Caught In The Shadow [Jenlisa]

Chapter Twenty-Seven -

Jennie

- ww -

When I opened my eyes and realized it was morning it took me a few minutes to orient myself. The trepidation I felt during the night was slow to fade. I didn't remember falling asleep, only lying in bed for hours trying to think of a way out of my situation that wouldn't later involve Lisa having to rescue me.

The room I slept in was beautiful and immaculate. Every morning the sun came spilling into the room when Rosa came in to draw back the heavy curtains. I had told her I was more than capable of drawing back the curtains myself, but she simply ignored me as she went about her business of preparing the room for the day.

"She's not allowed to speak to you," Lisa said as she sat on the edge of the bed. It was only our second week at the mansion and she looked so tired, like she wasn't able to rest at all. She complained she couldn't go on sleeping in all her clothes forever. Yet, every night, she did.

Lisa was more erratic than usual during those first few weeks. Yes, she was cruel. She put me through my paces, teaching me certain phrases in Russian and what actions to take when I heard them. She insisted I crawl, call her master, and that I go through a series of humiliations meant to make me get over my shyness.

For all that, she didn't really touch me. She kept me clothed. She protected me by not letting others near me. I knew she stayed with me at night because I had nightmares when she didn't. She slept in her t-shirt and shorts, seemingly content to just sleep next to me and not touch me unless I woke from some horrible nightmare and huddled close to her. She soothed me.

"Why isn't she allowed to talk to me?" I asked, in a sardonic tone.

Lisa glared at me for several moments before she replied. "Kitten, you should really watch the way you speak to me. Just because you're hurt, doesn't mean I'm not keeping score." She stared at me, squarely in the eyes, until I finally looked down.

"Sorry, Master." She eyed me strangely. "Can I please know why she's not allowed to speak to me?"

"Rosa isn't just her master's lover, she's also his servant. It's not so unusual I guess. I've never been involved with someone long enough to know the idiosyncrasies that go along with being in a relationship, but I know enough to say it makes sense. It's not like he can use her for sex all the time." My face must have shown my indignant shock because Lisa pressed her finger to my lips to keep me from speaking.

Even though I shouldn't and it might piss Lisa off, I spoke anyway, "Don't you think that's a silly rule? It sounds pretty mean to me."

"Well trust me; sometimes talking to you is what is mean," she commented, but smiled.

I smiled back. Asshole. Perversely, I thought about how much I would miss her after she sold me, and I wondered if she would miss me, too, perhaps even enough to come for me. You're not a princess and she isn't the dashing savior come to save you. Or don't you remember? I sighed at my inner voice. I was talking to myself more and more. Not only was I going crazy, but I was bitchy company.

Some days I could almost forget I was being held against my will. I never did, but I flirted with the idea every now and then. Lisa would have Rosa bring us breakfast and we'd eat it outside, just the two of us. Out in the sunshine, eating fresh pastries from Lisa's hand and sipping hand-squeezed orange juice, I thought: This isn't so bad.

Of course, some days it was nearly impossible to forget I was Lisa's prisoner. I was still moving slowly from my injuries. The bruises had nearly faded away, but the pain in my ribs and shoulder was always there to remind me about a lot of things. It was a deterrent against running away again. It was also a reminder I had gotten off easy with Lisa. Still, leave it to Lisa to think of a way to use the pain toward her own ends.