"Where am I?" she asked. "What is this place?"
"Your new home," the guard said. "Get used to it because you are never leaving."
A choking sensation stole her breath. "What do you mean?"
He stopped walking and turned to face her, his eyes devoid of sympathy.
"You're on a private island, and the only way off is in a casket. Is it clearer now?"
Mattie's blood turned to ice, but she nodded.
"Let me give you some friendly advice," he said. "If you behave, do your work, and don't cause trouble, you'll have a comfortable life here. Food, shelter, and even some small privileges eventually. But if you cause problems—" He drew a finger across his throat in a gesture that needed no translation. "Expedited trip into the casket. Clear?"
"Yes," Mattie whispered.
"Good."
They entered the hotel through the staff entrance, and the corridor they walked down could have belonged to any business anywhere else in the civilized world.
He brought her to an office where an older woman sat behind a desk. She must have been beautiful in her youth, and she still took pride in her looks, as evidenced by her careful makeup and styled hair.
"I've got a present for you, Nuri," the man said. "Fresh off the boat."
"What's wrong with her?" she asked.
He shrugged. "I don't know. Domah didn't say. She must be damaged in some way." He looked at Mattie. "With that face, it must be really bad where it's not visible."
Nuri nodded, and as he left, her gaze turned to Mattie. "I'm head of housekeeping. The rules here are simple. You work hard, you keep your head down, you don't ask questions, and you stay alive. Cause trouble, and you won't. Understood?"
"Understood," Mattie said.
"Good." Nuri stood up. "Follow me."
They walked into a large storage room, and Nuri pulled out several articles of clothing. Uniforms that consisted of black trousers, white blouses, and sensible black shoes. She added undergarments, a pair of pajamas, and a bag of toiletries. "If you need anything else, you can come here and take whatever you're missing." She handed the bundle to Mattie and walked out of the room, expecting Mattie to follow her. "You'll be sharing a room with three other girls. Tomorrow, you start work. One of the other maids will show you what to do."
They walked through corridors that were clean and well-lit and utterly soulless. Mattie's entire body ached, her bladder wasclose to bursting, and her mind was still struggling to process everything that had happened.
How long had it been since she'd celebrated her friend's birthday? Hours? Days?
Now she was on a secret island, a prisoner, facing a future of servitude with no hope of escape.
"How long have you been here?" Mattie asked her guide quietly.
The woman glanced at her, something flickering in her tired eyes. "Thirty-two years."
The number landed like a stone in Mattie's stomach.
"Is there any way out?"
The woman's expression shuttered. "If you have any brains in that pretty head of yours, you'll realize that asking such questions will only get you in trouble." She stopped in front of a door marked 14B. "This is you."
The room was tiny, with four narrow beds crammed into a space meant for two, a single window that looked out onto a tall fence, and a shared bathroom barely big enough to turn around in.
"Clean up and get some sleep," the woman said. "If you get hungry or thirsty, follow the corridor to the staff kitchen. It's at the very end."
3
DIMITRI
