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"Niki, please release the knife and stop this madness immediately," the nun pleaded desperately, her voice filled with anger. She watched as the girl reluctantly dropped the weapon, giving Meredith a chance to free herself. Breathing heavily, Meredith surveyed the room and noticed that all the other girls had their eyes fixed on Niki, whose head remained bowed, the knife quivering in her trembling grip.
"Now, Niki, let go of the knife and return to your bed like a good girl," the nun said in a soothing tone. The only sound in that moment was Niki's ragged breathing, as though she were struggling to keep some demon from leaping out from her.
"Niki, return to your place," the nun implored with growing urgency, while the other girls watched in fear.
Niki, however, defiantly retorted, "You don't get to dictate what I do. I'm his favorite, and I can do as I please. Right now, I have a burning desire to mar her pretty face," she growled, turning her attention to Meredith.
"No, please… not me!" Meredith silently begged, wishing she could disappear into the wall.
The nun asserted firmly, "Niki, despite being his favorite, I am in charge here, and you must learn to obey me. That girl is meant to remain untouched and pure until the highest bidder claims her! So back off now!," she shouted, before turning her back to Niki
Niki warned with a sinister tone , "Next time, you won't be able to stop me! You know how much he enjoys it when I get my way, Margaret."
"One more word from you, and you will be sent to confinement," the nun threatened quietly, while Niki appeared on the verge of bursting into a thousand pieces.
"That's what I thought," the nun remarked with a mocking tone as her eyes scanned the spacious room, adorned with beds of various colors, each occupied by quietly seated, beautiful girls who regarded her as if they were afraid of her. They all turned their gaze away from her while she started directly at each of them, like she was trying to intimidate them.
She continued, "That wardrobe with the big 'M' belongs to you and you alone. You must not share clothes or belongings with any other girl. Cleanliness and honesty are of utmost importance here. Give me your hand now!" she commanded Meredith, but Meredith resisted obeying.
Undeterred, the nun swiftly seized Meredith's hand in a strong grip and inserted a needle into it. "You belong here now, and there's no leaving. I've just implanted a tracking device in your body, so we'll always know where you are and what you're up to," she stated matter-of-factly, a polite smile on her face as if she wasn't some messenger of doom. After she finished, she adjusted her gown and turned her attention to the other girls.
"Valerie, do we have any unfinished business?" she inquired, addressing a very pretty girl with large eyes, seated on a purple bed. The girl shook her head, avoiding eye contact with the nun.
Meredith's mind raced with questions. What was this place, and why had so many beautiful girls been brought here? Her instincts told her it was some sort of home for abducted girls, but she refused to accept such a grim fate. Unable to contain her curiosity, she demanded, "Where is this place, and what have I done to deserve such a fate?"
The nun responded with an eerie laughter, paying no further attention to Meredith.
"Girls, you know the routine," she continued, her demeanor switching to one of authority. "It's already morning, and in the next 30 minutes, you must don your special attire, line up, and gather in the designated room before each of you is assigned a client and given your instructions."
As she scrutinized each girl, Meredith couldn't help but study the nun herself. It was hard to believe that this was the same woman who had once appeared at her home under the guise of a nun. Her sharp features could cut through stone, her lips were adorned with vibrant red lipstick, her wig was sleek and elegant, just like the black pencil gown she wore.
.
"I shouldn't have to explain any of this to you! All of you must behave yourselves! You know what happens when you don't!" she exclaimed.
She paused and then directed her attention towards Meredith once again. "It would serve you well to stop questioning why fate has brought you here and instead learn from those who've been here longer. As you can see, the only reason Niki hasn't harmed you yet is because, for now, you hold a special place with him. But that can change at any moment. Once we've completed our tests to ensure you're still untouched, you'll learn what awaits you," she said icily before exiting the room.
"No! You have no right to condemn me to such a life! I did absolutely nothing to you, You wicked soul!" Meredith rushed forward, attempting to confront the departing nun, but a large man suddenly appeared between her and the nun. Without anyone needing to instruct her, Meredith took a step back. She continued retreating until the nun and the man had vanished through the door, which was then firmly closed.
This was it. Her life was over. She sobbed uncontrollably. In her tears, she failed to notice someone behind her.
"Hey, watch it!" a girl snapped at her, and Meredith trembled in fear, thinking it was Niki. But it wasn't. This was an entirely different girl who, like the others, seemed obsessed with maintaining her pretty appearance. Meredith couldn't fathom what she had done to deserve her uncle condemning her to this fate.
As she stood in the midst of the large room filled with beds, her tears flowed ceaselessly, and the other girls continued to ignore her. Only one girl observed Meredith from her bed, and their gazes locked onto each other. The girl didn't flinch as she watched Meredith, and the meaning behind her gaze remained unclear. After some time, she approached Meredith and spoke.
"You can either keep crying or accept that this is your life now. Either way, there's no escaping what's to come," she said, her tone a mix of resignation and sadness.
Meredith, still in tears, asked, "How can you be okay with this?"
"Shh, I know what you're going to ask. How can anyone be okay with this life? Please spare me the questions and tears. Nobody, absolutely nobody, wants to be trapped here, but we have no choice. There's no way out," the girl explained with a hint of sorrow.
"But how can you just accept it?" Meredith continued to cry. She found it bewildering that none of them were resisting or fighting for their freedom.
"I'm not here to be insulted. I sensed you needed a friend, and I'm reaching out as one because you won't survive here without one. Before you ask more questions, you should get ready to move when the time comes," the girl advised,
"Move? To where and for what reason?" Meredith inquired, her confusion evident.
"Just wait and see," her new friend replied, causing Meredith to join the others in their curious anticipation.
A sudden blaring sound filled the room, and the voice of the nun boomed from a device hidden up in the roof.
"Girls, it's time to begin your morning routine! You know the routine!" the voice announced. "Time is ticking!"
Without hesitation, every girl lined up, and Valerie pulled Meredith into the line. , "I'm Valerie, and welcome to the Siren Home!" She giggled, though Meredith couldn't fathom what was amusing about their confined situation. She noticed that all the young girls were dressed in matching short tank tops, except for Niki, who remained on her bed, playing with her knife.
"I refuse to live like this! I won't accept this life!" Meredith struggled against Valerie's grasp as she left the line.
"You'd better listen to our dear Valerie. If you're not in line when the door opens, you'll be left here with Niki, and there's no telling what she might do when everyone else is gone," another girl warned her.
Meredith glanced back at the menacing Niki and quickly joined the line.
"You're making the right choice, and this is Victoria, my only friend here," Valerie said with her usual smile. She was stunning and seemed innocent, leaving Meredith baffled as to why she appeared content with such a degrading existence.
"Don't listen to Valerie; there's no such thing as friendship in the Siren Home," Victoria chimed in.
Before Meredith could process this statement, the door buzzed open, and the girls filed into a bathroom painted in pink, with hot bathtubs.
"OH MY!" giggles erupted from various corners. "We must have been good girls; that's why we're being treated well. None of us have tried to escape or reveal the truth to our clients."
"What clients? What exactly do you girls do here? Where are we?" Meredith asked, her confusion growing as the girls suddenly fell silent.
"Remember, they're watching," Victoria whispered to Valerie. Meredith wanted to ask who was watching, but both girls promptly undressed and entered the hot water, pretending not to notice her.
"Everything here operates on a schedule, so if you don't want to get yourself and others into trouble, you'd better get into a tub. Time is ticking," Valerie barked an ugly side of her leaping out before she covered it up with a smile. Something about her wasn't right. Something about this Barbie world wasn't right and she must find her way out, Meredith vowed.
Would Meredith learn to fit in here?