by J. E Hanson
“Do you have my notes, Jeannie?”
I hand him the notes that I took throughout his meeting.
He looks at me happily. “I knew you could do this. Do you see what I mean, by a waste of money?”
I nod nervously in agreement, and I refuse to start another argument with him. He already fought with his girlfriend. I refuse to add to his bad day, by arguing his thought process. I’m too sleepy and want to go to bed.
We enter his limousine, and I remember to express my manners, “I want to thank you for purchasing all this stuff for me, but you didn’t have to do that.”
He smiles at me. “Well, I can spend my money on whomever I want to spend it on. But you are most welcome, Princess.”
~~~***~~~
I notice the time and there’s not a lot of sleep left. I strip out of my clothes as soon as I reach my bedroom. I’m able to drift off into a peaceful slumber for the first time in years. I no longer suffer from the horrific images of my parents’ deaths.
~~~***~~~
The next morning, I managed to wake up from my alarm. I’m still groggy from the meeting last night, and I stumble over my feet, while changing into my workout clothes. I put the jewelry back in their boxes. I continue, to stumble out my bedroom, and plug my code into the elevator. I pull my hair up at the last minute. The elevator cameras monitor me closely. I make a quick exit for the dining hall.
Brannon and Brennan meet me there, but they stare at me strangely.
“What are you guys staring at?”
Brannon chuckles at my weary appearance. “You look rough this morning, love. Did you sleep well?”
“I’m a little worn out, but I’m unable to complain about it either.” I remember the contract I signed, and learned, to keep my mouth shut.
Brennan taps on my nose. “You will grow accustomed to the schedule soon, love. Are you ready for your daily training?”
“If I say no, you will make my day a living hell. I will keep a smile on my face by lying, and saying that I’m ready when you are.” If I’m caught complaining, the men will add exercises to my routine. I have learned early on to shut up.
Brannon chuckles again. “That’s the spirit, love!”
The brutal training commences. Squats and thrusts in the sand are never fun exercises, to do in the heat.
~~~***~~~
It is hard to balance working out, and actual work. I try to stay awake during his meetings. I work for Christian, by organizing his files; setting up meetings; and attending all his business meetings for the rest of the week. I’m thankful that Paul keeps me awake during these meetings. Christian ignores his girlfriend for the rest of the week too. I’m fighting exhaustion to even notice.
~~~***~~~
The only days he has off, are on the weekends. I’m so grateful for any extra sleep I can grab. My enjoyment continues, when my weight drops to one hundred and eighty five pounds. I almost lost a full person. I can even breathe better now.
~~~***~~~
Thomas smiles at me for the first time. “I know the guys want you to call me Thomas, but I prefer it if you call me Tommy instead. Are you ready to workout with me?”
“I don’t want to annoy you or anything, but you didn’t appear happy, to see me when Willow introduced me to you,” I voice my opinion for the first time to someone, when something upsets me.
Tommy sips his mug then sets it down. “I did give you a minor look of annoyance. I thought you were a selfish brat. I’m sorry for misjudging you, and you have proven yourself worthy,” he pauses for a minute, and then he changes the subject, “there are people in the castle, who tell me that you pray a lot.”
“I do pray a little, and I’m sorry if that offends any of you. My older sister would be the selfish one, and I stay to myself,” I shock myself for even saying that aloud.
“You don’t offend me, child. I like you even more, now that I know you pray. You might want to pray for the next two weeks, because I’m a brutal trainer. Shall we begin our training session?” He’s extremely cocky and arrogant too.
“As long as you leave me in one piece, because I still have to work for Christian tonight.”
Tommy chuckles, holding the doors open for me, and I walk right beside him. I’m proud of how I can keep up with the men. Tommy weighs me in at one hundred and seventy pounds. The whole person finally drops off me. The large clothes need to reduce to a smaller size. My body has curves, but the boobs remain. My boobs are increasingly noticeable for a change. Tommy practices yoga, and it isn’t easy. He specializes in spiritual and holistic growth. I learn martial arts for the first time and it hurts. But sadly, my body plateaus for the first time. He gives me grapefruit to try to shake up my weight loss, but I never shed one single pound during the first week with Tommy. I cry every single night, when I stop losing any weight. The fear of not losing any more weight makes me upset.
Christian finally has enough, and he brashly enters my bedroom. “I know you are upset over your lack of weight loss, but you have overcame so much! You are improving every single day, and you should be proud of your achievements. You should realize that at some point, you are building muscles. The rest of the weight will eventually fall off.”
I wipe the tears away. Christian makes everything sound so easy and perfect. He hands me an expensive handkerchief. I take him and myself by surprise, when I hug him.
“Thank you for everything, and I appreciate your kindness.”
“You are most welcome, Princess.” He left me as quickly as he came.
Tommy taught me Pilates, yoga, and martial arts. Tommy instantly starts training me in his profession. “Hand me the socket wrench, Jeannie.”
I hand him the socket wrench. “How long, have you been here, Tommy?” So much for that contract, I signed.
“I have been here, for a long time, sweetie.”
I sit on an upside down bucket, while he works on his truck. “Do you ever go on dates?”
“I have plenty of dates,” and he continues, “do you want a date—or something?”
“I’m not interested, but I don’t see any women visit you guys. I just remembered that I signed that contract. I’m so sorry, for asking such personal questions.”
“That’s okay, Jeannie. You’re a pretty girl, and I’m sure you have been on plenty of dates.”
“I’m not like my sister, and she’s the one who dates.”
I astonish him with my answer. “Are you telling me that you have never been on one date? I find that hard to believe. How old are you?”
“I’m seventeen years old. I’ve never been on a date. It is not like I’m exactly in the best shape right now.”
“That’s because you’re not allowing yourself to date. Your sister probably has a higher self-esteem than you do. You can still be the way you are and date men. That’s shocking, to hear that you never have been on a date. Usually girls your age already have been through a variety of suitors.”
Louie joins us and glances at me. “It is time for dinner, Jeannie.”
Tommy chuckles at him. “I see that Christian has you doing his bitch work for him.”
Louie makes sure that I walk in front of him. “I’m not doing his bitch work for him. Unfortunately, I smell an even bigger bitch, and it isn’t Jeannie—or me.”
Tommy jumps up, and stands toe to toe with Louie. “You better watch what you say to me, Louie. I would hate for things to end badly for you.”
Louie smiles at me nicely. “Jeannie, will you go ahead and walk inside, honey? I have some personal business to discuss with Tommy. Ian is waiting outside, to escort you inside, sweetie.”
I can feel the tension in the air, and I politely excuse myself.
Ian stands up from squatting. “Hey chick, how’s everything going?”
I try to peek inside the garage, but Ian wraps an arm around me. “There’s nothing for you to witness, chick. Louie and Tommy have their own issues they need to deal with.”
“Will they be okay? I’m
sorry, if I did anything wrong.” This makes me visibly upset.
“They have their usual brotherly spat, and they will work their shit out on their own. We need to make sure you eat.”
I shrug my shoulders and start to eat my dinner. I watch Leo and Sam run past us. “Why are they running out?” I point in their direction.
“Leo and Sam will end their brotherly spat. Please, stop worrying so much, chick. They know what they’re doing.” Ian doesn’t sound too reassuring.
Charlie and Erik run past us and outside too. Ian shakes his head, and I’m taking mental notes of it. “That must be some feud, if Charlie and Erik are running outside.”
“They will kiss and make up. Stop worrying about Tommy and Louie. You have a big castle with different personalities in it. People will eventually fight and argue from time to time. Now eat, and stop worrying, chick.”
I drop the subject and finish my dinner. For the rest of the night, I read about the Salem Witch Trials. Once again, I fell asleep in the middle of the book. I start to have bizarre dreams of the witch trials. I dream of Tommy, condemning a woman to death for not believing in God. The nightmares shake me awake. To my surprise, my book rests at the same spot where I left off. Another set of toiletries sit on my desk, along with a set of smaller clothes.
Tommy never says another thing to me. He trains me on how, to shoot accurately with a rifle this time. He even starts to teach me how, to wield a sword. The week finishes on a high note. My body starts to drop weight again, and now I’m one hundred and sixty five pounds. Louie takes over my training, and I realize that my birthday is coming around the corner soon.
Chapter 7
Louie accompanies me outside on Sunday for exercise, and I need the fresh air anyway. His training style is hands off. “I have an important phone call to make. You need to run twenty laps around the track. Can you handle that?”
I shake my head yes.
He snaps his fingers, and points at the track. “It is time to get going, sister, and the track is waiting for you.”
Louie takes out his phone, and he starts to converse on it. I glance up, noticing that Christian casually relaxes in a chair on a balcony. He observes me along with Alexander, Erik, and Charlie. I immediately blush knowing that his eyes, are watching me intently. It is difficult not to think about him. My guess is that he broke up with Tracy, since they have been ignoring each other for the past couple of weeks. My secret crush penetrates my thoughts and I start to fantasize about him. Unfortunately, I chose not to pay attention, to what I’m doing. That is when the clumsiest and dumbest moment happens to me.
My pace is fast and strong. Sadly, I fail to see the huge crack in the pavement. Once you start to fall, there’s no catching yourself. My body slips, and I fall hard on my knees. The pain pulsates through my knee, and I grip it tightly. Everything is fine, until my knee oozes with dense blood. It is hard, to believe that I’m actually bleeding. My blood looks odd, because it’s more blackish in appearance. In a flash, Erik grabs Louie by the neck, and he drags him inside the castle. Christian and Alexander are standing right in front of me. Christian kneels down and he removes my hands, to see the blood. I try to catch a glimpse of what’s going on with Louie, but Charlie blocks my vision. They effectively prevent me from witnessing, what’s going on in the distance. I can hear sounds of fighting and hissing in the distance. Christian assists Alexander, by cleaning my hands and knee off. I apologize, but they’re not uttering one word to me. The antiseptic covers the scent of blood, and Alexander bandages my open wound.
Christian helps me stand up. “You need to pay more attention, to what you are doing from now on! You have to be aware of how deadly open wounds are!” he snaps at me.
I’m upset with my carelessness. “I’m so sorry, and I will remain extra vigilant from now on!”
Alexander mumbles something to his brother in a foreign language.
Christian nods to his brother, and then he turns to me. “You will need, to change your clothes in the garage.”
He escorts me to the garage, by dragging me by my arm, and he quickly enters the castle only, to return a few minutes later with another set of clothes.
“I’m really sorry Christian, and this will never happen again!” I anxiously exclaim.
“You need to change your clothes, because you have blood on them. I will wait outside until you finish,” he explains, and then he points outside the garage.
He leaves and waits outside for me to change my clothes. I change my clothes quickly, and hand him the other clothes. He opens a large concrete door, and throws my old clothes with blood inside the incinerator. To my surprise, he takes out his lighter, and he lights my clothes on fire.
Alexander walks over to us with a hypodermic needle in his hand. Without asking me, he cleans off my left arm with alcohol, but I block him from sticking me with it.
“What are you injecting me with?”
“This will halt your periods,” Alexander explains.
I uncover my arm, and allow him to continue with the injection. The idea of not having a period every month—thrills me. I enjoy the idea of remaining period free, not as if I had a real period to begin with anyway. The brothers seem irritable with me, so I won’t bother to ask, why my clothes need to disintegrate.
~~~***~~~
Leo handles the training session for the remainder of the day. I never get a chance to ask him. “Louie isn’t feeling like himself right now,” Leo, explains what’s wrong with Louie.
~~~***~~~
My training continues for the entire day. I complete all of Leo’s exercises. He adds suicides and planks. The planks hurt even worse than the suicide drills. My body isn’t nearly ready for his training yet. He gives me new martial art skills. I impress him with my hard kicks and solid punches. Every now and then, he gives me nods of approval.
~~~***~~~
We step inside the castle, to overhear Christian lecturing everyone, “I want everyone to drink your protein shakes every four hours. If you fail to drink, I will ban you from training our princess. There are no excuses for what happened today. Are we all in full understanding?”
The men who surround him nod yes in unison. I’m unable, to find Louie anywhere.
~~~***~~~
The rest of the evening remains uneventful. I learn about the other sections of the castle. My sense of direction even impresses me. I return to my room, and strip off my clothes. The shower scalds my bare skin. I replay the incident from today in my head. The look of panic from Christian and Alexander lingers in my mind. I still wonder where Louie went. The events from today have left me with tons of unanswered questions; however; I’m still able to drift off to sleep.
Sadly, I remember what today is. It is a ‘Happy Birthday,’ to me today. Today is officially my eighteenth birthday. The calendar that hangs on my bedroom wall flashes that it’s August the thirteenth. It is a miracle that I remain alive for another year.
After I change into my workout clothes, I sit down at the table waiting for Louie. Except Louie isn’t greeting me today, and Leo takes over his training for today.
“Louie isn’t feeling like himself today, so he needs another day of rest, Jeannie,” Leo explains.
There’s shouting from a distance, and Louie enters the dining hall clearly upset.
“You’re a threat to her!” Tommy argues with Louie.
Louie strides over to my table, and places his hands on it. “Am I threat to you, Jeannie?” Louie seems aggressive at first.
I nervously shake my head no.
Louie points at me. “You see! She trusts me! I told you fools! I would never do anything to hurt her! All of you know this shit! I screwed up yesterday, but my problem is gone! Now, you and the rest of theses bitches need, to mind your own fucking business! The next two weeks are my weeks! I will be damned, if you bitches think you can bully your way, by taking over my training!”
Christian's voice thunders in the room. “That is quite enough!” Christia
n stands toe to toe with Louie. “I will give you one last opportunity. She deserves your full attention! Yesterday may never have occurred, if you were not talking on your fucking cell phone!”
Louie cowers down to his voice. “I apologize, Chris.”
He points directly at me. “You better apologize to her—not me! Oh, and I neglect to mention that today is her eighteenth birthday.”
My expression turns into shock and embarrassment. I want to duck underneath the table.
Louie squeals with delight. “You should have told us, Jeannie!”
The other men glance at each other smiling.
Louie squats right beside me. “How about, we give her a day off from training, and give her a makeover instead?”
Christian taps his finger on his chin, and he debates for only a second. He smiles at Louie. “That is actually an excellent idea. I will overrule training for today. You are given today and only today off.”
“I already knew you would grant that for her! Thanks so much, Chris!” Louie exclaims as he jumps around excited.
“You have my card on file, Louie. You can even call Sean, to give her a birthday outfit. Leo, you will remain with Louie. I want you, to keep an eye on Jeannie.”
Once his mind is set, there’s no arguing with Christian. Leo and Louie escort me to the hair salon.
Louie flips on the lights. “I have to apologize to you, Jeannie. I should have drank my protein shake, before our training session. That will never happen again, and I promise with Scout's honor.”
