Lavinia was brought outside with the other girls. She had not been allowed to grab her coat before Isaac's guards herded her along and the wintry chill bit into her skin. She huddled close to the other girls, keeping her arms wrapped around her chest. As they stood surrounded by guards, two carriages pulled forward. Isaac climbed into the first one without looking back at the cluster of shivering girls. One of the guards pulled open the door to the second carriage and started roughly shepherding the girls aboard. The six of them just barely managed to fit on the narrow seats inside. Pressed up against Lavinia's right side was a shorter girl she recognized. She had been hired to work in repairs due to her tiny frame. She was crying softly. Lavinia pulled one of her arms free and wrapped it around the girl, holding her shaking body close. "You're all right," Lavinia stroked the girl's hair back from her tearstained face. "What's your name?""Rosie," she replied softly. "
As it got later, some of the girls started to go to sleep, exhausted from the day's ordeal. Lavinia noticed that Helen and the other two women sat uneasily on the edges of their beds. She caught Helen's eye about to ask something, but Helen shook her head. So Lavinia stayed put, letting Rosie repetitively braid and unbraid her hair.From the hallway came the sound of several pairs of feet. The door was thrown open and two guards stepped through. Helen looked between the guards as the two other women sat forward."It's my night I think," said the tallest one. "That it is. But Mr. Astor said he wanted to try something. Something new." With a swift motion, the guard on the left seized the wrist of one of the new brunette girls. Having been asleep in her bed, she yelped. The guard to the right extended his hand towards the tall woman who stood and took it, resigned. She and the new brunette were ushered quickly into the hallway. As the door closed the girls could see the d
Over the next several days the wound on the brunette girl's neck began to fade and heal. The purple bruising lifted to an off-colored yellow and the puncture marks reduced to slight pinpricks. The only outside interaction came from the guards dropping off food. They replaced Lavinia's pillowcase, taking the stained one away."What is he doing?" Rosie asked."Isaac doesn't feed every day," said Helen. "He likes to take his time. I think he likes seeing how weak he can get his prey. Otherwise, I'd expect that he would just let the company take care of it.""Is that what the rest of the family does?" asked Lavinia."Sort of," Helen replied. "I don't know much about the family, but on a few occasions I've seen his sister taking her meals.""Sister?""Yeah. She keeps her stock in the room across the hall."The other woman piped up. "I've heard that most of her victims get to leave.""What?" Lavinia turned to look at her."She has restraint."Helen laughed sadly. "Or Isaac is just
Lavinia lay splayed on Isaac's bed. Her corset was unhooked and thrown open over her slightly torn chamise. She breathed slowly, taking stock of the sensation coursing through her body. Across her body were marks of reddish-purple bruising surrounding pairs of pinpricks. The pain of each blended into a strange sense of total relief and euphoria. Lavinia felt weak and drained. She knew that even if she wanted to she would not be able to stand or even sit up. Her body felt light and somewhat numb, but not in an unpleasant way. Her eyes fluttered open. The room was darker than before as the fire had died to a low crackle. From her vantage point, she could see some indistinct movement by the door. Turning her head, she saw Isaac standing in the slightly open door. He was facing out, speaking softly to someone beyond the view of the door. In reply came a high, almost musical voice. In her delirium, Lavinia could only register the bare minimum of their conversation. It see
When Lavinia woke, she found that she had not moved during the night. Usually a turbulent sleeper, she was surprised that her arms were still draped across Isaac. He appeared to have stayed on his back, eyes closed. Experimentally, Lavinia took a deep breath. She could feel already that she was stronger now. The marks across her ached less and the fog around her thoughts had faded leaving a layer of disgust and apprehension.This man, this monster, had brought half a dozen girls into a house of death. He openly confessed that he enjoyed the fear and discomfort that he caused. The girls in the room could attest to the fact that he used their dread for his own pleasure. With every availability to switch to the manufactured plasma that his family produced, he still chose to select victims from the populace who had no recourse. The girls in the factory could not say no. Lavinia could still remember the heavy sound a body hitting the floor as Isaac dealt with the single girl
As Lavinia lay with the sheet over her head, the whispers around her got louder, until she could no longer tune them out. She could hear the snide comments from Annette worming their way into the other girls. What started as a light suggestion bloomed into an assumption, one that not even Helen seemed to argue against. Only Rosie stayed out of it. She climbed into the bunk above Lavinia's and hung her feet over the edge.Lavinia lay in bed the rest of the day, keeping out of sight of the other girls. She did not want to engage with their accusations, nor did she want to give them any more fuel. The sheet hid the marks on her neck and chest, marks that under closer inspection, did not all contain punctures. Some were merely bruised and broken blood vessels like Lavinia had seen on factory girls who had a husband at home or a bit on the side. Lovers marks.She had not realized how long she had been in bed when the door was opened once more. The girls swirled into an uproar.
"So you're trying to bargain now." Isaac gestured to the table. The room was set up almost exactly as it had been last time. The fire, the table, the bed. The only major difference was Isaac himself. He was dressed as he had been at the factory, but his features seemed warmer. His eyes looked awake, alert. She would not have been able to pick it out before, but Lavinia became suddenly aware that Isaac's icy eyes had faint dark lines in the iris. Had they been hazy before or had she just not looked hard enough?"So," said Isaac, folding his hands on the table between them. "What did you want to start with?""What are you playing at?""Excuse me?""I wouldn't say I felt anything for you so you start throwing girls away? I knew you were sadistic, but this is just depraved." Lavinia crossed her arms.Isaac sighed. "I didn't kill them for you.""Then what are you doing?""How much do you know about my kind?""Enough to make assumptions.""So, very little. When we feed we get st
Isaac's touch was at once softer and rougher than Lavinia could have imagined. For such a doted-on heir his hands were surprisingly calloused. He was not shy about his grip of the authoritative way he moved Lavinia. He easily shifted her, arranging her limbs to suit his fancy. Yet, he was also remarkably careful. Lavinia knew that with Isaac's demeanor and strength he could easily hurt her, shatter her. And she almost wished he would. Her loathing had not instantly let up when Isaac spoke about his own begrudging feelings. She still thought him to be a monster. But that cruel nature served only to enhance the experience. Lavinia had known many girls that worked outside of the factories for the satisfaction of others. The needed to mind their men, making personal concessions to satiate that evening's employer. Here, Lavinia had no limitations. She was able to explore and experience at her discretion. Isaac regarded her in much the same way. While their pleasure was mutual