12 TEN

THIRD PERSON'S POV:

It is eight in the morning when Irvin wakes up. He looks to his left and see both: Harper and Max sleeping glued to each other. They haven't moved an inch since last night, the only thing different is that both weren't under the sheets. He gets closer to them and admire her delicacy. He little hands on top of the big dog's chest, her perfect eyelashes. Perfect designed eyebrows. Her perfect little nose shaped as an artist drawing. Irvin stared at her but eventually he got himself to get up and shower. And in there he has the most relax moment of his entire day. It is when he is the most and relax version of himself.

But as everything in live is temporary, his shower comes to an end. He gets out and change into something more casual: black jeans, white T-shirt and his casual shoes. Something more comfortable for a free day of work. The problems were over so no need to solve anything, for now.

He goes back to the room and her legs are almost completely exposed. The skirt from last night barely covered her bottom now. Her leave less shirt with a cut front allows her breasts to show more. They are being squeezed by her sleeping position.

She changes her position to the other side of her body. He watches as the dog tries to get her to embrace him, but it goes in vain. The gentle giant gets up and stretch his body and yawn. Irvin just looks at the dog's movements. He studies the best way to get hugged by her, but she is near the edge and he doesn't have space to fit in there.

The dog stays there for long minutes trying to figure a way, but he eventually gives up. Not completely, though. He sits near her sleeping body and faces her. He stares at her while breathing loudly near her small and delicate face. With a few minutes she wakes up. The first she does it pet him and sit on the bed. She looks down and run her hands through her hair, putting it on its place. She starts looking at her surroundings and she doesn't recognise this room. Its is dark grey, black and white. This wasn't her room.

HARPER'S POV:

I look straight and then to my right and left. Where am I? One thing I'm sure about is that I'm not in the boarding school, I'm not in my room either. This room has a window wall and big grey curtains in front of them, but it is still possible to see the sunlight coming through the mattress. I look around and I come to realised that I'm lost. I don't feel comfortable here. I feel vulnerable and watched, even though I am alone with Max. He lay his head on my lap and looks at me with those puppy eyes. – good morning – I say to him, in a very low tone and take his head on my hands. His head is so big and heavy. I chuckled at him; such a big dog acting like a baby.

I get up and fix my skirt. I start to walk to the door when I noticed a presence. I know it is him. My body reacts to his presence in a way that it is unexplainable. But I look just to make sure. My eyes find his tall figure and I feel cold head to toe: this is his room and I'm inside and trapped, like a pray. His arms are crossed in front of him and now I can see that he has tattoos on his left arm. Coming from his chest until his wrist and then a few more on his left hand.

I stop everything I'm doing, and I hug myself. In boarding school hugging myself used to be useful so I do the same here and low my eyes. Why did he bring me here? Couldn't he had just left me in the garden yesterday?

A feeling is building inside of me. A very known feeling. My body turns colder and my vision blur. I'm having a Panic Attack. Oh no not right now, I think to myself. However, it is something I didn't manage to control. I feel my whole body shaking and I cannot see anything in the room. I back down until I feel my back hitting the corner of the grey room and then I slide down and hug my legs in front of me. I cry and I cannot stop it, I try but I can't.

"Stop crying and get up", I hear his voice and he gave me commands. Two to be exactly. The fear of not obeying led my body to stop doing anything to complete his wishes. I manage to get up, but I wasn't seeing anything. He saw I am having problems to walk so he gets his hands around my arm. That's is when I can't control all these feelings anymore.

"Please", I beg him,  "I didn't do anything; I swear I didn't do anything", I cry to him.  "I can't control it",  his grip is tight and firm. "it is hurting... please",  he lets me go and I crawl to the nearest corner. My knees are near my chest and I feel dirty now. I scratch my arms over and over until everything goes black and I don't feel anything.

IRVIN'S POV:

I thought she was just doing a scandal but when she plead me to not hurt her, I look into her eyes and all I could see was fear. She crawls herself in the corner and I don't know what do to. I've never seen something like this. I was going to leave herself to calm down but when I saw her scratching herself and crying. She tries to get back, but the wall doesn't let her, but she continues to try until she just stops and closes her eyes. I get near her body and no reaction. I bend down and shake her. Her body just turned off.

" Rose!",  I scream and she arrives quickly.

"Yes?", she says out of breath.

"Call the doctor. Tell him to meet me in the basement", she nods and goes do what I asked her to do.

I hold Harper on my arms and make my way downstairs. Max follows us without knowledge of what just happen. I get there and I put her on the hospital bed. I have this space for when I get hurt or my man does. I have like a mini hospital down here and now the only thing it is missing is the damn doctor.

He arrives minutes later.  "where are you hurt?",  he asked with his back turned to be. He put his surgical gloves on and gets a scalpel. When he turns back, he sees her.

"I'm fine, but she just got all crazy and passed out"

"Ooh, I believe I won't be needing this then – he puts the blade aside – what happened? – he asks while trying to get Max out.

"I wouldn't try if I were you. – he nods – and she just started panicking and crying and scratching herself and then she just stopped"

"How was her sight and how she walked?"

"She seemed disturbed. Dizzy. Like she couldn't see what was in front of her"

He continues checking her heartbeat and pressure. He checks her head and he see the face I'm making – I'm just checking to see if he hit her head – I nod. – so, I'll put something over these scratches. And she probably had a panic attack –

"So...- I wanted to hear more. Just that?

"So, there is nothing to do. She must have passed out because of the lack of oxygen. It is emotional. She probably felt trapped, scared or sad. Something was the trigger. Memories, people, objects, places and feelings can be the trigger. Now we wait until she wakes up", he explains to me. "I'll stay here until she does"

He was preparing the needle to put the solution in her body. He stops what he is doing. "Where did she come from?", he asks me. "Did you buy or meet her?"

"I bought her. It has a month".  I look at him , "why?"

"Mmm...",  he doesn't say anything. "She was highly drugged, maybe for fighting back or just because it is easier for them to take care of all of them"

"What? But they said she was there by choice"

"I know where you bought her from. And believe me, she wasn't. A month ago, I was working the night shift at the hospital and a girl came in with those same marks. Her owner, which is how they see you guys, continue giving her these drugs. She overdosed and died, there is nothing else to do. And her marks", he shows me Harper's arms.  "She was barely clean. She is supposed to be dead by the amount of needle marks in here and here she has some too - he showed me her wrists, hand and even the neck. "and relax, I know what this collar does",  he says after seeing my face when his hands approached her neck. "I don't know if they used clean material to inject the drugs, so I'll take some of her blood to get tested", he didn't ask. He said he was going to do it.

"For what?"

"To see if she contracts any DSTs, how her vitamins are and her everything else and maybe try to figure what they gave her.",  I nod and he is right. 

She is passed out and there is nothing to do for now. – are you going to stay down here? – I ask the doctor and he nod - ok, I'll be right back -. I remember when I bought her that woman gave me a pen drive. Maybe there I'll find more information on what she has been through.

I go direct to my office. I put her things all together. I found the little object and plug it into the computer. One folder opens and there was the video: one hour "movie". I play it and in the first 15 minutes images of her first day shows how she was, her measures and her weight. She was pretty beaten up when she got there.

I continue watching and over the images and videos, I see things weren't easy. Everything she has been through was in here and when the one hour is over, I'm left without words. It takes me a while to assimilate things. It was too much information to receive at once.

After getting myself together, I decide is time to get back. It is lunch time but I'm not with a stomach to eat anything. I get to the basement but before I see that she has woken up. I can hear they talk, and I know if I go in, she'll stop.

"Harper, I know about the pen drive",  I guess it is the one I just watch. "And I've seen what they do ... "

"You haven't seen nothing", she talks back. "You saw only what they wanted you to see. The things you saw is ten times worst in reality", she adds.

"I'm sorry that you have been through all. But do you have any idea what kind of drugs they used", she stays quiet.

"Ketamine", I hear her voice. This drug is some heavy shit. "Since the beginning and they stop one month before we get sold"

"Do you miss it?"

"I used to. A lot, but now I just try to ignore it"

"But would you use it again?"

"Look, I know what you are thinking, it is a bad drug but in there the drug was the only thing that gave me happiness. I could see things extraordinary. It was my escape from the reality.".  The doctor doesn't say anything else. "But no, I don't want to use it again.",,  after that everything gets quiet.  So, I believe it is ok go in.

I get inside and see her. Her hair is wet, and she changed into a loose beach dress. I guess she took a shower and Rose brought her food and clothes. There is a food plate on the side. Only half eaten. She is laying down on her side. She seems to know when I am around her.

"The exams will be ready soon", the doctor says. " but I need to weight you", the doctor announces – she shakes her head. She is back to her old self. In the video they were strict with weight and measures. So maybe this is one of her traumas.  "Please", the doctor extends his hand to her. She is not completely afraid of him, but she doesn't take his hand. "you don't have to look at the numbers and I won't tell you. I promise",  he says as if he was dealing with a child. When she is about to take his hand she stops and turn her head to me and look at me asking for permission. I remain serious, I give her a nod, giving her my permission. She places her little hand on top of his and she gets on top of the scale.

The doctor asked her to take her clothes out, she looks back at me, again, but this time I take a while to give her the answer. I don't want him to see her naked, or only on her underwear, but if this got be done than fine. I gave her the permission. I watch her take the dress off, but I expected everything but what I am seeing: WOW. Her hair is up in a bun on top of her head. She stares at screen. Expecting the numbers to show. I thought she wasn't going to look but in fact she stared at it.

The machines beeps and she smile. In the other hand, the doctor seems worried.  "You are underweight", he states. She looks at back at me: "you can speak", I say to her.

"No, I'm not"

"You are on the limit. Considering you don't eat much, in one week, you will be underweight",  the doctor is being tough with her.  "And you want that, don't you?"

"Yes", she answers. "For three years I have tried to lose weight."

"This isn't healthy. Lower numbers don't equal healthy. – I don't get. She wasn't overweight three years ago. She was normal. – fine. We can make these numbers stay low, but not like this. I need you to gain seven to eight pounds – she shakes her hear. She is stubborn as hell. – six? – she takes a while to think about it and finally she nods. – great – he told her to put her clothes on and when she was about to, he stops her. – what it this? - He touches her waist.

"My waist wasn't small enough"

"How many they took out?",  she gives It a thought.

"Just one rib"

"Can you breathe in, so I can see it", she turns around. And the doctor shakes his head. He doesn't believe in what he was seeing. "Ok hold it there",  she breathes in and the bones are easily to be touched. He touches they are very light scars. They were almost impossible to notice. "How they remove the scar? Laser?", she nods. "Well, I believe that is all. I'll came back tomorrow with the results.",  he says that and take his leave.