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“Well then you better prove yourself to us.”
The lights turned off completely, and I could see Dr. Ivory’s outline appear. Bradley immediately backed away from me and sat down.
Where’s Conrad?
I begrudgingly sat down as Dr. Ivory set up a camera in the center aisle. He’s going to record this entire thing? Once he took his seat, the room fell completely silent. I dug my nails into the armrests. Bradley had his eyes secured to the ground, and I prayed that he would just fall asleep or maybe dissociate from this hell.
Suddenly, a small screeching noise had us all squinting through the darkness.
Was that…
Oh no.
A woman I’d never seen before appeared, wearing an old-school server outfit with red and white stripes and a hat to match. She was pushing a cart full of movie theater popcorn, boxed candy, and bottled soda.
No… this can’t be happening.
“Here you are.” She extended items to each person, which they excitedly took from her.
“Sir?” She tried to hand Bradley a tray.
“Bradley, take the tray. You don’t want to make Daisy’s last night here harder than Conrad’s already making it,” Dr. Ivory barked.
What does he mean, Conrad’s making it?
Bradley handed me a tray of concessions, which made me think about my first-date fantasy I would have as a child. I used to dream about being a normal teenager, going on my first date at the movies. My date would buy me popcorn and a box of M&Ms, which were my absolute favorite. I had first tried them when Trent dropped a few on the carpet one day, and I reached under the closet we were forced to live in and gave one to Layla while eating the dirtied one for myself.
I always dreamt of that date, though I had never been on a date in my entire life—I never had the opportunity. The one where he’d wrap his arm around me, we’d steal flirtatious glances at one another, and then he’d lean in to kiss me. My very first kiss.
My stomach flipped thinking that Conrad was my first kiss, and how his father’s lips had been on me. I suppose all along I was being saved for Conrad, so he stripped me from any chance of a real life. I cringed that this was my new life. A life I’d never escape from.
But then again, my parents were also to blame. They were the ones who sold us in the first place. They saw their two daughters as burdens, but they also saw us as a source of money.
They saw us as objects, just like these men and this sick family.
I took the tray and put it in my lap, and looked over at Bradley. “Bradley, just close your eyes and pretend we’re at the real movies. I’ve never been. What’s your favorite?” I whispered as low as I could while Mrs. Ivory was busy chatting with her husband.
Bradley looked over at me, and the pain he felt internally was displayed on his face.
“Titanic.” He shrugged.
“Titanic?” I widened my eyes in shock by his response.
“Yea… we all know there was room on the raft for Jack, too.” He forced a small grin, and I couldn’t help but wince as tears streamed down my cheeks.
“Just so you know… Titanic was one of the only movies I’ve ever seen. And there will always be room on the raft for Jack. When I find us a way out…” I swallowed the lump in my throat because I knew I was lying to him.
There wouldn’t be room for Jack or Rose because there’d never be a way out. Not alive at least.
CHAPTER
THIRTY-EIGHT
The moment Bradley and I tried to close our eyes and pretend the horror of what was about to happen in front of us wasn’t real, dissipated quickly.
“Ladies and gentlemen, we’d like you to quiet down as we will begin our showing. As you know, a marriage is not valid until our couples consummate it in the holy room. Today we have a special addition to the showing, and our groom has agreed to it as well.”
I could hear the shift in Bradley’s breathing, and I knew he wanted to snap, he wanted to kill everyone in this room.
