Stolen Innocence (Becoming Elena #1)

by Melody Anne

  Earlier she’d been strapped to a chair in the other room, the room where they played videos over and over again, where they whispered the name Elena over and over again, telling her that’s who she was, that she was from Oregon, she was a runaway who had found a new home. They told her the same lies day after day.

  Headphones covered her ears when they weren’t whispering in them, with music blasting, her name flashing in and out while strobe lights blinded her eyes in between the videos that played, horrible movies first then family films they said were her relatives, her mother and father. She didn’t know those people — they weren’t her family.

  But they wanted her to believe they were. They wanted to break her. She wished she would break because then maybe the pain would end, maybe she wouldn’t hurt all the time anymore.

  Sometimes she was naked, sometimes scantily clothed. She hadn’t seen Leo for over a month. Maybe he’d gotten in trouble for helping her. She didn’t know, but she looked for him all the time.

  If he came back she might get a reprieve. She didn’t know. All she knew was she was in pain. Her body ached; her mind was mush. Wouldn’t it be better to believe she was Elena? Wouldn’t that make the pain go away?

  Some mornings when she woke up they would ask her who she was, and she would say Elena. But then after the fog cleared, vague memories of her old life would flash through her brain, memories of her mother, of her little brother.

  Often she couldn’t remember what color her brother’s hair was, couldn’t remember what his eyes looked like. And her mother was just a blur. They were fading — just as her captors wanted them to.

  However, every night she told herself she was Mary. She was born on October thirty-first, nineteen ninety-seven. She was now seventeen years old, even though she hadn’t celebrated her last birthday.

  But she remembered. Maybe it was time to forget. Maybe if she just forgot, the pain would stop. Patty said she wasn’t beaten much anymore, that there were worse tortures than being hit, than being yelled at.

  Elena — no! — Mary, shuddered as she tried not to think about what those tortures could be.

  “She’s done for the day. Get her out of here,” her trainer snapped.

  “Does she eat tonight?” the other man asked.

  “No. Let her think about that the next time she answers my questions.”

  She didn’t even know her trainer’s name. She was only to call him Sir. He was cruel, loved to hold on to the whip, and loved the sound it made as it soared through the air. He definitely was happy with his job.

  She’d yet to meet the master of the house. She wasn’t complaining. That wasn’t something she wanted to do — not ever, if she could help it.

  One man untied her, and Mary didn’t have the strength to rise. She tried, but her legs kept failing her.

  “Get her out of here,” the trainer hollered before his bare hand smacked across her cheek, knocking her off the chair.

  No tears were left. She prayed for darkness to come, but it was just past her vision, not allowing her the peace of its respite. She didn’t bother opening her eyes again, nor did she try to stand. Her arms were numb from being bound too tightly for so long. She just lay in a loose mess on the floor. She couldn’t care less at this point if she messed herself. She hadn’t eaten or drunk anything for a day, maybe a few days, so there was nothing in her system to worry about.

  “I’ve got this. She’s done for a while.”

  Her ears perked up, but she still couldn’t open her eyes. That was Leo. It had to be his voice. It was kinder, deeper than the other men’s.

  “Fine. She’s your problem,” the other man said before she felt the floor vibrating as he walked away.

  Mary wanted to open her eyes, wanted to verify it was Leo, but she knew it was. She just wanted the reassurance of seeing one person’s face who had yet to hurt her.

  She felt him lift her. His rough hands slid beneath her thighs, and he carried her back to her room. He was so much gentler than the other men. She wanted to lean into him, but that wouldn’t be wise.

  Even if he were the lesser of the evils, he was still a part of this operation. He was still the enemy.

  She felt her bed meet her back, and she almost sighed as her pounding head felt the softness of the thin pillow.

  “You’re going to have to give something here,” Leo said softly, his hand sweeping across her brow.

  She opened her lips to speak, but no words would come out. Maybe her vocal cords were severed from the many times the men’s hands had been around her neck.

  “Rest right now. But soon, you really are going to have to give in, Elena. The torture will lessen when you just accept this is who you are now.”

  She felt more tears spring up behind her closed lids. She shook her head the tiniest bit. She wanted to tell him she would, but the blurred image of her brother fading away kept her from speaking.

  He said nothing else. Soon, she heard the door close as Leo walked out. Shivering on top of the bed, she didn’t have enough strength to pull her covers up over her.

  “Mary, you need to do what he says.”

  The kind voice came from Patty, and Mary was grateful as her covers were pulled over her trembling body.

  “I don’t know how,” Mary whispered weakly.

  “My real name isn’t Patty. My real name is Jennifer. I still remember, but I let Jennifer go a long time ago. It’s dangerous for me to tell you this. But I want you to know you can still hold on to the old you, while letting the new person in,” she quietly whispered.

  “Why do I need a new name?” Mary asked, shivering beneath her bedding.

  “Because your old self can’t handle what’s to come,” Patty told her.

  “What could they possibly do to me that hasn’t already been done?” Mary cried.

  “I don’t think you want the answer to that,” Patty said with a sniffle.

  “I’m Mary, I’m Mary,” she quietly whispered several times.

  Her old life was fading away, and she was so afraid that if it completely vanished, she would never be able to go back. She would never keep her promise to her little brother.

  “I’m going to start calling you Elena now. Don’t be upset with me. But I think it’s time you begin to believe you’re Elena because if you don’t they will kill you. I’ve never seen a girl take as much abuse as you’ve taken,” she began, “and live through it.”

  Mary was ready to die. Each new day she lost hope that she would see her family again, so what was the point of continuing on? If this was what was in store for her for the rest of her life, she’d rather die.

  “Elena, I’m going to help you sit up,” Patty said as she sat on the edge of the bed and placed an arm beneath her.

  “Just want to sleep,” she mumbled.

  “I snuck in a snack for you,” Patty told her.

  Patty pulled her up and then Elena — Mary — Elena, heck, she didn’t know, felt something cool against her lips. She tried to suck, but she didn’t even have the energy for that. Slowly the liquid dripped down her throat. Just that small amount of coolness gave her enough energy to open her eyes.

  “There you go. Have a little more, and then I’ll give you a piece of bread, but you can’t say anything or we’ll both be punished,” Patty whispered.

  “Won’t tell,” Mary mumbled.

  Maybe it was better not to have it, but she couldn’t turn it down, not when Patty put it to her lips. It was a small roll, and she nibbled on it. After the first two tiny bites, she was able to hold it. She wanted to stuff it all into her mouth, but she also wanted it to last.

  Patty moved to her bed and sat down as Mary slowly ate the bread.

  “Thank you, Patty,” she told her friend.

  “You have to start thinking of yourself as Elena,” Patty repeated.

  “It’s already getting so foggy,” Mary told her, panic once again setting in.

  “Your life will get so much easier if you just let go,” Patt
y said, her voice sad.

  “Did you let go?” she challenged.

  “Yes. I let go of my old life. No, I haven’t completely forgotten it, but I let it go. Then I wasn’t so sad all the time. Yes, I still hurt, and yes, some days are worse than others, but the pain you’re going through right now eventually stopped for me. I shouldn’t have told you to remember. I’m sorry, Elena.”

  “I don’t want to forget,” Mary said.

  “You just need to push it aside. Then, if you ever get the chance, it will all come back to you,” Patty promised.

  Mary lay there that night in bed, and instead of repeating her name and birthday, she fell asleep telling herself over and over again, I’m Elena.

  It was time for Elena to become real — and for Mary to die. She just didn’t know how to make that happen.

  Chapter Ten

  The screen flashed, the images making Mary’s stomach dip into her legs. She’d seen these images a hundred times, maybe a thousand. She didn’t know why, but they still made her sick.

  This was her life — or what her life soon would be. How she wished they would just kill her. They threatened it enough. Why wouldn’t they just come out and end her life? She was trying to cooperate with them, but it still wasn’t enough.

  And if the images on the screen were a clear indication of what was to come, she wanted nothing to do with it. She hadn’t even kissed a boy before being at this house, let alone done the things that were on that screen.

  The next video began.

  A man held a woman tied to a bed while a whip flung through the air, hitting her until her body, from her neck to her ankles, was red and swollen. The woman had a hood over her head, but with each hit of the whip, a soft cry escaped.

  How she wasn’t bleeding, Mary didn’t know. When the man was finished, he moved to the head of the bed and ripped off the hood. To Mary’s horror, the person on the bed was Patty.

  She smiled at the man, and Mary knew the girl enough to know it wasn’t a real smile. It was the one she had shown Mary she used to make the master happy.

  “Did you enjoy that, Patty?” he asked as his hand ran down her body. The touch had to hurt with her reddened skin.

  “Yes, Master,” Patty said, a soft purr to her voice.

  “Do you want more?” he asked, excitement clear in his tone.

  “If that’s what pleases you, Master,” Patty said.

  Mary could see the tenseness in Patty’s body, but the master didn’t see it, or just didn’t care. This was Mary’s first image of the man they’d been grooming her for all these months.

  The sight of him as he crawled up on the bed and began fondling Patty made her want to vomit. He was old, with wrinkling skin, a saggy belly, and thinning white hair. She couldn’t see his eyes in the video, but as he sank himself into Patty and began thrusting inside the tied-up girl, rolls of fat on his back and ass shook while he grunted and moaned.

  When he was finished he stood up and stared down triumphantly at the young girl on his bed, a smirk on his face.

  “I’m growing bored with you,” he said.

  “I apologize, Master. What can I do to make you happier?” she asked, her body showing a slight tremble.

  “Our time might be up,” he replied before walking away.

  Mary watched her friend. She showed no reaction to this. She simply lay there. A few of the men who’d tortured her day in and day out came up to the bed and untied the girl.

  The master walked back into the room with a robe now tied around him.

  “You can do what you want with her. I want to meet the new girl,” he said.

  The men looked at Patty as she rubbed her sore wrists, sitting on the bed not trying to move away.

  “Thank you, Sir. We’ll enjoy her,” one of the men said before roughly yanking Patty to her feet.

  “Your graciousness is most generous,” the other man said before grabbing Patty’s other arm.

  “Enjoy,” the master said.

  The screen went dark.

  Mary sat in the chair shivering. Why had they shown her this particular video? They’d shown plenty of videos of people having sex, but never one of the master and Patty. Were they showing the future of her own life, or were they telling her she had better be ready?

  “Did you enjoy the show?”

  Mary gulped as the men walked into the room, joining her. She said nothing. Mary wasn’t sure what they wanted her to say.

  “The master is ready for you. You’d best be ready for him.”

  The men laughed as they untied her and roughly pushed her to her feet. “Let’s get you cleaned up.”

  No matter how hard she tried, Mary couldn’t stop the trembling. This was the end of the line for her. There really wasn’t going to be an escape.

  Chapter Eleven

  Days passed and Mary was told she was Elena so much, she began referring to herself by that name. It was easier. She was beginning to feel like Elena. Mary was weak and pathetic, but Elena was strong, able to withstand torture.

  Elena didn’t cry for home, didn’t miss her little brother. Elena knew she was nothing more than a tool to make a man happy. Elena didn’t need to worry about messy emotions.

  But Mary kept trying to seep through, kept trying to remind Elena that she was still inside of her. Elena pushed her farther away. Mary was too emotional, too clingy. She had to go away.

  When her door began to open, she sat up, hands on her knees, back straight. That’s how they wanted her to wait. They wanted her to be obedient. If she was obedient they didn’t start her day by slapping her face.

  Yes, she’d still get hit, they enjoyed hitting her, but the torture seemed to come down a notch when they were pleased with her. She could make them happy. She would do whatever it took to please them.

  When Leo filled her doorway, she smiled the slightest bit. He was beginning to come around more often again. The torture was never quite as bad with Leo. Yes, he also took a turn on the whip once in a while, but there was no joy in his eyes and the lashes didn’t go on as long.

  He’d told her once he was just doing his job. Maybe he was. She forgave him for hurting her, because he always was gentle afterward, and always said kind words to her before leaving her to recover in her little room.

  “How are you feeling today, Elena?” he asked as he moved in front of her.

  “I’m feeling better than yesterday,” she told him.

  “That’s good,” he said. “You get a little break today. We want to clean you up.”

  Elena still hated the showers. The men were pretty much allowed to do anything they wanted to her, and they took full advantage of that fact. There was nothing sacred about her body. They hadn’t forced sex on her but had pushed her to the point where she would lie in a fetal position rocking after they were finished releasing their seed all over her.

  Why in the world would anyone anticipate sex? From what she’d discovered in the past few months, it was dirty, violent, and all about the man. She couldn’t imagine the act being erotic or pleasurable for a woman. How were children still brought into the world?

  Still, when Leo held out his hand, she obediently stood and followed him. He’d beckoned her, so she had no other choice but to go and do whatever this new day would bring her.

  She was almost ready to give up on escaping. It was much easier on her mind to simply become Elena. Why not? Letting go of the past was the only thing allowing her to move forward, accept what was in front of her.

  Leo bathed her, the experience much less traumatic than the other men doing it, but still a violation against her body. Of course, it wasn’t hers anymore, was it? No. It belonged to the master of the house and the men there to train her.

  She must remember that. When Leo finished, she stood still while he dressed her in scanty clothing, and then she followed him to the chair. No one else was in the room.

  “Do you want to be saved, Elena?” he asked while tying her legs down.

  What was sh
e supposed to say to that? Of course she wanted to be saved.

  “You can be honest with me,” he said as he looked around. “No one is listening right now.” His eyes told her they could be trusted, but everything in her experience so far told her no one could be trusted.

  “There’s no one to save me,” she finally said. “This is now my fate.” She didn’t tell him she often dreamt of running away, of finding her way home.

  “I could save you,” he said as he stood and cupped her cheek.

  Her heart accelerated at his words. Was he going to be her savior? She was too emotional to say a word.

  “I might just do that,” he told her before securing her to the chair, her arms behind her back.

  He leaned forward, his breath resting on her neck. “Not now. But soon I could save you.”

  With that promise in the air, the door opened and Leo stood, his face once again a mask as he backed up and waited. The other men joined them as they examined her.

  “Good job, Leo,” one of the men said.

  “Let’s play a movie. The boss might not make it down after all,” another told them.

  Strobe lights were turned low and the screen flashed with images of the family they kept telling her was hers.

  When the end of the day came and went she was dragged back to her room. She let out a relieved breath. The master hadn’t come. Maybe he didn’t want her.

  That night, she felt hope for the first time in a while. Maybe Leo really was going to be her savior. Or maybe he would take her farther into the pits of hell. She just didn’t know anymore.

  Chapter Twelve

  She’s not quite broken yet, Sir. I don’t know if it’s safe for you to be down here.”

  “Don’t tell me where I can and cannot be in my own house. Move aside.”

  Strapped to a chair, her ties the only thing holding her up, Elena watched as a large man with silver hair circled her chair, examining her. She recognized him immediately but tried to push it from her brain. He was the man on the video, the man with the cruel smile and harsh hand.