Kali's Altar 17

When we returned to the house, Lavinia ordered me to bring the college girl to the office. Lavinia was seated behind the desk, her black and red mask concealed her bandaged face; her black hair was twisted up in a bun with two long shiny steel hair-pins. She wore a dark blue Victorian gown. The college girl sat in a wooden chair in front of the desk trembling and sobbing. Damijana and Sally stood behind her.

The college girl asked, “What happened to me?” Lavinia was still unable to speak, yet an answer came from behind the mask, “What do you remember?” The girl’s face crinkled up and turned deep red, tears flowed from her eyes, “I was being raped in my apartment.”

“You don’t remember anything after that?”

“N-no, no I don’t.”

Lavinia pulled a small mirror from one of her desk drawers and slid it across her desk toward the girl. She picked up the mirror, her wrists were still taped. When she looked at herself in the mirror she wailed out “No! No! My God No! What the fuck happened to me?”

Lavinia replied, “You were a victim of mind control technology. After you were raped, you were brought to a brothel and sold as a prostitute.” The college girl went silent. Lavinia continued, “They had you on several drugs. You will experience severe withdrawals.”

The college girl lowered her head and quietly wept, then she raised her head and screamed at the top of her lungs. She looked around the room bewildered. She looked at the masked woman sitting in front of her and asked, “Who are you?”

“My name is Lavinia. What happened to you was very unfortunate. I didn’t have anything to do with that, and I’m going to kill the man who did this to you. We were in the process of killing everyone at the brothel where you were held captive, we found you and brought you here.”

“You saved me?”

“No. We decided not to kill you along with everyone else. Do yourself a favor and don’t ask why. We must now decide where to go from here as we cannot let you go.”

“Why not?”

“You’re a link to the murders at the brothel. You’re a link to mind control technology that isn’t supposed to exist; you’re a link to a network of powerful people who won’t want any of this exposed. You’re a loose end.”

“No. I won’t say anything, I promise.”

Lavinia laughed, “You promise not to say anything, huh? No matter what? Think how ridiculous that sounds. People connected to the man who did this to you will hunt you down. You couldn’t do anything to prevent being raped, turned into a sex-slave and sold off as a whore. But here you are promising not to say anything about us.”

“I don’t understand.”

Damijana pointed her .380 at the college girl’s head. Lavinia said, “We will give you a quick death right here and now, if that’s what you want.” The college girl shook her head. Lavinia said, “We can’t let you go and you don’t want us to kill you. So you must stay here. Are you sure that you prefer to live?”

The girl cried, “Yes, yes, but please, please just let me go.”

Lavinia slammed her fist down on the table, “You are not leaving here alive. If you want to live at all, you will stop sniveling and groveling over freedom you cannot attain. If you valued your freedom that much, you would choose death.”

“W-what do you want from me?”

“Well, I have a cage that can be brought down to the basement and you could stay there. That would the best place for you, if you’ll be continuing with the hysterics, gesticulations, tears and questions. Not every member of this house approves of your existence.” The girl looked at Damijana and Sally. “If you can keep mouth your shut and do as you’re told, you will have more freedom of movement. Do you want us to lock you in a cage in the basement?”

“No.”

“I would suggest that you compose yourself and pay close attention to what is going on around you. Take time to figure where you are before entertaining too many more thoughts of escape. You’re already thinking about running at the first opportunity.”

“No…”

Lavinia raised her hand and the girl went silent. “From now on, every time you entertain thoughts of escape, you will be beaten and brutalized.”

The girl looked down at the floor and bit her lower lip. Lavinia continued, “You used to be Sarah Harris. Then you were a whore named Traci. From now on, your name is Alexandria. Your room is at the end of the hall on the right. You are dismissed.” Sally cut the tape on Alexandria’s wrists. She slowly rose from her chair, still trembling. Then she quietly exited the room.

Black Sally pointed at the empty chair, “Clarence, sit here.” I looked at Lavinia. Her voice said, “Just sit down. I’ll deal with her.” Sally shook her head and stated, “Lavinia, of all the people in the world, you are the last person I would expect to allow their heart to guide their decisions. Clarence is playing fucking courtier and there is too much emotion in this house surrounding him. He needs to be either killed, banished or…” Sally fell to her knees, blood dripped from her nose. She began shaking, then she cried out in pain, “STOP!” She stopped shaking, rose to her feet and wiped the blood from her nose with her sleeve.

Lavinia’s voice said, “I’ll tell you what Sally. Keep the line until we’re done with this thing with The Great Sathanas. Then I’ll put you at the head of your own house and you can make the decisions there. Until that time, you will keep your rebellious, conspiratorial and envious nature in check. If you question one of my decisions again, any decision, I will end your existence right there on the spot. You have a gun on you. If you want to challenge my authority pull it out.” Sally remained motionless, staring at the Lavinia’s black and red mask. Lavinia stated, “You’ll be suffering from a brain aneurysm before your body has a chance to react to the thought. I don’t like you Sally. I never have. But you were born in this house and have served this house your entire life. Bite your bitter tongue and control your discontent a little while longer, and you will be rewarded for what you have done for this house. You can go now Sally.” Sally turned and stormed out the room, slamming the door behind her.

Lavinia’s mask tuned toward her sister, “Damijana, you have something to say.”

Damijana took a long, deep breath, “It’s your day in the sun Lavinia. I wouldn’t do anything to try to diminish it. I would suggest that you tell Clarence not to allow his position to get to his head.”

“Really? What’s his position?”

“You have placed him above everyone else because you love him. And you only love him because you’ve lived a lonely, miserable life without love. Now that you feel love, you are becoming lost in it. Sally is right. A woman in your position cannot allow herself to be ruled by her heart.”

Lavinia replied, “Damijana, as my sister, you know me well. You know that I’m going to do whatever the fuck pleases me. Why? Because I can. I take what I want because I am strong enough, bold enough and determined enough to take it. It is not your place to wonder what rules over my decisions. You know that my will rules over this house and that is all you need to be concerned with. I do appreciate your sisterly concern and advice. Now lets get prepared for our next attack on our enemy. I want him busy hiding and defending positions. We can’t afford to give him time to launch too many counterattacks. He must be destroyed quickly.”

Damijana looked at me, then back at her sister. “As you wish.” Then she turned and walked out the room. Lavinia drummed her gloved fingertips on the desk, her voice said, “Alexandria was not spared by either of us. She is protected by The Furies. Tend to her, make sure she’s fed. There is Valium in the bathroom. Give her some when she starts going through withdrawals and make her drink water. Don‘t touch her and don‘t take any Valium yourself. You need to stay alert.”

“When do we hit Sathanas again?”

“Sally, Damijana and Brianna will hit another one of his houses tonight. You will stay here. I have something planned for you.” I yearned for her touch. She replied to my thought, “You need to steel yourself. You will feel my touch soon enough. You will have a realization exercise tonight.” My heart sank. In that house, there was only one way an individual could ‘realize’ their power and potential, through being tortured