Culling

Part I • Chapter XI

Mr Blackbourne had stopped pacing at some point, and was now standing next to Dr Green. Both were giving me wary looks, and seemed to be holding in anger. I couldn't bring myself to look at the others, but I did notice that Kota's arm had stiffened quite a bit.

I knew that this would make them mad at me.

Mr Blackbourne cleared his throat. "Miss Sorenson, what kind of punishments are you talking about, what does that have to do with showers?"

I stared hard at the floor next to Dr Green. "Well, for example. Derrick was my brother's friend, not mine, and he used to come over a lot when we were growing up. He and I really didn't talk much but as we got older my mother got really strict about him in particular. She never told my brother that he couldn't have friends over, but if she saw Derrick around me she would get angry. Those were the worst punishments. Eventually Maro stopping bringing him to the house."

"She would tell me that men saw every interaction as flirtation. By talking to someone, or interacting with people, like with Derrick, I was letting a guy know that I was a slut. Men were going to take advantage of every opportunity they had to sleep around with women." I was embarrassed to be talking about this with them, but also I found that speaking about it made me feel a bit better. 

However, I knew the next part would be the worst, so I continued. They deserved to know everything.

"She told me that I needed to control my hormones, so she would lock me in a cold shower. Sometimes for up to a few hours. She said the cold water would help curb my impulses.

I normally just dealt with it, but there were times when I would try to get away, so she ended up tying me up. Once, my father came home early and I called for him to help me. He let me out, but didn't say anything to me or her about it. It made her really angry though. After that she started making me drink lemon and vinegar. So that I would learn to talk only when necessary and couldn't call for help."

There was a collective, oppressive silence around the room.

"Fucking hell." Nathan's outburst caused me to look up from the floor. 

He was sitting up straighter than before, his fists were in his lap and were clenched tightly. He looked like he was ready to bolt from the room, to do what I wasn't sure. Gabriel appeared to be holding back too, and had tears in his eyes. Victor's eyes were burning in fury, but he also seemed to be crying.

"What's wrong?" I looked at them, concerned. It really wasn't all that bad, was it?

"What's wrong?" Luke gasped disbelievingly from beside me, he pulled me away from Kota and Dr Green and into a hug. "You just told us that you were horribly abused and you don't think we'd be upset?"

"Abused?" I tried to look up, but my face was pressed against his chest. 

That was abuse? I had never thought of myself as being a victim of abuse.

Kota spoke to me as he reached over and pet my head. "I thought you were naturally soft spoken, but you've been drinking that mixture a lot, right?" 

I nodded in response. 

"How often did she make you drink it?"

Luke had let go of me after I nodded in response to Kota's question, and I turned to face him. 

Kota also appeared as angry as the rest of them, and I could now see that Silas and North - still behind the couch - were giving each other furious looks. 

"Once or twice every few months, for a few years. It mostly stopped after my mother started staying in her room because she didn't catch me out as often."