As Ben circled around the stool, I tried to stand as straight as I could. He asked questions as he went. About my happiness? And the question of how excited about the future is. I kept my posture upright with a smirk on my face.

I shifted my weight from one foot to the other. The pain spread to the soles of my feet, and I wanted to move. When Ben saw me fidgeting, he walked into the room. My eyes fell on the phone in his hand. I want to run, snatch it away.

"How's she doing?" Bethany asked Ben.

"She's much better today," Ben said.

Oliver turned the phone in his hand. The screen didn't light up, but his attention was on it.

"I told you there's nothing to worry about," Bethany said, turning to Oliver. "I said you could take Ben to see her."

"I think it's too early."

He circled around me again, clearing his throat. I stopped moving, tired, and he continued his problem.

He was heard saying, "Step down." I breathed a sigh of relief.

I jumped from my stool onto the soft carpet beneath my feet. There was footsteps in the hallway, and I understood why he had asked me to get off the stool.

I looked back and saw Oliver and Bethany

"If you say no, he'll be suspicious. It's not good for you. ”

My heart pounded violently as Ben put his hand on my shoulder.

"May I ask what you're talking about?" Ben asked.

"Dr. Alexander was interested in Diana," Bethany said. "He invited Dr. Sweeney and Diana to his home a week in advance."

"You don't think he wants ......" Ben's voice faded away.

"Add her to his collection?" She finished his words. "He might want to." "No," Oliver said. He shook his head. "It didn't happen."

"We'll see," Bethany said. "He's probably going to have a lot to offer her."

"You sell people?" I asked.

As I listened to them casually talk about my fate, my stomach ached. Ben curled his fingers over my shoulder. It was a warning to me to bite my tongue.

"I've had her for less than a week," Oliver said. "I'm not going to sell her yet."

"Well, you never know what's going to happen," Bethany said. "He can always deny you that you can't be a member if you don't let him have her. He's stingy. ”

My chest tightened and I had trouble breathing. I clutched my chest and tried to get some air. Oliver and Bethany looked at me, and Bethany rolled her eyes.

"Are we going to crash again?" She asked.

Ben grabbed my elbow and shook his head.

"I'll take her to her room," he said.

He pulled me out of the room without waiting for Oliver's approval. "Take Ben," I heard Bethany say to Oliver. "It's going to be fine."

Ben pulled me through the hall into the bedroom. I pulled my arm out of his hand. He reached out to me again, but I shook his hand away.

"They're going to sell me?" I asked. "Who is this Dr. Alexander?"

Ben raised his fingers to his lips and told me to shut up.

"They can hear you," Ben said. "If Oliver hears you yelling, he'll give you another sedative."

I took a deep breath and could feel my body tremble.

"Who is he?" I asked.

"Alexander is the founder of this club," he said. "The Caribbean dinner was held in his mansion."

My knees were shaking and I was worried that I would fall to the floor. I took a few steps back until I sat on the edge of the bed.

"Why did he buy me?" I asked.

"He has his own personal collection," Ben said. "He buys and keeps the experiments he likes."

"What did he do to them?"

Ben shrugged.

"I don't know," he said. "I just hope and pray that Oliver has the backbone and doesn't do it."

I closed my eyes and tears began to burn. The bed collapsed, and my eyes snapped open. A few tears rolled down my cheeks. Ben was close to me on the bed so that our knees were touching. He put one arm around my shoulders and the other on my lap. My eyes are always on my lap.

"You're not going to die," Ben said. "Greg is interested in you, so Oliver won't kill you. If he ends up selling you, he'll give you to Greg. ”

"What happens after I get with Greg?" I asked.

"I don't know," he said. "When it comes to the lives of his subjects, he is very secretive."

I wiped tears from my cheeks. Ben leaned closer and rested his cheek on top of my head. It was comforting, but he could only stay like this for a few seconds before there was a knock outside the door. Ben pretended to jump out of bed.

The sun is just around the corner, it should be anywhere near me.

Oliver opened the door. Passing over his shoulder, I could see Bethany with her arms crossed and tapping her feet lightly. He looked back, and she raised an eyebrow.

"We're going to the Caribbean tomorrow," Oliver said. "Ben, pack your bags for Diana and yourself. Let's go together. ”

Ben gobbled up the food. But I can't eat it. My stomach hurt and I couldn't swallow. I'm sitting on the floor now, leaning against the coffee table. Ben lay on the couch with his limbs outstretched.

"Eat while it's hot," Ben said.

"Do you want it?" I asked. "I'm not hungry."

"I can't eat your food all the time. If Oliver keeps seeing empty plates and you're losing weight, he'll be suspicious. ”

"What if I never leave the Caribbean?" I asked. "It's hard enough to try to come up with one to get out of this house. What do I do when I'm stranded on a foreign island? ”

I saw Ben's attention focused on the movie. I pushed the plate onto the coffee table. I stood up and pulled down the hem of my skirt.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Go to my room," I said.

"You're not done with dinner yet."

I rolled my eyes and turned to walk

"Diana, stop," he said.

I don't know why I stopped. I turned around and was standing right in front of me.

"I was wrong about you," I said. "You don't want to run away. You're trying to tame me and make me what they want me to be. ”

Ben frowned. "What are you talking about?" He asked. "I've discussed this with you. We have to do what they ask us to do in order to have a little bit of freedom. ”

"Aren't you worried about going to the Caribbean? I will probably never return to Canada. ”

"What are your plans, Diana? How are you going to get out? ”

"I don't know," I said. "You have the key. We have to try it on all the doors. ”

"Oliver and Bethany are upstairs, they'll know we're out of the basement."

"How about when we leave tomorrow? I can run. I can run to my neighbors. ”

"You won't have the medicine. That's why let's stay here. "The police would ask him to tell them what the medicine was, and the doctor would be able to give us more medicine."

"You don't know. He probably won't say anything. If he goes to jail, he won't let you live. ”

I took a few steps back and shook my head. I wanted to scream, but I knew I would be sedated if I did!

"You have an excuse for everything," I said.

"I don't want you to make the same mistakes as me," he said. "Do you know what to expect? Ben held out his hand and I walked away. He stepped forward and grabbed my wrist. He pushed me against the wall. He pressed my wrist against my chest. Ben was on top of him, leaning down so I could feel his warm breath spraying on my skin.

"I've tried to escape many times," he said. "After that, I would be confined to my bed for weeks. I was on sedation most of the time and only woke up when the feeding tube was inserted down my throat. ”

I swallowed the lump in my throat. I looked away from his intense gaze. He squeezed my wrist tightly.

"Look at me," he said.

I looked back at his crystal blue eyes.

"I promise you, I'll get you out of here," Ben said. "I promise that the two of us will get out of this together. Work with me and believe in me. ”

I took a deep breath and nodded. When Bethany and Oliver were around, I noticed a complete shift in his attitude. He didn't want to be here. He just convinced them all that he was happy.

"I'm sorry," I whispered. "I just want to get out of here."

"Me too," he said. "I just want to be free. We won't go back to normal life, but at least it will be a free life. ”

A shallow smile. Ben pressed his lips against my forehead and released my wrist.

"Come on," Ben said. "I'll help you finish dinner before Oliver returns."