The Thorns Upon the Roses Ch. 04

Chapter 4

The way out was a straight shot up the spiral staircase that I had descended on yesterday, but I didn't see anybody throughout the mansion. It was particularly quiet, except for distant music echoing from some room I had yet to see. Abby led me out while wearing a large backpack that seemed packed to the brim.

The front door opened, and the fresh air made me drunk immediately. I walked forward and smiled as I felt the air dance upon my skin, especially so high on my legs. I wasn't used to that much of my body showing. The trees were verdantly green, and they reached high into the sky. The sun was hidden among the canopy, but light shot through wherever it could. There was a sense of abandonment within these trees, like life had never noticed this pocket of the world before now. I turned to see the house looming over me. House. This was a mansion with no mistake. Three stories tall; various balconies or wrap around porchways; more than a dozen windows on just this elevation of the structure. The log siding almost acted like a camouflage to hide it among the trees. An outbuilding hid around the corner, and I could see a large garage door shut in, but tracks to and from it wrote into the dirt and up a road behind me.

Abby, however, was walking in the opposite direction, watching me closely. As if to see if I would follow her away from the road out of here, or make an attempt at an escape.

I couldn't track where the road vanished over the hill, but I imagined at some point there would be a gate. There had to be a gate! How would nobody stumble upon this compound and spill the news to the world that people were being kidnapped and taken here... I looked past the mansion and into the trees. I wondered how many mansions, houses, shacks were hiding in these hills, holding back their secrets within the Appalachia.

---

Abby and I walked in-line initially down a steep set of foothills, where a makeshift path had been formed to traverse down these mountains. She navigated with a quick ease, and I struggled to keep up. Clearly, these foothills were a second nature to her, and I stifled a laugh at the pun in my head of using nature...

Soon the paths were far less steep, and in the looming distance, I could see the blues of the lake penetrating through limbs and trunks. Abby broke the silence, "Out here, we can talk a little more freely." I expected more, but she didn't elaborate.

"So, there's nobody listening out here?"

"No there definitely are microphones in the trees, cameras in the branches... I wouldn't be surprised if they are in our toilet bowls, invisible somehow." The blatant big brother invasiveness was appalling, but Abby laughed at the darkness of it, and I joined in. I felt like I had been given so much information in the last day, yet I still knew nothing. For now, I trusted Abby, so I began to just ask in a rapid-fire style.

"How long have you been here, Abby?"

"It's pushing six months soon. Do you remember being taken?"

"No. I tried to remember it, but honestly, I'm not sure."

"Nobody ever can."

"Nobody? How many more are there?"

"There's five of us now, counting you." Abby's words hung in the air, and she added, "We just lost someone last week, which is why, I think, that you were added. He tried to make a run for it on the road you were looking at by the house."

"He? It's not just... women?" I wasn't sure if I was a he or not in this situation.

"Nope! When I first got here, there were two guys, and one other girl. Now its just us ladies."

We walked for a moment in silence.

Abby asked, "The lake house is really nice. Well, its more of a one-room shack, but it has running water and electricity. Some nights we come down here for a midnight swim. Chelsea usually brings water mixers and liquors she needs to make whatever new cocktail she is trying for that week."

Chelsea. Another name without a face. Or was it another face missing its name?

"What do you all do in your free time? I mean, it sounds like you all have a lot to do once the lectures are over."

"It isn't always this relaxing. Some weeks, you can tell the Doctor isn't happy with her results. Those weeks are hard. So, we stick together a little more closely than normal. During the easy weeks, we all get along. The Doc has even joined us down here a few times. She'll just watch us and sip an Old Fashioned as she listens to some podcast."

I laughed. I couldn't tell if this was a resort or a prison.

"Personally," Abby continued, "I'm always around. Reading in my room, writing, watching some movie. I'm out walking, maybe sitting on a porch swing. Madeline sleeps, maybe an unhealthy amount. Chelsea is usually with Jacques. Her mixology and his food pairs well for the Doc. Then there's Blair. Blair's been moody for the last few weeks. She keeps to herself. Despite all of that, the girls will hang out anytime you ask. Things will get stale around here quickly, so a new face is always welcomed."

I was afraid of my next question.

"How many new faces, come through here and... don't stick around."

Abby was blunt. "Too many. And maybe its good that they don't give in. It makes Avery's job a lot harder when they fight back..."

"Are you two close?"

"I think it's a little Stockholm Syndrome kicking in, and I think she realizes it too. That being said, she can be fun."

"Yeah. There's definitely a wall with her. She wouldn't talk about the program at all, and when I brought up the pamphlet thing..."

"She won't go near it. At least, she forces herself to step away. When she gets too close and puts in her opinion on the subjects or the study, she's always gone for a few days. When she returns, she's always quiet for a while before she opens back up again, but its never back to where she was."

The path had dumped us onto the shores of the lake, and we walked near the edges in the grass. Abby picked up a rock and launched it into the water, and the kerplunk was like a gunshot firing into the trees. Further down the trail, we could see the cabin clearly, and Abby had undersold it. Much like the mansion, this shack was the same log siding, but it was the size of a small-town house. It stood 5 feet over the water, to which one needed to climb a bridged incline to get in the cabin itself, which extended from the grassy shore over the mud, and into the cabin. Tiki torches were visible sporadically around the cabin, and they jutted out in strange angles. An electrical line of wires shot out from the roof and into the hills, back toward the mansion above us. I looked back up the trail, and I couldn't see the mansion anymore, but I figured someone could see me.

"Come on, I'll give you the grand tour!"

Abby walked along the bridge with a light-hearted pace. At the door, she grabbed the handle and said, "Welcome to my crib!" The door opened to a gorgeous cabin furnished with a large den that went straight into a kitchen, where a back screen door opened onto the small dock. Various chairs surrounded a card table in the den, and a television hung above the wall that was decorated with generic lake or beach memorabilia. A life-preserver hung next to some vases full of shells and shiny rocks. A few towels hung on the backs of chairs, and a shelf full of board games sat in the corner. The kitchen had no decorations, and it wasn't stocked either, outside of some waters in the fridge.

"It falls on us to stock this if we are gonna use it, which I was prepared for!" Abby dropped the backpack on the counter, and began to pull out a hodgepodge of snacks, waters, some hard seltzers, a copy of Avery's book, some hats... "In case you need it, there's a bedroom in there with a bathroom attached." Abby pointed to a door along the living room wall. One room! Sure...

"I can tell you've done this once or twice!"

"HA. Nobody ever brings stuff down here, so I'm used to over-preparing."

"I didn't even think about it. Did you want to swim?"

The thought of a bikini made me almost laugh with absurdity.

"I'll pass for now. Isn't it cold?"

"It's strange. This lake doesn't really get too cold. They say we're up North in the Appalachia, but I don't believe it." Abby opened a seltzer and began to sip from it as she motioned for me to grab one. "If that were true, this water would be cold for as long as I'm here. I think we're further south. Maybe in the Carolinas or something? Drink up sister, we're gonna have fun while we're here. If we find time to make it back for Kripke's book club, so be it! If we end up drinking the night away here, that works for me!"

"We can do that?"

"Tomorrow is Sunday. All we have to do is enjoy the open air. Should we need it... Abby opened a cabinet in the kitchen to display a few bottles with small amounts of booze left. She moved a few out of the way, and revealed a bottle with brown liquid. "You like whiskey?"

"More than I want to admit?"

"Then you'll love this. Oilfire. It tastes like snickerdoodles. I swear to God. Which is why..." Abby pointed to the table for me. I looked and saw a container of store-bought snickerdoodles among the snacks. "We're gonna bloat pretty bad tomorrow."

---

The second seltzers began to kick in, and Abby was loving every minute of it. The clocks had said 3:30 P.M. when we entered, but by now I had no clue what time we were dealing with. Abby had also turned on the speakers, and a mix of new indie pop came through. Every few songs, Abby would jump up and run her hands through her thick hair, and she would hum some words before sitting down and continuing our conversation.

Like before in Abby's room, the conversation had felt hollow, and it seemed we were skirting around words and phrases. A little more informal, Abby talked about what she wanted to do after this, and that she was only supposed to stick around for six more months. When I had mentioned that I was looking at 18 months, she wrinkled her nose against the idea.

"When you get out of here, PLEASE, come find me! I'll be in the Midwest somewhere. I want a little home in a small city, and I want to know all my neighbors..."

When she asked me what I would do once I was out of this place, I didn't know how to answer. To most of the questions, I answered with an "I don't know," because realistically I didn't know anything still.

After the third seltzer, Abby grew frustrated with my indifferent responses.

Abby moved to the kitchen and grabbed the whiskey. "Follow me, missy. Grab some glasses too!"

On the back side of the cabin, a porch swing hung from the roof, and the sun already behind some of the distant hills. Abby was sitting in it as I opened the door, but as she saw me, she jumped up and said, "One sec." She dashed into the kitchen as I went to the swing and sat down. Abby returned with a lighter and the container of cookies. She started sparking some of the tiki torches. Finished with her pyromaniacal job, Abby dropped the lighter onto the planks and joined me at the swing. She grabbed the bottle of whiskey and poured our glasses much higher than I expected. Bursting into the container of cookies, she grabbed two and placed the container, between us, and she hugged the bottle between her legs as we swayed slowly.

With a "Cheers," we took a swig of the whiskey and chomped onto the cookie. Abby was exactly right, the Oilfire tasted like snickerdoodles.

Whiskey had a beautiful effect. Abby and I both seemed to quiet down and enjoy the lakeside view. As I felt the buzz further escalate, I became more aware that I was with a beautiful girl, in a gorgeous setting, but I was dressed like her as well. I fidgeted at my sports bra with a clunky sense of disdain for it.

"Don't worry," Abby said. "You'll get used to it overtime."

"Oh sure!" I felt aggressive for some reason, but I wanted to be, so I said, "You know what pisses me off? I didn't have a great life before this, but it was good enough to not be kidnapped and turned into this." An angry sip of whiskey followed. Abby let me go off. "That being said, I wish I had some say in this. The money, the whiskey, surrounded by women, and being paid too! Did I mention the money already?"

Abby turned and smiled. She grabbed the bottle and poured a little more into our glasses before she set it down on the ground next to the swing. She took the container of cookies and moved it to her side, and she moved next to me and pushed her smooth legs against my hairy legs.

She didn't say anything, but Abby's hand moved to my thigh, and she traced her fingers on some of my leg hairs.

"You know," she said quietly. "They'll want this gone soon."

"My leg hair?"

"Mhm. If you don't shave it soon, Kripke will come and tell you how. Same for your armpits and your chest."

"Oh... I've never shaved... my body like that before."

"Like I said, you'll get used to it."

"Honestly, I'm not even sure I know how. Do you use a special lotion or something?"

Abby turned her head and looked me in the eyes to laugh.

I met her eyes and laughed, and I could see her drunken eyes looking back and forth at mine, and I'm sure I looked equally drunk as she did.

"Jess."

"Yes?"

Abby leaned in, and she kissed me immediately. It was a soft kiss at first, but then she went back for a second one, and it was longer, and I could feel her hand reach to my head and hold my face. I felt my penis start to get hard, except the cage got in the way. I shifted in the swing, as if that might let myself be free of the metal fixture, but it was no use. Then the pain of it started to overcome my senses, and I pulled away from Abby. I got up and tried to walk it away in place.

"Sorry," I said. "It's just, um."

"Its fine. I should have known you'd be locked up."

"Okay so you knew I was locked up?"

"Of course. The Doctor locks everyone up when they get here, for a short window."

"So, you... aren't?"

"It comes and goes for everyone after a few months. I'm free for a little bit. I bet maybe a few more days."

I took a swig of whiskey and did some leg lifts to try and turn off my downstairs.

"How does that work if you don't mind me asking? For a woman is it, like, a slab in front of you? How do you even go to the bathroom?"

Abby rolled her eyes. "If it makes you feel better, you're pretty cute for a girl. Your hair is just long enough to convince me sometimes."

The blue balls later would be a nightmare.

"Thanks, Abby."

"Anytime, Jess."

Abby gulped down the rest of her glass, and by that point I had either gotten over the pain or discomfort, or I was just ignoring it. I sat down next to her again, but I gave us an inch between us.

"What are they doing to me?" I asked to the lake.

Abby answered, "Its different for everyone, but similar in theory. The Doc is interested in how much of us she can alter before we stop being ourselves. Some of us get the same game. Others get worse versions."

"What do you mean? I'm actively going through a sex change against my will!"

"Some people just get pumped full of different endorphins. Extra T or E, sometimes going back and forth. It fries their body. Some people are just mutilated... There's no reason, but the Doc has her plans." Abby reached for the bottle again, but instead of pouring another glass, she brought it straight to her lips. I downed the rest of mine, and took the bottle from her.

"Want some advice about," Abby motioned broadly to myself.

"Yes, ma'am."

"When you walk, don't walk with your shoulders so far forward. When you sit, especially with the skirt, remember to close those downstairs bits. I could see some business earlier in the dorms."

I felt my cheeks grow hot and red.

"Its cute. Watching you try and figure it out, but acting like we don't know it."

"That's my biggest confusion!" My arms went up with some exasperated response. "You guys really treated me like I was a woman."

"That's the gig, missy. That extra income shows up everywhere. Making sure you don't break the mold is a big part of that money."

"Don't even get me started on that!"

"What? The money?"

"The ways to get the money!"

"Its optional for a reason, Jess. Do the bare minimum if you want, and nobody will think any less of you."

"Do you?"

"Think less of you?"

"No," I said as I turned to face Abby on the swing. She returned the posture, and we passed the bottle back and forth as we talked. The sun was now set, and the only light came from the tiki torches around us. "Do you do, more than the bare minimum?" I gulped back the words as I spoke, realizing I was just asking these questions to someone I barely knew. Then I realized this girl might be my best friend for the next six months.

"Wanna play a game?"

"I'm kinda too drunk to be playing Monopoly."

Abby laughed and slapped my shoulder.

"No! We ask each other anything, no holds barred. If you don't answer, we take a swig."

"Aren't we already doing that?"

Abby bit her lip.

"If you don't answer, take off a layer of clothing."

I gulped.

"Deal, but I'm not sure you'll like seeing what's going on down there."

Abby smiled and said, "It's just us girls. Don't worry! Ask first."

"Same question. More than the bare minimum?"

She paused for a moment then said, "Yes."

"Like what?"

"One question at a time!" She sipped on the whiskey as she spoke. "Easy one to start. Have you ever been with a guy, or wanted to?"

"Nope!"

"Nope to both?"

"Never been with a guy. And I never, well..." Way to go dumbass. Now she'll ask about that.

"That answer is part of my question. Strip or answer!"

"Okay once when I was just out of college, I had this dream, like a lucid dream. I was... I was blowing a guy. I had never had a thought before about guys or anything, and this dream showed up, and for like a month I couldn't stop thinking about it. My turn! Who here have you slept with."

Abby took zero hesitation before flicking a shoe off onto the planks. "I don't kiss and tell. I'm not letting you go of this dream by the way. Did you do anything after having that dream?"

I didn't want to tell her about the month of testing the waters with gay porn, but ultimately nothing had come of it. I removed a shoe.

"Hot! Actions speak louder than words." Abby laughed as she asked again. "How do you like the cage?"

"Its not so bad yet. I assume with even one more day it'll be terrible. What are they studying with you?"

Her lonely shoe fell off. Abby said, "I'm digging into this dream. At some point, you'll get the chance to suck someone off. Would you do it?" She pulled her socks off as she spoke. "Socks don't count by the way."

My other shoe fell off. "Let's just say, money would need to be what is getting me drunk for that one." I reached for my socks as I asked, "What was your life like before this?"

"I was an accountant at a bank, but I hated it. I quit one day when my management decided to jump down my throat over a timecard error. The next day I showed up here. How do you feel about the 18 months?"

"I'll answer with a question. Why do you think mine is so much longer than yours?"

"Cheating! But I think its because you're being studied differently. I have heard of them shortening sentences before, but its all rumors through here. Answer the question!"

"18 months is a long time to be dressed as this. The card said I could get money for wearing make-up each day, so if its that simple to make more money, then I'll make the most out of these 18 as I can!"

Abby laughed. "I can show you in the morning how I do mine. Its simple, but I can tell you've never done make-up before."

"Oh please. Whose turn is it?"

"Yours!"

"Oh." I laughed as I thought of questions to ask. "Why did you kiss me?"

"I thought you were trying to kiss me!"