“Well.” Nancy clapped her hands. “Let’s finish up, shall we, girls? Let’s not give Uncle Frank any reason to believe you aren’t his good little girls.” Her gaze landed on Ariana.
Ariana took a big bite of the oatmeal, keeping her attention on her bowl until Nancy moved away from the table.
“What’s going to happen to Sarabelle?” Ariana asked the girl across from her.
“She’s going to go to sleep.”
“Sleep?” A tingle ran down Ariana’s spine. The definitions in this dwelling of insanity weren’t the same as before.
“Sometimes girls don’t work right. And when they can’t be little girls for Uncle Frank, he takes them away and puts them to sleep,” the girl continued and sipped her orange juice.
Don’t work right?
Ariana looked around the table, noticed how every grown woman sitting around her spoke in little girl talk, wore childish dresses and had their hair pulled into ponytails and braids. None of them acted their age, but none of them appeared distressed.
“The medicine we get, it helps us?” Ariana asked softly, remembering what she was told the night before. “And if it doesn’t help…Uncle Frank…” She let the rest of the words die. Her heart hammered in her chest.
Costello had given her the medicine last night, and she’d drank more of it that morning. Why wasn’t she like the other girls? Why didn’t she feel younger, more childlike? Why was her adult brain still working in full capacity?
“Don’t worry. The medicine almost always helps,” the girl said and drank down the rest of her juice. “I’m Shelby.”
Ariana sank lower in her chair. “I’m Ariana,” she said, glancing around the room again. “Shelby, what happens to us? What do the Daddies do with us?”
“They teach us how to be really good girls so we can get adopted. Then we go live with our new daddies forever.”
Ariana’s throat clenched. “Forever?” she whispered.
Shelby nodded. “Yeah. It’s going to be so much fun,” she said, but her smile didn’t quite reach her eyes.
“Has any girl ever left here? I mean, has anyone tried?” Ariana asked, keeping her voice low.
Shelby’s eyes went wide with fear. “No. Uncle Frank would take her away right away. No second chances for running away,” she said, obviously quoting something she’d overheard at some point.
“Do you wanna play checkers when we get into the nursery? I can teach you if you don’t know how to play,” Shelby offered.
Ariana fisted her hands in her lap under the table and gritted her teeth. “S-sure,” she said. “That’ll be fun.” She pushed on a smile, trying to mimic the girls around her.
Play the games, smile, and act young. Giggle. She’d need to giggle a lot to make them believe her. No more demanding to go home. The Daddies would see through that. They’d know the medicine didn’t work right. They’d tell Uncle Frank, and Uncle Frank would put her to sleep.
Like a damn dog being euthanized.
Until she could figure out something else, a real plan to escape, Ariana would have to go along and play the part.
She was going to have to be Daddy’s good little girl.
Costello watched Ariana from the doorway of the nursery. She pushed her checker piece across the board then rested her chin back on her hand while she waited for Shelby to take her turn. Shelby jumped her piece over Ariana’s and squealed with glee. Shelby collected the pieces and stacked them neatly on the side of the board.
“Good move,” Ariana said and stared at the board, but it was clear she wasn’t focusing. Her attention was elsewhere while she absently moved her piece, putting it in direct line for Shelby to jump it in her next move.
“I’m bored with this game. Wanna color?” Shelby asked, pointing to the corner of the room that had been set up as a coloring station.
“Uh…” Ariana sighed. “Sure.”
Costello made his way to Ariana before she unraveled her folded legs to get to her feet.
“Ariana, it’s time for your nap.” Costello offered his hand to her.
She raised her eyes to his, her brow wrinkling.
“Naptime?” Ariana asked, looking at Shelby.
“You have to go with him,” Shelby said in a loud whisper. “It’s okay, we can color later.”
Ariana opened her mouth, looking ready to argue, but quickly snapped her lips together. Putting her hand in his, she pushed herself up from the floor.
“I’m not very tired,” she confessed as Costello led her from the playroom and down the hall.
“That’s okay,” he said with a small smile. “We aren’t going to be sleeping,” he informed her. Her hand stiffened in his, but she didn’t pull away from him.
Obediently, she followed him up the stairs to his living quarters. A bedroom with a small living room and full bath, not exactly a luxurious apartment, but he’d have that one day. Soon as he finished his round here at the House, he’d have enough money to set himself up nice.