Lacie Ch. 06

"That's easy enough. I promise, no fence climbing." Lacie smiled.

"Good," Bridget responded, well into her stride now. "Next, every day, with the exception of Sundays and Thursdays, which you will use for rest, starting tomorrow, you are to join Heather in the gym for one full hour's workout or more."

Lacie groaned and opened her mouth to complain, but Bridget was quick to cut her off.

"We all do this, even me. It'll keep you fit, healthy, and strong, so no complaints. Master likes fit women anyway. There is another reason we want you healthy. If poachers do get inside, despite the very low possibility, how will you escape if you're too out of shape, or too tired, to run or fight? You won't. They'll take you, and you'll end up God only knows where."

Realizing the older girl was right, Lacie simply nodded, nibbling at a sliced strawberry.

"Are you done? Good, leave it here, Ana will collect it later. Let's tour the immediate grounds first, you can see where Marie spends her time, then we can go to the farmhouse and say hi to Claire."

"So we get to be outside today?" Lacie asked excitedly.

"For a few hours yes. You like being outdoors?"

"I love being outdoors and getting fresh air," Lacie responded. "and I haven't gotten much the last few months. Daddy was worried about poachers when my birthday got close, and that cell the slavers had me in was rank."

Crinkling her nose at the memory of her dismal cell, Lacie stood up and stretched.

"Lead the way."

"There's a staircase over here. Follow me."

Lacie slid around the patio furniture, falling in behind the other girl. Bouncing down the steps, Lacie reveled in her ironic freedom. It was the first time Lacie got to see the mansion from the outside. The building was huge. Four stories tall, there was a walled-in courtyard near the front. Manicured gardens and flowerbeds dotted the landscape near the house. There was a massive ivy plant creeping up the southeast corner of the building, almost reaching the bottom of the fourth story windows. The building itself was almost all red brick, giving it a warm glow in the cool morning. The stylized gargoyles on the roof and the fluted columns by the front door gave the mansion a slightly gothic look. A large greenhouse dominated the north wall, though there was a huge glass enclosure behind it that looked like it was part of the house proper. All of the windows inside the greenhouse were already steamed up from the humid environment within. The back of the house had a large outdoor pool, surrounded by patio furniture and chaise lounges. A massive grill sat just off to one side, almost in the grass. A tennis/basketball court was fenced in near the pool, but wasn't in use.

"We play softball sometimes, in the spring and summer, once the snow is gone." Bridget said, pointing to the open fields of grass just past the lawns. "Haven't had a chance lately though."

"Why?" Lacie asked.

"Well, it takes a bit of co-ordination to get a full game going, and both Master and I have been very busy lately."

"With buying me?"

"Well, yes and no." Bridget hedged. "Your purchase was... key, but just one part of a much larger plan that Master had put in motion a long time ago."

"Huh?" Lacie asked, not understanding Bridget's cryptic response.

Bridget sighed and took off her sunglasses, tucking them into her shirt pocket.

"Look, Lacie, I'm not sure if you want to know the circumstances of why Master chose you. I asked why he bought me, when I first came here. He didn't tell me. I pushed. He didn't want to answer. I kept at it, begging him to tell me. When he finally let me have the information I wanted, I realized not knowing would have been better. Sometimes ignorance really is bliss. I can tell you, but you have to want to know, and you have to be able to live with the knowledge of what could easily have happened to you."

"Can I think about it?"

"Absolutely. That would be the smart thing to do, in my opinion. I can tell you anytime you want to know. That's an open offer. It's not often an easy thing to handle though. It almost broke Callie."

"Why? What was going to happen to her?"

"That's not my story to tell. You'll have to ask her."

Disappointed, but also relieved that Bridget wouldn't likely share her story with anyone else, Lacie toyed with her ponytail, sucking on the ends of a few strands that had blown into her mouth from the gentle breeze. Bridget led Lacie around back towards the patio, the two girls having made a full circle around the massive brick mansion. They stopped and Bridget had them double back after tapping something into her tablet. Headed back to the greenhouse, Lacie asked why they had suddenly changed directions. Tapping her tablet a few times, Bridget held the electronic device out to Lacie, who took the small machine in both hands.

"GPS locators. I want us to meet up with Marie first, and she's in the greenhouse."

Looking at the tablet, Lacie immediately recognized the 3d wire frame model on the screen as a rendering of the mansion and the grounds. Tiny red blips moved across the surface as Lacie spun the map, zooming in and pulling back, playing with the interesting device a bit. Zooming in towards the greenhouse, Lacie saw a red dot inside the greenhouse's rendering on the screen. Moving in closer, red dot seemed to pulse in an odd pattern, but no words appeared.

"How do you know it's Marie?" Lacie asked, handing the device back.

"Her choker sends out a strobe. It's unique to her. The warmth of her body keeps the battery active, so by looking at this, I can find her by looking for her choker's specific pulse pattern. There's one in your choker too. Here, see?" Bridget held out the small tablet again, having zoomed in on two blips standing very near each other. One dot flashed slowly, two long pulses. The other repeated in a short, three pulse pattern. "The two pulse pattern is me, the three strobe pattern is you." Bridget said, smiling at Lacie. "Another one of our sneaky little security systems."

Slightly disconcerted by the knowledge that Bridget could find her no matter where she was, Lacie soon realized that despite the social awkwardness, it was a huge blessing in disguise. Even if Lacie was forced off the grounds, as long as she kept her choker, they could find her. Though she hoped never to have to use it for that function, it was still a comfort.

Bridget reached the door of the greenhouse, knocked on the door's foggy windowpane twice and entered, Lacie following right behind her. Immediately, Lacie was glad she had chosen to wear light clothing, as the air in the verdant greenhouse was stiflingly warm and humid. Marie stood near the far end of the glass building, wearing a large floppy gardener's hat and thick gardening gloves. She had on boots, jean shorts, and a deep v-necked white tank top. Waving at the two girls as they entered, Marie leaned down towards the plants she was tending, finishing up quickly before straightening and heading towards the other women. Lacie and Bridget moved towards her, passing in front of a fan as they did, the wind catching and gently tossing Lacie's ponytail.

"Hey, good to see you. Your head okay chica? You had a lot of wine for a girl your size."

Smiling at the Hispanic woman, Lacie nodded.

"Great, thanks. I was more tired than anything, I think."

"I believe you. Stressful first day. Well, today should be much easier." The latina girl spoke loudly, talking over the nearby fans. Lacie could see Marie's clothing was already starting to grow damp in the humid air, and droplets of sweat were rolling down the valley of her breasts as she spoke. "Come on, lets go outside for a breather."

Gratefully following Marie out of the stifling greenhouse, the girls' skin was instantly covered in goosebumps from the relatively cool breeze outside the glass building. Bridget's tablet buzzed and she moved off to the side, immediately absorbed in whatever it was that the device was distracting her with.

"Oh, that feels good." Marie smiled, fanning herself with her hat. "So, did B there tell you what I do around the house?"

"Kind of. She said you look after the grounds and the plants."

"For the most part, yes. Some of that is Claire's job, but her stuff is all out by the farm."

"Farm?" Lacie asked curious.

"Master has some animals. Horses, dogs, cows, chickens and the like. Claire seems to sometimes prefer animals over people, so that's mostly her job. I think you'll probably get to go out there later. Let me tell you what I do around this part of the house."

Marie launched into a long monologue on what her responsibilities were, what she did around the gardens, what plants needed the most tending and all other facets of her 'job' around the mansion. Explaining to Lacie that the salads they had eaten the night before had come entirely from her vegetable gardens, the smaller brunette found she was impressed. From the sounds of things, Marie had enough work to keep her busy forever. When Lacie said as much, Bridget rejoined the conversation, having just finished with whatever had occupied her.

"That's one reason Master bought you. You'll be helping Marie on occasion, lightening her load. You'll be taking orders from me and Master, and you will be working with the other girls, not for them." Bridget spoke, looking over the rims of her sunglasses as she said the last sentence, staring straight at Marie. Marie, for her part, pasted a too-innocent smile on her face and pointedly avoided looking at Bridget.

"Well that sounds like fun actually. I'd like that."

"It's hard work." Marie cautioned.

"If you can do it, so can I." Lacie challenged confidently, bringing smiles to the faces of the older girls.

"You got some spunk, chica. I think I like you." Marie commented as she turned and looked over her shoulder. The curvy Hispanic girl walked back towards the greenhouse, nodding as she passed Bridget. The tall blonde absently nodded back, absorbed in her tablet and already heading off to the south.

"Now we go to Master's garage, and grab an electric cart."

"Why?" Lacie asked, jogging up to Bridget's side.

"Because it's four miles to the farm, and this is one of my nicer business suits."

"Ah."

The two walked down a wide gravel ramp that led under the south end of the house. There were over a dozen different cars there, including a stretch limo. Half as many motorcycles were lined up against one wall, and another wall held dozens of shelves, metal toolboxes, cases, baskets and trolleys festooned with grease covered tools and engine parts. A pink pair of grease stained sneakers poked out from under the front of a silver sports car. The hood was open and Lacie could see a beam from a light source underneath the car shine out between engine parts. Occasional muttered curses and loud metallic clanks told the two girls that Callie was hard at work under the shiny vehicle. Not wishing to interrupt her, in case she was doing something that required concentration, they slipped in and hopped into one of the three electric golf carts parked near the ramp.

Bridget drove the cart slowly down the driveway for about a quarter mile, then she turned off onto a dirt path that circled back west. Driving in silence, Lacie leaned back in her seat and enjoyed the wind in her face. After nearly twenty minutes, Lacie felt the cart slow and she opened her eyes. Before her sat an old barn, red and white paint, angled roof, big doors, the stereotypical farmyard barn image. It looked like a throwback to some earlier era of life. Another cart sat by a red metal gate and Bridget pulled up right next to it. Turning off the engine, both girls climbed out and looked around. There was an open field to the south, and Lacie saw two horses grazing, one a glossy black, one chestnut brown.

Neither girl saw Claire anywhere, but the other cart gave evidence that Claire had arrived before them, so the rocker girl was around somewhere. Pushing open the metal gate, they walked through, calling Claire's name. Claire didn't respond, but two big male collies came running around the side of the barn, mouths open and long tongues flapping as they barked excitedly, tails wagging wildly. Quickly stepping in front of Lacie, Bridget leaned down, holding her hands out to the two playful animals. One of the big dogs tried to jump up and lick her face, but Bridget leaned back just in time. Scratching the ears of both panting animals, Bridget nodded to Lacie, using her chin to wave the smaller girl forward. Gently, carefully, holding out her hand, Lacie let the dogs smell her. The friendly animals started licking her palms, making Lacie giggle at the wet, tickling sensation.

"Head's Up!" The girls heard a voice call out, just before a bale of hay impacted on the ground twenty feet from them, making the women jump. Both girls looked up to see Claire leaning out of the barn's hayloft door, her gloved hands pulling tiny headphones from her ears. The dark haired girl was wearing long jeans, a tank top and a tan cowboy hat, her feet protected by the same cowboy boots she had been wearing when Lacie first met her. "Hey, be down in a second!" she yelled before vanishing back into the shadowy hayloft. A short wait later, Claire jauntily strode out of the open barn, pulling leather work gloves off her hands as she held out her arms to Lacie. Quickly embracing the tattooed girl, Lacie sketched a quick grin.

"This place is great!" Lacie exclaimed.

"Isn't it? Master wanted a couple horses, and this old barn was already here when he bought the land. He helped me fix it up." Claire said, reaching down to scratch one of the collies behind the ears. "We brought the horses here, but had no one to take care of them, so I said I'd do it. Bo and Luke here help me keep the other animals in line. Don't you, boys?" she said, leaning her face down and making kissy noises at the friendly collies that were crowding her legs. Ducking back as they tried to lick her face, Claire laughed. "Master named them from some old TV show, I think. Come on, let me give you the tour, I can show you what you'll be helping me with when you're out here."

Slipping her leather gloves back on, Claire sauntered over to the bale of hay and lifted the heavy, blocky load with ease, balancing it on her hip as she walked, carrying it inside the barn. Setting the hay down along a pile of other bales, Claire pushed the twine wrapped blocks up against one wall before taking her gloves off and setting them on an old piece of wooden fencing. Claire turned back to the new girl and started showing Lacie around the barn as Bridget waited outside with the dogs. Claire pointed out how to take care of the horses, cows and various other animals around the farmhouse. The goth girl seemed strangely at home in a rural setting, leaving Lacie curious at to her past. When Lacie asked her about herself, Claire seemed more than happy to elaborate, telling the new girl about her life growing up on her aunt and step-uncle's farm, helping them raise the animals they had there. Claire kept at work as they talked, pausing only to greet the occasional curious farm animal before watching the creatures wander off.

Lacie continued to ask questions, which Claire answered as best she could. Lacie discovered that the main reason the farm existed was simply for the pleasure of caring for the animals. According to Claire, when Master could afford to take the time, he'd often come help her out, just to "feel good about a hard day's work" as he put it. And Lacie soon discovered, it was a lot of work. More than Claire could keep up with, since Master had just bought a few more dairy cows. Tossing Lacie a wink, Claire sidled up to an old metal fridge sitting in one corner. Reaching inside, Claire hunted a few moments before finding what she sought. Lacie heard the clinking of glass bottles from within the fridge, but when Claire pulled back, she held a long, orange carrot in her hand.

Waving for Lacie to follow her, Claire headed out into one of the gated pastures, slowly approaching the two horses that Lacie had seen earlier. The big animals watched silently as the two women approached, their tails swishing to ward off the occasional fly. Slowly approaching the horses, Claire tugged Lacie behind her, making sure to speak softly and calmly to the horses, not wanting to spook the powerful creatures. Breaking the carrot in half, Claire handed one piece to Lacie before snapping her own half in two. Holding the pieces out in her hands, and making sure her palms were flat as possible, Claire offered the treat to the horses. The animals snorted, their heavy breath washing over Claire's hands as they sniffed the proffered snack. Rubbery lips tickled her wrists and palms as the horses lazily snapped up the broken pieces of carrot.

Pulling Lacie closer, Claire broke the other half of the carrot and showed Lacie how to give the treat to the animals, making sure Lacie knew how to correctly hold it, so as not to get her fingers bitten. Once Lacie fed the other half of their snack to the horses, Claire introduced them to Lacie, allowing her to stroke the muscled necks of the powerful animals.

"The chestnut is Sadie, and the black gelding is Pharaoh. She's the calmer of the two, but he's better trained for riding. I can show you how if you want. I know you girly girls all love horses." Claire joked good naturedly. "You should have seen Callie when she heard we were getting these two. I don't think she stopped squealing for a week. Even Tara comes out here to ride sometimes."

The image of the small, shy asian girl controlling an animal as strong as Pharaoh seemed odd to Lacie. Turning back to Claire, Lacie said as much, and was surprised by Claire's answer.

"Don't underestimate her. Or any of the girls here for that matter. We all know how lucky we are to be here, and we'll fight tooth and nail to keep it. We enjoy every little thing we can about this place. Most of us know what it's like to have other owners, so this is about as close to heaven as I think exists."

"You've had another owner?"

"Personally, I've had three, Master included. Or four, depending on how you count it." Claire answered, before making her way back towards the barn and the waiting Bridget. "My step-uncle paid to keep me free till I was nineteen, technically making him my temporary owner, but the taxes on that are just too expensive for a family farm to keep paying. He couldn't afford to outright buy a girl my age with the nickels and dimes the farm was bringing in. After that I was sold..." Claire trailed off, a dark shadow passing over her features. "Well, I wasn't sold to very nice people, and let's leave it at that. There was a very good reason I ran when I was first brought here. That's a story that takes a long time to tell, which we are almost out of, if that dust trail means what I think it does." Claire pointed to the dirt road that Lacie had traveled down to reach the farm. Lacie followed her finger till she noticed a small dust cloud about a mile down the trail.

"Who is that?" Lacie questioned, hurrying behind Claire.

"Most likely Ana with lunch, I forgot to grab food this morning. With you and Bridget still out here, she probably packed something up for us. She's a sweet enough girl to make the trip all the way out here to bring it to us." Claire smiled at the distant dust cloud, sisterly affection evident in her voice. "Besides, she hasn't been out here in a while, her duties keep her in the house most of the time, so she loves it when she gets an opportunity to spend time outside. Ana is very dear to all of us." Claire stated, making eye contact with Lacie to emphasize her point. "Her country is even harsher on girls than ours. Lord only knows what she had to live through before Master brought her here. She's trying her best, but she still has trouble with the language and culture, such as it is. Try and be patient with her. She's one of the best of us." Claire said somberly, climbing over the metal gate before helping Lacie do the same.