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“That isn’t discussed, but like most prisons of the time, there are certain types of torture that can be used on prisoners. I’m sure that’s something that would happen to Edmond if he didn’t do the right things.”
“Wait, who’s Edmond?” This was so hard to keep track of. I was no good at this. I was a poor waitress with a shitty past. Conversations about books were not what I was used to.
Drake frowned and shook his head. “Sorry. Edmond Dentes. He’s the main character. Anyway, torture, like we were saying, would be part of his daily life. In his prison, he’s given food, a bed, all the things a human needs to survive, but not freedom.”
“Right.” I too surreptitiously glanced at the camera and tried to think of a way to code my question to fit with what the book was about. Finally, I said, “What does he do in prison? Is there, a, like job for him, or does he lie in his cell all day?”
A faint wisp of a smile flashed across Drake’s lips. He nodded. “He has things he has to do, yes. Back in those days? He probably spent time breaking rocks or doing labor. Stuff like that. It’s not discussed at length in the book. He’s in a typical prison though. If he was in a more,” he raised an eyebrow to get my attention, “unusual prison, his job might be worse. Maybe they’d have him executing people or torturing other inmates. Who knows. Lots of depraved things happened hundreds of years ago.”
It was like he’d dipped me into ice water. Had he just said executing and torturing people? He’d made sure I was paying attention before he’d said it. Was that what this place was? Some kind of torture chamber? Were we all going to die like that? A hundred questions fluttered across my mind.
Drake must have seen the horror on my face. He continued before I could start freaking out. “But in his prison, there are always small punishments. It’s a prison, after all. No matter what he does, things will happen to him. Though, I imagine that as long as Edmond does what the prison wardens say, his punishments will be less severe. I’d do that if I were him. Keep my head down and bust the rocks. He’s still gonna get whipped and beaten here and there, but it’s better than, say, having a finger or ear cut off. That’s my opinion, though.”
Bong. “Lunch will begin in five minutes. Proceed to the dining room,” Sam said.
Drake closed his book and tossed it onto a pile. The actual title of what he’d been reading was 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea, not The Count of Monte Cristo. I was right. He was trying to pass clues to me. Did it mean this place really was what I thought it was? Could that be? My hands shook as Drake put a hand on my elbow and led me from the room.
I found the warmth of his fingers on my skin a tiny bit comforting, but I usually didn’t like being touched. Weird.
Once we were out in the hallway, he leaned close and hissed, “You have to do what Sam says.”
I was sucking in a breath but trying to stay as calm as I could. “What you said in there? Do people really get tortured?” I whispered.
“Yes. I don’t know how else to say it. You need to prepare yourself. It’ll happen for you too. All I can say is to follow the rules.”
“They torture us too?”
“You saw what Bri did to Elise this morning. You know the answer.” We were almost down the stairs, and he dropped his voice even lower. “Like I said, we’ll get hurt. That part is non-negotiable, but as long as we do what Sam says, it’s never too serious.”
“Has anyone died here?” My voice was nearly breathless as I asked.
Drake was quiet as we made our way down the hall with Liam ahead of us. He’d come out of a room and… was that blood on his hands? He ducked into another room before I could get a better look. A pit opened in my stomach. I was almost positive it had been blood.
“I said, has anyone died here?” I clutched at his sweatshirt as we walked.
Drake looked me in the eye as we stepped through the doors of the dining room. “Every day. It’s usually not us. It’s the other ones.”
With that, he pulled away from my side, walking over and standing behind the same spot he’d been at for breakfast.
There were more people here than who I’d met so far, more than who were invited to the dinner table. Why were they here? Where were they now?
My feet moved of their own accord and brought me to the seat I’d used that morning when Elise had dragged me across the room by my hair. I stood there and glanced around the room. Liam walked in a moment before the door slid shut. I looked down at his hands, but the blood was gone. The cuffs of his shirt were moist, though, as though he’d just gotten done scrubbing his hands.
Sliding my gaze across all of my other housemates, I wondered how many of them had done the awful things Drake had alluded to. Had all of them done it? Would I have to?
Chapter 6
The chime went off and everyone sat. I followed along. It was crazy how quickly this routine became the new normal. Unlike at breakfast, there wasn’t another chime as I was following the rules this time and everyone was seated. A relieved sigh crept out of my lungs.
Drake and the others removed the domes from the dishes. One tray had a massive bowl of spaghetti, another a container of red sauce, then a bowl of steaming hot meatballs. To the side was a huge salad with three different dressings to choose from. My mouth watered at the sight. This time, I filled my plate and ate a full helping of pasta before grabbing a salad.
“Jesus, new girl,” Bri said. “Easy. There’s plenty.”
I swallowed a mouth full of lettuce and cucumbers. “Uh, sorry. I’m starving. I didn’t eat breakfast, and I think it’d been a while before that since I ate anything.”
“It’s fine,” Drake said. “Might as well eat fast. You never know when—”
Bong
