Her soft smile is anxious, and I nod my head toward the staircase.
“Su Yin. Shall we?”
I follow her as always up the grand staircase, and as we head to the black room, my heart beats with anticipation.
She strides inside, her heels clicking on the marble floor, and as is customary, I wait to be invited in.
It’s a curious ritual considering this is my home, but Su Yin demands respect, and it’s in my best interests to oblige.
“Enter.”
Her soft command is welcome, and as I head inside, the darkness wraps me in comfort like a mother’s hug.
She is standing by the bench, her head bowed, and as I remove my clothes, every layer adds a little freedom to my mind.
It’s necessary to shed them like a cleansing ceremony. That is what she believes anyway, and it works to a point.
When I’m ready, she says softly, “Please, lie on the bench.”
I do as she says, the wood hitting my flesh, slightly uncomfortable, yet a welcome home.
She proceeds to secure my wrists and ankles, and I steady my breathing, attempting to empty my mind of anything but the silence in this room.
Su Yin works swiftly and methodically, and as she tightens the restraints, the leather digs into my flesh.
The first shard of pain shoots through my body and I welcome it like an old friend.
Yes, this is exactly what I need.
“Tell me what you see.”
Her soft, husky voice swirls around my memory as I allow the past to revisit.
“Zac.”
His name chokes my words, and I smile at the memory, his cheeky, impudent grin directed always at me.
“Where are you?”
“At school.”
She strokes my hair, the action soothing, and as her voice fades into the background, I am transported back in time.
“This won’t work.”
Zac is worried; then again, he always is as we edge around the sports field while we’re supposed to be in math.
“Don’t be a pussy. It’s worked before, so why not today?”
“I don’t know. It isn’t right, your father?—”
“What about him? He doesn’t control me.”
“Are you sure about that, Joe?”
“He merely thinks he does.”
We reach the part where the tree hides the broken wire fence, helped along by the wire cutters I smuggled in a few months ago. I hatched this plan out of desperation because freedom isn’t something I know a lot about.