Patient Twelve

Chapter Twenty-One

Oliver showed up to Candace's room in the late afternoon. She had curled my dark hair and pinned it back. She applied her makeup and did Jane's but never did mine. I was not going to complain. I never liked wearing makeup.

Candace did not mention Ben again. The odd knock came to the door throughout the day, but Candace yelled at them to go away. They all listened to her.

She told me to wait for her to help me get into my dress. I raised an eyebrow but did not find any use in arguing with her. Jane's white dress flowed but stopped above her knee to put her transplanted feet on display. Candace's dress had a plunging neckline that showed her thick scar running down her chest. She pulled my dress off the bed. She loosened the corset, and I rolled my eyes. Of course, Oliver would find the most uncomfortable dress for me to wear.

I hesitated to take my old dress off in front of Candace. She held the dress out in front of me, and I knew I was going to have to. I slipped my dress and bra off. I covered my chest as I stepped into the lace dress. I held onto the bodice as she pulled the ribbon tight. I sucked in a deep breath as she gave it a final tug.

Not long after, Oliver knocked on the door. Candace looked over at her clock before opening the door. Oliver stood there in a suit with a dark red tie. No one said anything, but Oliver held his hand out. I struggled to breathe and this dress was not helping. I fought with my feet to convince myself to move forward. Oliver smiled as I came closer. I ignored his hand and walked past him into the hallway.

It had quieted down from this morning and I could only hear the odd voice. I jumped when Oliver grabbed the glasses off of my face. He folded them, put them in a case, and slipped them in a pocket in the inside of his jacket.

"You look beautiful, Diana," he said. "I can't wait to show you off."

"You can't sell me," I blurted out. "I've been studying. I promise. Let me come back to Canada."

"Listen, Kitten," Oliver said. He cupped the side of my face. I curled my fingers into the bodice of the dress to stop myself from pushing him away. "I have been talking to Dr. Phillips, and I need to be smart about this. In my next operation-"

"Which I can help you with," I cut him off. "I've been studying. I can help you."

There wouldn't be another surgery. I just needed to get back to Canada so Ben could get us out of here.

Oliver closed his eyes and stayed silent for a few moments before removing his hand from my face. He placed his hand to the small of my back and pushed me forward. We continued down the hallway.

"I'll think about it," he said. "I just need you to behave."

I bit down on my lip as Oliver punched in the code to the door. It slid open, and he guided me through Gregory's house. I could hear music and chatter. Oliver walked me through a series of back hallways.

He brought me into a large ballroom. There were small circular platforms spread out throughout the room. Most of the platforms had a girl in a white dress or a man in black pants and a white shirt. Oliver showed me to one of the platforms in the middle. I kept my head down and the eyes of multiple people were staring at me. Oliver held out his hand and helped me up onto the platform.

I stood straight like Ben had taught me how to do during his practice. Oliver straightened the skirt of my dress. The remaining subjects came into the room and got onto their platforms. I squinted, but I could not make out any of their modifications. One familiar face did come in.

Ben walked in with Bethany. Unlike the other men, he did not have a shirt on so that his skin was on display. Ben stood on the platform across from me. Ben's eyes were staring at me. I shifted my weight between my feet. I realized that I was not wearing any shoes. I looked around at the other subjects to see that they all had bare feet too.