Chapter 16

The book remained open in her lap. Unread.

At least for the last several minutes. 27’s eyes kept drifting upward. Toward the Mistresses. Toward Viv. Toward Elara. Toward the answers they carried around so casually.

The library had grown quiet again. Viv worked at the large desk. Elara occupied the couch. One of Viv’s legs was stretched out beneath it, and Elara’s foot occasionally nudged her ankle.

Small touches.

Constant touches.

The kind people didn’t notice when they’d been together forever. 27 noticed anyway. She noticed everything. Especially now. Because she wanted something.

A question.

The question.

The others.

The pets.

The people who had apparently come before her. The people who had reached this stage. Her stage. The thought made her stomach twist.

How many had there been?

What happened to them?

Did they escape?

Did they stay?

Were they still here?

The curiosity became impossible to ignore. So she did what she’d been taught. She waited.

When Elara eventually glanced up from her phone, 27 was already looking. Elara immediately smiled. “There she is.”

Viv didn’t look up. “Question?”

27 blinked. How had she..?

No.

Of course.

They always noticed. Viv finally raised her eyes from her work. A small movement of her hand.

Permission.

27 swallowed. “What happened to the others?” The room became still. Not tense. Just still.

The question hung there. Elara’s smile faded first. Viv simply watched her.

“The others,” Viv repeated.

“The pets.”

Silence. Then Elara sat up slightly. “I knew she’d ask eventually.”

“Most do.”

Most do.

The words landed heavily. Another stage. Another predictable step. 27 hated that.

Viv leaned back in her chair. “What do you think happened to them?”

The question caught her off guard. She hadn’t expected an answer with another question attached. “I don’t know.”

“Try.”

27 hesitated.

Then, “They escaped?”

Elara laughed. Not cruelly. Genuinely. “Oh, that’s optimistic.”

Viv’s expression remained neutral. “Some left.” The answer surprised her.

Some.

Not none.

Not impossible.

Some.

Hope sparked immediately.

Tiny.

Dangerous.

Viv noticed. Of course she did. “Some stayed.” The spark flickered. Stayed. The word felt stranger than leaving. Why would anyone stay?

Viv seemed to read that thought too. She often did. “People stay in all kinds of places,” she said quietly.

“A city.”

“A house.”

“A marriage.”

“A job.”

“A life.”

The examples felt deliberate.

Elara stood. Stretching. “Enough philosophy.”
She crossed the room. Her heels clicked softly against the wood floor. Then she stopped beside 27’s chair. “Come on.”

27 frowned. Permission hadn’t been given to ask questions. So she didn’t.

Viv stood as well. The library lesson was apparently over.

The leash appeared. The familiar click attached it to her collar. And once again they led her through the house. This time she noticed fewer exits. Fewer hallways.

Because her attention had shifted. The others. Some left. Some stayed. The answer circled endlessly inside her head. Eventually they arrived at the pink room.

The door opened. 27 stepped inside. Then stopped. Everything inside her froze. The room looked different. Not dramatically. But different.

A lamp sat in one corner. Soft pink. Matching the walls. A small bookshelf stood beside the cage. Empty. Waiting. And near the window sat a comfortable armchair. Cream-colored. Covered with a folded blanket.

For several seconds, 27 simply stared. She hadn’t heard them bring anything in. Hadn’t noticed. The room felt less temporary now. Less like a holding cell.

More like…

No.

She refused to finish that thought. Elara looked delighted by her reaction. “Surprise.”

27 stared at the new furniture. Then at them. Then back at the furniture. Viv stepped inside.

“The room reflects behavior.”

The familiar lesson. But now she could see it. Actually see it.

The lamp.

The chair.

The shelf.

Proof.

“The book stays here now.” Viv took the hardcover from under her arm. The same dark blue book from the library. She placed it carefully on the empty shelf. The sight of it there sent a strange feeling through 27’s chest.

Possession.

Not ownership.

Access.

Something that was hers to use. As long as they allowed it. The distinction mattered. But somehow the book felt important anyway.

Elara wandered toward the chair. Running her fingers over the back. “You looked miserable in an empty room. Like a sad sad little puppy.”

Viv raised an eyebrow. “You were the one who picked everything.”

“And?”

“And nothing.”

The answer made Elara grin. Their eyes met. A private conversation happening without words. As always. 27 watched.

The way they looked at each other. The certainty.
The trust. The history. It was impossible to miss.

Viv turned back toward her. “You asked about the others.”

27 straightened immediately. Viv’s gaze swept across the room. “Their rooms changed too.”

Silence.

“The ones who earned it.” The statement carried more weight than it should have.

Not because of the furniture. Because it confirmed they had existed.

Real people.

Real lives.

Real stories.

Viv moved toward the door. Elara followed. Hands brushing briefly as they passed one another.

Natural.

Automatic.

Before leaving, Elara glanced back. “You’ll get more eventually.”

The words were casual.

Playful.

Almost teasing.

Then she pointed toward the bookshelf. “But first, try actually reading the book.”

The door closed.

The lock clicked.

Silence returned.

27 stood in the middle of the room. Looking around.

The lamp.

The chair.

The shelf.

The book.

Some left. Some stayed. The questions remained. Growing larger. But for the first time since arriving upstairs, there was something else too.

Evidence. Proof that time moved forward here. Proof that things changed. Proof that people before her had occupied this space.

27 slowly crossed to the bookshelf. She picked up the book. Ran her fingers across the cover. Then looked toward the window.

Toward the distant tree line beyond the garden. The forest was still there.

Waiting.

Just as the questions were. And somehow, neither seemed quite as simple as they had yesterday.

——
(You guys have no idea what I have planned for the next couple chapters. I’m considering on updating twice for the week because I’m just so inpatient)