I was only alone for a couple minutes when the door opened and a young woman with shoulder length chestnut brown hair came in, she had the same well toned shape the rest of the women I'd seen did. In her hand she had a can of slim fast and a straw. She opened the can with a quiet clunk, then put the straw in. "Master says you're hungry."
"I am." She put the straw to my lips. The shake is supposed to be chocolate, but tastes chalky.
"What's your name?"
"Gwyn-" I catch myself. "I mean Brendi, Brendi Lyn." She laughed.
"It's so hard to give up your old name, so hard to accept that you're not going to get free. I'm surprised that most of us are fairly sane. But he doesn't enjoy breaking our minds to smithereens, just to obeyance." I sucked on the slim fast. It wasn't giving me enough nourishment by far. She quieted for a minute. "I'm Tiarra. At least he gave you a real name." I just suckled at the straw. "The master's only had me three years, legally I'm still alive. Morag, Sylvie, Lara, Faith, Darcie, and Niam, legally they're all dead, it's been more than seven years. Shauna and Tristin only have a year left, then they're dead, too."
"Dead?"
"Seven years and you're legally dead. All the family you need is right here. I guess I talk too much. If I keep talking I don't think, so talking is good." I tried to nod, and my back didn't burst into fire. There was a name she hadn't mentioned that the master had used.
"What about the bald girl, Jenny?"
