Class Trip (21 page)

“This is all
mine. Everything and everyone in this place belongs to me.” She
went over to a strong bodyguard. “This is Ivan. Ivan, tell Sandra
who you belong to.” She left her eyes on me as she talked to him.
She was even leaning on his shoulder like she adored him.

“I belong to
you, mistress.”

“That's right.
Tell Sandra what you do here.”

“I make sure
that the cops stay out and the girls stay in. If a man does any funny
business I kick him out, or make sure that he pays up.”

“You see this
cute little girl Ivan, what would you do to her if she tried to
runaway. Tell Sandra.”

“I wouldn't let
her get out of the door. I would bring her to your office and you
would tell me what I should do with her. If you told me to break both
of her legs, I would. If you told me to whip her, I would.”

“Did you hear
that, Sandra? Ivan isn't the only man I own here. I have lots. Ivan
what would I do to you if you tried to run away.”

“You would have
me beaten and killed.”

Kelly pushed away
from him, trying to show me how tough she was. She went to a
staircase and started to walk up it.

I was still
looking at Ivan. He was strong enough to just break her in half. Why
didn't he?

“Sandra, come
on. I want my dinner now. You can watch me eat.”

I turned to her
and followed her up the stairs. She took me into her office where I
stood still. She went into her adjoining bedroom. This room was done
up in a dusty rose color, with brown paneling. It looked great. It
was a room fit for a queen.

“Come here,
Sandra.” She stood in her doorway and looked at me. “You will
stay by my side, constantly. I don't want to have to say it again.”
She turned and went into her room. I was left wondering why she was
constantly turning her back on me. That couldn't be very clever. One
of these days I would get hold of a knife.

Her bedroom was a
lot brighter than the rest of the house. She had large windows and I
could look out over the road. This room was also rococo style with
heavy curtains and dark furniture. However the colors in here were a
dark cream mixed with various shades of pink. Floral designs were on
the curtain, the upholstered chairs and on the huge Oriental rugs.

Kelly was sitting
down at a table, being served her Christmas dinner. She didn't have a
tree or any Christmas decorations. There was nothing in this room
that would hint at the season. There had been a tree downstairs but
Christmas hadn't been allowed to reach this room.

A maid was
putting food on her plate. She wasn't eating large portions. The
table was set for two.

“Sit down,
Sandra.”

I reluctantly sat
down across from her. She had clearly said that I could watch her eat
but the maid was putting food on my plate.

After the warm
food was in place the maid set a glass of berries in front of Kelly.
When she wanted to give me one too Kelly raised her hand to stop her.

“No. She's
allergic to strawberries. Bring her something else.”

“That's okay.
I'm not allergic anymore. I used to be when I was little but I grew
out of it.”

The maid was
unsure, but then she just set the berries down and then left.

I looked at
Kelly, wondering how she had known that. “You did your homework
about me. Was that still in my medical records?”

“Yes, but it
isn't important. Eat and please be quiet for once.” She picked up
her fork and started to eat. I watched her and waited.

Our food had come
out of the same bowls but that didn't mean that my plate couldn't
have some sort of poison sprinkled on it.

“Why aren't you
eating?”

“I don't want
to keep my strength up.”

“Of course you
wouldn't. But it wouldn't have mattered. You are the type that men
want to have fight them a little. But you would be so weak and they
would have their way with you any way.”

“I don't
understand most of what you say,” I admitted.

“That's fine.”
She went back to eating.

“I want to know
what you have planned for me.” I sounded so scared and meek and I
had wanted to sound tough like she was.

“I'm going to
call your mommy and daddy so they can come and get you.” She spoke
to me like I was a tiny baby.

I looked away
from her. I wasn't sure how to deal with her. She just wasn't calm
and pulled together like she had been back at the house. She didn't
seem to be in control of her emotions. “Are you feeling guilty
because you had Daniel killed?”

“No, besides I
told them to rough him up, not to kill him. Daniel isn't dead. He
will never think that I am the one that kidnapped you. He isn't going
to come and get you.”

“I think he
might. I'm all he has.”

“Yes, you and a
bit of money. We'll see what he does. My guess is that he will shrug
and go off without you. He won't want you anymore when he thinks that
you are sleeping with lots of strange men.”

“He loves me.
He'll come and get me.”

“I doubt that.”
She got up and went to her phone. “Where is Daniel now?”

She was silent
for a moment.

“Really? Why
would he go back there?” She hung up.

“He is alive
and back in his car, which I'm tracking. He is going back home. I
have no idea why. My information is that the place is sold and
everyone has left already. What would be there that he could possibly
want?” She was leaning over me.

“I don't know.”

She squinted her
eyes and looked over me. “Time to make another phone call. This
time, I'll call your parents.”

“It's just my
mom. I don't have a dad.”

“What? Did
something happen to your father?” She was scolding me again. I just
couldn't understand why she would care.

“I never had a
father. He took off when my mom was pregnant with me.”

“What's your
full name?”

“Sandra
Elisabeth Reed.”

“Where are you
from?”

“Vermont.”

“What's your
mothers name?”

“Cathy.”

“And your
grandmother's name.”

“Alice.”

“Have you ever
met your father?”

“Not that I
know of.”

“What kind of
bull crap have they been feeding you?”

“I don't know
what you are talking about.”

“At least one
of us can see the whole picture. What's your phone number?”

“Why do you
want to know?”

“I am calling
your mother and letting her know where you are at.”

“Why would you
do that?”

“Out of the
kindness of my heart. Just tell me your number.”

“Are you trying
to get her to come here? I don't want her in this country and I don't
want her to know what has become of me.”

“Oh I think she
should know. In fact, I think that there is a lot that she isn't
telling you.”

I helplessly
watched her dial information and get my mother's number. She turned
on the speakerphone and I could hear a phone ringing. Was that really
my house? What was this game about?

“Hello.”

“Mom,” I
called out, recognizing her voice right away.

“Sandra? Is
that you?”

“Yes mom, it's
me. I'm in Romania, in Bucharest.”

“I'll call the
police there right away.”

“I wouldn't it
I were you. I have your daughter and she won't be leaving my care
until I wish for her to leave. If you want to see her again then you
will have to come here, you and your husband, both of you,
immediately.”

“Sandra doesn't
have a father.”

“Oh yes she
does. Get him to come here or I will sell your daughter to the
highest bidder.”

“I can't. He
left us.”

“Why did he
leave you? Is it because you have a long history of losing your
children?” She clucked her tongue. “That's a very bad habit to
have.” She gave my mom her exact address and then hung up.

“What was that
all about?”

“Don't worry
about it.”

“You just
called my mother and you tell me not to worry about it?”

“Yes. I think
that it is time for the little princess to go to bed.”

She went to the
bed and threw several pillows to the side. She pulled the comforter
completely off of the bed and then she pulled back the blankets.
“Shoes off, get in.”

“But that's
your bed.”

“Thank you. I
know that it's my bed. Just get in it and don't discuss anything with
me.”

I sat on the bed
and slipped out of my shoes by kicking them off.

“You are
ruining perfectly good shoes. Take them off with your hands next
time. You aren't a little baby anymore.”

“What am I?”
I had figured that she wanted to keep me as a child. She was clear
that that was the only way things could be back at the slave house.

“You're tired.
Go to sleep.” I was really annoying her.

“His mother and
brother didn't even say goodbye to him. Please, let me go.”

“You want me to
feel pity for the likes of him. He didn't for me. It's too much to
ask of me. Now close your eyes and sleep.” She said that last
sentence so nicely.

Kelly covered me
up and paced around the room.

The phone rang
once. I could only hear what she was saying. “Why would he go back
just to turn around? Are you sure he didn't go into the house? That's
so odd. How hard did you guys hit him? He may be off of his rocker.
Just keep an eye on him. I don't want him to cause any trouble.”

I closed my eyes
when I heard her walking towards the bed. It was getting dark.

“Just go to
sleep,” she said like she was exasperated with me.

“I can't. I'm
too scared.”

“You know, I
was a lot younger than you when I had to live with Daniel and his
family. They weren't nice to me. Sometimes his father would come in
in the middle of the night. That was something to be scared about.
His mother worked me by day, then the movies and of course the never
ending punishments.” She sat down on the bed with her hands folded
on her lap, making her looked tiny and helpless.

“But you got
away.”

“Away,” she
repeated. “Like you I didn't want to get away. I wanted him to love
me and marry me. He wouldn't. He even let his brothers hurt me. I
wasn't a real person to them. You were. He loved you. He has given up
on you in the meantime but he would have kept you. That is saying a
lot.”

“Why are you
doing this? Why can't you just forget everything and move on?”

She grinned at
me. “Are you giving me psychological advice?”

“I guess so.
This can't be healthy for you either.”

“And you are so
worried about me?”

“Why not. I
think the best thing for you to do would be to sell this place and
run with the money. Go somewhere and learn to trust men again. You
could get married and have a family. You're really beautiful. Any man
would want you.”

“No, not me but
someone so similar and innocent.” She was looking off in the
distant not really seeing the room.

“Why do you
compare me to you? I'm not you.”

“Thank God for
that. And you never will be if I have something to say about it.”

What did she mean
when she said those confusing things? “What are you going to do
with my mother when she comes here?”

“I want to talk
to her. I have several questions for her.”

“I really don't
have a dad. She won't be able to get him to come with her. Unless she
convinces some man to pretend. He would be a police officer then. You
are taking too much risk. Just let me go and take off.”

“If I let you
go someone else would grab you. There is something so innocent about
you. I think it's your eyes and forehead. When you look up at someone
they want take care of you. Men also want to fuck you but they would
give you a lollipop too. Your kind is almost impossible to find. You
could have made me very rich. Men would have paid top dollar for
you.”

“Would have?
You aren't going to prostitute me?”

“No, I'm going
to kill you while your parents watch.”

Kelly had gotten
up and left then, locking the doors behind her. I couldn't sleep and
I couldn't stop crying.

When it was very
late she crawled into bed next to me. She wrapped her arm around me
and promised to kill me quickly.

She wasn't any
good at comforting. I even told her that. She told me that she used
to know how but that she forgot it along the way.

I settled down
eventually and fell asleep.

The next day
Kelly kept me locked up. I tried to figure a way out but I couldn't.
She spent all day watching me. She didn't even let me go to the
bathroom alone. I was surprised that she gave me something to eat. I
ate everything she ate too.

“Why are you
feeding me if you are going to kill me? Isn't this just a waste of
food?”

“Don't be so
dramatic about. It will be over with quickly.”

“So you are
going to shoot me?”

“That is the
plan.”

I felt a tear
trickle down my face. “In front of my mom?”

“And your dad.
Don't forget him.”

“But I don't
even know him.”

“That doesn't
matter. It would be better if Daniel were here too. But it's too late
for something like that. I should have thought of it sooner.”

“What makes you
think that they will come?”

“I don't know
that they will.”

“What happens
if they don't?”

“I can always
make you work for me. By tomorrow evening I'll know. If no one comes
I have a rich customer who would be willing to pay a lot to spank the
daylights out of you and then fuck you. He likes his women exhausted.
He has no qualms about being the one to exhaust them.” She looked
me up and down. “He would like you. He believes that all women are
pure sin and thus deserve to be punished.”