Page 104 of The Life of Anna-Tenth Anniversary Edition: Act 1

She opened her eyes and the way his gaze hardened told her she hadn’t successfully hidden the fear that filled her at the thought of going back to Jack’s house. “I just... I need to go get it for you,” she whispered, and then looked down at his chest. “Okay?”

He moved his hands to her shoulders and took a step back, ducking his head to meet her gaze. “Anna, what’s wrong?”

She forced a smile onto her face. “It’s alright. I’ll go get it and call you with the information?”

His expression made her squirm. She’d told him how her guardian had trained her. Surely he wouldn’t blame her for not wanting to go back.

Just when she thought he’d never respond, he squeezed her shoulders. “I’ll take you. You don’t have to go by yourself.”

“I don’t want to be a bother.”

He cradled her cheek. “You’re never a bother, Schatzi.”

They made their way back down to the garage and into Alex’s car. Her stomach churned with anxiety as Alex drove closer to the stately hell-house that had been her home for the past eight years. By the time Alex parked in front of the gray two-story townhouse, her queasy stomach was making her regret eating breakfast.

A lone, hopeful thought lit in her mind. Maybe I can get my memories box while I’m here.

It would likely be her only chance to retrieve the box she’d kept hidden under her bed for years. It contained the things of her parents she’d salvaged before had Jack destroyed everything else.

Alex interrupted her thoughts. “Do you want me to come in with you?”

Anna shook her head, not wanting her voice to betray her fear. She also didn’t think Jack would want Alex anywhere near his house. Her hand shook as she pulled on the door handle and got out of the car.

Taking a deep breath, she summoned her courage and silently climbed the stairs to the front door, the sound of her racing heartbeat filling her ears. Please don’t let Jack be home. She rang the doorbell and clenched her hands as the seconds ticked by. No one answered, and Anna let out a long breath as a wave of relief wash over her. She could go in the side garage door, which was always unlocked. She hurried back down the stairs.

Alex opened the car window. “Did you get it?”

Anna shook her head. “Jack isn’t home. I’ll go through the garage. My room was down there anyway.” She forced another smile, trying to keep Alex from worrying as she walked to the black side door. A dark door to an even darker place.

She took a deep breath and turned the knob, pushing open the door. As the familiar scent wafted towards her, her mind flooded with horrifying memories, leaving her paralyzed with fear.

“Anna?”

Someone touched her hand and Anna screeched and jumped away. “Wh-what are you doing?”

“You haven’t moved in several minutes. Are you alright?”

“I haven’t...” Anna looked around and saw she was still holding the doorknob. She sucked in a deep breath and willed her feet to move forward, but nothing happened. Scolding herself, she shook her head, but her feet refused to budge. She squeezed her eyes shut and finally, she was able to take a step. “I’m sorry. I’ll only be a minute.”

Alex put his hand on her shoulder and guided her inside. “I’ll come with you.”

The front of the garage where Jack parked his car was empty, as Anna had expected. She hurried to the door that led to the soundproof room where she had slept and been trained in until Jack took her to Devin. After a moment of hesitation, she pushed open the door and the sound of muffled groans and cries filled the air.

The twins. Jack’s new girls. Anna hesitated and looked back at Alex. His father’s an Elder. He knows how we’re trained.

“What’s that noise?” Alex pushed past her and into the room. He stopped with one foot in the room, mouth dropped open, his blue eyes wide with shock, and exclaimed something in German.

A cold shiver ran down his spine as Alex stared into the room. He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. It was little better than a dungeon, with a variety of apparatuses of play or torture, depending on one’s tastes, but Alex knew better than to think this was Jack’s playroom.

Two teenage girls wept quietly. One was bent over a long table, arms stretched over her head, ankles cuffed to the table legs. A machine of some sort was thrusting a large dildo in and out of her swollen pussy. The end of a butt plug was visible between her ass cheeks. A gag between her lips muffled her cries. The other girl was cuffed spread eagle in an archway. Weighted nipple and pussy clamps pulled at her body. She also had a gag in her mouth. The girl looked up as he and Anna stood there, her long brown hair coming loose from her braid and her brown eyes filled with pain.

“Anna, what the hell is this?”

Anna didn’t look at him as she pushed past. “Training.” She hurried to the nightstand and opened a drawer. Alex could see the tears in her eyes as she pulled out a small card that he assumed was her driver’s license.

“What do you mean, training? This isn’t—This is torture.” He swallowed, afraid he would lose his breakfast. Had Anna been trained like this? Hearing about it the other morning and seeing it first hand were very different beasts. Bile rose in his throat as he imagined Anna in either of those girls’ places.

Anna kneeled next to the bed and crawled halfway underneath. She jerked and kicked her feet.

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