Page 26 of Of Sinners & Salvation
“Do you?” Dr. Augustine asks, raising a brow and glancing at Miss Sarah, who brought me in at last. It was harder to get infractions than I expected, but I asked around for Eternity every time we got in line to go anywhere, and eventually, she caught me one too many times during our silent marches from one part of the asylum to another.
Miss Sarah makes a face to show her disgust with me, then steps out of the room and closes the door.
“That happens to some of the patients,” Dr. Augustine says. “Though I admit, it usually takes a bit longer. Just lie back and I’ll take care of it for you.”
“I just wanted to talk to you,” I say, frowning at him.
“I’m sure you do,” he says. “But I’m not a therapist. So if you don’t have the need for a doctor, I’m not sure why you’re here.”
“Because I wanted to talk to you,” I say again.
“You can talk while I do your exam,” he says. “Otherwise, ask one of the staff for an appointment with our psychologist.”
“Fine,” I say, laying back on the table and placing my feet in the stirrups. “Though I’m not sure what you think will have changed in the past week.”
“It seems your compliance has,” he says, sliding a finger into me.
I grit my teeth and bear it, vowing that Eternity won’t be the only one I avenge.
“Did you have a patient here named Eternity?” I ask.
“I don’t recall,” he says, working another finger into me. “Now just relax, very good. From now on, when you need this kind of stimulation, there are others better suited for the task. You haven’t had a visitor yet, but we have a group coming tomorrow. I’m sure you’ll be quite popular with them. Maybe even the first choice from among your peers.”
A visitor.
He acts as if my parents might just stop by for a family therapy session, and not that he’s selling the girls here to whatever men are coming. Like being chosen is an honor that I’d compete with the other girls to earn.
“That’s what I wanted to talk to you about,” I say, staring at the ceiling and trying not to feel anything below the waist. Luckily I’m very good at compartmentalizing.
“Not to worry,” he says. “This should help you be less nervous when they arrive.”
“Okay, but what if we spiced things up?”
His fingers go still, and I fight not to cringe at the sensation of them lying inside me like a dead thing. “What?”
“I’m sure your business is booming,” I say. “I mean, one of the Sincero boys said as much. That we’re worth more than diamonds. That’s a lot. So I’d guess you’re doing pretty well for yourself. You seem to own an island and everyone on it. That’s a lot of diamonds.”
He withdraws his fingers. “What are you suggesting?”
“I was just thinking,” I say, pushing up on my elbows. “I mean, I’ve only been here a week. I obviously don’t know everything that goes on. But what if we made things a little more interesting for the guys who come to… Visit.”
He stares at me like I’ve grown a set of tentacles. “More interesting?” he asks warily.
“Yeah,” I say. “What if they had to work for it?”
“They don’t come here to work,” he says, turning to wash his hands in the sink. “They come to relax and spend the hard-earned money they already made by working elsewhere.”
“Okay, but you have to admit, men do like a challenge,” I say. “What if you could make it an event. Not just a bunch of visitors browsing girls like we’re puppies at a pet store. What if they got to hunt?”
“Ah,” he says. “Yes, we do that for a select few on occasion. But most of them don’t want to run all over an island in the middle of the night and risk not even capturing their reward at the end. That’s so much work when, like I said, they just want to relieve their tension.”
“Oh,” I say, momentarily taken aback. But I won’t be deterred that easily.
“Anything else?” he asks, arching that infuriating brow. “I assume you’re an excellent runner. Or perhaps just good at hiding?”
I remember pushing myself onto that ledge on HAVOC night, hiding from the boys all those months ago. Now I’d do anything to help them find me.
“Okay, even better,” I say brightly. “Then this won’t be a completely foreign concept. People don’t like too much change, do they? But what if we could make it a little more interesting for everyone. What if we could make it a spectacle?”
