THE ALGORITHM

11.

Her throat felt thick and sore with each swallow. She glanced at the nightstand and immediately grabbed the water bottle sitting there. After chugging the room-temperature beverage, she staggered into the bathroom to relieve herself. Penny neared the sink, washed her hands, and eyed herself in the mirror, slowly taking in her appearance.

I remember almost everything. She said to herself as she leaned against the counter.

Penny was aware she'd blacked out, and she figured Luis had drugged her. She didn't see him trying anything, so she assumed he had his staff to help. She was not only disgusted but also feeling a little vengeful. She wanted to confront Luis for his weird behavior and tell Bert off for coaxing her into going on the date. She blamed him for everything. It was his fault she'd been drugged and possibly assaulted. 

The thought of being sexually assaulted bothered Penny. She didn't know Luis personally, and she wasn't sure what would happen to her next. The fear of catching an incurable disease ran through her brain, and she was concerned about pregnancy.

She nibbled at her thumb while entering the bedroom. Some of her memory was fuzzy, but Penny remembered feeling woozy and trying to fight Luis off. After scratching him in the face, she passed out. She didn't know what happened after treating him like a scratching post.

Penny decided to take a seat on the left side of the bed. Instead of sitting in the center, she found a spot on the edge. Her eyes stared ahead at the empty wall. Nothing was there, just the witness of the painting that seemed intriguing to her. Penny was becoming mentally exhausted due to boredom and a lack of mental stimulation.

Frustration was an understatement. Penny was livid. There was nothing that could get her to compromise and try to thrive in her new condition. She tried to think about it and figure out how she could cope with being held hostage, but she couldn't accept her new reality.

As an intellect, Penny loved challenging herself. She loved learning something new about artificial intelligence and numbers. She was also a devoted reader. Her favorite thing to read was fantasy books that were packed with action and adventure. Sitting in a room for weeks with nothing to do was depriving her and causing her to feel hopeless about her life.

Penny closed her eyes briefly, thinking about Mrs. Atkins. She thought about the woman's will to help her when she had no one. Penny was a lost orphan with no one to guide her in the world. Her high school secretary saw something in her that no one else could see and took her in. She gave her a home and some type of motivation to keep going. Penny would never forget the woman.

I need my phone...and my laptop. I really need my laptop. Penny said to herself.

She had numerous pictures of Mrs. Atkins on her phone and wanted them badly. She needed to see her. She also wanted her laptop because she had several coding projects on it. Penny felt her electronics would calm her down and help her survive the walls of the mansion.

Slowly, she rose from her bed and inched over to the closet where she last laid eyes on the lockbox. Penny opened the doors and looked around the spacious closet. The room was a little dated yet meticulously clean. The shelving and drawers were made of dark-stained oak. There were built-in cabinets with dividers and custom space. A simple lighting fixture hung from the ceiling, emitting a bright beam that guided Penny near the island counter.

Penny's eyes oogled at the rare furniture. She was slightly impressed by it. She used to see these types of homes in magazines and on television. Most were owned by wealthy people who'd come from money. She looked around with her arms folded, realizing that this mansion was likely old and had been considered a family home to Bilal and his people. Penny tried to calculate his moves. Bilal didn't live there. He would come to the mansion on specific days and work. Sometimes, he didn't bother to show up. She liked it when he didn't show up. She didn't have to see his face or talk to him.