chapter 2

2

"Wake up, wake up honey." Arrial is barely conscious as she opens her eyes groggily. She feels like she's been asleep for days. "Come on hun, we need to get you up, get you a little bit of exercise." The woman says this affectionately, almost pityingly. Arrial feels calm somehow, though in the back of her mind, as she wakes up, she knows that something, perhaps many things, should be making her feel distinctly wrong.

The woman steadies her as she sits up to the edge of the bed. She realizes she has nothing but underwear and a bra on, and she doesn't feel good. She starts to feel faint, and woozes to the side, but the woman is right there to catch and steady her. "Whoops *soft chuckle* There... that's a girl. First, I think we'd better get you some food, though, huh? Bet your hungry?" Arrial realized she was actually very hungry, even famished really. In fact, her stomach was rapidly starting to feel so empty it almost hurt. The IVs were still in her arm, but the tube down her throat was gone.

The woman pulls a walker over the bed side. Arrial frowns at it murkily. A deep male voice from over her shoulder startles her. "Now, don't be proud, that won't do," he admonishes in an almost mocking tone. His voice sends goose bumps up her spine in the worst way possible. And she's almost sure she's heard the voice before... The fear clears her mind a little though, enough at least to realize just how strangely fuzzy it really is, and she takes the walker handles. Feeling steadier, she allows the woman to guide her towards a dark area of the studio with odd looking exercise equipment. "No, not there yet Pi."

"But I've already dosed her, Nu." Dosed her? Drugged me? she thinks.

"Well, I guess that will just have to be extra motivation," he cooed as he reached out with huge long arms to brush the side of Arrial's bare midriff. The loathsome man's unwanted touch only had her tension a moment, however, as she realized suddenly and fearfully what some of the wrongness was. She was now acutely aware that where he had touched had not only been in the wrong place, it had rebounded against his fingertips in a way that was distinct and new and alarming. Soft. Her firm core was... missing. She reached with her own fingers. The two attendants said nothing. She could still feel some of the muscles, but they were... softer. And, on top of them... was almost a quarter inch of some extra marshmellow-like... her. Fat. They'd made her fat? In a very uncomfortatble way, part of her immediately felt soft, warm, almost happy... and... NO! She was scared now. She had never felt like that about... That!? She willed as hard as she could. Fury rose up in her, her cheeks flushed for just a moment. She turned to strike the man beside her, her fire suddenly back and alive inside her. She raised her fists, but she was so slow. She watched much faster than she could move, as her arms moved through the air as if in slow motion, as he effortlessly caught them, as he smiled. He didn't even move the IVs.

"Whoa there girl!" He laughed, and it was cold. Amused? Vindictive. "Apparently those hormone treatments haven't taken as well as we'd thought yet. Perhaps we should give them a little more time to get started... Perhaps we should put her down for... another week? What do you think?"

"I think she'll be good, if we let her. She was just surprised, Nu..."

"And what do you think, girl?" He looked down at her. She wanted to spit in his eye. She wanted to struggle, but instead, she felt... scared. Scared as she never remembered being. Almost... shy. What was going on...?

"No." She hesitated. She just wanted him to release her now, to let her be alone maybe, to try and think. She'd never felt so insecure, so fragile before. "No, please. I'll... I'll be good," she found herself, even more to her worry, and shame, almost begging. She breathed, feeling a deep sort of panic working at her. He eyed her intensely. There was a heavy, tentative pause.

It dragged on forever as he stared. Finally, he smiled and just shook his head. "No. I think it's time for some more sleep. And increase the cognitive therapy as well, Pi." Her eyes went wide, and her terror grew sharp. More time on the table?! More time for them to do whatever it was they were doing to her mind... and her body. She struggled hard against him, but she was so, so weak. He didn't even laugh this time. He just smiled that dead smile as he always seemed to, sadist to the core, as he lifted her effortlessly up and back onto the soft bed and held her down.

She started crying, unable even to struggle, and perhaps almost too afraid to try if she could. "Please..." She looked at the woman, Pi, pleading to her softly. But Pi just looked back at her sadly, and shook her head. In only seconds, all went dark. She is 122 pounds.