Chapter 43 Trip

Chapter 43 Trip
At first, I thought I was hallucinating when I saw Malcolm standing there in my room.
After all that time locked up by myself, I didn't trust my mind anymore. I couldn't even distinguish between when I was talking to myself and when it was just voices inside my head. My time in isolation had left me completely broken.
"Come and rise," said Malcolm, holding out his hand. "Your time of reflection is over."
Fearing that it was just a ghost, it wasn't until I felt the steady warmth of his hand in mine that I let myself believe it was really him.
"Are you ready to be good?" said Malcolm.
I said nothing, only nodding as copious tears flowed down my filthy face.
"Good," said Malcolm, clapping his hands together. "Then clean yourself up and meet your mother and I in the dining room."
Members of Malcolm's staff bustled into my room, some bearing fresh dresses for me to wear while others brought in personal care items like a hairbrush and comb.
Two of the staff members carefully picked up my chamber pot, grimacing at the smell, and then carried it out while another set retrieved my mirror from underneath the bed and rehung it on the wall.
Malcolm paused for a moment to give me a warm smile and then walked out of my room, leaving me standing there in a state of shock. Was it really all over? Had my punishment truly come to an end? It didn't seem possible!
But when I walked over to check the doorknob, it turned freely in my hand. Yes! My sins had been forgiven, and I had been welcomed back into the land of the living. It was a miracle, and my chest began to thump with an overwhelming feeling of gratitude towards Malcolm.
I picked up a clean dress, being careful not to let it touch my dirty skin, and then I cautiously made my way out into the hallway. After such a long period of confinement, seeing something new left me feeling disoriented and almost dizzy. But I placed my steps carefully as I walked toward the bathroom, one hand on the wall to keep me from toppling over.
The freedom to go where I wanted was almost overpowering in its intensity, making me feel like letting out a great shout. But I wisely kept my mouth closed as I closed the door behind me and then turned on the water in the shower.
I did let out a small yelp, though, when I stepped into that delicious spray, the little needles feeling like the fingers of an angel massaging my skin as they sluiced away all of my sorrow and pain.
I don't know how long I remained there in the water, but when I stepped out, I felt like I had been reborn, no longer a filthy animal but a civilized human being.
For the first time in forever, I dared to look at my own reflection as I combed out my wet hair. I had clearly lost weight, and all the color I'd gained from lying out on the beach had faded away. But there was an intensity to my eyes that was both a little scary and also intriguing, as if I now possessed a great secret.
Putting on the dress felt good, although it took me a minute to get used to having fabric touch my bare skin again. It was the same style I'd worn when Malcolm was away - a long, flowy white cotton number. Malcolm hadn't given me any shoes, which was probably for the best as I'd probably trip over my feet after having gone barefoot for so long.
When I finally felt that I was halfway presentable, I took a deep breath and then made my way down the hallway toward the dining room. The bright light shining through the windows hurt my eyes, but I found myself getting used to it by the time I got to the dining room and saw my mother sitting there at the table across from Malcolm.
"Mom!" I cried out before catching myself.
Malcolm gave me a look of warning before saying, "Good morning, Allison. Won't you please join us?"
"Yes, thank you," I said, my heart pounding in my chest as I took a seat at the table.
I braced myself for a deluge of questions from my mother about where I had been, but she seemed completely disinterested. Instead, she was browsing something on a tablet, only looking up briefly to give me a quick smile.
A member of the wait staff then arrived and Malcolm gave him my breakfast order - a fruit plate along with a bowl of oatmeal and two pieces of whole wheat toast with butter. I probably would've asked for a cup of coffee if I'd been consulted, but I wasn't.
"It's, uh, really good to see you, Mom," I said, trying to sound as casual and nonchalant as possible.
"It's good to see you too, dear," said my mother, wrinkling her nose. "Still in your nightgown at this hour?"
"Oh, um, uh, yeah," I said, fearful of incurring Malcolm's wrath if I contradicted her.
"How was your trip?" said my mother, setting the tablet down to take a sip of her juice.
"Trip?" I said, confused until I saw Malcolm giving me an intense look. "Oh, uh, yes, it was very, uh... productive."
"That's nice," said my mother, giving me a little nod before returning her attention back to her tablet.
A moment later, the waiter returned, bearing a tray of food. It all looked so good that I wanted to wolf it down with my bare hands, but I knew Malcolm was watching, so I used my fork and knife to eat as daintily as I could manage despite my ravenous hunger.
"I say, Allison has expressed some interest in seeing the horses," said Malcolm to my mother.
"Oh, is that right? Well, enjoy yourself, dear," said my mother, giving me an absent-minded smile.
Something about the way she was behaving was really scaring me. What had Malcolm told her about my absence? Something about a trip, but a trip to where?
And why was she barely interested in talking to me despite the fact that we hadn't had a real conversation since before the wedding? It was all very odd.
"Be good and wait for me out front," said Malcolm, jolting me out of my reverie.
"Yes, sir," I said, remembering my instructions.
I looked over, expecting my mother to notice that I'd called him sir, but she was too engrossed in her tablet. I assumed she was reading a book, since she'd always been an avid reader, but was some romance novel really more engaging than talking to her own daughter?
All my questions had to remain unanswered though as I dutifully got to my feet and then made my way out to the front of the mansion. The sun outdoors was so bright that I had to shield my eyes with my hands, but the breeze on my face made it all worthwhile. I'd practically suffocated in that little box of a room for so long, so feeling the wind in my hair was heavenly.
A moment later, a golf cart pulled up with Malcolm at the wheel. He gestured for me to get in and so I did, primly tucking in the bottom of my dress so it wouldn't ride up. I wanted to ask him where we were going, but I wisely chose to remain silent as we drove across his estate to a part that I'd never seen before.
Eventually, we got to a large barn, and Malcolm brought the golf cart to a stop near a small door on the side. I hopped out and watched as he fished a key out of his pocket to unlock it, and then I followed him inside.
I'd been expecting to see horses, but the place looked as though it had been abandoned for years. The rafters were festooned with cobwebs, and the only sign of animals was some dusty straw scattered around on the ground.
"Give me your hands," said Malcolm, and I obediently held out my arms.
He then unfurled a length of heavy black chain that was mounted to a post and snapped a pair of manacles across my wrists. I pulled on them a bit as an experiment and discovered they were held fast to a large metal loop high up on the post.
"Prepare yourself," said Malcolm, a strangely excited light in his eyes. "Because your training is about to begin."