Chapter Seventeen

Unsurprisingly, Lila won the video game. Sabrina played with her for nearly an hour while Kinsley cooked, the scents of a rich, cheesy, tomato-y dish wafting through the house. When the match was over, she gladly put the controller down... only for Lila to pick it up and put it in her palms again.

"You're not even trying, Bree. If you're letting me win, it's just going to make me mad and I'll make sure you get punished for that."

"I'm not letting you win!" The reaction came out of nowhere, the frustration and rage bubbling up unbidden. "I'm not good at these stupid games. I don't even like video games. You make me play them."

Sabrina glared at the childish woman, surprised when her eyes started to tear up.

Her voice was a small squeak. "You... you don't want to play with me?"

She seemed genuinely upset by it. Guilt touched Sabrina's heart, but it was washed away with a blast of cold fear as she spotted Kinsley in the kitchen doorway. It was easy to forget what she had been piecing together about Lila.

It wasn't her fault.

She was awful, she was pushy and demanding, she was immature and inconsiderate, and she was being pushed to behave that way by Kinsley and Faith. She got everything she wanted, she didn't have to do anything for herself. Kinsley kept her in diapers when she got too upset, and she'd just sit on the ground and watch cartoons... they had turned her from a supposedly brilliant scientist into an overgrown child.

Just like they were turning her into a house pet.

It was a sobering realization. As she watched a large tear slide down Lila's cheek, her thoughts crystallized. The "good girl" phrase, the collar, the way she was praised for giving in and punished for resisting. This was almost certainly what Kinsley had done to Lila as well. She thought of how mesmerizing those blue eyes were, how powerfully she felt affected by Kinsley's voice.

And she felt bad for Lila.

She was a victim too.

A deep sigh escaped Sabrina's lips. "I'm sorry, Lila. I'm just cranky that I always lose. Can we play a different game for a while? I like the racing one better."

Lila sniffled, wiping away a tear with the back of her hand. "Y-you want to play with me?"

"I do. I like playing with you." The lie was hard to tell, but she kept her face composed. She leaned in a little closer, lowering her voice. "Lila? Why... why were you wearing a diaper?"

"Well, because Mama- "

"Dinnertime!" The leader of the Dolls called out, her voice reaching all corners of their house. Lila popped up immediately, not even bothering to finish her sentence, and walked to the kitchen... to the little card table that barely held the four of them under normal circumstances. She rose to join them, unsure of how this was going to work out, when Faith's door opened.

Blue hair and brown eyes and a smile as big as the world stepped out, and Sabrina was struck mid-step by just how bright Angie was. Not just her hair, but her smile. It was easy to see why Faith gushed over her as she walked toward the kitchen, holding Faith's hand in her own as her red-haired roommate trailed behind. Faith's neck was a smattering of bruises, bite marks, and lipstick. She stumbled along behind Angie - her eyes downcast, her smile just as large as her girlfriend's, and her cheeks nearly the same color as her hair.

Lila practically screamed her joy at dinner. "Kinsley casserole! I love Kinsley casserole!"

Faith's eyes snapped up, her wide smile turning to a grin. "Yes!"

"Aww." Angie stepped toward Kinsley and leaned in, kissing the tall woman on the cheek. "I'm flattered. Thank you, sugar."

Sabrina stepped into the overcrowded kitchen, confused. "What's a Kinsley casserole?"

"Just the best food ever! Well, ice cream doesn't count. Is ice cream a food?" Lila cocked her head to one side before shrugging. "It doesn't matter. It's really good. It's got magic as an ingredient!"

Sabrina was skeptical. "Magic?" She felt suspicious as Kinsley dished out the steaming mess of noodles and red sauce, big chunks of meat poking out of it, hamburger and sausage, bits of chicken. "Wait. I thought you were vegetarian?"

"And I don't expect everyone else to be. This is my mama's recipe that I made a few changes to, to make it my own. Kinsley casserole. Don't mean I'm gonna eat it. I have a lovely batch of cheese bread and salad for myself. I don't mind cooking with meat every now and again."

"Shut up and say thanks, dummy." Lila stuck her tongue out at Sabrina as she accepted a bowl of the cheesy noodles. "Thank you M... Kinsley." She blushed, apparently remembering herself.

Sabrina accepted the steaming bowl. "We can't all fit at the card table." The food did smell good, Kinsley obviously had some talent.

"We'll eat upstairs." Kinsley handed out the last bowl to Faith before grabbing her own food. "We'll watch something together, we'll enjoy dinner, and then Bree will do the dishes."

Angie smiled as she squeezed past. "Well that's very sweet of you Bree. Come on, honey. Let's go sit down."

"Yes honey."

Faith with Angie was night and day from the scowling, serious girl that Sabrina was used to. Especially of late, ever since Kinsley had "demoted" Sabrina, Faith had been quite hard on her. But with Angie, she was walking on clouds. She floated along behind her blue-haired love, her smile as big as ever as they carried their dinner upstairs.

It was a nice change.

As Sabrina stepped toward the doorway, Lila cut her off, walking directly in front of her. Sabrina stopped short, narrowly avoiding colliding with the other woman, frowning.

Kinsley did the same, leaving Sabrina alone in the kitchen. "You're at the bottom, sugar. You go last."

She sighed. It seemed like the only time she was going to get a break was while Angie was in the room with her.

After a deep, cleansing breath, she made her way up the stairs - only to find the couch completely full.

"Oh Bree, here. You can have my spot." Angie began to get up, but Faith stopped her with a gentle hand and a whining voice.

"Honey no, please sit with me?" Faith turned toward Sabrina, her expression saying everything. "She doesn't mind sitting on the floor. She likes it. Don't you Bree?"

All eyes were on her, and the only pair that looked gentle was Angie's.

"I like it." She lied as she sat down on the floor near Kinsley's feet.

The food was good at least, as good as it smelled if not better. Everyone's excitement made sense, and the meal was enjoyable. Kinsley put on some inane sitcom that Sabrina had no interest in. She stopped eating every so often to fetch someone a drink as they requested them, but otherwise the meal was uneventful.

Soon the empty bowls were all piled on the coffee table by happy hands belonging to contented stomachs.

"Go ahead Bree." Kinsley gestured to the pile of dishes. "Do a good job, make sure you scrape the glass dish."

Irritation spread across her face, but Sabrina obeyed, standing and piling the dishes in her arms. She could resist, she could refuse, she could fight back... but she knew that the moment Angie was gone, they'd inflict far worse pain on her than if she just complied, obeyed.

She'd find a way out, but it wasn't going to present itself by fussing over some dishes.

The show resumed as she headed down the stairs, laden with sauce-smelling bowls. The glass baking dish Kinsley used was in the worst shape of all and it was going to take a lot of work to get it cleaned again.

Sabrina grumbled softly to herself as she worked, scrubbing bowls while the laughter of the rest of them crashed down the stairs.

"I hate this."

She spoke only to herself, and only in a hushed tone. Sabrina wondered if she could slip out the front door unnoticed, but Kinsley's latest threat still held fast to her heart. She had hurt more in the past month than she had known possible, and she had no interest in seeing what lay beyond the next horizon of suffering.

She nearly jumped out of her skin when she felt a hand gently land on her shoulder.

"Thanks for working so hard for them." Angie's bright smile was soft and warm, and she was a few inches shorter now with her shoes off. "Thanks for helping to take care of my beautiful Faith."

"Sure... "

She blinked her surprise at the soft kiss that Angie planted on her cheek.

"She's really special to me." With that, Angie turned and walked back toward the stairs.

"Wait."

Sabrina's heart was racing. This was her chance. She could hear the other three carrying on upstairs. There might not be another moment like this for a while.

"Hmm?" Angie leaned on the doorway, waiting.

"I need help."

"With the dishes? Sorry sweetie, I- "

"No." Sabrina dried her hands off quickly and stepped closer. "I need help getting out of here."

"Wha?" Angie blinked, confused.

Sabrina took Angie's hands in her own. "I'm a prisoner. I need help. I need you to call the police for me, I need to- "

Angie cut her off with a tinkling laugh. "Oh Bree! They told me you were funny. A prisoner? Of my sweet Faith?"

"No... yes... I mean, I think it's Kinsley behind it all but they won't let me leave and... "

Angie's smile faded, slipping from her face completely as she stood up straight. "They told me that they rescued you, that you were grateful."

"I was! Angie, this is a collar!" Sabria clutched at the steel ring, pulling on it and shaking it at Angie. "They make me wear a collar... they hit me. Kinsley beats me. I... please help me."

Angie crossed her arms, looking distraught. "This isn't funny, Bree."

"It's not, I- "

"Honey!" Angie called loudly over her shoulder. "Honey, can you come here?"

"Coming honey!"

Sabrina's eyes went wide as fear rushed through her. It was too late to stop her, the sound of Faith's footsteps loomed ever nearer. Sabrina dashed for the sink, terrified. She plunged her hands in the water, hoping that the dishes would save her.

"What's up?"

"Bree doesn't seem to be very thankful to be here. She was telling me how you hit her and make her wear a collar."

Sabrina flinched, studiously ignoring the conversation, her hands shaking in the soapy water.

"I never hit her." Faith sounded surprisingly defensive. "Kinsley gave her a couple of spankings, but... "

"Bree?" There was an edge to Angie's voice that hadn't been there before. "Are you grateful to be here?"

She barely managed to squeak out an answer. "Of course."

"Honey." Angie pushed Faith toward the sink. "She's lying to me and I don't like it."

Sabrina whimpered as Faith's hand wrapped around her arm. "Don't lie to my girlfriend, Bree."

"I'm not! I'm grateful to be here! I am! Thank you for letting me stay here, thank you for giving me a place to live, thank you- "

"Honey... " The one word spoke volumes.

"No!" Sabrina screamed as her face sped toward the ground. She tried to catch herself, but Faith held her fast. Before long, she was on her stomach on the kitchen floor, her arm twisted behind her back, Faith's knee in her spine. A hand came down across the backs of Sabrina's thighs over and over, bringing new life to the fading bruises covering her legs. "Ow! No! Please! I'm sorry!"

Words devolved into sobbing, wordless pleas as Faith's hand rained down mercilessly, over and over and over. Sabrina was in agony, her voice hoarse from begging, from crying, from wailing.

When the beating stopped, when Faith stood, Sabrina was a puddle on the floor, writhing and whimpering, holding her thighs and wishing the pain would subside.

Angie's warm voice fell on her ears.

"Aww, she's suffering so much.. " The words could have been sweet, but not the way she said them. Not with that hint of malicious glee in her voice. Like she was cooing about how cute an animal was. "You're so cute, honey. Do you think she's grateful now?"

"I hope so, honey. For her sake, I hope so."