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MELODY - LOST FROM HOME [ part 27 ] It was past lunch time, but I was hungry for some reason so we went to a food hall, I tried to work out how much of my month's allowance was left on my card, with the costumes and 'accessories' I had purchased I'd used half of the $50,000! I hadn't realised that life could be so expensive here, but the results were worth it. Pauline was happily humming away still glowing after her exercises at Zabrina's, but she agreed that she was also hungry, we went into a restaurant and ordered a meal, looking around I saw Shelly with a group of people, who I assumed were her parents and their friends, she was laughing with an older boy and was looking deep into his eyes, so I supposed he was Ben, I was thinking about getting up and introducing myself but decided not to, I might have said something indiscreet and could ruin their day. Luckily for me our food arrived and we spent the next few minutes devouring the meal, Pauline was quicker in that - you know how the young demolish things, we ordered the sweet course and were just sitting waiting for it to arrive when, "Excuse me but are you Paul Purple?" The woman was about 23 years old and quite pretty, I smiled at her and nodded my head, "I'm Toni's mother, I understand we have you to thank." I was puzzled slightly and I'm sure my face reflected this. "I'm sorry," She said, "I know you're not used to this town and the way we live, we've been trying to get Toni to join us for some time, but she never seemed to be interested, we didn't know that Ben had already been working on her, his parents were getting worried about him as well, it wasn't until Rachael came round yesterday that we heard the full story, she wouldn't have had the courage if you hadn't talked to her." I smiled, "But I'm afraid I didn't say much to her, it was Rachael that did most of the talking." I said. "But you told her that she wasn't in trouble, this was what was stopping her from talking to us, her fear of what we would say or do, your attitude helped calm her enough to tell us." She said, "Her father was so happy he hugged her, you should have seen her tears as she thought she was going to be punished and then when she realised that everything was alright they turned into tears of happiness, her words were 'Mr. Purple was right after all', so you can see why we're so glad you spoke to her." "I'm glad then that I was able to help, I'm trying to fit in with this town and must admit that I'm not too sure of how people here would react” I managed to say, she smiled. "I think you're adapting, you seem to be giving good advice to your pupils, all the parents I've spoken to agree with me, so thank you again from all of us." She told me then she saw our sweet course arriving, "I won't disturb you again, but thank you once again." And she walked back to her table, where I could see SToni and Ben looking over at me, she gave a wide smile and he had a nervous grin on his face, I was thinking once he's found out about his parents if the grin would remain, I nodded to the pair and turned my attention to the food, for some reason both myself and Pauline had decided not to have ice-cream. ----- When we got back to the boarding house the phone was ringing away, Pauline had run off to the bathroom, with my permission of course, and I picked up the phone. "Paul Purple here." I said into the mouthpiece. "I'm speaking on behalf of the council, can I talk to Kathy please?" the woman's voice was strange to me, it wasn't that number 3 person or Elizabeth. "I'm sorry but there's nobody with that name here, are you sure you have the right number?" I wasn't supposed to know about Paulines' watcher identity, in fact Pauline didn't know about her either. "I'm sorry I should have asked to speak to Pauline." She didn't sound sorry, but I gave her the benefit of the doubt. "Oh Pauline, yes, I'll just get her, is that the orphanage?" I asked "Err, yes that's right!" this time I could hear the uncertainty in her voice, I told her 'one minute' and went to the bathroom. I knocked on the door; Pauline asked who it was (!). "The wicked witch of the west!" I said, she laughed, I then said, "There's a phone call for you, she says she from the orphanage, but I don't think so somehow." I heard the toilet flush and after a few minutes Pauline opened the door, she walked to the phone and picked it up. I listened into her side of the conversation. "Hello? Yes, yes I'm (gasp) Hello. I understand I will be there." And she put the phone down, and then turned to the main door. "Pauline? Where are you going?" I called to her; she turned around like an automaton. "I have to go, I will be back later." Her voice was level and wasn't any of the 'aspects' I had come to know. She left the room without saying another word. I went to the window that looked to the front of the building and watched as she entered a car parked outside it drove off down the road, followed by a police car, I could see an officer position herself outside the building as if on guard. The phone rang again; I picked it up, "Mr. Purple." This voice I recognised it was number 3, I acknowledged myself and she continued, "We've recalled your charge for a couple of hours, she will be returned to you I'm telling you this so that you don't try to follow her, we're not going to do anything to her but she won't be able to tell you what has happened. What I want to know is how you feel about her." She said. I felt devastated, I knew that I didn't have any claim over the child, but she had somehow worked herself under my skin, "I feel responsible for her, I've started to call her my daughter as she's that close to me, I know its not rational, I've only known her 4 days but I still feel attached to her." My voice had altered I felt as if I was cracking up, number 3 spoke again. "Paul, I know what you're going through, do not worry everything is alright, listen to me Pauline will only be gone for a short time." And I started to feel calmer, if she was going to come back then there was nothing to worry about I spoke into the mouthpiece. "That's good." I said in a calmer voice, but that was wrong what was happening to me? "Yes it's good," number 3 said, "you will relax and rest, knowing that Pauline will be returned to you." "Relax and rest." I heard my voice say, 'Oh you sneaky people!' I recognised the symptoms but I hadn't heard of the victim being aware of them, I had been hypnotised! Number 3 thinking her work was over put the phone down, I also hung up and started to walk to the bedroom, but my mind was now racing, how had they done it? When they'd abducted me? No. this took time to establish. I lay down on the bed, the command having taken hold of my body, and then I heard the voice. 'you are attracted to Pauline, you will guard her with your life, you cannot bear to be without her, if she is too far away you will search for her until you know she is safe, she is part of you, she is like your daughter, you will do anything for her.' And then it repeated, it was just within hearing! I'd been brainwashed. I reached beneath the pillows and found the speaker, I followed the lead from the bed into a cupboard where it disappeared into the wall. This was the cause although I had felt a slight attraction to Pauline beforehand, when she had first presented herself to me, or was that also part of the programming? I went into the living room, I was annoyed! I picked up the phone and dialled for the operator when she responded I asked to be passed onto number 3 of the council, I was told that there was no number in that name. So I asked for Elizabeth's number. Little Cat answered the phone, I asked if I could speak to her mistress but was told that she was unavailable, she asked if I wanted to leave a message, I said yes, I heard her attaching something to the phone and then she asked me to continue. "Elizabeth, Paul here, I object to your people messing about with my mind, I want to know why it was done and who authorised it, I'm not happy as I think this contravenes any agreements between us." I stopped speaking as I didn't want to go any further with my thought at this stage. Little Cat then spoke up. "Master is that all the message?" she asked me. "Yes Little Cat it is, but Naomi please ensure that your mistress gets the message as soon as possible." I didn't like using her real name, but she seemed to understand that with its use I was showing that I was annoyed. "Of course master, I will see to that immediately." She said and hung up. I sat in an armchair and waited. ------- After half an hour my phone rang, it was Elizabeth, "Paul what's wrong, I've just received a strange message." I explained exactly what the problem was and I tried to convey how I felt about it, she was quiet for a moment and then said. "But that's how you affect the girls and women in your life, not by subliminal messages but in the way you act and subconsciously order them, in a way you started this type of action, we're just showing you the effect." She told me slowly as if trying to gauge how I was reacting to this. And how did I react to such a statement? At the least it was disconcerting -at the most it was frightening, if I did have such a power then how did it happen? Why wasn't I aware of it beforehand? No wonder they were trying to control me. "Paul? Are you there?" Elizabeth's voice sounded concerned, I was almost ready to slam the phone down, but decided against it. So how had they done it? Obviously they'd notice that I felt sorry for Pauline and built up their tape or whatever on that, but now I was aware of what they'd done could I reprogram myself to ignore the feelings? First things first. "Hello Elizabeth, I'm still here, just about that is. So you were giving me a taste of my own medicine were you?" I said trying to sound calmer. "I wasn't aware what was being done, it seems that the council wanted to try it on you." This interested me. "They've tried it on others then?" I asked her, there was a slight pause. "Only one other outside Ropeville, the results were alarming, but they think they know what happened in that case, the instructions seemed to created a god like attitude which overwhelmed the 'subject'" she said sounding strained. "Well I've got no feeling of godhood, just a worry about Pauline." I said, Elizabeth quickly replied. "Only a worry? You're not anxious about her safety? No feelings that something is wrong?" she asked me, her professionalism now emerging. "No. I was told by number 3 that she was safe and would be returned soon, that was when I found the speaker under the pillows" I told her "Paul, something is wrong, you should still feel that there is a problem, even though you know she's safe, you're not supposed to be okay until you see her, I think you're throwing off the effects, I'm coming over now!" and she hung up the phone. Five minutes later I heard a car pull up and, going to the window, watched as Elizabeth got out of the car and spoke to the police officer, then she started to enter the building, I watched the office speak into a walky-talky. I went to the door and opened it just as Elizabeth was going to knock on it. She entered the room watching me warily. "I'm not going to jump or bite, so don't worry." I told her, she was studying my eyes but she seemed to relax. "Sigma, Delta five one four." She said, I just looked at her with a bemused expression on my face. "What did you say?" I asked her, she repeated the words slowly, I shook my head, "I'm sorry but that's just gibberish." "Paul how did you do that?" She asked me which puzzled me. "I didn't do anything!" I said she shook her head. "You should have gone back into a trance, you shouldn't be able to stand there and talk to me at all. You've broken the conditioning!" she said. "No I haven't I still feel for Pauline, I miss the girl she's like a daughter to me, so I must still be conditioned to some degree!" I stated she shook her head. "I'm afraid not, those are your own feelings, apparently we built up on them but they were there from the start." She sat down and beckoned for me to do the same, "You can't hypnotise people to do something against their nature," she told me, "you can only build on their experiences." "So this feeling I have is real?" I asked her she nodded, "I'm afraid so, you have yourself to blame for that, not us I'm sorry to say. But I'm more interested in knowing how you managed to throw off the conditioning." She said. I shook my head, "I don't know." I said honestly, "Once I found out that I'd been brainwashed." At her look I corrected myself, "Okay then hypnotised, I decided that I didn't like it and tried to think about what had been done, then I tried to contact our friend number 3 to moan at her, but couldn't so I'm afraid you were the next in line." She was watching me still, "You were angry?" she asked me. "Damn right I was, I was all for going to that blasted council building a raise it to the ground." I felt my face going red with the fury that I was containing. "Why didn't you?" Elizabeth asked me. "It would have been pointless, I don't know where this blasted council actually meets, I doubt if I would recognise any of them if they were in the same room as me, and its pointless to rant and rave in an empty room." I said, but I must admit I was calmer now. Elizabeth nodded, "Yes, I understand, but this does give us a problem." She said, as I looked at her she turned away slightly, "You have a very powerful gift, but it's too powerful for us to control, in short you're dangerous to us Paul, we can't control you and we can't trust that you won't try to control us," she reached into her shoulder bad as if going for a tissue, then she turned, she had a gun in her hand, "I'm really sorry to do this." She said before pulling the trigger. ---- It was a surprise to me when I awoke, I was lying in bed, I had a slight headache, what the hell did I drink last night? Then I remembered Elizabeth's face as she pulled that trigger, the chuff of the dart as it was fired from the barrel into my chest and then the feeling as unconsciousness hit me. So where was I this time, another prison cell? I looked around my room - yes it was my room, there was a letter propped up by my alarm clock, it had my name 'Paul Purple' it was still as good a name as any, I opened it and read the contents. ‘Dear Paul, By now you have woken up in your house, it was decided that since we couldn't control you, we would employ you. I'm sorry we had to do this as the girls in the class will miss you. I have examined them and they all have been altered by your presence, they are now fully focused on the project you have given them and should give us the results earlier than anyone had expected, there has been a new addition to the class to make up for a girl who's dropped out, Melody has now been assigned as main coordinator, this is to train her up in the task that her parents were grooming her for. I will arrange for a weekly session with Purple class, as they will be known from now on, when they can send you messages and progress reports, you will find that your computer system has been upgraded, with what I'm told are a few more whistles and bells. Your name has been cleared of all involvement with Melody's kidnapping and any records kept by the FBI or your local law offices has been purged, you may be interested to know that although there was a file on you, it had been classified as a low risk to the public. You may find other 'trinkets' around that you are free to use, should you require any assistance we will be available, however we will not help you in the course of 'your work' in that you are strictly on your own. However should we require your services it is expected that you will drop whatever you're doing to help - situations permitting of course. Your work here has been helpful in several areas, and although you may not return to Ropeville you will always be welcome to contact us. Elizabeth.’ ----- There it was, my release from bondage, it was a pity because I was going to miss the girls they were so happy to try anything I wanted, whether it was due to this strange power that Elizabeth was so insistent I had or not I don't know, there was a slight ache in my heart, I would never see Pauline again, and I really did think of her as my daughter. My bedroom door was pushed open and the rattling noise of china on a tray announced the arrival of. . . Pauline dressed only in an apron, and carrying my breakfast. "Good morning master, I hope you're hungry?" she said placing the tray beside my bed and climbing in beside me. I kissed her face, "Oh Pauline, I thought I'd never see you again, what are you doing here?" She smiled at me, "Well master I woke up in a strange room, but Elizabeth was there along with some other women, they kept asking me if I wanted to return to the orphanage or to remain with you, every time I said that I wanted to be with you daddy, and I did! I never wanted to go back to the orphanage again." She said. I hugged her, "And you never will, you are my daughter, now and forever." She snuggled close to me. "And you will always be my daddy," She said, "Even when you're training the other girls!" she added. "Other girls?" I asked her. "Well you will be carrying on with your work won't you?" She said, "And I'm going to be helping you with it!" she added. I looked at her, "Are you sure, what happens if they break down in front of you, will you be able to steel your heart and ignore them?" I said to her. Her face altered, "If she can't then I can!" the attitude was like Pain slut, but different again, she raised her chin and looked at me, "I'm Dominitra, but they can call me mistress." Then her face altered again and Pauline was back with me, "They thought you might need someone else to help you now and again." She said slightly frightened. I held her again, "Okay Pauline we'll work together" I said, she squealed in delight and held onto me tightly. Mr Purple the teacher was now out of work, but Mr. Purple the trainer was now back in business, the only thing to do was to contact Bill and let him know, also to tell him to ignore any more specific assignments! |