Number Six is gone.

Number Six doesn’t come back. Instead, she’s replaced with another girl. We don’t know where she came from, or what happened to the original Number Six, but we all fear the worst—Number Six was killed. The very idea has everything inside me churning, so much so that I have spent a majority of the day dry-retching. I’ve not had anything to eat or drink, and my body is exhausted. No one has said a word; we’re all in a room together, yet we’re not speaking.

It’s all kinds of fucked up.

They finally come in towards the afternoon. We hear the door open, and we all stiffen, our bodies on full alert. Three hooded-men enter the room, and they’ve each got a line of chains in their hands.

“Don’t move,” one of them barks. “You move, you get punished. You will learn very quickly that the best way to survive is to do as you’re told.” Then they step in and lean down, hooking our hands into the chains. When we’re all in a line, they tug, and like dogs, we obey.

We step out into a long, fully-secured hall. I can see cameras up on the roof, and I tilt my head back to look at one, hoping whoever is on the other end can see what kind of shit he or she is putting us through.

“Eyes forward,” one of the guards barks. I lower my eyes, and stare at the back of the head in front of me.

I turn my eyes slightly to the right when we climb some stairs and come out inside a massive, rather beautiful home. This is not at all what I expected. I thought we would be in some rundown warehouse, or underground, but not this.

As we walk across the perfectly buffed marble floors, I take in the array of artwork on the walls: girls, all black and white, curled in strange positions. All of them broken. Like us.

The furniture is expensive looking, and rich in color: maroon, navy, and even some dark green. The house has been decorated professionally, that I don’t doubt.

We step into a narrow hall that leads us to a large set of double wooden doors. The guards open them, and take us into a gigantic ballroom. My ragged shoes squeak on the polished wooden floors as we cross ontas we cit to the middle.

The guards come to a stop, and turn to us. “Kneel,” one commands.

Slowly, as if in a domino affect, the girls begin to kneel. I can’t help but go down with them, even against my will. It’s humiliating. My hands land with a slap onto the shining floor, and I bite my lip to stop myself from crying out as my already raw knees hit the hard surface.

I hear the sound of footsteps, but I don’t dare look up. I’m too afraid of what might happen. After seeing what little mercy they showed Number Six, I certainly won’t be pushing my boundaries, not until I at least understand what those boundaries are.

“Welcome, girls,” a voice says. I’m not sure if it’s a guard, or someone else.

I try to raise my head, but I see nothing.

“My name is George, and I’m second-in-charge. While I’m sure you’re all wondering why you’re here, that’s not what we’ll be discussing today. Why you’re here is an irrelevant point in the scheme of things. All you need to know is you’re worthless in your lives—you have no families, and this is your second chance at life, if done right. For now, we own you, and you will do as you’re told.”

“The rules are rather simple, and if you follow them, you will be rewarded handsomely. If you disobey them, you will be punished accordingly. And let me assure you, girls, that punishment is not something you wish to experience.”

We’re silent. The only sound I can hear is the deep breathing of the girl beside me. Boots squeak across the floor as the guard walks up and down, pacing, as though he’s a person of great authority.

“Your time here won’t be spent like a holiday. You’re here to work, to earn your keep. Each of you will have duties, and those duties will be picked by your master, William.”

He stops talking a moment, and the room falls quiet, then he starts again.

“He will put you into the positions we feel best suit your strengths. You do not get a say in what your position is, and as I mentioned earlier, if you fight, you will be punished. This can run as smoothly or as roughly as you choose.”

Who is Master William? My heart stutters, and I swallow down the bile rising in my throat. My mind drifts to the other girls, and I can’t help but wonder how they’re feeling about this right now.

“You’ll be paired off into groups of three, with one having an extra. Each group will have a daily task they must carry out. After a few weeks, you will have free-range of the grounds, girls, but know that there is no escape, and those who try will wish they didn’t. We have every level of security, and we have no devices that are able to make calls out, so don’t bother. You will share a room with your chosen group, and at night you will be locked in, unless Master William requests your presence.”

Requests our presence? A feeling of mortification fills my body, and I hear the gasps slip from a few of the other girls’ lips. This only confirms they’re feeling the same fear as me. We’re all wondering who this Master William is, and why the hell he has decided to buy thirteen girls. Why not twelve? Or ten? Or hell, even one? Why the hell has this crazy man picked the Number Thirteen?

“You will earn your meals by carrying out your duties as ordered. If you don’t, you won’t eat. It really is a simple circle to stay in the middle of.”

His voice is firm, and unyielding.

“The numbers for your rooms and groups are as follows. Take note of your partners, because if one of you screws up, the rest are punished too. So I sugges y. So I st you all learn to work together,” he says, then walks over and undoes all of our chains before standing back and ordering, “Numbers One, Five and Ten stand please.”