Twenty-six

Her head was throbbing, killing her painfully. Moaning, Whisper opened her eyes only to shut them again real quickly. It was bright and her eyes couldn't take the intense light. All she wanted to do was go back to sleep, to curl up in a ball and sleep forever.

"I know you're awake, Whisper!" she heard.

Her heart dropped to the ground at the voice. Of course, how could she forget? She was in the hands of him and there was no way of escape. Whisper opened her eyes again and looked around. She was outside now, lying in the dirt. She wasn't tied down, but when she sat up, her head spun. Deciding to just lie still, she listened to the man.

"My, my, that dress looks good on you, you know? I'm glad they decided on that one." He chuckled softly and began to walk. It sounded like he was going above her. "Did you like that little hallucination you had? I decided to recreate some for you. That was just the beginning and probably felt very real, didn't it?"

She didn't answer, confusion buzzing her mind. Unlike she originally thought, this wasn't that man. This was someone else who sounded familiar, she just couldn't put her finger on it.

"It makes you look taller, you know, the dress? Quite fitting for you actually."

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice hoarse.

This made him laugh. "Do you not recognize me, Whisper? I have to say, I'm disappointed! We spent so much time together!"

She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I don't know."

"Why don't you open your eyes and look at me then?" he suggested from beside her.

Slowly, hesitantly, she opened her eyes. She blinked away the glare from the sun and saw blue eyes and salt-and-pepper hair. Her body stiffened. Oh yes, Whisper did remember this man! How could she not? How could she not when it was him who ordered all those nurses around? How could she not when it was him who said she was faking her hallucinations and was ordered her punished every time she had one? How could she not when the nurses were told to do whatever they wanted to her to listen by him?

"Recognize me now?" he asked with a satisfied smile.

Whisper nodded. "Y-yes."

"Good. Now, get up. Your brother is on his way," he said and walked away a few paces.

"Brother?" she asked, sitting up on her elbows.

"Brother, yes. He wants you presentable in a few minutes when he gets here."

Whisper was confused. She didn't have a brother. She didn't have any siblings. No family. No friends. Since when did she have a brother? Whisper slowly got to her feet and swayed a little. Dizzy, she was so dizzy. The Doctor turned and smiled at her. "Who is my brother?"

Ignoring her question, he walked up to her and gently brushed the dirt and leaves off her dress. "I don't know why they dumped you out here when it's so dirty! Some people just don't have common sense, do they?" He went around and brushed off her back, over her bottom, and the back of her legs. He then proceeded to fix her hair.

"Why must I be presentable?" she asked, wanting some answer.

"Because, your brother has a surprise for you."

Whisper furrowed her brows. "A surprise?"

The Doctor glared at her. "Must you repeat everything I say? You weren't hit that hard on the head!"

"I don't understand, though!" she whimpered, taking a step back.

The Doctor wrapped an arm around her waste and pulled her tight against him. "You will. Now, stand still, or I will make you."

Whimpering, Whisper nodded. He let her go and paced around her in circles. It took a few minutes before they heard footsteps approaching. Whisper looked up to see two men, one she recognized, the other she didn't. The man she recognized smiled maliciously at her, an evil glint in his eyes. The other man just studied her carefully, hard eyes never wavering.

"Whisper, you look beautiful!" said the familiar man.

"And there, my sweet," the Doctor said behind her, "is your brother."

Green eyes widened in horror, her head began shaking back and forth in denial. She started to move back, but the Doctor was there to stop her, wrapping an arm around her waist again. "Now, now. No need to run, Whisper," her brother said.

"I want to go home!" Whisper cried.

"You are home!" he announced, then gestured behind her with a grin. The Doctor let her go and moved away, letting her look.

Immediately, she began to run, but her dress caught under her feet and she fell. Someone landed on top of her hard, growling in her ear. "Do not run, mouse!" said a voice she didn't recognize.

She looked over her shoulder to see the unfamiliar man there, glaring at her. Her body trembled under his. "Please, let me go?" she whispered.

He smirked. "Not yet." He stood and pulled her up with him, dragging her back to the other two men. Making her kneel before him, the man held her hair in a tight grip, making her look up at him with fear. "Put it on now."

//Whisper heard someone behind her move, then something wrapped around her neck. She cried out as the metal burned her skin. The man smiled as he let go of her. Her brother came around and adjusted the collar so it was tight. "He has a special present for you, Whisper. This is your welcome home gift."

He moved and pat her roughly on the head then stood beside the Doctor. The other man, the new one, stepped forward and pushed her down to the ground with his foot, her hands on each side of her head. "Lift your dress over your hips," he ordered.

Tears streaming, she did as she was told. When she was done, she put her hands back in place.

The man grunted and moved away. Whisper held her breath for the worst. She prepared herself to die, but then she heard, "We have company, Sir."

Before she could hear more, someone grabbed her hair and covered her mouth with their hand. They unlocked the collar deftly and pulled her back against them. The other hand went down to hold her stomach as they went into the cover of the trees and shadows. "Don't move and don't make a sound," the Doctor said.

Whisper squirmed but stopped as soon as his free hand went between her legs. She let out a startled scream and tried to fight. In reply to her struggle, the Doctor turned his fingers into claws and poked her skin teasingly. Whisper held her breath as someone new came up in the clearing in front of her.

"What did you do?" she heard a female voice demand.

Her brother crossed his arms. "Who are you?"

"I'm asking the questions here!" the female spat. "Where is she?"

"Don't test me, girl! State your name and business and I'll see if I can be of use."

"Where the hell is Whisper!" she screamed.

Whisper froze as she realized who this female was. She squirmed against the Doctor's grip, trying to get her mouth free, but his grip was too strong. "Last I knew, she was with Alpha Zane. I have seen hide nor hair of her."

"Liar!" she growled.

Whisper's brother snarled at the female. "Do not accuse me of being a liar or I will put you in your place!"

"Let her go! Let Whisper go!"

The male backhanded her and the female fell to the ground. "Leave before I do worse to you!" he commanded.

The female cried and backed away from him. "I'll find her! You won't get away with this!"

The man's jaw clenched as she ran away. His companion, the evil man, walked up to Whisper slowly. "Now, we get to our game!" He pulled her from the Doctor and leashed her again to the collar, then made her head touch the forest ground. "Dress!"

She did as she was told and shook more violently than ever. She didn't see the female anymore and wondered if she gave up that easily.

"How long were you with Alpha Zane?" he asked her.

Whisper thought for a moment. "A little over a month."

"How long over a month?"

"A week."

She heard a satisfied grunt. "Count."

The next thing Whisper knew, a pain hit the back of her legs. It almost made her fall sideways, but she only let out a few tears. "One."

Another lash.

"Two."

This went on and on. The man didn't hold back, didn't flinch everything the whip hit the skin on her legs or bottom. Neither did her brother or the Doctor. She kept her screams inside as to not show anymore weakness than she's already shown. In her mind, she saw Nico's and Zane's faces, remembering how kind they were, how worried Nico was on the phone, how it wasn't really Zane who hurt her…