Yesterday, my life changed for the worst. I was kidnapped and brought to a basement or cellar—whatever this place was. After comforting Rachael, I slumped on the couch from sheer exhaustion. I had no appetite for whatever they made. I felt a nudge on my shoulder a few minutes into my slumber, but I was too weak to open my eyes and too tired to get up. I just closed my eyes tighter and fell into a much deeper state.

As I slept, I dreamt of Elvis and Mum. I saw him call and reach out to me, but just before I could grab his hand, a strong force pulled me back, and we were far apart again. This dream repeated itself about three times until I finally jolted out of sleep. I sat up on the couch, and the blanket that had been covering me slipped off. I shook my head, mentally preparing myself to be met with the scene of my room. I slowly peeled my eyes open, hoping that whatever happened yesterday was a prank, or dream, or something. I hoped that I was just having a terrible dream and that Elvis was going to come pick me up today.

As I massaged my eyeballs with my hands, I felt a weight beside me that weighed the furniture down further.

"Good morning, Rhea," a female voice said beside me.

I opened my eyes and was faced with the same scene I woke up to yesterday. At that moment, it seemed as though my hopes came crashing down all over again. Why do I even hope too much? My heart sank.

"I understand exactly how you're feeling. You probably hoped it was all a dream, but I'm really sorry you got disappointed. If I may suggest, I think you should try to accept this life; that way, letting go would be much easier."

As Rachael spoke, I focused on my breathing. I will never succumb to despair. The least I can do is still have a little hope. I looked at Rachael, and she gave me a tight-lipped smile before standing up. She was dressed in a dark blue sweater and a black ankle-length skirt, which I think was meant to be loose, but instead hugged her hips. Her hair was pulled back in a sleek ponytail with not a single strand out of place, just like yesterday. Her makeup was subtle: a hint of pink on her cheeks and the lightest brush of mascara on her lashes. She looked simple yet beautiful.

"We're really lucky that they're not going to be with us until lunch. The atmosphere always immediately changes when they're around. I'll show you to our room; there you can change and dress up. I'll also have to give you some painkillers and ointment to ease the pain. After that, you'll also have to learn the rules."

At the mention of the word "rules," my head snapped up. I looked at her with dreaded eyes and shook my head.

Rachael gazed at me sympathetically and sighed, "I am sorry Rhea but if we are all going to survive here, we'll have to abide by the rules. Damian is very strict when it comes to the rules, and failure to obey always leads to punishments. He has already instructed me to teach you, and if I don't, we might both be punished."

Why does she keep saying that? Nothing is going to be all right as long as we are here. The only time things would be okay is when we're out of here and the twins are behind bars for kidnap and abuse. She gently lifted me by my elbow and put my right arm over her shoulder. I winced in pain as I felt a sharp pain in my right ankle. Trying to ease the pain, I put my whole body weight on my left leg. I also had a throbbing head, and the side of my face stung. I am in so much pain. I limped on one leg all the way to the door of the bedroom. I felt like I made Rachael uncomfortable because she was taller than I and had to bend a little.

Getting to the door of the bedroom, I took a deep breath and prepared myself for the sight of my new bedroom. The walls of the bedroom were painted a soft, dusty pink, and they seemed to close in around me. The beds were pushed against the walls, all lined up in a straight line, side by side, all facing the same direction. Each bed was similar to the other, with one pillow each and the same pink cotton sheets. Next to each bed was a simple lamp with a single, bare bulb. Pushed against the wall in a corner opposite the beds was a large wooden wardrobe. The room was perfectly symmetrical and neat, except for the empty space in the middle. It was a stark, sterile environment, with not a single personal item in sight.

I examined the room for any opening or escape route, but I was once again disappointed. Rachael nudged me forward, and I hesitantly limped into the room until she settled me on the bed close to the bedroom door. I sighed after sitting on the mattress. It wasn't soft, but it wasn't rock solid either. My bed at home is much softer than this, but I guess this would be manageable. My thoughts were cut short when a door adjacent to the bedroom door, and few feet opposite my bed opened.

Coming out the door was the girl leaning on the door-frame yesterday, who has not said a word to me since I was brought here. She only stared at me with an expressionless face, leaving me to wonder what she thought of me. She wore the same outfit with Rachael, and I only found everything weirder. Why did they always wear the same clothes?

Rachael tapped me on my shoulder and leaned her head towards the bathroom. I only replied with a nod. She helped me stand up once again and placed my arm over her shoulder. Once more, I practically dragged my right leg to the bathroom.

Opening the door, I was greeted with a cold, damp draft. The bathroom was a small, cluttered space and I immediately felt a sense of claustrophobia. The white tiled walls were close, making the room feel like a cramped underground cell. The sink was cracked and chipped, with a thin trickle of water dripping from the faucet. There was a shower above a little bathtub that I am sure would be cramped, if someone ever tried to lie in it. The toilet was just beside the bathtub and a little cupboard that had a mirror attached to its face was above the sink. A tap and bucket stood isolated at the other side of the bathroom. The air had a tang of lavender and felt stagnant, while the lighting was much dimmer. Despite the cramped nature of the bathroom, it seemed clean.

Rachael nudged my ribs with her elbow and led me to the tub. I sat on its edge, and Rachael left the bathroom. Few seconds later, she returned with a pink towel, a new toothbrush and soap. She handed it all to me and said, "These things have always been here though. We just wondered when they were ever going to bring the third girl. I really hope you loosen up a bit though; if not it will be very difficult for you. One important rule I want you to know is we always wear the same clothes. Most of the outfits are long skirts and gowns, and we are forbidden to dress differently and are to be as simple as possible.

Secondly, we have a schedule we strictly adhere to, Damian doesn't want us disorganized. We wake up by 5:50am every day, perform our morning functions for 30 minutes and then prepare breakfast. Breakfast is meant to be ready and set on the dining table before they join us at 7:20am. They leave around 7:50am., and if they wouldn't be joining us for breakfast, we would be informed prior to that day.

We are also to be extremely neat and organized, because the twins don't like filth. Damian comes for inspection every Saturday morning. We do not talk when either of them talks, and we are to respond accurately when asked a question. Their decisions are final; we do not oppose. We are not allowed to climb up the stairs, and we were told we are at risk of electrocution if we ever try getting close to the door.

During the day, we read, draw or play board games. We only watch movies when we have been deemed to be of good behavior after some time. The twins, especially Dominic gets irritated easily. You do not want to see him get angry. Defiling any of the house rules would result to punishments as they deem fit. I'll chip in other rules occasionally when I remember, and in my opinion, I think if you act according to the rules, you will be fine".

I took in deep breaths after Rachael finished stating the "rules". Is this how I am going to live out the rest of my life? Trapped in hell, following strict rules and "getting punished as they deem fit" just because crazy psycho twins have serious issues. I took in deep breaths once more and held back tears. There is no use crying, I keep hurting myself when I cry. Rachael patted my head soothingly and left me to wash up.

After few minutes of steady breathing, I decided to get in the shower. I stripped off my clothes and got in the bathtub turning on the hot shower. I let the water cascade down my body, but felt like a thousand needles pricked my skin when the water touched the side of my face. My ankle also ached for standing too long already, and I resolved to finish my shower quickly just to reduce the burden on my poor ankle.

After cleaning up, I dried myself and tied the towel round my body. No one was in the bedroom except me, and on my bed laid an outfit, the same as the other girls arranged neatly waiting for me. I limped over to my bed and sat down, finally sighing in relief as my muscles relaxed. I brought up my swollen ankle on the bed and massaged it with my fingers. A minute later, the other girl entered the room. She went over to her bed, which was just beside mine and sat down. My back faced her, but I could feel her boring holes into my skull. I pretended to not be bothered by her presence as I continued massaging my ankle.

"How bad does it hurt?" She spoke with a much calmer voice than I had imagined. My head spun at the fact she finally spoke to me. I calmed myself before deciding to answer so I wouldn't sound so tensed.

"It actually hurts a lot", I replied hoping I didn't sound too tensed.

"Sorry about that, but we have an ointment though. Damian only let us have one because of what happened with Rachael. I think he even forgot we still have It." she replied while opening the drawer of her nightstand.

She came over to my bed and sat close to me. I visibly tensed and she smiled. "My name is Roselyn Carlton, but you can call me Rose. It's really weird when you are so tense around me".

I chuckled slightly and took the ointment she held out to me, "Thank you Rose, I'm glad we're finally talking. I thought at first you didn't like me".

Rose shook her head and sighed, "It's not that actually. Seeing you so confused and sad yesterday , reminded me of my first day here also. May I also add that my facial expressions don't do me justice."

She chuckled rather awkwardly at the last part, and watched me while I applied the ointment and massaged my ankle.

"I am sorry if this sounds too sudden, but I'm curious about how you ended up here", I asked somberly.