Pliable Creatures | ✓

SEVEN

Amrite's knees buckled in shock as her world suddenly seemed to elongate. The scream that was threatening to escape was choked down from surprise, and all Amrite managed was an inaudible gasp.

"KFLUMP!"

She was thrown against the glass sides, crumbling to the floor from the impact.

But just as suddenly as it had began, the elevator ride was over, and Amrite was left in complete darkness.

Wincing, she clutched at her wrist, pulling away to feel her hand covered in something warm and sticky. Amrite's register face had shattered, and the broken pieces of metal and glass had dug into her wrist, producing blood.

With nothing to accompany her but the sound of her own pounding heart, Amrite sat alone in her own shock and confusion.

What had happened?! What on Earth had happened to the elevator? In all the time Amrite had been living in the Nest—seeing girls go up and down the glass tube—She had never seen it malfunction like this before!

But Amrite did not have long to consider the answers to her questions because at this moment, the elevator gave a soft ping, and the doors slid open.

Amrite wouldn't have been surprised if the glowing rectangle of light was the entryway to heaven. Hopelessly shielding her eyes, Amrite almost wondered if she was dead. But the blood, pain, and throbbing headache was too real, too physical; and so she took the obvious next step and walked into the light.

It took Amrite's eyes a moment to adjust. But when they did, she saw that she was in a room filled with monitors.

As if suddenly aware of her presence, the once gray and gloomy computers turned on, revealing their purpose.

All the machines showed a different moving image of what had been her world minutes ago. A panel to the left was securely facing a sleeping girl. But before Amrite could make out who it was, the screen switched onto another unsuspecting subject. Each of the approximately fifty screens showed a different image of life in the facility below. A couple devices were focused on the meal stations, one on the weights area, and several—to her shock—were located inside restroom stalls.

Amrite felt a sudden lurch in her stomach and fought the urge to throw up. She had always assumed the Nest was watching—or how else would they choose the girls—but Amrite would never once in her wildest dreams guessed how closely. To have a camera next to each bed, in each restroom stall, and where they undressed for the spa? She shuddered, suddenly aware of the many male guards she had seen patrolling the catwalks.

As if on cue, Amrite suddenly heard the sound of approaching footsteps.