Chapter 20
Olivia learned something important. There were many types of cages in this world. There were ones with bars, ones with glass and even ones with beautiful furnishings. It was the third type that she found herself in now. The room was huge and more opulently furnished than most hotels she had experienced. The bed had an oversized, thick, comfortable, mattress and luxurious sheets. The sitting area contained two large chairs with a table between them. The floors were of highly polished wood, with scattered plush rugs and the walls painted a sunny yellow. She would have liked this room except for one disturbing fact; there were actual bars across the windows, and she was pretty sure the door leading to a large balcony was locked.
Currently, she was lying face down on the bed while an older man examined her head. From what she could piece together, he was probably a doctor or other medical professional. She tried to talk to him, but he only spoke what she assumed was German or Dutch. When he touched the sore spot on the back of her head, she hissed and pulled away. The doctor tsked softly and said something to her in his native language. Pressing a cloth to the area, he gently dabbed at the cut in her scalp. Satisfied it was clean, he closed the area with butterfly strips and stood. He picked up a small duffle bag from the floor and walked to the door where De Jääger waited alone. She had no idea where the two goons she had nicknamed Hans and Franz had gone.
The two conversed in their mutual language before the doctor left. De Jääger watched her with a smile on his face. She shuddered from the feral intensity of it.
"Very good news, Olivia. You have only a slight concussion, requiring rest for today. Your training will begin in the morning."
He seemed much more at ease today. The severe business suit had been replaced with a white linen shirt with the top two buttons undone, a pair of starched khaki pants, and brown loafers. His dark skin popped against the cool white. His short hair was combed into a casual style, and his cobalt colored eyes shone with something akin to joy.
"My..." she croaked then swallowed and tried again. "My training? What type of training?"
"Training for your new life here in my menagerie." He turned and walked to the door. "Don't concern yourself with it. Rest. Relax. Tomorrow we'll begin. In the meantime, I will have some food brought to you. There's a bathroom through that door and a closet of clothing chosen specifically for you. I'm sure you will see they are all exceptional and of the best quality. I require perfection in everything associated with me." He took a step forward and tenderly caressed her face. Unlike Bruiser's touch that filled her with longing and love, De Jääger's filled her with disgust. She pulled from his grasp and moved out of his reach. Instead of becoming angry, he laughed. "You'll be such fun to break." With that, he disappeared.
Standing, Livy hurried to the door he had disappeared through, only to find it securely locked. She wasn't surprised. Instead of giving into the overwhelming desire to scream, she explored her new space. As promised, the adjoining room contained a bathroom that was as sumptuously decorated as the bedroom. Once again, the fixtures and accents were gold. An enormous tub large enough for two sat in the middle of the room. Remembering the last bathroom she had seen, she studied the corners of the room. As far as she could tell, there were no cameras.
Next, she entered an enormous closet filled with women's clothing either in varying shades of yellow or containing yellow as accents. Examining a few of the items, she found they were all her size. Bile rose in her throat, and she swallowed it down. There were dresses, slacks, blouses of all manners of cuts. Her jaw dropped as she recognized many designer labels. A dozen or more drawers underneath the hanging racks housed pile upon pile of underwear, bras, sleeping clothes and racy lingerie. This was the only time that yellow was not required. Most of these things were black, red or even pink. She drew her hand back in revulsion and slammed the drawer shut. The back wall contained nooks holding shoes of different styles of well. There was everything here from simple sneakers to lavish pumps. She wrapped her arms around herself to stop the shivers that raced up her back. This did not bode well for her.
"Hello? Sister?"
Olivia stepped cautiously out of the closet to find a diminutive woman of about five feet standing by the sitting table next to a window. She was beautiful with an olive complexion, wide almond eyes of golden brown and long black hair swept up in an artistic arrangement and secured with a silver clip. Her makeup was flawlessly applied and enhanced her exotic beauty. She wore a thigh length dress of shimmery silver that was sleeveless. Her feet were wrapped in silver strappy sandals. When she moved her head to the side, Olivia saw an elegant necklace that reached from her shoulder to her chin. It looked almost like black netting and shimmered with many faceted stones.
"There you are, Sister."
Olivia looked around the room. "Sister?"
The woman nodded solemnly. "The Meester requires we call each other ‘Sister.' "
"Each other?" Olivia's eyebrows drew together. "How many sisters are there?"
"You are number four." She turned and motioned toward the tray on the table. "I brought you some lunch. Sister Catori was once a chef. She creates the most amazing dishes."
"Sister Catori?" Olivia approached the table, and her stomach rumbled, reminding her it had been some time since she had eaten. She had to admit, it looked delicious, and she was starving. She sat at the table and motioned for the other woman to sit as well.
"Yes, she is the second sister. Sister Rana is the First. She's in charge of us when Meester isn't here. I'm Mishi, the third sister."
Livy could hear the capitalization when Mishi said 'First.' It sounded more like a title than a number. "I'm Olivia." She picked up a piece of meat and tasted it. Flavors exploded on her tongue, and she moaned in pleasure.
"I told you it was good, Sister Olivia." Mishi smiled at her.
Olivia stabbed a piece of a root vegetable that reminded her of a potato but was not quite as starchy. Shoving it in her mouth, she chewed then swallowed. "Oh my, it's outstanding. By the way, my friends call me Livy." She dug into the plate while Mishi watched. After several bites and washing it down with fruit juice she resumed questioning. "So, this is a harem? Sister wives and all that?"
Mishi shook her head quickly. "Oh, no. We're not wives. We’re possessions. You're lucky, Sister Olivia. The Meester is pleasant as long as we're obedient and are no trouble. My last owner wasn't as kind."
Olivia snorted and put the piece of bread she had been eating back on the plate. "Nobody owns me, and I don't care how kind he is. I'm not staying. First chance I get, I'm outta here."
Mishi's face blanched and she looked around fearfully. "You shouldn't say such things. If someone hears you, they'll punish you." She swallowed, and her voice lowered. “Besides, there's nowhere to go. We're on an island in the middle of a massive lake surrounded by miles of rainforest. We can't leave the compound." She touched the necklace on her neck. "We'll never leave the compound. The sooner you accept that, the easier it'll be for you. Otherwise, they’ll force you to conform. Please don't do something to make them hurt you."
Olivia laughed bitterly. "I was in the U.S. Army. I've been trained to survive torture."
"There are many ways to make you comply," Mishi whispered and reached a hand out to touch Olivia's still puffy face. "This is nothing compared to what may happen if you displease the Meester."
Mishi dropped her hand, stood, and turned her back. Olivia watched as the woman pulled her dress upwards until her back was bared.
Livy gasped. Dropping the fork, she hurried around the table and gently touched the marks on her new friend's back. "Oh, Mishi. What did they do to you?"
Mishi dropped the garment and smoothed it in place. "I tried to run once. When they caught me, I was beaten with canes until my back shredded. The Meester said it was my only warning. He would see me dead before allowing me to leave." Her voice had gotten softer. "That was before." She lifted her hand and touched the intricate necklace encompassing her slender neck again. "Now, the punishments are so much worse."
Revulsion gathered in Olivia's stomach, and her appetite left her. She sat at the table but pushed the plate back. "I'll be getting out of here, and when I do, you're coming with me. I'm not leaving you behind, Mishi. I don't care how 'good' the Meester is; nobody is going to beat you again. I promise."
Olivia saw the play of emotions on Mishi's face. It saddened her to see a momentary flash of hope followed by sorrow. She didn't believe Olivia's words. Instead, she truly believed they would never get out of this gilded version of hell. Picking up the plate, the woman started toward the door. She turned and looked at Olivia.
"You're very sweet, Sister Olivia, but sweet doesn't last long here. They take goodness and kindness and twist it into something foul and horrible. It makes them happy to see us pretend to love our life here. When they're happy, we are mostly left alone. Please don’t give them a reason to hurt you. Even what I endured is not as bad as I've seen happen to others. You are the fourth one at the moment, but only one in a long line of sisters who have come and gone. Some couldn't survive the training. Others wouldn't accept their position. Still, others tried to run away. One by one, they disappeared. I don't want that to happen to another sister. I don't want to see you vanish as they did." The door opened, and Mishi walked through. The sound of it closing reminded Livy of all the times she felt trapped and alone when she still lived with her mother.
Alone with just her thoughts, Livy turned and looked out the window. As beautiful as the tropical location was, her heart was breaking. She knew she was no longer in the United States and that meant the chances of being rescued were diminishing rapidly. If she ever wanted to see Auntie, Jayden, and Bruiser again, she was going to have to find a way to get out of this herself.