Page 45 of Nightclub Surprise
“You could say that,” she answered. Her blonde hair was pulled up into a highponytail.
The first thing they’d done was give me a set of light blue scrubs to wear, and I found everyone else had them on, too. I’d been told this was because the MDMA could make some people hypersensitive to touch, so they tried to lessen this distraction with the soft, roomy material of the scrubs. The clinical staff all wore white sets of the same scrubs. The others workers in the facility all wore yellow scrubs. As I looked around, it seemed like something out of a sci-fimovie.
One empty chair remained at the table, and one remaining person had yet to introduce herself to me: a quiet young woman with dark hair and eyes. Eyes that looked like they’d seen some shit. With a nod to the empty chair, I introduced myself to her, “Hi. August Harlow. Mind if I take this seathere?”
“Do what you want to. Who am I to stop you?” she said, with a snarky tone to her deepvoice.
I took the seat. “And I didn’t catch your name?” I had tosay.
“Tillie,” she said, then took a large bite of her sandwich, chewing it as she looked atme.
Natasha nudged me with her shoulder. “She’s an abuse victim,” she told me quietly. “Human trafficking, sold into sex slavery at the age of ten. Rescued last year by DEAagents.”
Tillie’s deep voice took my attention. “My master was all I’d ever known. Now it seems I have no idea how to function in society. So, I came here to see if I can betaught.”
“How old are you?” I asked withconcern.
“Twenty-one,” she said with her mouth full offood.
No manners to speak of, it seemed, but who could blame her? “Yourfamily?”
She shook her head. “It was my father who sold me. Mom died when I waseight.”
“Fuck me,” I mumbled. “I’m sorry to hear that. I hope you find help here,Tillie.”
I didn’t have anything compared to that poorgirl.
Tom looked across the table at me. “How long were you infor?”
“Six years,” I said, then took a bite of the sandwich, finding it prettygood.
“I barely made the two-year mark I’d signed up for. I can’t see how you did six.” He took a drink of water from the bottle in front of him, and I noticed there were already three empty bottles of water he’d alreadydrunk.
Natasha chimed in, “I made nearly ten years before this hit me. It was just like, bam! One day sane, the next day screaming at some poor lady in line at the grocery store for no reason other than that she moved too slowly.” She shook her head. “My husband told me I’d been waking up screaming, too. I don’t recall doingthat.”
“I’ve been doing things in my sleep, too,” I admitted. “And last night I hit my fiancé in the mouth, busting her lip, then went so far as to choke her. I don’t remember any of it. But the cut on her lip and the marks my fingers left on her throat told me all I needed to know. I had to get help and fast, or I’d lose her and ourson.”
Natasha nodded in agreement. “This is my second marriage. I got married when I was only twenty—he was an oil-field worker who didn’t understand why I wanted to be in the military. Now, my husband and our two kids are afraid of where I’m headed. He told me to get help or get out. At thirty years old, starting all over is the last thing I want to do. So, I retired from the marines and came hereafterward.”
“Damn,” I murmured. “My girl told me she’d be behind me every step of the way. She said she’d never turn her back onme.”
“Don’t believe her, buddy,” Frank came into the conversation. “No one can take abuse for long, whether you do it in your sleep or not. She’ll leave if you don’t get control ofthis.”
I doubted the young guy’s words. “If you don’t mind, Frank, how old are youanyway?”
“Twenty-two. A very old twenty-two. I’ve seen shit no one should see, and I didn’t have to leave home to see it.” He downed his water then opened a newone.
Looking around the table, I noticed everyone had at least four bottles of water, and I’d only picked up one. So, I had to ask, “I’m not trying to be rude, but what’s the deal with you all drinking so muchwater?”
Tom chuckled. “A side effect from the MDMA. Excessivethirst.”
With a nod, my jaw clenched. I didn’t like that at all. But I’d promised to give this whole thing a try. “I’ve never taken MDMA before. What can Iexpect?”
Natasha answered first, “I call it truth serum. The drug lulls you, leaving you feeling good about everything. Safe, you know? Like you can say anything you’ve done or seen to your therapist and not worry that they’ll think you’re sick, crazy, or a monster. I can’t quite bring myself to admit the things I’ve done unless I’m on thepill.”
Tom added, “And then there’s the arousal.” He looked me up and down, as if trying to get a measure of my personality. “If you’re anything like me, you’re probably worried about that part of thedrug.”
I nodded. “A bit, yes. Especially since my fiancé isn’t available to scratch thatitch.”
