By Ariel
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: NCS, violence, dark, references to past & near -NCS, Ariel POV
Disclaimers: Ariel, Midnight, and any character related to the orphanage or that I have already introduced are mine. Anyone else… is being borrowed. Nothing is being made from this. I’m just using them for my own writing pleasure and that writing is being shared with some of my family and friends.
This chapter is dedicated to three of my few loves: mon frère Adam, my dearest Tau, and my lovely Chrissi. I miss the three of you so much!
It was just after the New Year. It was mid-morning and I was staring out the windows beside the front door. The snow continued to fall gently as it had throughout the nigh. Despite the snowfall, the street remained busy and full of life. New York never rested and I finally understood why it was called “The City that Never Sleeps.” You could look outside at any hour of the day and there was always something going on. I liked that very much and I started longing for the day I could go out and be a part of this wonderful City. I did not want to just exist here – I wanted to live here. The magic of New York was quite captivating - even for an eight-year-old orphan.
My gaze turned from the busy street and over to the Park. For reasons I did not understand, I longed to be on the other side of it. Not at this orphanage. I don’t know why that feeling kept getting stronger and stronger each time I looked at the Park’s entrance. However, a twinge of fear crept down my spine and I just barely managed to crush it. The vivid memory of the man chasing me through the Park and into an old warehouse was still in my mind. I was fine now. Midnight had come to my rescue and for that I am grateful. The magical steed has been my strength since then. I miss him. Only a week has passed since our last lesson and I miss him terribly. I would feel so much better if he were here right now.
A strange uneasiness began to fill me about today and I frowned deeply. Midnight had told me that I had to start learning to listen to my feelings and to do what I felt was necessary in order to take care of myself. Something inside of me told me that I should stay at the Orphanage and not join the other orphans to the hospital for our check-ups. I wish I could do just that but I know Ms. Haine would not allow for me to stay here by myself when this day has been scheduled for a few weeks now. Not only did I need one but she also needed my assistance in watching out for all of the younger girls since I was the oldest. I didn’t want to go but I had no choice.
“Ariel?” Ms. Haine’s voice filtered down the hall from her office. “Are you ready to go? The other girls finally got their coats on…”
“Coming, Ms. Haine,” I answered as I turned away from the window and made my way to her office door, zipping up my black jacket and covering my head with the hood. The coat had been my Christmas and birthday gift from the headmistress. She said that she was quite happy that I was there at the Orphanage to help her out and that couples were missing out on having such a good girl added to their family. I thought it was sweet and it made me smile even though deep in my heart, I knew no one wanted me- including her. Why would they when they had so many other younger, prettier girls to choose from? I blinked back a few tears and pasted on a smile as I stopped at Ms. Haine’s door. “Ma’am? Would you like me to get them settled in the van now that Mr. Horace has arrived?”
The headmistress looked up and gave me a crooked smile. Her frizzy black hair was pulled back into a bun and her black eyes pierced right through me. I managed to cover a chill that ran down my spine and waited for her answer, quite certain that something was off. She hadn’t given me that cold feeling for several months now. “Yes, Ariel. If you would be such a dear and do help out with that. You know Horace despises dealing with the young ones more than he has to if he gets to have no fun.”
I nodded and backed out of the doorway and started down the hall. I was nervous but I didn’t want to think about it. I convinced myself to believe that hospitals scared me since I was in one over two years ago, waking up and not remembering anything. That had to be it. I gathered all of the girls and opened the back door of the orphanage which led to the driveway. Horace’s white passenger van was now covered in snow and I told them all to get inside and buckle up because we were leaving shortly.
Horace was watching me as I helped the girls up into the van. His stare bothered me – much like it had when I first met him in the basement of the orphanage. Even though he did have his gentle moments, he was a man I didn’t particularly like. He and Ms. Haine added to my uneasiness this morning and I did not like it one bit. Once the girls were settled, I climbed up inside, closed the side door and took my seat, quickly buckling up and pulling my legs up, tucking them under me before I leaned my head against the window, still feeling Horace’s gaze on me.
Ms. Haine quickly joined us, closing the door and turning around. “Is everyone here and settled, Ariel?” She buckled up and looked over her shoulder, waiting for my answer.
“Yes, Ms. Haine. All thirteen of us, including myself, are buckled and ready to go, ma’am,” I answered softly, turning my brown eyes to look at the headmistress.
She nodded at me, giving me her crooked smile before she placed her hand on Horace’s thigh and squeezed it. “We’re ready, lover. Let’s get this show done and over with.”
I shuddered and closed my eyes, thinking of anything other than the answer I knew he was likely to give her. The headmistress and her boyfriend were very vocal and open about their relationship and it was disturbing to some of the girls to see them do some of the things they did with us around. At least they love each other, I thought bitterly. The van moved out of the driveway and onto the street. Snow kept falling and Horace maneuvered the vehicle slowly before turning right.
Sighing deeply, I opened my eyes and stared out at the passing cars and buildings. People bustled about, wrapped up in their coats and never straying from their everyday duties. It really was fascinating and it made me long for that freedom even more than usual. However, I was only eight years-old and an orphan. If no one wanted me, I’d be stuck with Ms. Haine or the State until I was of legal age to be on my own. With the way things were going, it was going to be a long wait.
The younger girls were getting adopted out and I was constantly left behind. The soon-to-be parents would only look at me, comment on what a pretty girl I was before they turned and saw a younger, prettier child that needed a parent and that was the end of it. I’ve seen it too many times by now and even though deep down somewhere buried inside of me I had a bit of hope that my day would come, I started believing the things that I kept seeing. No one wanted me and Midnight was definitely not going to just pop out and take me in his custody. No…that would never happen.
The hospital, according to Ms. Haine, was about fifteen minutes away from the orphanage. I had allowed my thoughts to drift off during the entire ride because it was only when Horace stopped to take his parking stub ticket that I noticed we had arrived. He found a spot on the second floor of the deck and with his help as well as that of the headmistress we were out of the van and on our way. I stayed to the back of the group, making sure the girls did not run off like they normally tried to do on outings. With the weather being snowy and as cold as it was the twelve of them were huddled close, side-by-side with Ms. Haine in the lead and Horace trailing behind me.
The building itself was nothing grand. I remember seeing nicer looking buildings on the way to the orphanage from JFK Airport than this one. It was a two-story beige-colored building with evenly-spaced windows all around. Graffiti colored the left side, making it seem more like a painting than a respected hospital. The main entrance was a sliding glass double-door with a faded burgundy-colored carpet. A similar entrance was to the right where an ambulance was parked. A “Hospital” sign was barely hanging above the main doors and two lights, one on either side, were flickering on an off – reminding me more of tamamushi (lightning bugs) than anything else. I hoped the inside had a different feel to it compared to the dread that the outside caused me. I definitely did not want to be at this hospital.
We walked inside and to my content, the inside was much nicer. Despite the water and snow that were on everyone’s shoes, the floor remained spotless. The pale yellow walls had a few paintings on them and the front desk had a vase full of peach-colored roses. The lady at the desk smiled at us before she spoke to Ms. Haine. She seemed nice – rosy cheeks, soft green eyes, and shoulder-length auburn-colored hair. She had a green scarf tied around her neck and a black long-sleeved shirt. I watched her quietly for a long moment, knowing the other girls were behaving next to me. Horace took his place beside his girlfriend and they both spoke quietly and animatedly for several moments.
I wrapped my arms around myself and looked around; the butterflies were raising hell in my stomach and I longed to get away from this place. It terrified me and I had a feeling it was not just my past experience with a hospital that was making me this way. However, I did not know what was causing my distress.
A hand at the small of my back made me jump. I looked up to see Ms. Haine smiling down at me. “I’m sorry, Ma’am. I was distracted.” I blushed and looked away.
“It’s alright, Ariel. We all get distracted every once in a while. Let’s go, sweetie. We need to go to the waiting area on the second floor which is the children’s ward.” She brushed a strand of hair out of my face and lowered the hood back from my jacket. “We need to show off that pretty face of yours. You never know when you will find someone who might want you.” Ms. Haine’s change in attitude confused me greatly. At the Orphanage, she had given me a look that made me nervous and now she was treating me as she had in previous weeks – sweet and understanding.
We followed Horace as he led the girls into the elevator. It was cramped inside but we all managed to fit. The doors closed and we were grateful when our rocky ascent stopped on the second floor. I quickly followed Ms. Haine, surprised when she took my hand and gently held it in hers. She spared me a smile as she walked over to the receptionist.
“Hello, lovely. I had appointments today for my girls from the Orphanage. The lady downstairs told us to come up and see you. This is the children’s ward, is it not?” The headmistress had a way of speaking to strangers that was almost captivating. She was a very intriguing woman and even though I feared her, I knew better and I respected her.
This receptionist was quite unlike the one from downstairs. She had short brown hair pulled back in a ponytail and had a scowl on her face. She narrowed her brown eyes at Ms. Haine and swept them all over the room, taking us all in before nodding curtly. “Yes, it is. I have been expecting you. Please have a seat while I get all the information sent up to me and I will also inform the doctor of your arrival.”
Ms. Haine lowered her eyes to notice the name tag on the receptionist’s shirt before she gave a slow smirk. “Thank you, Lydia. If you need any more information, I will be with my girls.” I turned my gaze up to the headmistress’ face just to see something dark flash in her eyes as she maintained visual contact with the receptionist. My heart began to pound and I looked away, willing myself to relax. These were just regular physical check-ups. These places held professional people who knew what they were doing and were only there to make sure we were doing well. I forced myself to believe it.
I felt hand being gently tugged and I followed Ms. Haine over to the waiting area. She released my fingers after squeezing slightly and lowering herself down to whisper in my ear. “Why don’t you go check out those books, Ariel? I know how much you love to read…” She trailed off and nodded towards one of the small bookcases beside a window and a few white chairs.
“Okay. Thank you, Ma’am,” I whispered and made my way over to the books. I trailed my fingers over the spines of several books, barely looking over the covers as my mind was quite distracted. It did not do me any good to dwell on my nervousness now that I was here so I blinked a few times and looked over some of the titles. I didn’t recognize any them on this bookcase so I sighed softly to myself and pulled out one called “Rulers of the Ring.” The name was a bit intriguing and I thought it had to be about kings and queens ruling a certain piece of fancy jewelry.
I sat on one of the chairs, tucking my legs up and under myself after I unzipped my jacket, making myself comfortable. I turned my head, catching the steady snowfall. It really was a beautiful sight. I don’t remember snow being this lovely the past two years I’ve been here in the United States. I almost wanted to run outside and play in it. A small began to creep on my face as I thought of how much fun it would be to just that – make snow angels, build a snowman, and just… play. Midnight would love that. I know he’s been longing to see me act like a child and not lock myself in as I have been doing lately.
One of the other girls sat beside me, a tentative look on her face as she clutched a book in her small hands. “Ariel?” She whispered quietly to me. “Would you read me a book while we wait?” Her blue eyes turned to watch as Ms. Haine walked into the examination room with the youngest orphan. I overheard the headmistress tell Horace that each check-up should take somewhere between five and ten minutes so we’d be there probably a little less than two hours.
I sighed softly and looked over at the blue eyes now staring at me. I gave her a small smile and nodded. “Sure. Let’s see what you’ve got there.” I put my book on my lap, took hers in my hand and began reading her a story. It was about a girl who met a cursed beast and eventually admitted to falling in love with him before he nearly died, breaking the curse and allowing them to live happily ever after. I hadn’t noticed when all the other girls came and sat on the floor in front of me, listening to me read, each taking turns going into the exam room when Ms. Haine called for them.
I hadn’t notice the time pass by until I said “The End” when the book was finished. By this time, two more girls before me had to go in for their check-ups. I put the fairy tale to the side and picked up my book once again, flipping through the pages. What I saw surprised me. Grown men and women were inside a large square surrounded by three evenly-space ropes called a “ring.” They were lifting each other up and knocking each other down, doing anything in their power to claim a belt with something that looked like a large golden plate on it. Each person was unique, portraying made-up characters. I turned page after page, reading small profiles of each person and I found myself entranced by the pictures of everyone I saw.
The last picture I looked at was of a man holding a microphone and a large black tattoo of a bull’s head on one of his biceps. I was about to start reading his profile when I heard Ms. Haine call my name. I looked up and saw her coming towards me. I closed the book and placed it on my chair after standing up and walked over to her. “Ma’am?”
“Come, Ariel,” the headmistress said in a rather off-sounding voice. “It is your turn to go in now.” She placed her hand at the back of my neck, guiding me into exam room number 15. The other girls were zipping up their coats and then obediently sitting on the chairs near Horace. “Once we are done here, we can head back to the Orphanage.” She gave me a twisted smile. “A few people here have wanted to see you. They were impressed at how well you were able to keep the younger girls in line while we went through each of them.”
She led me into a medium-sized white room with a large table in the middle. There were two doors, the one we had entered and another with a small window on the opposite side. There were several white cabinets along two of the walls, a small desk with a computer and two chairs along another wall and the final wall had various posters of the human anatomy on them, as well as the eye exam chart and something I remembered from my last hospital experience was for seeing X-rays.
“Here…” The headmistress started to say. “Let me help you take off your jacket. It will be easier for the nurse and the doctor to do the check-up.” I allowed her to help me pull off the coat from my arms before I wrapped them around myself, suddenly feeling very nervous. I took a careful look around the room before I felt Ms. Haine gently push me towards the examination table. “Go ahead and climb on up.” She hesitated for a moment before she helped me up and ran her fingers through my hair. I gave her a curious look but she only smiled slightly. “I’m going to go out for a moment to give Horace your jacket and tell him to hold onto it. I will be right back, okay Ariel?” I nodded slowly and she only kissed my forehead, turning immediately and walking out the door.
I felt a chill run down my spine and I started shaking slightly, knowing something was very wrong. That was confirmed when a nurse walked into the room and shut the door behind her, locking it. It was the same door Ms. Haine had left. “Hello Ariel,” the nurse spoke with an icy voice. “We’ve been waiting for you for quite some time.” The woman came closer to me, holding a clipboard. Her dark green eyes pierced right through me and her wavy black hair clung to her body. She set down her clipboard and reached out, touching my hair in a way that made me even more nervous than I already was. “Relax, precious one. I am Nurse Sale and I am one of the few that will be checking you out to make sure you are quite healthy.”
I watched as she took a step back and trailed her finger down my cheek and gave me a crooked smile. “You know, Ms. Haine told us a great deal about you. Is it true that nobody has adopted you, yet?” I swallowed slowly and nodded once but I found myself being slapped harshly before long fingers grabbed my chin and forced me to look back. “When I speak, you are to answer me, is that understood, Ariel?” She sneered at me but instead of waiting for an answer, she pushed me away and turned towards one of the cabinets, pulling open a drawer.
“I can see you are a naughty little girl. I don’t know what the headmistress was thinking when she told us you were good. You don’t even respond when you are spoken to.” She shook her head and smirked when a man and another woman came into the room from the other door, closing it behind them but not locking it. “We will teach you how to be a perfect child. Then maybe some poor soul would even consider adopting you.”
“Hello, Ariel,” the man spoke as he fitted his hands with a pair of white gloves. He shook his head when I was going to greet him as well. “No no…I don’t want to hear you.” He held out his hand and Nurse Sale put a black leather strap in it. “I am Doctor Clébard and you are going to cooperate and make me a happy man.” He stepped closer to me and I stared at him with frightened eyes as I tried to back away but the other Nurse who hadn’t introduced herself grabbed me, not allowing me to move away any further. “You are a very special child, you know that? You get the full treatment.” He leaned forward and wrapped the leather strap around my neck, forcing my head forward as he buckled the strap, pulling it tightly and making me whimper.
The soft pained sound I made earned a slap from the Doctor. “I thought I said I did not want to hear you.” He grabbed me tightly by the wrists and pulled me towards him, yanking me away from the other Nurse. “What’s this I see? Fear? Of Me?” He wrapped one arm around my waist and used his other hand to start petting my face and my hair, a manic look on his face. “This collar is a project of mine. It has already been activated and you will not be able to speak, scream, or make a sound unless I want you too.”
I knew this was true because even as I tried to scream or cry, nothing came out. Tears rolled down my cheeks. I knew I was in trouble and I could not do anything about it. I blocked my mind, not wanting to remember the last time a strange man had his way with me. It hurt too much to remember. Perhaps this Doctor would have mercy on me and just scare me into being a good girl? I had thought I was doing a good job. Ms. Haine praised me a few times and I knew by the rare look in her eyes that she was content with me. What could have changed? What could I have done to make her angry?
I winced silently as I felt a needle stab into my arm. I managed to look down and see a small trickle of blood flow out before I was slapped again. “I did not say you could look down, Ariel.” The Doctor gave me a wicked smirk before he took the needle from the nameless Nurse and pushed the end, squirting the liquid out in front of me. “Do you want to know what this is? Did you know that curiosity killed the cat?” He leaned forward and licked my cheek before nuzzling his face in my neck, pulling me closer to his chest. His hot breath made me tremble in his arms and tears steadily from my eyes.
“This,” he bit the area behind my ear before licking it. “This is my special magic potion. It will make you feel what we do to you but make you helpless to do anything about it. You won’t be able to move, to get away. Add that to the fact that you can’t scream and I think I will find this a very pleasurable experience.” Doctor Clébard laughed deeply before he twisted his wrist and stabbed the needle into my side.
I realized this was my hell. I must have done something very bad to deserve this kind of punishment. I clenched my eyes shut, tears slipping out through them and down my cheeks. I felt the needle slip free before my arms were raised above my head and pinned down. I tried to scream but nothing came out. I tried to struggle with the Nurses but they were stronger than I as they strapped my wrists together down onto the examination table. The leather straps were rough against my skin and I was able to turn my head up just slightly as opened my eyes to watch them smirk at me.
The Doctor growled and grabbed my face, turning it harshly down and making me look at him. “If you want to look at something, then you will look at me.” He slapped me again once, twice, three times before he ripped my shoes off. “I will not have you kicking me with these. Now…I want to see my wonderful prize.” He smirked and ripped open my gray shirt before he grabbed a pair of sharp scissors, trailing the tip of the blades over my chest and side. “So pretty…” He started to cut off my pants, from the ankle up on one side before he repeated the process on the other side, making sure he got my underwear as well. “Now Nurse Sale… if you would do me the honors of exposing the skin for me.”
“Of course, Doctor. Anything for you.” She walked over to him and kissed him deeply, earning a low sickly moan from the man before she turned towards me and yanked the strips of material from me. I didn’t even notice the other Nurse had helped the man out of his hospital gown to reveal his nakedness. My tears were like a river now and I was shaking badly on the table. I stared at the Doctor and at the Nurses in horror before I closed my eyes, opening my mouth in a silent scream as I felt him grab my legs and enter me in one hard, sharp thrust.
My mind went back to the first few months at the Orphanage when I was chased and raped by a strange madman. The pain… the humiliation… the anger… the helplessness. It was all coming back to me and flooding my senses. I had to be punished for some wrong that I have committed. Perhaps living… I think that is my strength and my downfall. I should have died. I wouldn’t be in situations like this. I probably would be in heaven with my parents.
I was shocked out of my thoughts when I slapped, feeling nails scratch my face. I opened my eyes and stared at Nurse Sale who shook her head. “No no, baby. You are to focus and pay attention to what the good Doctor is doing to you.” She and the other Nurse held my head as the Doctor gave a guttural scream and released his pleasure deep inside of me. My whole lower regions hurt like hell. I could feel the bruises forming with the way the man gripped my thighs. It was disgusting. Everything… the Doctor… what he was doing to me… the Nurses for helping him… myself for having a part of this… the entire situation.
The Doctor collapsed on top of me and I could feel his harsh breaths on my chest and I attempted to struggle but I could not move. Whatever poison they had injected me with had worked well and the collar… the thing would not allow me to make a sound. I didn’t understand it and I just wanted to get out of there. I began wondering what was taking Ms. Haine so long. I wondered if she was ever coming back. I rolled my eyes, no longer brown but black with fear and pain, towards the door.
He laughed darkly, his chin resting upon my ribcage as he saw where my gaze was headed. “No Ariel. Your headmistress isn’t coming back. Or shall I say, your former headmistress isn’t coming back to get you.” I snapped my eyes back towards him. “You just don’t see it, do you? She doesn’t want you Ariel. You are taking up too much space at that Orphanage and you are just a waste of her time and money. She can have much more luck with younger…prettier…and overall better girls than you. Besides, those other girls are what couples want. Not something like you.” Doctor Clébard started running his fingers over my chest and smirked as I started trembling more in his hands. The tears had never stopped but they were flowing once again. It hurt like hell to hear that Ms. Haine didn’t care about me. That no one would ever want me and that I was not worth anyone’s attention.
“I think another round or two will teach you your lesson, pest.” He gripped my hips and groaned deeply. “You do feel so good here. However, I want something else…” Doctor Clébard looked up at his Nurses and they both nodded at him, smirking down at me before I felt him back away, leaving my body and a quiet sigh escaped my lips before I felt a sharp jab to my left hip. I stared at him in fear and he shook his head. “You are going to pay dearly for not wanting me to be a part of you.”
I felt him grab my hips and flip me around onto my stomach. The Nurses moved away from me as I felt his hands on my thighs. Without warning, I felt him enter my body from behind. The dry pounding made me scream silently, my tears wetting the examination table. I felt his fingers from one hand clawing at my thigh and the others leaving scratches all over my chest. His pants and his grunts were making me even more nauseous. What did I do to deserve this? What exactly was I being punished for?
The nameless Nurse grabbed my hair and forced my face onto the table while the Doctor continued with his task. I heard them having a conversation – Doctor Clébard and Nurse Sale – while he was having his way with me. I don’t know how long it had been but after what felt like forever, I felt him shove himself hard into me once again and release, his howl of pleasure sounding like a ravenous wolf excited over its latest kill. I opened my eyes and saw blood all over the table and I knew it was mine. My bottom…my entire body hurt.
I was praying to whatever deity would listen to me that this was over but when I felt myself flipped over, groped with both masculine and feminine hands, I knew my prayers were not yet being answered. I felt the tears start up once again when he crawled up onto the table above me and forced himself inside once again. One of his arms wound around my back, holding me close to him as the other roughly rubbed the side of my body. His thrusts were harsh, frantic and I felt myself falling into my own black hole. Each thrust, each touch, each scream that I was forbidden sent me further into that obsidian.
The darkness was comfortable and I started feeling numb. Even when I felt his lips all over my neck and face and then on my mouth, it was already like I was dead. Nothing felt real anymore – not when Doctor Clébard grabbed my hair, forcing me to stare into his eyes as he pounded into me – not when Nurse Sale and the other were laughing like hyenas watching my tears rolled down my cheeks. The darkness was calling me and I was already trying to embrace it – allowing it to welcome me within its endless depths.
I had not noticed when the Doctor removed his other arm from around my body and used that hand to release the buckle on the collar around my neck. I only realized it when I finally heard my own cries of pain with each of his hard thrusts. I still had no control of my limbs so I couldn’t fight him off but I was allowed to use my voice. “Please… stop… no… n-n-no m-more… p-please… s-stop… n-no!!”
“Too late, my little princess,” Doctor Clébard panted in my ear before he grunted a few more times and grabbed a hold of my thighs, forcing himself within me and groaning deeply as he emptied himself inside of my abused body for a third time. It all had hurt so badly that I wasn’t able to hold it all in and screamed my little heart out, hoping that someone, anyone would hear and put me out of this misery.
One more slap and a couple of beatings to my body – apparently some to my face as I had difficulty opening my eyes now – before I sensed that the room was empty. I tried to move but found myself unable to do and I whimpered. The pain was still unbearable and I had no idea what to do. My throat hurt from screaming so much and I felt the darkness closing in on me. I started whispering prayers for anyone to finish me off – living wasn’t worth it if I had to go through something like this again.
My whispers quieted when I sensed someone in the room. I started trembling again and my tears once again started flowing. I didn’t think I would be able to handle another round of the Doctor. Instead of something evil, I sensed something that was pure and light. A man’s concerned voice cursed and I felt him release my hands from their straps above my head. I don’t know how but I managed to curl myself into a ball, the pains making me whimper and my tears streaming down my cheeks once again.
“Don’t worry, sweetie. You are going to be safe now. I promise,” the gentle voice spoke, trying to soothe me and even though I didn’t sense any danger, when he wrapped several blankets around me and lifted me up, I cried out – both in pain and in fear. “It’s alright. I’m not going to hurt you.” I felt him stop and grab something before he took a few steps with me. “Stay with me… you are going to be just fine.”
I heard his soft voice and focused on it long enough before the pain and the exhaustion took over and I passed out – not knowing what was going to happen.
I didn’t think it was possible for me to even care anymore.
TBC...
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