Chapter 12

TWELVE

The restof the rules were abnormal, but nothing compared to the IUD requirement. One of the rules was that I would not be allowed to bring my gifted phone out from my room. I wasn't allowed to take photos inside the house or on the sprawling property. I wasn't allowed to text or call anyone until after eight p.m. when my shift ended. I had never had a phone before so I was stunned they'd even be offering one to me.

Conrad handed me a lifestyle section of the hefty contract. "So, this part they'll want you to read out loud." His eyes flicked behind me to the corner of the room. Chills shot up my spine as his face flushed. I didn't dare turn around to see where his eyes were.

"Um… okay." I shrugged. Clearing my throat, I felt like a student in a full classroom, when the teacher tells you to read a passage out loud and you didn't have a chance to read it through and prepare.

Feeling winded, I hesitated and skimmed across the paragraph which seemed to jumble together. Granted, I stopped attending school by the time I was fifteen—though not by choice, but due to the fact that I was abducted and forced to…

"Demi?" Conrad tapped my hand and I looked up at him. It was as if he could hear the racing thoughts coursing wildly through my mind.

"Sorry." Loosening my shoulders, I began, "The Ivory House requires a lifestyle agreement. We prefer to keep our environment healthy, nourishing, and positive. In addition, we cannot allow for illnesses to invade our space. You will be weighed once a week; you will consume only whole food, with absolutely no processed food. You will drink a designated green juice every single morning alongside your breakfast. All meals will be prepared for you by The Ivory House chef. You will take two vitamins and one probiotic that will be provided for you as well. You must consume one gallon of water a day. Before your working hours, which will begin promptly at seven a.m., you will go on a walk on the estate grounds, and we will monitor your daily step count. You must drink the peony-infused tea for its vast-health benefits. As long as you're employed here, you must wear the bracelet presented to you."

Okay, maybe I could work at a fast-food restaurant.But then again, I had about three dollars left to my name, so sleeping on a bench for a few months until I saved enough for a roach-infested apartment versus staying at a stunning estate with a steady paycheck seemed like an easy decision. After all, they were essentially asking me to eat clean and be healthy. People paid big money for whole food programs and workout routines. This wasn't a bad thing. Pursing my lips, I thought of the countless Twinkies and vending machine snacks I'd consumed this last week alone—not to mention the half-eaten burgers I scored from the dumpster behind the McDonald's near the motel.

My stomach twisted as I thought of peeling trash and dirtied napkins away from French fries before swallowing them down from sheer starvation.

"This sounds good." I placed the paper down and reached for the pen.

Conrad's eyes widened in shock. "Really?" He sounded stunned and then he reached and held my hand in place so I couldn't sign. His nails digging crescents into my flesh.

Again, he looked up in the back corner, and I understood. Someone was watching us. Taking the pen from my hand, he scribbled on a blank sheet of paper.

‘Are you sure, Demi? There is no turning back from this job.'He pushed the sheet toward me with trembling hands as his pleading eyes locked onto mine.

Clenching my jaw, I couldn't tell Conrad all the reasons why I didn't over-analyze this job. I couldn't tell him about my past; I couldn't tell him that staying in the four walls of a stunning estate sounded far safer than the prison of my own mind. It was safer than being out there and them finding me. Lifting the pen from his hand, I offered a somewhat sad smile and nodded once.

"I have to be sure." And with that, I signed my name in cursive that resembled a second grader's.