Annie CVII: In the Tank

(Chronological index: Raymond in High School)

Annie sat in the lunchbox and regretted her impulsive decision. Again. She felt the familiar vibrations of a traveling car, at high speed, with no stops. They were on the freeway.

She didn't think they were headed to Canada.

She'd only meant to hide. To punish Raymond for being childish. Mrs. Carpenter had always been sympathetic to 'sylph rights.' And she'd made the occasional offer to spirit Annie away on the Underfoot Railroad.

Annie and Raymond weren't sure how serious she was, but she should have been a safe place to hide.

Raymond had stuffed her in a gym bag with his sweaty t-shirt while he showered. She got out, negotiated the boy's locker room, and thrown herself on the mercy of their 9th and 11th grade English teacher.

Mrs. C had assured Annie that she'd be well taken care of, and Raymond would be made to worry. She got a wet-wipe and half a cookie.

She just never got out of the briefcase.

The teacher had finished the school day and walked out, driven to a parking lot somewhere close by and handed her over.

The sylph had glimpsed a man in a business suit. She couldn't really see in the sudden sunlight. He'd looked her over, said something about 500 dollars and tossed her into an insulated lunch box.

She had known better, she thought. Giants were not to be trusted. Except sometimes Raymond, and that was only because his parents kept him trustworthy.

If only she'd just sat in the sweat-soaked clothing and told on him to Mom.

Her hand rubbed her armpit. She'd put up a huge fuss when he'd selected a subcutaneous registry chip for her. But tags could be cut off. Tattoos painted over. This thing was fused to her ribs.

Of course, if they were worried about prosecution, that didn't quite ensure her safety.

And the range was only a few miles. They'd been on the road long enough to make St. Augustine, she estimated. Or Brunswick. She didn't even know what direction they were going.

But she wouldn't think about that. Raymond would miss her. Raymond would tell his parents. They'd tell cops. Cops would... Well, they wouldn't move Heaven and Earth to find a sylph that had run away. And she had run away.

Just not THIS far, this wasn't her running.

Still, as long as she was in the box, she wasn't...wherever they were going. Doing whatever they were going to do to her.

Annie curled up and almost prayed. Then she remembered. Any God in a position to help her had sylphed her in the first place.

She snarled and set her mind to cursing Raymond's sweat glands.

What a way to spend her 21st birthday. Not that she'd really cared. Fucking teenagers and Phys Ed. Moose knuckled Neanderthal of a Master. Anything happened to her, she was going to haunt him.

---------

There was another flash of light in what looked like another parking lot. She heard gravelly voices and a bearded face peaked into the box.

Mrs. C had been careful to tip the briefcase slowly, so she could adjust. The lunch box driver kept the box level at all times.

The third fucker in the kidnapping chain just slung the box through the air. She was batted around, crying out in pain and terror.

Nothing changed. Lucky for her, the trip was short. The box banged on a counter or a table, then opened. A huge, meaty hand scooped her up and the bearded face looked her over.

And for all that she'd ever thought Raymond was a self-centered teen, treating her like a pet or a toy, at least he looked at her like something worth possessing.

She was nothing to this person. Flat black eyes moved from tit to bush, then she was rolled to see her ass.

"I'm gonna start you at ten bucks an hour," he said. There was no way he'd be paying her money. Was she going to owe him? She wanted to ask, but was afraid to speak. Engaging him made it real.

She closed her eyes and tried not to pee. He'd as likely throw her against the wall as drop her. Neither boded well.

"Stand up," he grunted. She felt something beneath her feet and stood. He let her go. She opened her eyes.

White cloth was draped on the sides of a cardboard box. "Smile," he ordered. She looked up. He snapped a camera. The flash blinded her.

Then he picked her up again. She heard the camera spit out the picture.

"In you go," he said. She felt sawdust. He dropped her and she stumbled. By the time she could see again, Beard was taping a pic to the front of her... Where was she?

Details slowly became clear. This was a display counter in a store. An adult bookstore. Racks of adult tapes and magazines ranked through the distance as far as she could see. Doors on the far wall were marked for peep shows and something she couldn't quite make out.

Inflatable women dangled from the ceiling. And she was in a sylph case with other sylphs.

"Hey, kid," a woman said. "Welcome to Angel Kitchen."

"Where are we?" Annie asked.

"Halfway between Jacksonville and Hell," the other sylph said. She looked bad. Annie saw her and thought of a character on a TV show, an old stripper. The tough as nails two-dollar whore.

"Wait, Angel Kitchen?" she asked. "I've seen the signs for that. It's a titty-flop bar off the freeway."

"We flop more than our titties," the woman said. She stuck out a hand. "I'm Queen Bitch," she said. "You are?"

"Annie," Annie replied, shaking the offered hand. The woman's joints were swollen, her skin leathery. She wondered if QB was her name or her position.

Shaking it felt like sleeping on Raymond's dice bag.

"Soft, Annie. That'll pass." She gestured around the room. "Any questions? What did your owner tell you?"

"That he'd be right back," Annie said with a sob. In an instant she was crying.

"Oh, no, no, no!" Queen Bitch said. She squeezed Annie's hand tight, twisting the wrist. "No tears! NO! You're already young, hot and tempting. Lots of customers are going to ask for you."

She poked Annie's face, two fingers against each cheek. It was so weird Annie's crying stopped as she tried to figure out what had happened.

"Don't start crying, though. The customers drawn to that shit? You don't want them asking for you."

Which was enough to make her start crying again.

Queen Bitch got her into a corner of the glass tank. They were in the front, customer side. "If you hide in the back, they're intrigued," she muttered.

"If you cry, they don't want to console you," she went on. "If you're limping, they aren't going to offer to rub ointment on you."

Annie sank against the glass, wiping her eyes on her forearms. "What do they do?"

"It's a strip club and a sex toy shop, kiddo," Bitch muttered. "What do you think they do?"

"A... a... a peep show?"

Bitch sank down on her haunches, looking the other sylph in the eye. "Just how protected have you been since The Day?" she asked. "How many owners have you had?"

"One."

"Daaaaaaaaaamn. What, he get tired of you? Why are you here?"

"I..." The tears threatened to come back again. "I ran away."

"Oh. Brilliant. Well, kid, here in the tank, customers pick you like someone selecting a lobster from the aquarium.

"Then you get moved to another tank in a small room. And you do whatever the customer tells you to do."

Annie stared. "Like... Walk? Raymond used to make me walk."

"They don't wanna watch your ass swing," Bitch said with a shake of her head. "Man. Are you a complete virgin or just nearly?"

"I....."

Bitch took the silence that followed as an answer. "Well. Don't share that fact." She glanced into the customer area. "Oh, here's my six o'clock. Look, kid, just do what they say. Don't look like it's torture, either."

"They'll tell on me?"

"They'll get excited." Then she hopped up and ran to the center of the display. A human tapped on the glass and said, "Ariel."

A door opened in the back of the case and a woman's hand reached in to pick Bitch up.

The door shut and Annie was alone again.

----------

She was mostly ignored for that evening. Bitch and the others came and went.

After one trip, Bitch slunk over beside where Annie crouched and backed against her. "How hungry are you, kid?"

"Starving. When do they feed us?"

"On the way back from the booths. It kind of encourages the girls to cooperate."

"Oh." She wondered if she'd ever get hungry enough to ask to go back to a booth. To try to draw a customer's attention.

"Here." A kernel of kibble was thrust into Annie's side. She moved it behind her back and stared around. No one seemed to be paying either of them any attention.

"Wait, Queen, how did you get it into the tank?" The woman had no pockets, no place to hide any food except... "Oh."

"I did ask how hungry you were," Bitch said.

"Not... Not that hungry, not yet. But thank you."

"Whatever," Bitch said with a shrug.

Annie was picked on the second night. The custom picked up on Saturday. Sylphs were selected more often, leaving fewer in the case.

She'd spent the day getting to know several of the sylphs. Their stories were frightening. She'd never imagined a pet store having a take-home policy. And about a third of them had fallen for the 'Underfoot Railroad' story.

But they all talked about this store as a welcome refuge. "The customers can't touch you."

That seemed like a plus, at least to her mind. Her heart was still scared shitless when she heard a customer call out for 'Raina.' That was the name the boss had put on her picture.

The counter girl carried her into a hallway. The grip was designed to keep her from wiggling free, so she didn't see much.

And she'd never, ever complain that Raymond was holding her too tight, if only he would come and RESCUE HER goddammit but she didn't mean that please, Raymond, I'll even start calling you 'Ray' like a grownup, just find me.

Then she was dumped into an aquarium. There was a small cushion, a dollhouse table, a bowl full of water and curtains.

The curtains were on the outside of the glass, which made no sense to the sylph.

The employee locked the lid down, shook the padlock, then left.

The customer pried the curtains open just a crack. She saw one eyes. "Don't look at me!" he thundered. She spun completely around and faced the back.

"Oh, that's good. Are you a good girl?"

"Yes, sir," she said. Do what they say, everyone had told her. Agree with them. Mostly they come here to be in charge.

He wasn't that bad. He had her bend over the table and touch herself. She started to get a sort of vibe off of him, of what he wanted.

Mostly they come here to be in charge. She asked for permission to satisfy herself. He seemed surprised, but then he denied her request. She started to stroke herself, fast and furious. And begged. He wouldn't allow it.

Then suddenly, he threw back the curtains and stood. "Come here, little girl!" he shouted. She stood as he ejaculated against the glass.

Eugh! There wasn't much come, and it seemed strangely clear. Not that she had that much experience, just a few videos seen at M- At a friend's house.

But he didn't want to hear her say she wasn't impressed, or that he needed to see a urologist. She pretended to be amazed at his output, and not a little frightened.

He laughed and assured her that she had nothing to fear. Then he dressed and left.

Eugh, eugh, eugh, eugh. Should she worry that she hadn't snarked at him? Raymond wouldn't believe her. Well, if he didn't get here soon, he didn't deserve to know what she'd done to survive. Fucker.

A man came in with a mop and a squeegee. And took her back to the case. There was a box on top where the sylphs ate. When she was done with her kibble, they moved her back down.

Where she cried on Bitch's shoulder for a few minutes, hiding it from the customers.

She was introduced to some nicknames they had for the customers. Water Guy, Flashlight Dude, Cavity Search Kevin. She found out the reasons for a few of them that weekend.

But most of them had a routine and stuck to known sylphs. She kept her back to the glass and waited for the world to end.

"I want that one," a voice said. A voice she knew.

"DAD!" she shouted. She'd never been so happy to see a giant! And never been so ashamed to be naked.

"A steady customer?" Bitch asked.

"In fact," Dad went on to the counter clerk. He flashed a badge. Annie knew he didn't own one. He was an insurance... something. "In fact, don't bother to bag her. I'll just take her now."

"Sir, it doesn't work that way. And the cop discounts are for table dances."

"Miss you don't understand. This sylph is stolen property. My partner is outside. He's got a scanner and if he pings her registry chip, that's probable cause to search this entire facility. And every customer.

"But I want to get this sylph back to her owners without making them go through waiting for evidence to be returned. Now, you give her to me, or we see how many health and vice violations we can find-"

"Is there a problem?" Annie recognized the voice that had named her Raina. He bluffed a bit, but he and Dad both knew Annie was stolen property.

In a matter of moments, she was handed over to Dad's strong grip.

She had a deathgrip of her own on his shirt as she pocketed her and left.

He left her alone for a while. The tears flowed easily and he didn't comment. The car smoothly merged and she knew their heading was for Jacksonville. For home.

"OH!" she suddenly exclaimed.

"What?" he asked.

"The others! The other girls!" She climbed to the top of his pocket and shouted. "We have to go back to rescue Queen Bitch and Pumpkin and Feathers and..."

He wasn't braking. He wasn't even slowing the car. "Dad?"

"Annie, I can't. I bluffed the guy with my dad's firefighter badge. I got you out, because he knew he couldn't provide real papers on you. But if I just started grabbing random sylphs...

"Girl, he'd think it was a scam to get free pocket strippers. And beat me up. And take you back. Probably to sell you to someone else before the cops could get there."

"Oh." She sank back down in the pocket. Real world, she thought.

Then she realized no one was asking if she was okay. "Where's Raymond?" she asked.

"Sleeping at a friend's house," Dad said.

"What!?!? I'm missing and he has a sleepover!?!" Tears, and not of joy, threatened to flow.

"He's establishing an alibi," Dad said.

"Um?"

"Unless I miss my guess, Mrs. Carpenter's car is still burning in the Winn-Dixie parking lot. She was quite upset. And for some reason told some people that Raymond Foster knows the recipe for napalm."

"Oh." She probably shouldn't feel good about the rush of totally righteous, vindictive glee she felt. But fuck it. "Goodie."

"There were some phone calls made, and threats, and for some reason she thinks a burning car could lead to her house burning down in the night."

"For some reason...."

"Yes," he agreed. "So, she seems to think that you being in Jacksonville has some sort of mystical power to limit the spread of fire."

"Maybe," Annie said darkly.

"Now, now. No vengeance. She's going to quit. You're not going to sleep in an evidence locker. Raymond's not going to jail for arson, uttering threats or making old ladies pee their dress."

"Did you see it?" She climbed up out of his pocket to his shoulder. "Tell me you saw it. Tell me the bitch peed her dress!"

"It was a floral print pattern," he started. He used the same tone of voice that he used for family legends and adventures.

"Oooh," Annie said, listening attentively.

-----------

The reunion was almost violent. Hugs were so tight that breathing was interrupted.

"Annie," Raymond croaked. "Windpipe..."

"Sorry," she said. She relaxed a little bit.

"What happened?" he asked. Dad had the whole story, but had kept silent.

"I ran away," she sobbed. "But I'll never, ever do it... Hey, wait a minute! YOU made me run away!"

"I know, I know, I'll never put you in the bag that way again."

"Damn right," she snapped. "I deserve far better than that!"

"You do," he agreed. He carried her into the kitchen. He didn't set her down where she usually awaited her snack. He assembled milk and cookie one-handed, the other holding her tight. But not too tight. She wriggled a bit in his comfortable grip. But the teenager's hand was Juuuuuuuuuuuuuust right.

"And for that matter, there should be better arrangements during phys ed," she went on. He nodded and broke a chip off to feed it to her. She mumbled around it as she chewed. "Ah mean wewwy, Waymind, ah gotta watch you guys sweat n stuff?"

Mom ruffled her hair, smiled and walked out. Dad waved and went with her.

When they were alone, Annie swallowed hard. "I didn't...really run away, Raymond."

"I know," he said. He pushed a cookie crumb across his palm with a fingertip.

"I mean, I did leave from where you told me to stay, but it was only to hide for a while."

"I know."

"Will you STOP saying I know? I'm trying to apologize here!"

"Ah, no."

"What?"

"I treated you like crap, you wanted to scare the crap outta me." He leaned down close to where she sat. "Mission accomplished."

"Oh. Well," she snapped, raising her voice. "Then I really need a bath."

"Yes, offendi."

"A real one this time!" He collected the cookie and headed for the stairs. "With bubbles! And privacy!"

"Your command speeds my feet, little friend," he said softly. He took the stairs two at a time.

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