“She looks scared, doesn’t she?” The man stood halfway between her and

“She looks scared, doesn’t she?”

The man stood halfway between her and the door. He was dressed to be inconspicuous: dark gray suit, unremarkable hair, unremarkable expression. Though, in a way, if her heart weren’t racing faster than she could think, she might have found him handsome in the right light. But the light was to his back, and he didn’t belong here. Not in her mind, at least. Not yet.

“That would be the social conditioning, I would expect. Making you afraid, self-conscious, and embarrassed of your own body. Despite what society would have you believe it’s unbecoming of a girl to be brave, you have no reason to be afraid. We’re not here to hurt you. 

"We’re here to strip away your doubts and fears, and make you whole. to make you as confident and brave as … well,” here be paused and indicated his companion, “her.” The blond girl’s eyes flitted briefly to the companion’s face and then back to the man. He had a you’ll-do-as-I-tell-you air about him, and past experiences made her fear those kinds of men. But he turned away from her and remarked to the woman standing next to him:

“Remember when you were afraid just like that?”

She nodded and a knowing smile spread over her features. She was quite striking in her own way; if he were dressed to pass unnoticed, she was dressed for the opposite. Though dress might be a bit of an exaggeration as her clothes were designed specifically to emphasize that she was wearing nothing at all.

“See, you can be just as brave and secure as she is!” the man announced to the huddled girl, as if it were the best thing that could happen to anyone. But instead she hugged herself tighter and refused to say a word.

“Well, it takes a while to get used to,” the man said with a note of disappointment in his voice. “But you’ll come around eventually. There’s nothing to be afraid of here.”

Clearly the sincerity in his voice showed that he believed it; but it’d take a while before she’d believe it too. After all, trust is built on a strong foundation of time.

–

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• Drugged