Chapter 8

Ellie

I was perched on Gabriel’s lap as he finished his breakfast. I didn’t dare glance at the plate again, not after tasting that egg. It was awful.

I’d eaten all the fruit pieces, thinking all their food would be just as good.

But I was still wary of these people, especially after what happened in the bedroom. It was a repeat of the past. I’d vowed then that I’d never let it happen again, even if it cost me my life.

These werewolves were powerful, much more so than the men in the punishment block.

I tried to push away the memory. It would only bring nightmares, and I didn’t have Jackson to comfort me anymore.

Gabriel’s voice pulled me from my thoughts.

“I think we should give you a bath and try to untangle your hair,” he suggested.

I shook my head quickly. I’d showered just last week. We were only allowed one shower a month. Any more, and we’d be punished.

One thing I knew for sure was that I never wanted to be punished again.

Crossing the border was a different story. If I’d been caught, I would have been killed. Most likely shot. The bullet wound in my arm was proof of that.

I watched as Jasmine approached where I was sitting.

“How about I give you a bath and see what I can do with your hair?”

She took my hand and pulled me from Gabriel’s lap. I tried to resist, but it was futile. She was too strong.

“Come on pup, it’s just a bath. I might need to cut some of those knots out of your hair, I doubt a brush will go through them.”

My heart started to race. It felt like it was going to explode out of my chest.

My breaths became ragged gasps. Normally, Jackson would be there when this happened, but he wasn’t.

Tears streamed down my cheeks as I started to sob.

“No!” I pleaded, “p...please. I… I promise I’ll be good,” I cried.

By the time I realized where I was, Gabriel had picked me up. His arms were wrapped around me, and he was gently rubbing my back. We weren’t in the sitting room anymore; we were in a different room.

There was a shower, a toilet, and a bath. But this bath was nothing like the concrete one. It was oval and had claw feet. The faucets were shiny, and there was a shower head in a holder above them.

“It’s okay pup, nothing bad is going to happen, I promise,” Gabriel soothed.

He reminded me of Jackson. Whenever I had a panic attack, he would hold me and rub my back until it passed.

I tensed as he walked me towards the bath.

“Just put your hand in, make sure the water isn’t too hot,” he urged.

I looked down into the water. It was hard to see the surface because it was covered in bubbles.

He sat on the edge of the bath and dipped his fingers in it.

“See, it’s fine,” he soothed.

I reached out and cautiously put my fingers in.

“It’s warm,” I exclaimed.

Gabriel smiled.

“Of course it’s warm, now do you want Jasmine to help you bathe, or me?” He asked.

I looked between the two of them. I didn’t really know.

Gabriel chuckled.

“Since it’s your first bath, how about we let Jasmine do it? I’ll just be outside.”

Gabriel set me down on the floor. The floor was cold against my bare feet. I shivered. When Gabriel held me I always felt warm. As much as I didn’t want to admit it.

Even after what had happened in the bedroom with the doctor. He made me feel safe.

“No!” I exclaimed, “You, I want you to do it.”

Jasmine looked at Gabriel and smiled.

“She’s going to be a daddy’s girl,” she teased, as she left the room.

I stared at the door as Jasmine closed it behind her. What did she mean, my daddy was dead.

My heart started to race again.

“Do you want me to help you with your clothes, or can you do it yourself?” Gabriel asked.

I swallowed hard, trying to forget my previous experience.

“I...I can do it,” I stuttered.

Like everything else, the bath was werewolf-sized. Once I was undressed, Gabriel walked towards the bath.

“Let me help you get in,” he suggested.

His hands gripped my waist and he lifted me up.

I couldn’t help but gasp. His grip was firm but gentle, and warmth radiated onto my skin. Then I remembered what Jason had said about their temperature being naturally higher.

Gabriel gently lowered me into the bath. I was surprised how good it felt. Once you got past the bubbles, the water level in the tub only came about halfway up. It still reached almost to my chest.

“Is that okay?” Gabriel asked, tentatively.

I nodded, “it’s good,” I whispered.

Gabriel picked up a sponge and started to clean my face and body with the warm soapy water.

“We have to be careful not to get the wound wet,” he commented.

Once he finished bathing me, he took the shower head from its holder.

“Now I’m going to wash your hair, you need to lean forward a little, okay?”

I nodded and did as he asked.

Once my hair was sufficiently wet, Gabriel started to massage shampoo into my hair. It felt so good. Back at the camp, we only had a short cold shower once a month.

I never had time to wash my hair properly.

Once it was rinsed, Gabriel lifted me out of the bath. The bubbles had all but disappeared, and the water was a dark murky color.

He wrapped me in a soft, fluffy towel. I’d never felt anything quite so soft against my skin.

“When did you last bathe, Ellie?” Gabriel asked, looking at the filthy water.

I thought it had been a week, maybe it had been longer. All the days at the camp were pretty much the same.

“I’m not sure,” I answered truthfully, “A week, or maybe two.”

Gabriel sighed and shook his head.

“Well, little pup, around here we take a bath every day.”

I looked at him, a surprised look on my face.

He let out a soft laugh, but his expression quickly turned serious.

“Ellie, I don’t know what it was like where you came from, but things are different here. I promise, no one will hurt you.

“It might be a little scary at first, but you'll soon see that life is going to be better here.”

His fingers gently brushed through my hair, catching on the knots.

“P...Please don’t shave my head,” I pleaded, tears welling up in my eyes.

His face filled with shock.

“Shave it!” He echoed.

Then he leaned down and kissed the top of my damp head.

“No, Ellie, we won’t ever do that. We just need to trim it a bit. Get rid of the knots.”

I ran my fingers through my hair, feeling the knots. I didn’t want them to cut it, but I knew I didn’t have a choice. I just hoped he was telling the truth.

^~FLASHBACK~^

A burly guard hauled me towards the imposing concrete building with its massive metal doors. Everyone dreaded being taken there. We’d all seen the state people were in when they came out. Bruised, battered, and broken.

I fought back, but the more I resisted, the rougher they handled me.

“Jackson! Help me!” I cried out.

I managed to glance over my shoulder before I was dragged into the building.

Jackson stood there, a horrified look on his face. He mouthed the word ‘sorry’.

The guards here were older and much larger than the ones at the border. It didn’t make sense to me why they had boys barely older than me guarding the border.

Just a few months ago, they had been in the work camps.

These guards were different, and not in a good way.

The guard threw me to the floor and I landed with a grunt. Another guard stood in front of me, even bigger than the first if that was possible. He looked like he was in charge.

There was a desk to one side of him, and another door opposite the one we had come through.

“How old, and what did she do?” he asked the guard who had brought me in.

“Eleven, sir. She was found with a book, and taking an unscheduled break,” the other guard replied.

The guard who had brought me in turned and left.

The other guard stared down at me, a stick held under his armpit.

“Strip!” he barked at me.

I stared at him, horrified.

“Wh...what,” I stammered.

In a flash, the stick cracked across my face.

I cried out and clutched my cheek. I was surprised there was no blood.

“Don’t make me repeat myself,” he growled. “Strip and put your clothes in that box.”

I quickly stood up and did as I was told. I didn’t want to be hit again. Once I was naked, I wrapped my arms around myself, trying to cover up.

Just when I thought things couldn’t get any worse, they did.

Another guard entered the room and roughly grabbed me. The first one opened a drawer in the desk and pulled something out. At first, I didn’t recognize it, then I realized. They were clippers.

I’d seen my father use them once.

I tried to struggle, but he threatened me with the stick, so I stopped.

Then he turned on the clippers.

Tears streamed down my face, and I sobbed as he shaved my head, leaving my hair just a few millimeters long.

When he was done, he smirked.

“Alright, take her to the bath.”

The guard dragged me into another room. In the middle was a small concrete pool, about the size of two single beds pushed together. I didn’t understand why they called it a bath.

There were no taps.

Before I knew what was happening, the guard picked me up and threw me in.

The water was freezing, and I gasped for breath. I’d barely managed to take a breath when I felt a rough hand on my head, pushing me under the water.

I tried to surface, but it was no use. I was holding my breath, but my lungs were screaming for air.

Then the pressure on my head was released, and I broke the surface, gasping for air.

The guard repeated this about five times. Sometimes keeping me under for longer, so I actually swallowed water.

After the fifth time, someone grabbed me and threw me onto the floor at the edge of the pool.

I was shivering with cold, coughing and spluttering. The pain in my chest was unbearable.

Then I heard his voice. The guard with the stick. He would be my nightmare for the next five days.

“You will learn, you little bastard. You’re nothing. The company owns you and you will obey their rules,” he growled.

Then my vision started to blur, and darkness consumed me.

—END OF FLASHBACK—