Gen One- Chapter Forty One

Sensitive topic matter addressed this chapter.

Someone might as well have stolen all the sound out of the room. I had completely and utterly stunned the man in front of me. Jac stood perfectly still. I actually grew concerned that he had stopped breathing. His pose was stiff, and his wide eyes never blinked as they remained locked with mine. He remained like that for so long that I began to worry that I had made a massive mistake. Maybe calling out his secret wasn't the best idea when I still didn't have a full understanding of how he could help me or make my stay that much more miserable. My confident smile started to fade a bit, but that was when some life returned to Jac. Various emotions flittered behind his eyes. His face twitched a bit. Then, blessedly, realization dawned on his expression and the corners of his mouth pulled ever so slightly into a smile.

     "You little imp," he chastised in gentle amusement, "Here I thought the drug was still making you loopy enough for you to not realize how weirdly you were rambling on, but you were purposely trying to get a rise out of me in order to know the truth."

Jac shook his head at himself.

     "I suppose I should have been more wary when the rumors began to float about that you shared Eden's genius, or when I learned you had been hiding in Berrybrook."

My smile returned to its original strength, and I mentally sighed in relief. Good. He wasn't mad, and he didn't appear bothered that I had just blown his big cover. The sense of safety I felt had me relaxing and sliding off the desk.

     "I wouldn't say being a genius helped me all that much," I shrugged, "Honestly, I think any of my other friends who know Al as well would have been able to figure it out just as easily. You and him look similar enough, but it was more your mannerisms that gave you away. Your voice as well. It's practically identical to his, so much so that I thought it was him walking towards my room for a moment."

     "Really?" Jac asked, and there was no ignoring the almost reluctant curiosity in his voice.

     "Really." I confirmed.

The guilt from before sunk in much harsher this time around. As obvious as it had been that Jac was Jacaranda Blossom, that he continued to care for the family he left behind was just as apparent. I realized how painful it had to be for him to not even know what his own son's voice sounded like.

     "I'm sorry," I started my needed apology, "For jerking your emotions around there for a moment. I had to do it to know the truth, and I would have done it without bringing up a hurtful situation if I could have. I was lying about some things too- like Eden and Ms. Charm having a relationship, for one. They're just friends, and no one is pregnant. Al and me dating, that was a truth though."

Jac opened his mouth to speak, but something within him faltered. He went quiet again, and I was left to fill in the pause.

     "You told me you don't live with any family, essentially meaning you live alone. Perhaps because of what you left behind in the past?" I queried suspiciously, "Naturally, I wasn't oblivious to your reactions to my words. I can even see it in your eyes now- you haven't stopped caring about Ms. Charm and Allium for one second."

Me going ahead and presenting the obvious was met with another head shake, a dismal and despondent one this time.

     "You know, I think the two of them-"

     "I don't want to talk about this." Jac interrupted.

His stare on me was stern for a brief moment, but it soon faded away as he was once again swept away by hidden heartbreak.

     "You're just like Eden, aren't you? Except, you weren't able to get away," I rationalized, "Given when you left, The Company must have snatched you up with the lure of money when you were young and desperate for it. When you understood what you had been drawn into, you saw that the woman you loved and your tiny son could possibly be used against you, held hostage or threatened in order to ensure your cooperation. So, you cut off all ties with them and never looked back in order to keep them safe."

Interestingly, that earned me another small smile from Jac. He scoffed and grinned wryly.

     "You know everything about me without me having to say anything, huh?" he said, "I can't hide from the genius girl, apparently. Might as well tell the truth."

I waited patiently while he took a moment to collect himself.

     "I think about the two of them everyday. Sometimes I feel like they're all I think about. The videos I swiped of Allium as an infant, all of them I've had to transfer to new tapes or CDs because the original copies nearly broke after I watched them too many times. I can give you every detail of every picture of them I have because I've spent hours just staring," Jac admitted, glancing at me earnestly, "You are correct. I left to protect Rose and Allium, and I've stayed away all this time for that same reason. On some level, it feels like a punishment I've earned. A punishment for being frustratingly stupid for taking a job I was nothing but suspicious of. One that I knew was too good to be true."

I gave him a look of sympathy, but also one of mild confusion.

     "If you had nothing but doubts, why did you take the job then?" I wondered.

     "It's exactly like you said again- I was desperate," he explained before asking, "Did Rose ever tell you about what happened with my parents and me?"

     "She said that they had disowned you right after you graduated high school, but she didn't say why."

     "I lived with my parents in Berrybrook until my senior year. My mother's job got transferred to another city, so a move was required. However, they let me live with a friend so I could finish my schooling in my hometown. That was when Rose and I officially started dating, instead of having secret dates like we had been. I told my parents about our relationship when we graduated, and the second they heard that they instantly cut me off for daring to make the unforgivable mistake of falling in love with someone who wasn't purple. I tried to reason with them, but they said even if I broke my relationship off they still wouldn't have me back."

Jac sighed heavily.

     "So, there I was. An eighteen-year-old boy with no permanent home, no money- especially none to go to college with, and suddenly no family. I decided to marry Rose partly because I loved her, partly because it would make up for what I had just lost, and partly because I wanted to piss my parents off further. Then, one morning, Rose came up to me holding this little, plastic stick," he recalled, "I love Allium more than life. If it's not already obvious, I would do anything for him. I know it's mine and Rose's fault, but he came at the absolute worst time. The pitiful job I had managed to get barely supported Rose and I. There was no way for us to afford childcare, so Rose had to quit her part-time job to care for our son. To tell the truth, we would have ended up homeless before the year was out had it not been for Rose's parents. They were true saints. They paid the majority of our bills most months. They randomly showed up for visits with bags full of groceries. Even though they lived in Bayport, they would drive down whenever we needed Allium watched for a little while."

Jac paused to collect himself again, and I wondered when he had last allowed himself to face the past that haunted him.

     "I had to ask them why they were doing so much so willingly. Why they had no complaints about the situation I had put their only child in. They said that they wished Rose and I had waited to start sleeping with each other, but they admitted that I was everything they wanted for her. They saw the love I had for her and our son. They looked at me with pride when I never took my stress out on them, when I always treated them with kindness even during the times where I didn't sleep for a full twenty-four hours. They believed in me so greatly that they were willing to support me until I got on my feet. You can imagine the pressure that put on me though. Even with their reassurances that there was no need to rush, I felt like there was no way I could turn down this job offering me a fortune just because I had some skills with a computer despite my reservations about it."

His gaze dropped to the floor.

     "I'm sure they despise me entirely now..." he mumbled sadly.
     "Maybe. Maybe not. I never thought to ask them about you," I said, "But, even if they do hate your guts for supposedly abandoning Ms. Charm, that doesn't mean that it has to be like that forever. You fiancee and son- they're still waiting for you. Their optimism isn't as strong as it used to be, but I've never seen Ms. Charm without her engagement ring. She continues to defend you against everyone who says you ran away. You can make up for the past seventeen years if you try. Both Ms. Charm and Al deserve to be told the truth. I think they can handle it. They can understand that you only meant to protect them, and that in turn could clear up any bad air between you and Ms. Charm's parents."
     "Even if I wanted to tell them the truth," Jac started softly, "I doubt everything working out well would be the result. That they would all just forgive me..."
     "But they would!" I promised, "I know that they would, just as I know you're a good man at heart. You're the saint compared to that awful Stratus."
     "I see you've had the pleasure of meeting him." Jac grinned another wry grin.
     "That I've met him is too weak a statement. He..."

My words stuck in my throat. Calm at first, I slipped back into my hole of despair and fear the more I unwillingly remembered what had happened. An ache of disgust spread and consumed me until I wished I could cut off my lower half, which was from where the sensation grew. Even the thought of the word of what Stratus had technically done to me burst nausea throughout my being. I took a deep, silent breath to fight back the shaking I could feel coming on, but Jac wasn't oblivious to my rapid change of state.

     "He hurt you," he said knowingly, looking concerned, "He wasn't supposed to have done that. He's not even supposed to be touching you unless it's absolutely necessary to prevent you from escaping. What did he do?"

I bit my lip, mostly to keep my quietly quivering breaths from coming out. I didn't tell Jac the truth not because I didn't want to, but because I couldn't. The only way I was currently coping with the whole humiliating experience was by forgetting about it, and describing the situation out loud wasn't conducive to me erasing the trauma from my memories.

     "Just something that has me wishing I would rather have Mr. Blue being the one escorting me through that fun 'procedure'," I grumbled, "He might be another cold, selfish bastard, but he's Eden levels of kind compared to that gray, green, and purple monstrosity."
     "Are you talking about Aero? You actually owe him a lot, you know." Jac spoke unexpectedly, almost with a hint of angry indignation.

That had me frowning hard at him.

     "Sorry," he quickly apologized, "That was the wrong way to put that when you're shaken up. I just meant...the Aero you knew isn't anything like who Aero actually is."
     "And you know who he is more than I do?" I questioned suspiciously, folding my arms.
     "I do. He's a rather good friend of mine." Jac explained sincerely.
     "But he experimented on me," I professed, "Did these things that made me feel all weird."
     "You mean he was giving you your treatments for your immunodeficiency disorder." Jac revealed, continuing on through my shock, "Yes, it was known you had one. I had a peek when we...uh, discovered, your files in Berrybrook. I saw the records of your illnesses. Once you learned of your condition, didn't you think it was strange that you had been fine those first ten years?"
     "I thought it was my intense isolation keeping me healthy." I mumbled quietly.
     "Well, that did play a part, I suppose. But, in reality it was Aero keeping you in top health. Any 'experiments' he did was merely him gathering research so that he could better ensure your longevity and peace of mind."

That was difficult to process, and even more difficult to believe.

     "Ensure my longevity so he could make sure to get lots of babies out of me in order to make himself rich." I corrected bitterly.
     "I know it's difficult to understand given the side you saw of him, but that wasn't how it was at all. Aero protected you from the very beginning. If anything, he did just as much as Eden did in order to get you out of our grasp."

Jac actually laughed a little at me when I pouted in utter disbelief.

     "The others involved in your project like Buttercup Swirl, the damn bitch, they were the ones who wanted to experiment on you. Aero fought and fought to change their minds. He used the excuse that they couldn't risk harming their lone successful candidate for the project, but in reality he merely wanted to stop them from using you as a guinea pig. From your conception to when you escaped, Aero only gave you your treatments and the bare alterations required."
     "Alterations?" I repeated with great worry.
     "They did a little more than making you white. Aero was part of the team that manipulated your embryo to significantly increase your chances for passing down your albinism. Don't ask me how they did it. I generally don't even get involved with the projects. I usually deal with maintaining the logistics of running an organization like this and handle the exchange of information. The only reason they pulled me in this time was because of the craziness Eden caused with his stunt. Otherwise, I wouldn't be here because of how greatly stuff like what they've done to you terrifies me." Jac admitted.
     "I did always wonder..." I said, deep in thought, "I didn't see why it was so important that I be the project candidate, as it wasn't like them making me albino increased my chances of producing albino children. But I guess they found a way around that issue."
     "They wanted to do more too, like I said. There was something about them wanting to increase your natural chance of multiples. A ridiculous thought of you producing at least four each time or something. Aero shot that idea and all the others down. He also safeguarded Eden."

I looked at Jac more earnestly. What I was hearing definitely didn't mesh well with the Mr. Blue I knew, but there was nothing about the way Jac spoke that had me suspicious of a lie.

     "Eden, though he tried to cover his tracks, was still too naive about how the system operated to erase his sneaking around. It was lucky for him that it was Aero who first got wind of his rebellious behavior. Aero was the one who knew how to work the system. He hid Eden's tracks for him, masking all the extra time he spent with you as well as all the prodding Eden did into the security barriers. If it wasn't for that, Eden would be long dead by now and you would have remained in your room."
     "I have to ask then...why? Why did he help me? Why did he always act so cold if he cared that much?"
     "He acted cold because that is the way to survive in this line of work. When trapped in such a heartless job, you sometimes have to be heartless to achieve your goals. If Aero let it get out in any way, shape, or form that his stances were not merely for the benefit of the project, he would have been cast out of the project and, thus, could no longer help you. As to why he helped, he saw you for what you were. An innocent child who didn't deserve the life planned for her. With his own daughter being born a month after you, he couldn't help but compare you two either. It felt like whatever he did to you, he did to her. Aero couldn't stand that."

Jac's tone changed at that statement. There was something sad and regretful about it, and the look of curiosity I gave him was so strong that he gave me explanation without me having to ask for it.

     "Aero worked on many projects over the years, but yours was the one that pushed him to his limits. He loathed that you had to look at him with fear and rejection, and even the knowledge that he was doing what he could for you wasn't enough. All the effort he put in couldn't stop him from being a monster in your eyes. The support his family gave him meant nothing because they didn't know the truth of his struggle. In a case of bizarre timing, he tried to take his life the evening before Eden escaped with you."

A much greater shock and sense of dread washed over me than I ever would have expected. I felt absolutely despicable ever hating Mr. Blue now that reality was being presented before me. I wish I had known.

     "He is alright," Jac comforted when he saw my worry, "His wife found him before he could do too much damage. As soon as he learned what Eden had done, he perked right back up. I was able to get him a complete dismissal from Company employment due to his years of dedicated service. He works at a local clinic now, content that his efforts did do enough to set you free."

Relief swept over me for a brief moment, but that was moment was brief indeed. Jac's words were nothing other than ironic, although they did give me the opportunity to discuss what I truly wanted to talk about.

     "But his efforts were meaningless in the end, weren't they?" I pointed out in exasperation, "I'm not free, am I? I'm right here!"
     "Yes, you're here." Jac acknowledged with a reluctant nod.
     "I'm back where I started, or, actually, I'm in a worse position than where I started! I've seen the world. I can't live in an ignorant bubble anymore. There are people I care about. I have a home I want to go back to. Dreams I want to accomplish. A life I want to live! Yet, all that is going to be stripped away from me. It's going to be denied to more innocent children- all so our captors can make money. Pathetic strips of paper and pointless circles of metal that can't follow them to the grave. Things that are ultimately worthless compared to what they're sacrificing to obtain them."

Jac merely continued to nod gently in acceptance, casting his somber gaze downwards at the ground.

     "It is an unfortunate situation," he began softly, "I sympathize with you, but-"
     "But?! You can't say that! You have to help me!"
     "It is not quite as simple as me just deciding to-"
     "You are the Jac, aren't you? The one Eden told me was so powerful and influential that he might as well be a leader?" I questioned angrily and indignantly.
     "Well, technically, I mean, yes, but-"
     "You're telling me there's nothing you can do? They didn't give you enough data about the reboot of my project or you don't have enough normal information to help me out in even the smallest way?"
     "I...They actually gave me almost complete access to all information in order to ensure that you were captured without issue." he admitted in a whisper.
     "Then what's the problem?!"
     "It-It would be very dangerous..."
     "Dangerous?! If the past couple hours are any indication of what my life's going to be like from now on, I would rather die than live another minute!"
     "Now, listen-"
     "You would help Ms. Charm if she was the one in my position! You said you would do anything for Allium! If you refuse to do it for me, do it for his sake! Were you not listening when I told you that he broke up with me because he was scared of me being snatched away? What do you think is going to happen when he...finds out..."

My loud tones drifted off into a whisper. When mentioning Allium, I recalled a certain fact I hadn't considered for a split second yet. The very thought of it filled every inch of my person with dread.

     "Oh no." I said quietly in horror, pressing my shaking hands against my cheeks.
     "What?" Jac asked cautiously.
     "Allium. He...he was still talking on the phone with Amaranth when Rusty and Stratus burst in. Amaranth dropped the phone when he spotted them, and I highly suspect he didn't bother to end the call before he did. Al must have still been on the line. He had to have heard everything. The fighting. The gunshots. Oh my god. Oh my god, he is probably absolutely freaking out. No, he definitely is absolutely freaking out. Just me hiding for two weeks when Swirl was in Berrybrook had him unable to sleep or eat. I told him if I was ever found by 'them' that it was practically guaranteed I would never come back. Now he knows 'they' have me, and if he heard them kill Am...his best friend..."

I began to shake my head instinctively in terrified shock. If I had had my wits about me, I would have seen the expression on Jac's face that showed his pondering as to whether I was being honest or if I was attempting to manipulate him again. I didn't though, and so I missed that expression and the one that showed him accepting my sincerity several seconds later.

     "I can't even imagine what kind of state he's in right now. I'm terrified of what he might try to do. If he tries to find Eden in order to help me, if he gets tangled up in this too..."

My tears that had run dry several hours ago burst forth with new life. It was by sheer will that I kept them contained and prevented them from spilling all over my cheeks. I had cried enough for one day. I continued to have a chance before me, one that was at its ultimate peak where it could be tipped either way. It was one I couldn't give up on, for it could never be presented to me again.

     "What if someone went after him when they saw there was still a call on the line? How bad are the chances of him getting mixed up in this mess if he does try to help?" I asked in a ramble, "Ohh, his chances are definitely bad, aren't they? I mean, you knew I was at Amaranth's house. How did you have any clue where I was?"
     "Eden has himself to blame," Jac revealed, "The two of you took a trip to Painted Plains, right?"
     "We did, and you were there too if I remember correctly."
     "I was. I was still in town when all of a sudden all the potential employees we had our eyes on started avoiding us with a passion. We tracked down the root of the problem to a man named Grape Jolly. He was warning everyone to keep their distance, and we discovered he had gained his knowledge thanks to his old friend, Eden Yonder."

My face turned paler, despite such a thing being seemingly impossible.

     "Eden should have known to warn him not to ever mention his name in the equation. Because he didn't, that was what opened the door for our Company getting you within our sights again. We were able to confirm Eden was using his real name, and we were also able to confirm that the injection he stole was being used to color his little sister, 'Meadow Yonder', green. Still, even having new leads to work with we couldn't pinpoint your location. So, we chose to probe the areas we were suspicious of. We purposely dropped information in order to lure out those who were trying to hunt us."
     "The lead Eden said he and his friends had was a trap." I said in shocked horror.

Jac nodded.

     "I have to give Eden and his friends credit where credit is due though. They were rightfully suspicious of their new 'lead', and when we gave a bigger push they avoided us to hide again. It took quite a while to build their trust once more, but eventually they opened up enough to allow us to sneak into their system to find out a decent amount. Most of the information centered around the logistics of how you and Eden were hiding, as well as the data about a few of the others on your side."

A few tears escaped from my eyes. I couldn't help it. I tried everything I could to shake them away, but they refused to be held back.

     "If they knew all that, then there is a good chance that Am wasn't able to get away. That he's dead. And Blaze too, and his friends, and Eden..." I trailed off miserably.

More tears rolled down my cheeks, and before too long they were a waterfall.

     "Please, Mr. Blossom. You have to help..." I begged before my quivering made me unable to speak a proper sentence.

I stood there in the quiet with only the sound of my barely contained crying filling the room, my sight blocked by my hands rubbing at my eyes to try to do some damage control. Then Jac let out a tiny chuckle.

     "Mr. Blossom, huh?" he said in gentle amusement, "Now that's something I haven't heard for the longest time."

The wistful tone he spoke with was soon replaced with a sigh- one that was humorously exasperated and defeated.

     "This is why I never get involved with the projects. I'm no good at standing my ground." he admitted with a shrug.

I dared to peek up at him with hope in my heart.

     "I will help you," he promised, "For your sake, as well as for Allium and for Rose. I can tell you treated my boy well, and for that I thank you. I owe him something too. Perhaps it is time to put an end to this whole painful situation."

That my breath had been swept away only just registered to me by the time Jac moved closer to wrap me in a hug. It didn't matter to me in the slightest that he was still a relative stranger that I had known for a mere five minutes or so. He had my full trust, and his embrace was just as comforting and safe as his son's was.

I was able to calm my tears and eventually dry them. I flashed the biggest smile I could at Jac, but it quickly disappeared as he was now looking at me with utmost seriousness. He held my arms, stared into my eyes intently, and spoke with a commanding voice that gave off a much more "Jac"-like persona.

     "I will do what I can," he reaffirmed, "But you'll need to do your part as well. It will be tough, but you need to cooperate. I heard they already put you through one round of insemination. Any other procedures like that, just go along with them. The others will be more lenient on you if you don't give them a hard time."

Jac's stare grew even more serious.

     "And be careful around Stratus and Rusty. Primarily Stratus. The Company likes him because he's effective, but he's never been allowed to move higher up because of how difficult he is to control. He pushes his boundaries as far as he possibly can, for he knows exactly how far to go before everyone stops turning a blind eye. Rusty generally is able to keep him somewhat in line, but how good he is at that depends on his mood. If you behave, he's more likely to be on your side. However, if he's bored or just feeling lazy, then he'll only step in on the chance that Stratus is going to go too far," he warned, "Given that you've already had your procedure, they thankfully won't be coming back in to bother you today. I'll send out the orders again that they're not supposed to be touching you. If you need to, you can try dropping my name if they're bothersome after that. That sometimes gets Stratus to at least...rethink his actions."

I nodded miserably.

     "How long am I going to be here for?" I asked quietly.
     "We'll be moving you to a new location the day after tomorrow. You'll be there for about a week before you're taken to your permanent location."
     "Why not just ship me off to my old room right away?"

Jac hesitated. The look I saw in his eyes was a look I had seen too often in Eden's. The truth I wanted to know was serious. It was something he didn't want to tell me, and by the guilty glint there I instantly wondered if it was something I wanted to hear.

     "It's complicated. The...plan is complicated. There's more to it now than you simply bearing white children. Don't worry about that though, for you shouldn't be going through anything they are planning to put you through anyway if everything goes right. Just do as I said, be on your best behavior, and I'll take care of the rest." Jac comforted.

He said that, and I chose to trust him again. Jac was right after all. There wasn't much of a need for me to ask questions, because, hopefully, I wouldn't be dealing with the consequences in the first place. It grew time for him to depart, and I spent the next several minutes pacing the room and mulling through my thoughts. I avoided the worst possible outcomes that could have struck my loved ones at home, and turned my musings to positive ones about what I would do when I was free. I would hopefully be bringing Allium's father home to him, and I would get to finally have an honest chat with Purity. Once my friends got over the shock of me being Ethereal, I wanted to plan a massive party for my birthday that would be more a way to thank them for everything. I lost myself so intently in my mind that I jumped a mile high when the door unexpectedly slid open. My heart fell a thousand stories when I saw it was the two Jac had just warned me about swaggering into the room.

     "Jac told us it was about time we gave our little visitor a welcoming meal." Stratus explained haughtily, dropping a plate of food so hard on the coffee table that half of it went splattering everywhere.
     "No, he didn't." I snapped back before I could help myself.

Stratus gave me a look I couldn't read. I trembled as I took step backwards after step backwards when he strode over, getting closer and closer until I was pushed into the wall. He wasted no time pinning me against it, and he brought his head so close to mind there was no option of looking away.

     "Oh, yeah?" he questioned tauntingly.
     "He doesn't approve of what you did earlier. He said that you weren't supposed to bother me for the rest of the day, lest you get in trouble." I warned as confidentially as I could, but my voice only came out weak.
     "Aww, well, that's too bad, ain't it? Screw that damn Jackie boy. I'm tired of listening to his stuffy orders. I told you not to piss me off, but you went ahead and did it anyways."
     "And you had your payback." I reminded him, my face flushing with another surge of humiliation.
     "Not enough of it." Stratus said dangerously.

I glanced desperately past him, searching out Rusty. Sadly, he was not in a helpful mood. He had taken up a comfy position on the couch, lazily flipping through the book I had left over there. It was if he wasn't aware of what was going on with the two of us in the slightest. I struggled and cried out as Stratus suddenly yanked me forward and then slammed me back into the wall. Despite my protesting, he pushed and dragged until he had me on my knees- pinned harder between the wall and the ground.

     "You're boring," Stratus complained, "Way too weak. As annoying as your ugly boyfriend was, at least he put up a decent fight and kept me entertained for a minute. Not that it did him any good."
     "L-liar." I stuttered out, my increasingly aching chest now burning with a deep fear.
     "You think I would lie to purposely cause you grief? I guess that does sound like something I would do," Stratus joked horribly, "But that doesn't mean that's the truth in this case. What is the truth though- how worthless he was as a man. The damn loser couldn't even get you to fuck him. Coralie tells me you're still a virgin."
     "I was lying." I whispered with a sad lack of any conviction.
     "Pfft. At least you're mildly amusing." Stratus grinned wickedly.

He gripped me so tightly it was if his arms were steel. Whimpers of protest escaped my lips as Stratus pressed himself as tightly against me as he could, giving me one good grind

     "Asshole." I mumbled pitifully, failing yet again to stop the reappearance of my tears.
     "Don't like it? Too bad? I'm actually helping you. You need to get used to this kind of stuff."

Another smirking grin spread across his lips at my confusion.

     "Jackie boy hasn't told you yet," he realized, "You did a lot worse than pissing me off. You pissed off The Company, and that's something you should never do. You've already lost them so much money. So, they came up with an idea to help them earn it back. They're not just going to sell your brats. They're going to sell you. Do you have any idea how much men will pay for the chance to slam you hard and deep? The big bosses expect they can get at least a million for your virginity if they get the right buyers interested."

I began shaking so hard I thought I was going to have a fit. I never thought it was possible to be so wholly terrified of what could be coming that my whole body could rebel against me. Tears flowed without shame. There was no way Stratus was telling the truth...

I wanted to believe that he was lying, but I couldn't forget Jac's hesitation when I asked him about my old room or his admission wracked with guilt that the plan had changed. The Company selling me like a prostitute was their new goal.

     "I bet you wish your boyfriend had fucked you now." Stratus chuckled mercilessly before standing up.

I raised my arms ups and recoiled horribly when he feinted a move towards me. So desperate for him not to touch me again, I felt no embarrassment at my flinch when he laughed louder.

     "That's a good look for you," he bullied, "And I guess it makes me feel satisfied with my payback for your stunt out in the hallway. Best not try anything like it again. I won't let you off easy next time. I might not be able to touch the front of you or else I'd mess up the bosses' plans, but there's always the back."

The smirk he gave me was nothing but dark and wicked. It answered my question for me of how anyone would choose to work for The Company willingly. People like Stratus, those made of pure evil, actually existed. There were people so demented in the world that destroying others lifted them up. Too overwhelmed, I could only sit and shake in terror when Stratus scoffed at me before turning to leave the room. He flipped over my plate of food onto the ground.

     "You shouldn't throw your food on the ground in a hissy fit. That's not a good way to make friends." he taunted a final time before strolling out the door with a disinterested Rusty trailing his heels.