The Cunning

31

There was singing, from the room next to Madison's, filling the silence. She had heard nothing from the other girls except crying and the occasional grunting from a male visit. She climbed on top of the unit at the end of the bed, pressing her ear to the wall. It wasn't Janine; her bedroom was next to Annabelle's, in the middle. This was one of the new girls. The song was sweet. Amongst the singing was sobbing from someone else. Madison could vaguely make out that the song was a lullaby, sung in a different language, meant to soothe and comfort. It was doing little to quell the sobbing.

A whimpering howl of despair vibrated through the walls. Madison shuddered, recalling the same sound having escaped her lips on her first night.

Whilst the boys were out, she analysed her situation. Janine's warning clung to the forefront of her mind. She had to keep her wits about her and avoid being sucked into one of his games. Though, she was worried she may already be tangled up in one and from the way Jase had watched her last night, her best chance of winning might involve seducing him. This was one area Madison had no practice in.

She'd reached the first obstacle where the knowledge her dad had instilled in her growing up wouldn't cover and she had no one to reach out to for advice. Lily couldn't be trusted, and it was too much of a risk, even for Madison to find out whether Janine could be.

Still, men were simple creatures, and as Janine had said, the only way to survive in their world was to be like them. If Jase were to initiate flirting, she wouldn't abstain from playing along. Let him busy himself with games, so long as he thought he was in control she could find a way to bend it in her favour.

The usual din of people entering the house caused the singing to stop. Madison looked at the bedroom door as the sound of footsteps approached.

"You can go to the toilet," Jase said as he came in before frowning at her. "Why are you sitting there?" Madison shrugged.

"Fancied a change." He narrowed his eyes, suspicious of anything out of the ordinary where she was concerned. "The girl next door was singing; I was listening to it."

"One of the new girls?" he questioned before remembering it could only be the new girls because it wouldn't be Janine. Madison nodded, hoping she hadn't got them into trouble. Jase hummed disapprovingly,

"Don't get used to it. There's a showing tomorrow night. I highly doubt they'll want to sing after that."

"Another one?"

"There's one every time we get a new girl," he replied.

"Will Benny be there?" she asked.

"No. Why?" Madison rolled her shoulders, wringing her hands.

"I was just wondering. He's intimidating. The girls might be more inclined to be less on edge if he's not around."

"Why do you care?" he asked, folding his arms. Madison chose her words carefully.

"Everyone in this house benefits if the tension is kept at a minimum. Benny's erratic behaviour puts the girls more on edge." This response didn't satisfy his suspicion. She was right but it didn't answer his question as to why she cared whether the girls were on edge or not.

"Don't go thinking just because Benny isn't here, you can act up either. It's not a party and plenty of people are going to have their eyes on you with the little reputation you've gotten yourself." Madison's ears burned at the mention of this and she made an effort to keep her facial expression neutral but the confirmation that her disruptive behaviour was stirring the pot was music to her ears. It was much easier to tear apart an establishment when the foundations were uneven. As for people watching her, the could carry on. Jase could have as many eyes on her as he liked, unless she reached for the door handle, none of them would know what to look for.

"I've learned my lesson. We both know I'm not getting out. I'm not about to make my life harder," she replied, knowing he didn't fully believe her. She didn't need him to yet. She needed to plant the idea in his head as to why her behaviour was changing. That would be enough.

The girls and the tension weren't the real reasons she wanted to know if Benny would be there. Madison wanted to test her theory. The boys relaxed; they were almost normal when Benny wasn't around. Janine could rub shoulders with Sam more openly. Jase didn't care enough to ensure the girls were terrified into submission, an unnecessary stress in his eyes.

She had yet to see him be the person Janine had painted him out to be. Not that she wanted to meet him but seeing Jase pushed to his limits would help her gauge the risk and reward ratios of her actions better. Adam was currently the only one she had to watch out for, though it appeared he was more of an attack dog. One look from Jase, and he was likely to back off.

With Benny away and Adam on a leash, Madison was free to move forward with her plan for the evening.

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Hello! What do you think Madison is up to? Please don't forget to vote and comment on the chapters, i love reading your thoughts and the votes really help me out! :)