20 Chapter 20: Punishmen

[Kaz's 12th birthday]

"Roll call!"

'I hate this.'

"One, Two, Three."

I clip my collar on and it glows red.

"One, to the parlor please."

I throw on some clothes and make my way downstairs to her office.

"Good morning One, please, have a seat."

I sit in the large chair and wait for her to speak.

"Today is your birthday, One."

"It is?"

"You've forgotten?"

"It would seem so."

"Hm, I guess that means you've also forgotten about my gift?"

"A gift?"

I scoot closer to her desk.

"Come along."

She gets up from behind her desk and leads me down the hall.

"Mother, I thought children weren't allowed on this hall?"

She pulls my hair,

"Did I ask you to speak?!"

"N-no ma'am. Sorry."

She continues to pull me by my hair as we walk. I try to keep up with her quick walking, but she's walking too fast.

At the end of the hall is a steel door with no widows.

"Go."

She pulls the door open and I step inside. The room is cold and dark. The faint hum of the ac is incessant.

"You see those cute little chains over there,"

I look to were she's pointing,

"Y-yes."

"Go put them on that man."

'A man?'

She pulls on a string that turns on a small lightbulb. In the corner of the room, there's a man balled up.

He looks familiar,

"Monty?!"

I run over to him and hug him,

"What are you going here? It's been so long."

"She...she brought me here, she said it was my family's fault you were taken..."

"Don't talk to that thing! Do as I told you or you can take his spot!"

She raised her hand to strike him but I jump in front of him and block her.

"You fool..."

She pushes me on the floor and grabs my arms,

"You wanna act up, huh?! Well fine, you'll be punished!"

She pulls out a gun and shoots Montana.

"MONTY!"

I hold his stiff body in my hands as tears spill from my eyes.

"You monster! He did nothing wrong!"

She glares at me and pulls me off the floor.

"GET OFF THE FLOOR AND STAND UP!"

I do as she says. She pulls my arms over my head and locks me up to the wall.

"You'll stay here from now on. You foul little disobedient bitch!"

She takes out a small controller.

"If you won't act right, I guess i'll have to shock you until you listen."

She turns the dial up to 10.

"Anything you wanna say child?"

She looks at me with a smirk,

"Fuck. You."

She slams her hand down on the button and a electric shock runs through my body.

"Ahhh!"

My screams seem to be amusing to her.

"We'll keep this up until you learn your lesson."

***

I've been in here for weeks now. On the second day, Monty's body started to smell. She said she was gonna leave him there until I didn't care anymore.

But how do I do that? How do I not care for someone who gave me a place to stay, food to eat, and made me feel loved?

Those questions pondered in my mind for what seemed like an eternity.

The pitter patter of footsteps echo through the hall.

'She's back...'

The door slams open but it's not mother?

"Who are you?"

The girl smiles,

"I'm your new roomy."

"R-roomy?"

"Yup,"

She pulls out a key and unlocks my chains,

"Mother told me to retrieve you."

She pulls my hand and runs towards the stairs. We run to my room and she closes the door behind her.

"Wow, you're pretty."

She goes to touch my hair but I smack her hand away.

"Who are you?"

"I've been instructed to release you and help you get cleaned up. That's all I am allowed to say."

"It's her isn't it? She's making you do this?"

"If you're referring to mother, then yes. Now off to the bath with you, we have someone to meet."

''Someone to meet, who is this girl, and where is mother?!'

My thoughts are all jumbled up in my head. I try to stop overthinking things and walk in the bathroom. I turn the water in and peel off the blood stained clothes i've been in.

I've always enjoyed showers, but this one was different. The soap and water didn't just wash away the filth of cell I was in, but the innocence of my childhood.

***

"Well how nice of you two to join us,"

Mother gives me a fake smile.

"One, would you please show Zero to her seat?"

"But of course mother."

'What? She's One now? Does that mean...'

My thoughts are interrupted but the girl tugging my arm.

She pulls my chair out for me and I sit.

"I know you must be confused about all of this,"

She sits next to me and whispers to me.

"But she'll tell you what's happening soon. I promise."

*Tink Tink*

Mother taps on her glass,

"Thank you all for joining me tonight. I've gather us all here to share some very important news."

She holds her hand up and a man walks through the doors,

"I'd like to introduce you to Manny. He's here to show you the ropes, but before that, let's give Zero a round of applause on her new promotion!"

I revive lots of stares and awkward eye contact from unfamiliar faces.

'What happened while I was locked down there? Who are all these damn people? And how did I even get promoted?!'