroked above my ear then down my jaw. 

"Ah yes! I like Annie, so mature and beautiful. Why not 'Nettie? It's unique and beautiful in it's own way, maybe a bit childish."

"Yes, it is. My brother came up with it when we were little. You have no right in using my brother's name for me, because that is his way of saying I love you. You don't know what love is. You have to earn my love and respect. Until then, call me Annie. My friends call me that. If can't see me as a friend I'll go back to bed," I warned. He slapped me; I glared. "You feel as if the world owes you everything. Even entitled snobs get told no. Granted, I'm sure they throw a great tizzy fit, but I have a feeling this is new for you. I'll gladly be the first. I won't give you what you want. I'll never be yours, and I'll always tell you no," I spat. 

"We'll see about that. You won't be 17 forever, Annie. You'll be my wife. One way or another. You'll soon learn that you don't have a voice here and that compliance is best for you. Where does this negativity come from? I thought you were always so positive and upbeat," he growled. "Now would you like to see the present I got you?" 

"Is it the Doctor and Professor in the house again? I sure missed them. As for me and upbeat, you lost that privilege too. You aren't civil with me, I don't owe you anything." I hissed as I walked past him and froze. Noah was sitting in a chair by the mirror, his hands tied behind his back. He looked relatively the same as I remembered, wearing his normal cargo shorts and t-shirt. His feet were bare and tied to feet of the chair, and he had on the same anklet Jess did. He looked healthy just a little under weight. My hand flew to my mouth and tears spilled over. "Noah! You're here!" 

"Hey, 'Nettie. I love you! I missed you so much," he exclaimed. I started to move towards him. Lionel stuck out his arm and pinned me against the wall. I was now in a position to see Noah's hands in the mirror. "Can you see this?" He signed. I grinned -our version for yes- as I tried to remove Lionel's arm from across my chest. "Jess says you're welcome. Don't sign back." I tapped my finger once; I understood his warning. He gave me a small smile.

"I love you too, Noah! It's so good to see you! It's been too long. I wish you would have said good-bye!" Glaring at Lionel, I spat, "let go of me! I insist."   

"You two can talk from across the room. Annie, don't give me any trouble," Lionel instructed as he released me. He held a little remote with a single button in front of my face. "Try anything and I press this button. Again," he chuckled as he pressed it. Noah screamed and his body twitched. I moved to run to my brother and Lionel pinned me against the wall again. "Fun little shock. Yet the only way you can stop it is to agree to my demands," he explained as he stroked my cheek. "I told you, I have lots more prisoners." 

"Stop!" I yelled. Lionel finally released the button and my brother stopped twitching. "Noah," I gasped. 

"I'm fine. Don't agree to his deal," Noah signed as he panted heavily, glaring at Lionel. 

"He'll be okay, but I can make it stop permanently, Annie. Really, it's my only demand. Just kiss me, don't hold back, and I'll stop. I won't touch him again. Then I'll take care of you. It's even a cozy spot." Lionel's eyes moved to the right side of the room. A mattress with white bedding was set up on the floor with a plethora of pillows. 

"Ugh! If I were to choose somebody to sleep with, he wouldn't be old enough to be my dad or grandpa. I'm really missing Ronnie," I voiced with disdain. Lionel slapped me again. I was now looking at the left side of the room. A large tank was full of water. I looked back at my brother. 

"Sex or drowning," he signed. He looked remorseful. "He won't kill you. I know that much." Then, he yelled, "you can do bett- ah!" His body twitched again. I looked down at Lionel's hand. He was pressing the button again.

"You can speak when spoken to, you f*****g piece of s**t," Lionel sneered. I pushed against him.

"You can't call me anything if you're going to throw my brother under the bus. You can't talk to him like that," I snapped. Lionel released the button and my brother finally stopped twitching as he lowered his head and panted heavily on his chest. "Noah," I whispered.

"I can take it. Don't make it worse, 'Nettie," he signed. I sighed and Lionel grabbed my cheeks. His hand covered my mouth and he applied pressure to his thumb and middle fingers as he squeezed me. I scrunched my face in pain as he forced me to look at him again.

"I can make your life hell. Your own brother runs my technical aspects in this room and your own. You've had it fairly easy so far. If he doesn't obey," he trailed off as he clicked his button again. Noah screamed, causing me to look at back at him. I tried to push Lionel off me again and he applied more pressure to my face. I blinked back tears and looked back at the vile man beside me. "You have the power to make it stop. You just have to," Lionel implied as he released my jaw, stroked my shoulder, closed the distance between our heads, and started kissing my neck and biting my earlobe as he stopped hurting my brother. I pushed Lionel away, and looked him in the eye. 

"No thank you. Noah, I'm sorry I can't!" I sobbed, looking past Lionel's shoulder. 

"I wouldn't want you to, 'Nettie. I'll be okay," he vocally reassured me. "You're the strongest person I know. I'm sorry," he signed. 

I met Lionel's eye again and sneered, "you hurt my brother. That's unforgivable. Turns out, all you are is pathetic piece of scum. A lowlife. A pedophile. Untrustworthy. Pathetic. A criminal. A kidnapper. Disrespectful." He cut me off with another slap across my face. I began to giggle. Noah smiled but blinked back tears.

"F*****g b***h!" Lionel slapped me again and grabbed my wrist. "Time to take a swim." 

"Bath day, already! That is good news! I feel sticky," I replied with a smile on face. He pushed me towards the tank. I tripped and hit the corner of the tank. My right temple began to bleed again. "Ow! Well, Lionel, you are showing some awesome husband and father potential. Totally a man I want in my life forever," I said sarcastically as I applied pressure with my hand. Anger flashed in his eyes as he opened the lid on the tank. He grabbed me by my hair and stood me up. Then he pushed me into the tank. My calves protested in pain as they were drug over the thick, hard plastic and I splashed water on the floor. I began to thrash in the water and as he held me by my braid underwater. He punched my gut and released his grip. I pushed myself to the surface of the water and banged against the lid. I pressed against it and saw the lock in the middle. All my thrashing didn't dislodge enough water. I couldn't get a breath in. I sank back down and looked at my brother; I was able to see his hands better now as he looked over his shoulder at me. 

"Relax," he signed. Lionel was pacing between the both of us. I began to panic and hit the side walls. "Please. Calm down. 21." Noah began rocking in his chair. Lionel hit him and paced back towards me; Noah now sat at an angle, his hands turned away. My lungs were beginning to burn, my temple stung, and the water was turning pink around my head. I released what air I had left, bubbles raised to the surface and I closed my eyes. Within seconds, a hand grabbed my head and sat me up. 

"Oh no you don't. I'm not done with you yet," Lionel snarled as he pat my back and I coughed. 

"'Nettie!" Noah was crying. "Talk to me. I can't lose you! 'Nettie, look at me." I looked over at him, nodded, and continued to cough. 

"Well that's exciting. You can break him! That can come in handy," Lionel praised.  

"How small you must feel," I mustered. "Having to bully and abuse people to make yourself feel better. I will never be yours. Maybe on paper you'll get your way, but my spirit is free, and you can't break it." I began to cry. "I'm grateful to see my brother again, to let him know how much I love him. Unfortunately, that's not him; he's not my brother. I have only heard from him once in the past year, and my dad has convinced everyone he's dead. I finally got closure," I finished as the tears flowed freely. A fist at my left hip moved in a small circle - signing sorry to my brother. "So you see can't use me against him. He's just a figment of my imagination. Thank you for giving me a surrogate to say good-bye to. I'm indebted to you for that, but that's not my brother. You shouldn't get a girl's hope up," I sobbed. 

"O-K," Noah signed; it was the only thing I could see. He shook his head as tears rolled down his face and he played along. "'Nettie! No. Please! Don't say good-bye. It's real. I'm here. No," Noah pleaded in shock. I turned my head away; my brother was not leverage.

"Shut up," I signed. I looked back up at Lionel, hardening my gaze and stopping my tears. Noah continued to let out strangled sobs. "Playing with my emotions is wrong and it just backfired. If you had a chance, no matter how slim it might have been, you just lost it. I will never sleep with you," I spat.

"You won't have a say, b***h. Once I break you, and I will, you will give me every damn thing I desire. I was sure he was my way. I gotta admit though, I'm impressed. Damn. I've always hated him; he happens to be dating a real gem. My top pick. But she chose him; makes him almost untouchable. Almost. I will have a b***h that meets my every need, even if she needs to be reminded of the fact that she belongs to me," Lionel fumed as he pushed me back under. This time, I was able to take a deep breath. Noah spazzed again in his seat and Lionel sat on the lid. 39 seconds passed before I began to panic. My lungs were burning; even if my ribs weren't broken, I had only been able to hold my breath for about 50-60 seconds at the most before. I hit the walls again and Lionel stood; my brother sat motionless with his head on his chest. I pressed against the lid and sat up coughing and gasping. Lionel yanked me out the water. "Good night, sweetheart. We'll have another date later," Lionel promised as he violently escorted me back to my cell. The temperatures had been turned down and I began to shiver. 

I did my best to warm up, but found I was just unsuccessful. I sat in the corner by the mirror and buried my head in my lap. "You're letting them win, 'Nettie," I reprimanded myself. "Coward!" I yelled as I sat up and hit the wall. I stood up and began pacing the room again. "Do you have a different tactic to use? I can't imagine anything will be worse than a dead brother," I snorted. I looked at my feet and huffed. I walked over to the sink and turned on the water. "You think you can scare me with a little water?" I pounded on the wall with the mirror. "YOU DON'T SCARE ME!" I screamed to whoever was behind it. I turned my back and faced my door as I sat down again. "You won't win, and I will resist and fight as long as possible. You'll have to kill me before I give you what you want," I mumbled and glared at the door. "I'm ready for you." I sat still for a long time before I got a response. Once again, my doorway opened. I stood up and walked back out. "Bring it on," I muttered as the door closed behind me. 

"I told you, I have lots of prisoners," Lionel sneered as he slapped somebody who had a black bag over her head, and was only wearing I tank top and underwear. She let out a startled gasp and began to whimper. She was sitting in the solitary chair, her hands behind her back and her feet tied to the individual chair legs. Lionel walked over to me and looked up. I followed his gaze. A bar had been added to above my door and a pole hung beside my door. He picked up some rope on the floor beside me.

"Who's that?" I asked trying to get a good look at the girl. She had no distinguishable features and was larger than the only women here that I knew: Jess and Lauren. Lionel slapped me; it stung worse than the other slaps and I began to tear up.

"You will talk when spoken to. Do you understand?" He sneered. I spit in his face.

"You have no right to tell me what to do. Tell me who that is," I retorted, determined to make him work for my silence. He wasn't my boss. He slapped me again, spun me around and pinned me against the wall. My left cheek stung as he skidded my face across the wall and my breasts hurt from the pressure as he leaned against me, but I ignored it, still trying to figure out a way to help the girl. "Are you okay?" I asked her.

"SHUT UP!" Lionel roared as he twisted my right hand behind me and secured the rope around it. I grimaced. He grabbed my left hand and tied them together. Then he put the rope through the bar, spun me around, and wrapped it around my neck. Finally, a metal pole was placed between my shoulder blades, supported by my back and the wall. I was unable to move; which was his goal. "Try and move towards me, you'll strangle yourself. Take a step back and you'll send this pole through your chest cavity," he grinned merrily as he walked backwards. He bumped into the girl tied up in the chair and knocked her over. She screamed. Lionel beamed at me. "Isn't that a lovely sound?" 

"Really? People in pain is a lovely sound? I think your ears are broken," I replied as he set her up right again and knelt beside her. He grinned and began rubbing the inside of her legs; I looked down at her feet - there was no shocking anklet or a scar to show it had ever been there. Her toes were bright red and didn't look like any paint had began to chip away yet. There were no bruises or ligature marks that I could see. Did she used to be like me? Did they break her? Was this a glimpse of my future? I met Lionel's eye and glared. I had faced plent of methods of abuse from my dad, but didn't cave into his twisted desires either. Granted, Dad never implied anything sexual, but he did tie me up; I always had to free myself. This trap Lionel had me in was flawed; I had movement so I could get out which meant I would have a weapon too. I could take him on if only I could break free. He didn't scare me. This fact registered in his face before he balled up his fist and hit her leg as he snarled again.

"OW! Stop. Please!" She begged. She was crying and I didn't recognize the voice; she was scared. I bit my lip. She wasn't acting; she too was a prisoner. There was no way she was used to this kind of treatment; my assumption was that it happened day in and day out. Lionel looked at me and smirked. He reached under her shirt and rubbed her chest. Then I began to question everything I just concluded. She didn't ask him to stop, nor did she cry out in pain again. Her back arched and I heard a soft sigh.

"You have the power to make this stop," he stated quickly, trying to cover up the noises she was making. "All you have to do is say yes," Lionel snarled at me as I tried to move my arms and wiggle free, away from the pole. Unfortunately the pole was secured to the wall, even leaning forward, didn't make it budge.

"Sex is a reward, it's not punishment; everyone knows that. You're still a perverted pig. Mess with my emotions and see where it gets you. A dead brother is low, even for you," I snapped. I bit my lip and looked back at the girl. I wished I could see her face. I gave him a fierce gaze again, figuring out his game: take her pain away, give in to his sexual desires. "You asked if I wanted to take the bullet for everyone. You said I'd be allowed to. I'm sorry you got dragged into this, hun. I don't know you, but this is the furthest thing from a bullet and I'm sorry I'm not taking it away. I don't want to see you in pain. However, if I do what he wants me to do, I lose part of who I am. I'm not the girl that is pressured into anything, especially sex. This monster doesn't deserve the honor and pleasure. I'm sorry. I'll be much more complacent if I was getting answers, but I'm getting none. He's given me two options: sex or drowing. Truthly, I'd rather drown," I explained morosely as I glared a Lionel. His lip raised into a snarl and his hand by his hip closed into a fist.

"Is that so, Annie? No sex? So you don't want me to stop," Lionel taunted me. I blinked back a tear but didn't move. "It's just sex. Just say yes."

"I'm sorry. I don't want to see you get hurt. I'll antagonize him less. Hang in there, hun," I pleaded mentally. I looked back at the girl in the chair as she nodded and wept.

"ANSWER ME!" Lionel bellowed. I pursed my lips and the girl in the chair yelped in fear.

"You can have me," she cried. "I'm all your's. Please, sir! I'm here for your pleasure. I want you to stop." Lionel slapped her again as he glared at me. She screeched. I tugged at my ropes, wiggling my hands and trying to break free. Lionel hit her again. "Ah! Please make the pain stop," she begged. "I'll do anything!"

"Now see, that wasn't so hard, was it, Candy? Now if we can only get Annie to do the same thing," Lionel coaxed. He took out his knife again and removed her shirt. Then he traced her inner thighs with the blade. Small trickles of blood followed. Candy gasped around another sob. I looked at her legs again; this was not the first time she had been cut either. I pursed my lips as I stared at the multiple soft pink scars on her inner thighs. Lionel barely scratched her; these cuts were much shallower than the one's he gave Ryan on his wrist. "Mmmm. I like it," Lionel snarled. He kept his eyes on me the whole time as he began to rub her breasts. He slapped her hard across the chest and she yelped again. "Not as firm as yours, Annie. I haven't touched them but by the way they sit, I can tell your's are better. Oh, but I can picture it now. Can you? Imagine if you will, my hands caressing your soft and tender body. A little squeeze. A slight pinch. Does it feel good, Annie?" He asked as he began to play with her chest roughly. I continued to glare at him as I managed to wiggle one hand free. I held onto the rope with my other hand so it didn't release the slack and give me away as I continued to work on my ropes. "One word and all your pain is done. Then you finally learn your place and become my sex slave. And you will become mine. I will f**k you as often and wherever I want. I'm saving between your legs for just this. Open your mouth, Candy," Lionel ordered as he stood up. With his back towards me, I took the opportunity to slide the rest of the way out of my ties. I looked at his face in the mirror as he unzipped his pants and moved the sack off Candy's head slightly. He flicked her mouth hard. "No teeth or I pluck them out one at a time," he threatened as he forced her head to his crotch. He met my eye in the mirror. "One way or another, I'm getting off. You should just let me f**k you. Show me how s****y you are, b***h," he snarled as he closed his eyes and thrusted into her mouth. She began to gag and choke. Whether or not she was used to this, she didn't deserve to be treated the way he was treating her. I released the rope from my hands, took the noose off my neck, and ran over to him as the bar that between my shoulder blades crashed against the wall. He opened his eyes and started to look over his shoulder. I shoved him away from Candy. She gasped but her mouth remained open. Before Lionel could recover, I draped the rope over his neck and pulled as hard as I could. He moved backwards with me. I kept walking back, not letting the rope move off his neck. He planted his feet, tugged on the rope, and bent over at the waist. He was too strong so I couldn't get back to the metal bar above my door. I would have to make him pass out before I could even think about running. I kicked his knees and he fell to the ground.

"Can you run, Candy?" I asked as I held securely onto the rope. Lionel gagged slightly and leaned forward again, one hand was on the rope, the other was bracing himself on the ground. She shook her head and I noticed a strand of rusty red fall from the bag and fall over the shoulder.

"I'm bound," she wept.

"If I untie you?" I asked. She nodded. "Great. He had a knife. I'll help you in a minute," I explained as I struggled against his weight. I pressed my knee in the middle of his back and wrapped the rope around my arms. "Imagine if you will, your breath slowly being taken away from you. Give in to the rolling waves of blackness. Relinquish the control you think you have and leave us alone," I ordered as the ropes were pulled on, sliding across my palms and giving me rope burn. I groaned but held on. A hot tingling sensation ran through my feet and I jumped back, giving Lionel a bit of wiggle room. He rolled to the side and pinned me behind him. He used his elbows and hit me repeatedly on my sides. Finally he reached over and yanked the rope out of my hands. "Is she covered because you don't like redheads?" I spat as he tackled me and hit my head against the floor several times as he wrapped his fingers around my throat. Right before I blacked out, he dragged me to the tank by my hair. 

"I hope you have big lungs," he snarled as he threw me back in the tank. "Because you're staying in there until I'm done." I took a deep breath as he shut the lid. He sat on it and pulled Candy over. Her head bounced on his lap rapidly. I closed my eyes. Lionel hit the tank, causing me to open them again. He grinned down at me. I shook my head and closed my eyes again, counting the seconds as they ticked by. My lungs were burning and I felt on the verge of passing out. I opened my eyes, rolled my head to the left and looked at the legs there. I let the air out of my lungs and lowered my head to the bottom of the tank. Lionel hit the tank again as the last bubble reached the surface; I refused to look up. Slowly he pushed Candy's chair back with his foot and stood up. Candy never stopped her motion. He opened the lid and pulled me out. I closed my eyes slowly, welcoming death as fresh air hit my lungs. "I don't want to lose you yet. Ready to give in?" I shook my head as I gasped for air and opened my eyes. "Perfect. You opened your mouth for me," he grinned as he turned around and pointed his penis at me. I turned my head and looked away. He grabbed my hair and forced me to look at him again. I pursed my lips and closed my eyes as I splashed him with water. "Don't spoil my fun now. I'm not done," he snarled as he held my hands down with his foot in the middle of my lap. I couldn't kick or move. I tried to wiggle my hands free, refusing to sit still. He tightened his grasp on my hair. "Learn your damn lesson, b***h," Lionel snarled. I tried to head-butt him but remained unable to move. "What's the lesson, Candy?"

"We belong to them. Anything they ask you to do, it's just better to comply and do it," she cried.

"I belong to no one," I spoke through grit teeth, trying to lay down again as I pursed my lips again.

"B***H," Lionel yelled. I smirked mentally. Something slimy covered my face. "Lick it!" Lionel demanded. I shook my head and moved to lay down in the tank again. He slapped me and yanked my hair. "B***h!" He reached over and slapped Candy too. She screeched again in pain. "Tell me, Candy, would you prefer to satisfy me or be dunked in the tank?"

"Satisfy you, sir. Your happiness is all I strive to achieve," she exclaimed around another sob. I kept my eyes closed and tried to lay down again. "Annie, please," she begged. I shook my head again.

"I already told you, I would rather drown than lay with you," I whispered, barely opening my mouth as I tried to tilt my head down.

"You're not getting the memo. Are you, sweetheart?" Lionel sneered. He rubbed his fingers around my face, I pursed down on my lips tighter. "Sex is better than death." I shook my head. "Fine. Have it your way," he snarled as he held me under the water. I was able to release one hand from under his foot and I immediately rubbed my face. He pinned it with his other hand. I opened my eyes and looked at him. After 29 seconds, I couldn't hold my breath any more and let the air out. Then I gulped in some water as he pulled me out and threw me back into my room. I began coughing and spitting out water as I glared at him. "You will sleep with me, you defiant little brat. I will break you. B***h, you won't just become my wife. You will be my favorite sex toy; I look forward to making you mine. The ways you will satisfy me will make that look like child's play. Touch yourself in a sexual manner -I will be watching- and permission has been granted. Just know, I don't mind making you bleed and I will get what I want. We're f*****g. Maybe not today, but we will f**k. And f**k repeatedly. When I'm done with you, I'll give you to the dogs," he snarled as he stepped back and my door shut.

"Fat chance. I will never sleep with you," I whispered as I began to shiver again, burying my head in my knees as I curled up against the wall and coughed again. I sighed and closed my eyes. There was nothing else to do besides working out. I figured sleep was the better option; I would need all energy and strength I could muster if I had to keep fighting. Minimal muscle exhaustion is what I needed. I could be strong, just for me. I would find a way out. I would never stop fighting. I am not a play thing. Lionel would learn this soon enough.