The Kingdom Ch. 16

I looked around the room, surprised to see the unanimous expressions of disinterest written on everyone's faces. To me, this seemed like the only humane practice I'd encountered since arriving at the kennel. I, for one, felt instantly relieved to be here.

"Everyone here signed a contract for three months of servitude," Priya continued. "This is a very long period of time for a person to harbor a predominantly negativity mentality. In my line of work, I've studied the psychological and physical toll that such emotional distress can take on a person. One of the most critical steps to easing high levels of tension and stress is communication. As you're undoubtedly aware, communication is not always be a luxury that is afforded to you outside of this room. But, over the next hour, I want each of you to feel safe to speak freely and openly without fear of repercussion."

"And what assurances do we have that there won't be any repercussions?" the blonde who snorted challenged. "How do we know that you're not delivering our words straight to the assholes who guard us?"

"I promise that I would never do that," Priya replied. "Not unless you specifically request me to."

"Oh really?" The blonde woman said as she leaned forward in her chair. "Because, in our last session, I told everyone how much I despise butt-plugs. Would you like to take a guess what's been lodged in my ass every night since?"

"I'm sure that must be very difficult," Priya replied softly.

"Fuck you," the woman spat. "And fuck this fake therapy bullshit! All of this is just another way for y'all to fuck with us. A scheme to trick us into telling you our weaknesses and soft-spots."

"I can assure you that's is not true," Priya said calmly. "In fact, Clara Peters," Priya glanced down at her notebook and flipped through several pages. "-according to your file, you were not fitted with a plug on Wednesday night after your the session. You only began wearing one late on Thursday evening after your accident."

"Daaayum," Tasha muttered softly as snickers could audibly be heard around the room.

The woman named Clara suddenly turned beat red and looked away. Even from across the room, I could see her jaw muscles clench and her nostrils flair with anger.

"Nobody here is forced to share anything they do not wish to," Priya pressed on, scanning the room. "I understand how fragile trust must be for some of you right now and I know that I'm essentially a stranger to you. But as someone who has been in your shoes before, I know first-hand how important it is to have a release-mechanism in the midst of all that's going on."

"Damn, she's good," Tasha muttered, soft enough for only me to hear. I had to agree. Priya was clearly as bright as she was well-spoken. Just after the course of a minute, I found myself feeling more relaxed than I'd felt since arriving at the kennel.

"So, let's start by going around the circle clockwise and introducing ourselves," Priya said with a smile. "As I said earlier, I'm Dr. Priya Puri but you can call me Priya."

"Lexi," said the woman next to her.

"Chantelle," said the next.

"Madison," said the next.

"Clara," muttered the still blushing blonde.

"Willow," said the next.

"Brielle," said the next.

"Pass," Tasha, replied bluntly.

"Katie," I said in a quieter voice than I intended.

"Sydney," said the girl to my left.

"Okay," Priya replied with a smile. "Very nice to formally meet everyone. Would anyone like to share first?" Nobody answered for several seconds. "Madison?" she coaxed. "How are you sleeping? In our last session, you expressed difficulty with insomnia."

"Uh, yeah. Pretty much the same as last time," replied the girl named Madison. "Still having nightmares."

"Do you feel comfortable sharing those with us?" Priya pressed.

"Oh, you know- same old nightmares as last time," Madison replied with a touch of attitude. "Being choked by a sweaty middle-easterner until I pass out. Then, I wake up to realize that- it wasn't a nightmare but, rather, a memory. And for the rest of the night, I'm left awake thinking about how, in few short days, I get to go back into the custody of that sweaty middle-easterner." Madison's gaze dropped to the floor and I could see her foot tapping nervously. "And he'll be free to do the same thing to me all over again. And who's to say that I'll make it through the next time?" Madison raised her gaze and scanned the room with a fake smile. "So, how's everybody else sleeping?"

"I'm sorry to hear that, Madison," Priya replied after a brief pause. "If it's of any consolation, your owner has been informed that his next offense will result in the permanent loss of his slave-owning privileges and you'll be removed from his custody."

"Which means that I'll get to come live here until the next auction takes place," Madison interjected sarcastically. "Goody!" Madison returned her gaze to the floor.

"Thank you for sharing, Madison," Priya replied thoughtfully.

"Oh, my pleasure. I mean, who wouldn't want to relive shit like that in front of an audience?" Madison answered sarcastically. "I feel loads better now. Thank's for calling on me."

"Traumatic events can be painful to relive, but suppressing that pain tends to do far more harm. I've always likened it to refusing to treat an infected wound," Priya explained before turning her gaze toward a woman seated on the other side of Tasha. "Brielle, do you feel comfortable sharing how you've coped with your owner's mistreatment?"

The confused looking brunette replied, "Mistreatment?"

Priya looked through her papers and replied, "I read that you came to reside here after similar circumstances. Your owner nearly suffocated you by... improper use of a deprivation hood?"

"Oh that," the woman laughed. "No, love. That's called asphyxiation. And he did only covered my airways because I ordered him to."

"Your oxygen levels reached... 32 percent," Priya countered, glancing down at her paperwork. "You're telling me that you signed off on that?"

"I am and I did." Brielle replied bluntly. "And I said the same thing to the meatheads who barged into our room that night. But they weren't in a mood to reassess the situation. Not when there are profits to be made by tossing us into prison."

"That's actually a common misconception, I'm afraid," Priya replied, removing her glasses. "There are no monetary advantages to admitting anyone into the kennel."

"Hush, bitch," Brielle countered, prompting an uncomfortable silence to fall on the room. "I was a staff-member here for two years before I enlisted as a contestant. I know exactly what this place is and how it operates. It's a for-profit prison. Every arrest accredits the arresting officers an additional 3% of his weekly salary."

"And if you were saying this a year ago, you would be 100% accurate," Countered Priya respectfully. "But one of my first initiatives when I began working here was to eliminate incarceration incentives. Nobody earns a cent more or less than their contracted fee following an arrest or conviction."

Our eyes spun back over to Brielle who replied, "Well, it might be worthwhile to make sure that the arresting officers are aware of that."

"They heard it from me personally on their first day of orientation," Priya replied with a smile. Recognizing her loss in their exchange, Brielle shrugged and looked away.

"I understand the distrust that many of you feel," Priya continued in a soft voice. "I'm not going to patronize you by telling you that everyone who works here wants the best for you. You're smart enough to know that this isn't true. I'm here because I believe in mental health. I know how critical it is to counterbalance trauma and pain with counsel and open communication. While I cannot force anyone here to participate in discussion, I strongly encourage each of you to keep an open mind. This is as beneficial as you want it to be."

Another uneasy silence fell across the room as we all waiting for the next person to speak.

"My owner got in a bar fight," the pixie-cut blonde to my left chimed in. "So, we're both serving 24 hours."

"Mine tried to blackmail our waitress into spending the night with us," said a hispanic girl across from me. "Also 24 hours."

"Mine got arrested for trying to hack into his private email," said a dark-haired girl with freckles. "Which got us a full week."

"And how about you, Tasha?" Priya asked.

Tasha paused before muttering "Ask her," as she nodded toward me.

"Katie?" Priya answered.

"Ugh, it's kind of a long story," I deflected, hearing my voice quiver slightly.

"Well if you're comfortable sharing, we'd love to hear it," Priya replied with a reassuring smile.

"Uh, well- Tasha and I have the same owner and he uh- poisoned me," I answered. I heard a gasp from across the room. "Not intentionally," I clarified. "Or at least I don't think he did. Um- I'm extremely allergic to peaches and he fed me toast with peach jam. So, I went into anaphylactic shock and was rushed to the emergency clinic. It was actually touch and go for a while."

"I'm sorry," Priya said. "That must have been really scary."

I nodded, looking uncomfortably at the floor. "I... thought I was gonna die."

"But you made it," Priya said softly. "I'm sure it must feel pretty unfair to have to recover from an incident like that in a place like this."

"Um, I actually didn't come here after that," I replied, unsure of how detailed I wanted to make this part of the story. "A... friend... was able to get temporary custody so I wouldn't have to stay here."

Priya glanced down at her notes and turned a page. "I don't think I realized that," she replied. "So, how did you end up back in the kennel?"

"Um..." I replied. "I..." I suddenly felt the familiar lump return to my throat. The last thing I wanted was to relive my drama with Jodie. Not after having spent most of the night sobbing over it. I shook my head as I quickly searched for a lie that I could replace my story with. "After I left the emergency clinic, I... My voice was now shaky and was barely louder than a whisper.

"She missed me so much that she begged to come back," Tasha suddenly interjected, having evidently picked up on my emotional distress. "Nothin' soothes the soul like a bit of dark chocolate. Ain't that right, K?" My tear-glossed eyes flicked over to Tasha and I gave a weak smile and nod. I was extremely grateful that she stepped in to save me from sharing anymore. I really was an emotional wreck and didn't wish to open the floodgates again.

"Anything else you'd like to share, Katie?" Priya asked, to which I shook my head.

"So, why are you here, doc?" Tasha asked Priya, suddenly shifting gears.

"Excuse me?" Priya replied, clearly taken aback.

"Well, since we're all spilling the beans, I'm curious to know how a clinical psychologist such as yourself ended up in a place like this leading group therapy."

"I think this time would be better spent hearing from each of you," Priya replied.

"Nah, we're good, right ladies?" Tasha replied flippantly as she leaned back in her chair and crossed her legs. "You've got all our files and I'm guessing our stories pretty much line up with each other's. Asshole owner did something irresponsible, illegal, or unethical which landed us in here. Cases closed. The only person in this little sisterhood we don't know anything about yet... is you." Yet another uncomfortable silence fell across the room. "So, let's hear it. What's Dr. Priya Puri's story?"

Just then, the door slid open and a guard entered briskly.

"Um, excuse me," Priya said, uncrossing her legs. "We're in the middle of a session."

"I'm here to fetch Katie Huff," the guard replied. With the exception of Priya, all eyes in the room turned to me.

"And you'll be free to collect her so once our session is complete," Priya retorted curtly.

"Sorry, ma'am," the guard replied. "I been ordered to move her immediately."

"Where and for what purpose?" Priya challenged.

"She's being discharged, ma'am," the guard replied. My heart did a somersault in my chest. As relieved as I was to be leaving this place, I clueless as to why.

"That was fast," chimed Tasha.

"Into the custody of whom?" Priya asked, reading my mind. The most obvious choice was Jodie, but at a place like the Kingdom, I knew better than to expect or hope for the obvious.

"I'm not aware, ma'am," the guard replied.

Priya's lips pursed as the guard clipped the leash he was holding into my collar. As he pulled me to my feet, Priya forced a smile said, "Well, Katie, it was a pleasure to meet you. I wish you the very best of luck."

"Thanks," I answered. As I turned to follow the guard out of the room, my eyes met Tasha's.

"Don't give her a free pass," Tasha said in a low voice, clearly referring to Jodie.

I gave a weak nod and whispered, "Bye, Tasha." She gave a small wink before I stepped past her.

As I followed the guard out of the room, I started to feel a flood of conflicting emotions wash over me. On one hand, I was obviously relieved to be leaving this place. But I honestly wasn't sure how I was supposed to feel about leaving with Jodie. I couldn't ever remember feeling more betrayed and confused. Moving back in with her and returning to life as normal didn't even seem possible after what happened the night prior...

I also felt guilty about leaving Tasha in here alone. Frankly, she had been kind to me when I was at my lowest. We were vastly different in every way but kindred by our circumstances. And as bad as my circumstances may have been, hers seemed far worse. After what she told me about all she'd been subjected to both in and out of the kennel, she definitely could have used the early release more than me.

Following the guard around the bend in the hallway, I recognized the large double-doors ahead as the exit into the kennel's main lobby. Unsure of what lied ahead, each step I took felt heavier than the one before it.

As we stepped up to the doors, they opened automatically for us. I squinted as natural sunlight poured through the doors. But as soon as my eyes adjusted, my heart-rate spiked at the sight of Jodie standing by the front desk. She was joined by Annabelle who was facing away from me. Seeing the two of them together was a bit surreal. The last time I'd seen then together, Annabelle was standing proudly over a Jodie who was bound and gagged on the extractor machine. Not to mention, last night, Jodie was convinced that Annabelle and I had somehow conspired against her. That I was acting as her spy or something. Time seemed to stand still as Jodi and I made eye contact. Like mine must have looked, Jodi's face appeared abnormally pale and sleep-deprived. Her expression was one of concern and remorse.

"Ah, here's our little runaway," Annabelle said gleefully as she turned to face me. Jodi said nothing but gave a nervous smile. "Miss O'Connell tells me that you flew the coop yesterday."

I opened my mouth but said nothing as I looked in confusion from Annabelle to Jodie. Jodie's eyes opened wider than usual as she gave the smallest of nods, clearly trying to signal me to agree. But why? Why was she wanting me to admit to running away? Wouldn't that land me in even deeper trouble? Unclear of how exactly I was supposed to react, and with my trust in Jodie still shaken, I said nothing and looked down at the floor.

"After all the strings I had to pull, I'm surprised at you two," Annabelle continued, studying my face. "You seemed like such a cute couple. What could have prompted you to run?"

Still dumbstruck as to what was happening, I said nothing as the guard handed the end of my leash over to Annabelle.

"Mistakes were made," Jodie said dismissively, breaking her silence. "We'll sort them out."

"I'm sure you will," Annabelle replied with a fake grin as she turned back to Jodie. "Because this is definitively the last favor that I'll be extending to either of you. I'm afraid the Jodie O'Connell chronicles have taken quite enough of my precious time." Annabelle turned her body to face me. Following a harsh yank to my leash, I felt compelled to look up into her eyes. "Katie Huff, do you agree to place yourself into the temporary custody of Miss O'Connell for the remaining four days of your kennel sentence?"

With so many questions unanswered questions swirling in my head, I simply stared at her with my mouth hanging open.

"Verbal consent is required before you can be discharged," Annabelle pressed. "A simple yes will do."

"What about Tasha?" I blurted out, surprising even myself with my boldness.

Annabelle blinked, clearly taken off-guard by my question. "Who?" she asked.

"Uh, my- my cellmate, Tasha Quincy," I replied. "She's Tom Murphy's other slave."

"And?" Annabelle asked, her patience clearly growing thin.

"And... I'm wondering if- she can be discharged as well." I asked, prompting a long pause. "Into Jodie's custody, that is." In my peripheral, I could see Jodie signaling her disapproval by shaking her head no."

Annabelle turned in disbelief to Jodie and then back at me. "Are you seriously asking me for another favor?" She asked. "Literally 6 seconds after I told you that I was finished with favors?"

Sensing that my luck was running dangerously thin, I spoke as quickly as I could. "She's been horribly mistreated and I just- I think she could really use a-"

"Miss Huff," Annabelle interrupted. "If the next word out of your mouth is not an answer to my yes-no question, I will drag you myself back into the hole I sprang you from." Annabelle threatened. "Yes or no, Miss Huff. Do you agree to place yourself into the temporary custody of Miss O'Connell?" My eyes glanced nervously from Annabelle to Jodie.

"Katie," Jodie pleaded. "Say yes." Her eyes seemed desperate. "Please."

Feeling my eyes well up with tears, I froze. Even without fully understanding the events of the night prior, I could tell that Jodie regretted her actions. This was clearly an attempt to fix things and make amends. And given how she felt about Annabelle, it couldn't have been easy to grovel to her for help in this instance. But as much as I appreciated the effort, I couldn't stop thinking about Tasha. Letting her stay here by herself to take on the full oral responsibilities for that racist asshole seemed unconscionable. She said herself that she was relieved that I would help lighten her load...

"I... can't," I whispered, more to Jodie than to Annabelle. "I can't leave her this way. She needs help." Jodie stared back, clearly at a loss for words. "You would do the same for me."

"Say goodbye, Miss Huff," Annabelle said as she suddenly yanked my leash away from Jodie.

Jodie grabbed Annabelle's arm, stopping her in her tracks, "How much?" Jodie blurted out. "How much do you want in exchange for giving me temporary custody of Tasha as well? I'll pay whatever you want."

"Remove your hand, Miss O'Connell," Annabelle warned in a menacing voice. Jodie released her arm and dropped it. "Tasha is not eligible for temporary custody," Annabelle replied flatly, turning and walking briskly back toward the door we came from, "And neither is Miss Huff anymore, I'm afraid."

"I'm sorry," I whispered to Jodie, trying to hold back tears.

Jodie's hands lifted up to her head in desperation as she helplessly watched me be pulled back into the bowels of kennel.

Looking over my shoulder, I maintained my gaze on her until the wide double doors slid closed behind me. I took a deep breath, silently telling myself that I made the right choice. The brave choice. Somehow, it was easier to make knowing that Jodie felt remorse over the events of the night prior. The idea of her not being angry with me some how made my circumstances more tolerable.