wait. If I fall asleep, he gets me. But he's never found me in this spot. We just have to whisper, and when we hear him in the room, we have to be completely silent."
"Are you sure he won't find us?"
"Not if we're quiet. He's too impatient. He never looks hard enough. He can't resist taking the drug. Then he beats himself off so hard he bruises himself and storms off."
"You can't find where he gets in."
"I've looked everywhere," she said, her voice raising to normal volume, then tampering back down to a whisper. "It's what I do when I'm bored. I know he's coming from the shower room, but where is beyond me."
"Have you told Patton?"
"No."
"Why not? I think we should tell him."
"Don't, please. Wouldn't you rather us find it ourselves? If Clifton can sneak into my room, he's probably tunneled all through this building. There's no telling where it goes."
I felt the slightes t twinge of hope. Escape. It might be possible after all. Something to hold onto, at least, something to occupy my mind, lest it wander off and never return.
"Kaaate."
Clifton was in the room, his voice so loud I thought he must be in the closet doorway. Kate peeked in the crack between two boxes, then let me have a look.
The closet door stood wide open and I could see the head of the bed and the shower room entrance, where Clifton stood completely naked, soaking wet, steam whirling from his hairy, splotchy skin.
"Where ye at, Kate? Time for Clifton, baby. Patton said ain't nobody to touch the new girl, but he didn't say nothin' 'bout yooou ."
He was getting closer, and yet my fear had diminished. Patton had given me immunity to Clifton, if Clifton possessed the will power to obey orders.
Kate was staring me down, fuming. I started to worry her snorting would give us away.
As soon as I reached out to touch her arm, she whispered, "He lets them fuck me every way you can imagine and I can't even get him to kiss me. What makes you so special?"
"I . . . don't know."
I wasn't convinced Patton thought I was special, more so that Kate's unrealistic expectations made her paranoid and jealous. I've gone through that before. I think every girl has. But just because Patton had no interest in Kate didn't mean he would waste a thought on me.
The crack between the boxes darkened, and I could hear Clifton's labored breathing just on the other side.
"Come on out, Kate, or else I'm gonna piss on all your stuff."
Kate gritted her teeth and shook her head.
"Last chance!"
─The Showcase Hall─
WE MANAGED to stay hidden until three in the morning, when Clifton finally gave up on flogging himself and slumped back into the corridor from which he had emerged.
When we were certain the room was clear, Kate crept out first to hunt down a second can of pepper spray, and then together we tiptoed through the damp, echoing hall into the shower room.
I welcomed the warmth of the room, but the thick steam made searching for Clifton more terrifying.
Luckily, he was nowhere to be found. We swept every room twice, and Kate even swam around in the Jacuzzi pool to make sure he wasn't hiding there.
"I think we're safe to go to sleep," she said, wringing her hair as she stepped out of the water.
"What if he comes back?"
"He never does. Not that you'd have to worry."
She'd been acting distant since learning that Patton had forbidden anyone to touch me, and it carried over into the morning, when we awoke holding each other. The moment she opened her eyes, she jerked away from me and got out of bed.
"Are you mad at me about something?"
"No. About what?"
That was how the morning went. She hardly spoke unless I asked a question, and her answers were short and snappy.
We spent the first half hour cleaning up all the places where Clifton had urinated.
"How often does this happen?"
"This was the first time."
"We have to find where he gets in."
"I know."
After cleanup, we both showered and Kate dialed
"Are you sure he won't find us?"
"Not if we're quiet. He's too impatient. He never looks hard enough. He can't resist taking the drug. Then he beats himself off so hard he bruises himself and storms off."
"You can't find where he gets in."
"I've looked everywhere," she said, her voice raising to normal volume, then tampering back down to a whisper. "It's what I do when I'm bored. I know he's coming from the shower room, but where is beyond me."
"Have you told Patton?"
"No."
"Why not? I think we should tell him."
"Don't, please. Wouldn't you rather us find it ourselves? If Clifton can sneak into my room, he's probably tunneled all through this building. There's no telling where it goes."
I felt the slightes t twinge of hope. Escape. It might be possible after all. Something to hold onto, at least, something to occupy my mind, lest it wander off and never return.
"Kaaate."
Clifton was in the room, his voice so loud I thought he must be in the closet doorway. Kate peeked in the crack between two boxes, then let me have a look.
The closet door stood wide open and I could see the head of the bed and the shower room entrance, where Clifton stood completely naked, soaking wet, steam whirling from his hairy, splotchy skin.
"Where ye at, Kate? Time for Clifton, baby. Patton said ain't nobody to touch the new girl, but he didn't say nothin' 'bout yooou ."
He was getting closer, and yet my fear had diminished. Patton had given me immunity to Clifton, if Clifton possessed the will power to obey orders.
Kate was staring me down, fuming. I started to worry her snorting would give us away.
As soon as I reached out to touch her arm, she whispered, "He lets them fuck me every way you can imagine and I can't even get him to kiss me. What makes you so special?"
"I . . . don't know."
I wasn't convinced Patton thought I was special, more so that Kate's unrealistic expectations made her paranoid and jealous. I've gone through that before. I think every girl has. But just because Patton had no interest in Kate didn't mean he would waste a thought on me.
The crack between the boxes darkened, and I could hear Clifton's labored breathing just on the other side.
"Come on out, Kate, or else I'm gonna piss on all your stuff."
Kate gritted her teeth and shook her head.
"Last chance!"
─The Showcase Hall─
WE MANAGED to stay hidden until three in the morning, when Clifton finally gave up on flogging himself and slumped back into the corridor from which he had emerged.
When we were certain the room was clear, Kate crept out first to hunt down a second can of pepper spray, and then together we tiptoed through the damp, echoing hall into the shower room.
I welcomed the warmth of the room, but the thick steam made searching for Clifton more terrifying.
Luckily, he was nowhere to be found. We swept every room twice, and Kate even swam around in the Jacuzzi pool to make sure he wasn't hiding there.
"I think we're safe to go to sleep," she said, wringing her hair as she stepped out of the water.
"What if he comes back?"
"He never does. Not that you'd have to worry."
She'd been acting distant since learning that Patton had forbidden anyone to touch me, and it carried over into the morning, when we awoke holding each other. The moment she opened her eyes, she jerked away from me and got out of bed.
"Are you mad at me about something?"
"No. About what?"
That was how the morning went. She hardly spoke unless I asked a question, and her answers were short and snappy.
We spent the first half hour cleaning up all the places where Clifton had urinated.
"How often does this happen?"
"This was the first time."
"We have to find where he gets in."
"I know."
After cleanup, we both showered and Kate dialed
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