TWO
“Are you ready to see the doctor?” Ronal asks.
“Doctor?” I mumble.
Why is he taking me to a doctor? Just feed me and keep me warm before I die. That will make me perfectly happy.
“Yes, the doctor will be here soon to check up on you,” he explains as he walks. “I’m sorry that you had to go through that. They were told to take care of you girls.”
Is he just saying this because he wants me to feel at ease? Or does he have an ulterior motive, wanting me to be calm around him and trust him?
No.
I can’t do that. There is no way that I am going to fall for this trick.
A ping goes off nearby, and Daddy stops for a second. I clench my teeth at calling him Daddy in my head. He isn’t Daddy; he’s Ronal. I need to keep that straight and not fall into his trap.
“The doctor said an emergency happened with one of the other girls. He needs to take care of it first.” Daddy sighs. “He’ll be here whenever that is done, but told me to keep you warm.”
Is he really planning on prolonging my death? How cruel are they to do this to us?
“I don’t wanna die so cruelly,” I whimper.
“Nora?” His voice holds concern. “What are you talking about? You aren’t going to die.”
Tears pool in my eyes, and Daddy holds me closer to him.
“Everything is going to be okay. No one is going to die any time soon, so don’t worry about that.
Daddy is going to take care of you and make sure you are healthy and have everything that you need and want.
” He starts walking again, faster this time.
“I just need you to hold on for a little bit and believe that everything is going to be okay. Because Daddy promises that it’s all going to work out.
I just need you to believe that I have your best interest at heart. ”
But I don’t.
How can I believe he wants to take care of me and make me healthy again when they dragged Leah out of her cage, and she was injured? We haven’t heard anything about the other girls and how they are doing. Or why they want us to begin with, and what their ultimate goal is.
Everything is being kept a secret from us. There is no way to find out anything about them or what they really want. No matter how many questions we asked, Headmistress Helena didn’t know the answer or wasn’t willing to ask the questions.
Was she afraid of them as well?
If so, why is she giving us up to them? Does she not understand what she is doing? She should have fought harder to keep us safe on the space station, instead of giving us up without a fight.
“Everything is going to be okay. Daddy is going to get you back to the apartment, where it’s going to be warmer. Then we’ll get you fed. Just hang in a little longer for me,” he gently says.
Ronal holds me tighter and picks up his pace. How far are we going? What if he’s taking me to another room where I’ll be put in another cage?
“Die peacefully,” I mumble, turning my face into his chest.
That is all I want. To die with a full belly and being warm. Why can’t he let me do that?
“Nora? What are you talking about?” Ronal asks. “You are not going to die, so you don’t need to think about that. Everything is going to be okay.”
How does he know that, though? No one knows these things for certain.
“We’re almost there,” he tells me. “Everything is going to be okay. You don’t have to worry. Daddy is going to take good care of you from now on. You won’t have to think about a thing. Daddy will take care of everything… Take care of you in every single way.”
My eyebrows furrow at his wording. Take care of me in every single thing? Does he want to become so controlling that I don’t have a say in anything? Then I’ll turn into a little doll that he takes care of.
I don’t want to do that, either.
I was perfectly happy on the space station.
Everything was fine when we were on there, besides us slowly running out of food and recourses but we were making due.
We all had a routine that we stuck to and it worked.
We were all happy on the space station and didn’t have to worry about a single thing.
Lie.
I wasn’t happy on the space station since it was so boring, but we had to stick it out.
That is our home. There was nothing else for us.
But now, I wish I could go back to the space station.
I wouldn’t take anything for granted and would try to be happy every single second.
It would be better than getting starved, hurt, and turned into a doll, only to die after who knows how long.
“Please,” I beg. “Peacefully.”
I don’t want to die after he takes care of me for so long and makes sure that I am healthy. I would rather go right now, when I can be happy after eating a little and staying warm. That is all I want.
Is it too much to ask for?
“Shhh, you’re breaking Daddy’s heart with your words.
Everything is going to be okay. You’re going to survive and be so happy when we get you well.
You’ll have everything that you want.” Daddy holds me tightly against him.
“We are almost there, then Daddy will take the blanket off your face and feed you.”
I take a deep breath and let my body go limp in his arms. Maybe I can pass away before he gets to the apartment, so I don’t have to go through this torture of him prolonging my life only to kill me later in a horrendous way.
“Nora, don’t go to sleep. Stay awake for Daddy.” His voice holds some panic as he picks up his pace. “Come on. Talk to Daddy.”
This sounds like when Ella was trying to keep me awake before they arrived in the room where we were held.
“Come on, Little Pet. Everything is going to be okay. I just need you to keep talking to me,” he encourages me. “I’ll give you a reward if you talk to me until we get to the apartment. Come on, Little Pet. Be a good girl for Daddy.”
“Don’t wanna,” I whine.
“Such a good girl. Continue to talk to Daddy. You are doing such an amazing job,” he praises me.
I keep my mouth shut this time, not wanting to give in to him. Why does he care so much if I die? Does he really want to torture me so much later on that he is willing to praise me and tell me anything I want to hear so I stay alive?
I’m not going to give him this satisfaction.
No.
If the other girls haven’t done it yet, I will be the first one to disappoint them. There is no way they can get away with how they treated us without consequences.
“Come on, Nora. Talk to me. We are almost there.” He squeezes me a little, making me whimper in pain.
My stomach decides to cramp at the same moment, and pain radiates all across my stomach. I guess I’m not going to die peacefully and with a warm, full belly.
Wishful thinking.
“We’re here,” he announces and pulls the blanket off my face.
I crack my eyes open and gaze up at him. He is already looking down at me, worry across his face.
“You’re going to be okay,” he whispers. “Daddy is going to make sure of it.”
I close my eyes and let out a breath, not wanting to put up with anything right now.
All I want is to eat and then die peacefully, but I have a feeling that Da— I mean, Ronal is going to make it difficult for me.
Everyone always has to make things difficult for me.
I can’t have anything easy in this life, on the space station or here on Venkoria.
Tears well in my eyes and roll down my cheeks as Ronal walks. What is he planning on doing to me?
“This is really delicious, and I want you to drink all of it,” Daddy says. “Can you open your eyes for a couple of minutes?”
I shake my head slightly, keeping my eyes closed. Everything costs energy, and I don’t have that right now. I just want to be left alone.
“Come on, Little Pet. Open your eyes for Daddy,” he gently says. “You can do it. Come on, Little Pet. Be a good girl for Daddy.”
Sighing, I crack my eyes open, and Daddy smiles down at me.
“Such a good girl,” he whispers. “I want you to suckle on this and drink every single drop. Can you do that for me?” he asks as he shakes a bottle above my head.
He wants me to drink from a bottle? Does he think I’m a baby?
But before I can say anything, Daddy turns the bottle upside down and rubs the nipple against my lip.
“Come on, Little Pet. You need to eat something,” he encourages. “It will help with the stomach cramps if you eat something. I bet you must be really hungry. This will help you with it. Come on, Little Pet.”
I open my lips. He pushes the nipple in my mouth and shakes the bottle once again.
“Come on,” he repeats. “Start suckling.”
Ronal gives the bottle a little squeeze, and the liquid fills my mouth. My eyes widen a fraction as I look at the bottle. What is this flavor, and why does it taste so good? Why have I never tasted something like this before?
I quickly suckle, trying to get as much in me as possible. The way the flavor bounces off my taste buds with each drink puts a smile on my face.
“Whoa, Little Pet. Everything is okay. You don’t have to drink so fast.” Daddy pulls the bottle a little.
Without thinking, I put my hands up and grab the bottle, keeping it in my mouth so I can keep drinking from it. Why didn’t he tell me sooner that it tasted so amazing? I wouldn’t have kept my eyes or mouth shut if I knew it would taste so good.
I can definitely die happily after drinking this.
“Slow down, Little Pet. I don’t want you sick,” he urges me. “You haven’t eaten anything in a while. I don’t want you to make yourself sick.”
I won’t get sick, though. But as I drink, my stomach starts to protest, cramping at the deliciousness filling it.
“Nora, slow down.” He pulls the bottle out of my mouth.
Tears pool in my eyes, but my body heaves before a single drop can roll down my cheek.
“Take a deep breath in slowly. You’re okay. Everything is going to be okay,” he gently says. “Just take several deep breaths and slowly let them out to calm your body.”
I wrap my arms around my stomach as it cramps once again. Before I can stop myself, I roll my head to the left and throw up everything I just drank onto his legs and floor.
“Shhh, you’re okay,” Daddy whispers, wiping my mouth with his sleeve. “Everything is going to be okay. If you need to vomit again, that’s not a problem.”
I shake my head and close my eyes, letting the tears fall. I can’t believe I just threw up in front of him. Why couldn’t I have kept it all in?
Nothing is going my way.
“You’re okay.” Daddy moves me so he’s hugging me now. “We’ll slowly let you drink it.”
I nod and take a deep breath. He maneuvers my body so I’m lying down, my head in the crook of his arm as he holds the bottle in front of me. I open my mouth before I can even think about it, and he pops the nipple in my mouth.
Immediately, I start suckling, growing faster and faster, so I can get as much in me at one time.
“Nora, you need to slow down.” He pulls the nipple out of my mouth once again.
The tears roll down my face as I stare up at him. Why is he being so unkind to me? Why can’t I just drink at my own pace and feel happy?
“You’re going to make yourself sick again. I don’t want you to vomit again,” he reminds me.
“But I’m hungry,” I whisper.
“You can drink it slowly, so you don’t shock your body and make all come back up again.” He gives me a look. “I don’t want you to get sick. So you are going to slowly drink it.”
I look away from Ronal and purse my lips. Why does he get to have a say in this? He isn’t in charge of me.
“Let’s try something,” Daddy mumbles. “Can you look at me again?”
Sighing, I look at Daddy and watch as he unscrews the lid from the bottle and puts some of the liquid in his mouth.
Before I know what he’s doing, he leans down and holds my face as his lips come in contact with mine.
I open my mouth, and he releases the liquid in my mouth, me drinking it subconsciously.
“I think this method will work perfectly,” he whispers as he smiles at me.