Page 127 of Uncrowned

Maybe it was conditioning. I was in my head too deep to know. I suspected everyone. I trusted nothing.

The rewards began with an unchaperoned walk for coffee from the bakery downstairs. Roaming the allotted floors without supervision. Each gift of independence felt like progress. Each step was a lie, and I wasn’t buying into it.

I wasn’t grateful at their generosity; I was growing into a monster.

I studied and watched the guards. Their schedules. I became extremely observant and recognized who came and went. I listened to conversations when people thought I wasn't paying attention. I read files when no one was looking. I smiled and laughed and pretended to heal. My mind clung to old habits—excuses. I knew what I was doing wasn’t training, it was predatory.

There was only one thing that kept me grounded. Marian. She was kind. Too kind. That alone made her dangerous. The more time we spent together, the harder it became to remember that she was still part of the system keeping me here. Sometimes I caught myself forgetting. Sometimes I even believed her when she told me I was safe. Katia never let me forget the truth. I was a prisoner. But one surrounded by constant change.

The biggest had been Marian's travel schedule. At first, she barely left Grove Square. Then the trips started. Two days, here… Three, there.

Paris.

Berlin.

Tokyo.

And during that time, Katia came to me…

Always coming. Always telling stories…

“Did I tell you that one time Vaughn was in Beijing? I really thought I had him, then. The man is so well travelled. Did you know he speaks eight languages?” Her hand waved. “He was stalking Princess Eleanor of Denmark in those days. Hideous woman, but from the stories, I think we both know looks mean absolutely nothing to him. I mean, he must have felt like he hit the jackpot with you. But he didn’t need her to be pretty. The woman he fucked were pretty enough. Beautiful, really. And always willing. I don’t think I ever saw a woman reject him.”

Tears had left me, and I hated that they did.

“Would you say Vaughn was a daring lover? Did he enjoy fucking you when there was a risk involved? He seemed to take lots of risks. He’d fuck women on balconies. In windows where people could see. Boats. I think he liked me to watch. Sometimes, I wondered if he did it on purpose.”

She’d stop to check my jealousy, waiting for a reaction. When I didn’t give her one, she’d move on to the next story.

I dreaded every time Marian left. But I did notice the positives. Each time my friend returned, she seemed more confident. More relaxed. More convinced that the danger around me had passed. And each time she left, the walls around me seemed to close in just a little bit tighter. It fed the beast inside me. It made me want to rattle my cage and scream through my fury.

So… when Marian mentioned Miami and how long she’d be gone, something inside me shifted. I became elated, and I planned.

“Socks?”

Marian dug through her suitcase. “Got them.”

“Toothbrush? Toothpaste?”

She pointed. “Right here.”

“Panties?”

“Yep.”

“Vibrator?”

Marian went to point, snapping her attention to me in shock as I burst out laughing.

“What? You’re going to be gone for two weeks. That’s a long time. You really don’t want to forget your toys. Then again, we’re talking about Miami. That place is going to be crawling with hot guys. Hot. Tanned. Muscular⁠—”

“Okay, it’s time for you to go back to your own room.”

I laughed, feeling my face fall as I went through the motions.

“I’m really going to miss you. Are you sure you have to go?”

“I leave all the time. I’m always bouncing around for work, lately.”