------- CASTINE -------
"What do I do?" Elaia asks me quietly as we eat our breakfast. It's the day of the inspections and she's scared senseless.
I press my finger to my lips, telling her not to say anything else that might be suspicious. I wink, forcing a spoonful of oatmeal down my throat. God, they could give us pancakes once in a while.
She nods, taking a bite of her breakfast as we sit in silence. Nobody is really talking much this morning, and I'm assuming it has something to do with having our personal space invaded.
I see Naya, Albia, and Giavalia at a table across the cafeteria, holding a hushed conversation. Normally, I would be sitting with them but I have to be Elaia's emotional support for the day.
They give us an extra fifteen minutes for breakfast, since we won't have any classes. I take my time, eating my bland meal in silence. When everyone is done, the intercom system crackles to life.
"All students of the facility are required to return to their living quarters immediately for inspection."
Elaia seizes up with fear, her blue eyes wide with shock. "What do I do?" She mouths to me, running her fingers through her long blonde curls.
"It's alright," I whisper reassuringly as we stand up, dropping our dishes off at the counter as we exit the cafeteria. "We have nothing to worry about."
When we get back to our room, Elaia fetches the pin from her suit case before either of us says a word. "What do I do? If they find this, my life is over," she whimpers. "I can't let that happen."
I roll my eyes, but say nothing in response, thinking about what to do with the pin. If we hide it under one of the beds there's a good possibility they'll find it. This is Sebastian and his cronies we're talking about. They're going to be thorough. There's not much else in the room except for a single nightstand in between the two beds, but it doesn't have any drawers or crevices. And the floors are carpet. Then an idea comes to me.
"Pin it to your underskirts," I suggest casually.
Elaia shakes her head. "And what if they search us? They'll probably be expecting girls to hide things on themselves," she replies in distress. She takes a seat on the edge of her bed, the mattress springs creaking beneath her.
She's right. They're going to be expecting something like that. And then I remember that Sebastian mentioned some of the girls had broken the rules and taken things from home when they packed. I never got to pack. I was stolen from my home. I didn't bring anything here with me except for the clothes on my back.
The distant creak of footsteps down the hall pulls me from my thoughts. They're coming. I turn to Elaia urgently. "Give it to me," I tell her, holding my hand out.
"Why?" She asks, clutching the small treasure to her chest.
"Just do it," I spit back, keeping my words low. I don't have time to explain. Elaia stares at the pin wistfully for a long moment.
"Some time today would be nice," I remark impatiently. We don't have time for Elaia's daydreams and fairytales. Finally she surrenders the pin to me.
I remove the back before lifting up my own skirts, sliding the post through the silky fabric of my undergarments. Elaia stares at me in utter shock as I click the back onto the pin. Then, I drop the fabric, checking to make sure that it isn't visible through the layers and layers of under skirts. Just as I'm smoothing out the fabric, the door clicks open.
Startled, Elaia stands up, clasping her hands in front of her as two handlers and miss Ellington step into the room followed by the grand bastard himself. He looks more unamused than usual, especially to see me. "Good morning girls," he greets as we curtsey to him.
"Good morning," we both reply. I swallow the lump in my throat, hoping he can't see how tense I am. My heart is racing.
"I'm going to warn you both now that if an item of contraband, your punishment will be quite harsh," Sebastian threatens, his hands clasped behind his back. He glances to Elaia and then to me, his green eyes cold and unforgiving.
"We understand," I reply calmly, because I know that if Elaia says a word, she'll give herself away.
"Search everything," he orders coldly and the two handlers give a single nod before conducting their search. They lift the mattresses off the bed frames and remove all the sheets and bedding, shaking them out before tossing them in a pile in the middle of the small room.
They move all the furniture, checking every corner. They dig through Elaia's suite case ruthlessly, flinging her things everywhere. Tears well up in her eyes and I have to bite back all my scathing remarks. These men make me sick. They have no respect for us.
I ball my fingers into fists at my sides, hoping Sebastian is too busy watching the handlers tear through Elaia's things to notice. After they've made a complete mess of her suite case, they turn to the small closets, shaking out every article of clothing, searching every corner. They even remove the light fixtures in the room to see if something was hidden there.
"Everything is clear, sir," one of the handlers finally states, not bothering to clean up the absolute mess they've made of our room. I breathe a sigh of relief. They're not going to find the pin. We're safe.
Sebastian scoffs. "The room is clear," he corrects, turning on us. "But are they clear?" He asks, glowering at me.
Shit. Elaia was right. This was a bad idea. They're going to search us. Pure dread wells up inside of me. What if he wants us to strip down. My breakfast churns in my stomach, threatening to make a second appearance.
"Miss Ellington?" Sebastian prompts.
Elaia takes a small step back. "I can assure you, we've got nothing on us, Mr. Morrison," she says, trying her best to smile. "This is unnecessary."
Sebastian frowns down at Elaia. "I will decide what is necessary," he snaps at her, glancing sidelong at miss Ellington.
Apprehensively, she steps forward, towards Elaia first. "Don't worry, dear," she tells her quietly, patting her hand gently. I watch in horror as she pats her down, running her hands along every inch of Elaia's clothed body.
"She's clear," miss Ellington finally says, turning towards me next.
Shit. They're going to find Elaia's stupid pin, and I'm going to get in trouble for it.
"What am I going to have on me? I didn't bring anything with me from home," I say calmly. But my insides are a tangled mess of fear and disgust.
"I can search you if you would prefer?" Sebastian threatens, that sinister smile plastered across his lips.
A shiver crawls down my spine and I take a deep breath, trying to calm my nerves. "That won't be necessary," I reply, the shake in my voice betraying me.
Sebastian smirks because he knows he's gotten to me and I hate myself for letting him get to me. I hate him even more for existing.
After a moment miss Ellington steps forward. "It will be alright," she whispers to me before beginning to search me. Her hands roam my body freely. She searches every fold of fabric, checks every stitched seam, runs her fingers along every curve. Tears well in my eyes. This isn't okay. They're violating us.
When her hands fall to my skirts, panic seizes me. This is it. They're going to find the pin, and then god knows what Sebastian will do to me. Miss Ellington spends a lengthy amount of time searching the folds of fabric. Just when I'm certain I can't take it anymore, she steps back, turning towards Sebastian. "They're both clear," she tells him.
He nods in approval. "To be honest, I'm surprised that both of you were clean, considering your history." Before we can say anything in response, he turns, stalking out of our room. The handlers and miss Ellington promptly follow after, leaving us alone in our mess of a room.
Neither one of us says anything for a long time. Maybe it's a few minutes, or maybe it's been hours. I'm not sure. Finally, Elaia takes a seat on the edge of her bed, running her hands through her blonde curls.
"They didn't find the pin," she whispers, her words dripping with relief.
I lift up my skirt, removing the pin from its hiding place before handing it back to Elaia.
"I told you they wouldn't," I reply, bending over to pick up my pillow. I dust it off before fluffing it a few times, tossing it on my bed. "God, they made a fucking mess of our stuff," I say, glancing over to Elaia.
"Yeah," she replies as she stares down at the gold band on her finger.
"Who gave you that?" I ask her as I pick up one of my stupid white dresses off of the floor. She hasn't told me much.
"My fiancé, Kres. We're getting married just as soon as I get out of here," she replies. "I can hardly wait," she adds wistfully.
"You're awfully young to be getting married," I remark, sliding one of my dresses back onto it's hanger. "How old are you anyways? Fifteen?"
"Actually, I'll be seventeen in November," she replies.
"Oh." She looks a lot younger than a few months away from seventeen.
Elaia fidgets in her seat as if she's uncomfortable talking about her age. "Anyways, lots of girls here get married at sixteen. It's not uncommon," she explains.
I frown. "But don't you want to spend some time on your own, you know, once you become an adult? Spend a few months or years doing what you want?" I ask her.
She stares at me like I've just summoned a demon or something. "Don't you know?" She asks quietly.
I scoff. "Obviously not," I reply, growing nervous. What the hell is she talking about?
"Girls aren't allowed to live by themselves."
It's like I've just had a wrecking ball slammed into my brain. "What?" My eyes must be as wide as saucers. "I... you can't be serious," I stutter.
"All girls are expected to marry," Elaia explains as if it's no big deal. "And if they don't they usually stay with their family, or they go live at one of the women's centers."
"Women's centers?" I can feel my skin tightening into little goosebumps all over.
She nods. "Yeah. Communities where unmarried or widowed women are taken care of. Older women live at the centers, mostly."
"Are they allowed to leave?" I ask.
"Sometimes, if their handlers allow it," Elaia replies softly.
"Handlers?" I can't comprehend what she's telling me. These centers sound a lot like the facility.
"Oh, but don't worry. I'm sure you won't have any trouble getting married," Elaia adds cheerfully. Just then our bracelets go off, telling us it's time for lunch.
"The facility staff will make sure you don't end up alone," Elaia assures me as she gets up and leaves our room.
But I'm too terrified to move. My fears have been confirmed. My worst nightmares are coming true. Elaia's right. I won't end up alone.
Because Sebastian has plans for me.
------- Author's Note -------
Hello, Loves! Sorry this chapter was so late but I hope you enjoy it nonetheless. Did you enjoy this chapter? Or did it creep you out (cause it totally creeped me out while writing it) What do you think Sebastian's plans for Castine are? I'd love to hear your theories in the comments below! As usual, thank you all for reading! Don't forget to vote!
Stay inspired!
- M I R A N D A