viridity |•| t.s daughter (1)

not safe

♡maggie♡
age six

2002

As I walk up toward the school I notice a woman standing on the porch, seemingly waiting for me. I begin to feel nervous, I've only ever been to a normal school, never boarding school. It's probably going to be very different.

Walking up the steps toward the woman, I try to avoid eye contact. She doesn't seem like the nicest lady, so I'm not taking the risk of making her mad. But maybe avoiding her stare will make her mad anyways.

"Margot Stark," She addresses me by my name, of course, I didn't expect her to use Maggie but it's always weird being called Margot. Finally getting enough courage, I look up from my feet and toward her. Quickly I glance over my shoulder to see if my father's car is still there, but all I see is it driving away. "Come with me, child."

I'm quick to look back toward the lady, her back now facing me. Her long arms reach to open up the door, letting us in. It's quiet inside, and also dark. I feel nervous when I don't see any other girls around. Maybe they're in class.

The walk is short, but the silence makes it feel longer than it is. I'm somewhat used to it, sitting in the silence next to an adult that doesn't want to talk to me. Only Pepper and Happy ever talk to me. Obidiah talks to me too but his intent is not good.

  We come to a stop in front of a normal looking door, looking like every other door we've walked past. 'Sokolov' is written on the door, a name I don't recognize. I wonder if Ms. Brielle will be here too, or if she is going to stay in America. It would be nice for her to be here, then I wouldn't be so alone.

The lady knocks on the door, the sound echoing loudly in the empty hallway. I feel a heavy feeling form in my stomach, something telling me that whoever is behind this door is not good. I shift uncomfortably, clinging onto the hope that daddy will come running down the hall and take me back home. But I've learned hope isn't reliable.

Slowly the door opens and reveals a tall woman with a plain look on her face. She barely glances down at me before turning away, retreating back into her office. The woman next to me shoves me inside the room, causing me to stumble forward a few steps. Immediately the door is closed behind me, slamming shut causing me to jump.

"Take a seat, Margot," The lady says, taking a seat herself. I feel nervous as I walk toward her desk, glancing around the dark room as I do so. It was a plain room, perfectly reflecting the woman in front of me. I still have no clue who she is, but I'm guessing she's someone in charge.

A wooden chair is placed in front of the desk the woman sits at, when I sit in it I find that it's uncomfortable. I wish it had a cushion or something, but I'm starting to realize this school hasn't shown many comforting qualities. Not sure what to do now, I look to my lap where my hands lay, shifting uncomfortably.

  "Do you know where you are, Margot?" The woman asks me, which I find to be an odd question. Why would she ask me that? Looking up from my lap, I make little eye contact with her and answer.

"A boarding school for girls gifted in ballet and gymnastics," I'm sure there was a name but I never bothered learning it, it didn't seem important. My answer makes a grin spread across the woman's face, confusing me even further. Something was weird about all of this. Maybe this is just how boarding schools are.

  "Yes, well I guess that is what you'd think," She says, her facial expression settling back into a plain expression. Her answer was as odd as the question and I was starting to wonder if I was dropped off at the wrong place. I knew I couldn't have been though, they knew my name, they were expecting me. "Do you know who I am?"

"No," I answered truthfully, I really did have no idea who she was. All I knew was that she's weird and creepy.

"I'm Miss Sokolov, the headmaster of this school," She says, standing up from her seat. I grew nervous as she began pacing the room, not even looking at me anymore. "But you've been misled on what this school is, Margot."

Mislead? What did she even mean by that? Daddy wouldn't have sent me somewhere else besides a school unless he sent me here to be killed. Did daddy really want me dead? Was this woman going to kill me?

"This is a special school for special little girls like you," Miss Sokolov continues talking just as she continues pacing. Special? As in me being good at ballet? "But the thing about you that makes you extra special is your father."

I knew my daddy was a special man, but how did that make me special? He was only famous and rich, and I had heard something about him being smart. Why would that be special at school?

"But that isn't something to worry about right now," Finally Miss Sokolov sits back down in her seat, looking at me with a calculating gaze. "Welcome to the Red Room, Margot."

What's the Red Room? Is that the name of this school? That's a weird name.

  "Would you like to watch a movie?" Miss Sokolov asks, standing up from her seat. Slowly I nod my head, which Miss Sokolov smiles at. Taking my hand, she guides me out of the room and into another.

I sit down in one of the seats and look around the empty room, hoping to see other students, but I'm still alone. The lights get turned off as a movie starts on the small screen, my eyes instantly gluing to the colorful images.

  After a long while passes, I'm not sure how long, Miss Sokolov comes back into the room. I don't look away from the screen though, and I barely even flinch when she hooks me up to a needle that has pink liquid coming out of it.

It's only by the end of the movie that I start to question why I'm hooked up to the needle. Was I sick? I'd been hooked up to one of these things when I was in the hospital, but the liquid was clear that came out of it.

  "Did you like the movie, Margot?" I jump when I hear Miss Sokolov's voice calling to me, seeming to snap me out of a trance. Nodding my head, I look away from the needle and to her.

"Yes, Miss Sokolov. Why is there a needle in me?" I was curious, and I was hoping she'd answer me. She only tsks at me and starts to disconnect it from my arm, putting a bandage over the small hole it left in my skin.

"Don't question me, ever," Miss Sokolov says, taking my hand and leading me from out of the room. My cheeks turn pink at the slight scolding, but I only nod my head. I'm sure it wasn't important anyway.

  I'm lead to a room where other girls are, all of them looking sad. I notice that all of them are handcuffed to the bed, and I become nervous. What's going on? Something is definitely not right, I know that now.

I don't dare question Miss Sokolov as she handcuffs me to a bed of my own, I have a feeling it would make her angry. I don't like adults when they are angry. Watching as she leaves the room, I notice her flip off the lights and hear her lock the door after she closes it behind herself.

  The other girls begin to cry and I feel the strong urge to do so also. I miss daddy a lot right now, I just wish he'd come and save me. But maybe daddy knew this was a bad place, maybe he thinks I deserve to be here. So I won't question daddy. I just miss him so much.

It was probably pointless to have published the AN, but posting it did give me inspiration to update. I'm hoping you'll like this chapter and that I'll stick with it, I want to get on with the good stuff I have planned for this book.