I lay in my new bed and stared at the ceiling. I had tried to get a full night's sleep, but I had tossed and turned all night. My side still hurt a lot, and while I was tired, my mind just couldn't stop racing, thinking about all the stuff that could happen. I wasn't looking forward to being stuck in a jar all day for one thing, and for another, I was dreading seeing the other girls at school with my new condition. They already made my life terrible before, now it would be almost justified. I turned over and looked at the wall. Marissa had closed the house up before she went to bed, either to give me privacy, or to give her privacy, but the wall that opened to the outside was made of plastic instead of... house stuff, like the rest of my new home to make it easer to open and close, so it had an uncanny, fake look to it. It just made me feel even more like a doll than being small already did.
I sighed and sat up. I needed to do something, at least. I went downstairs, and pulled my phone from the spot behind the tablet and turned it on. I had a new message from Henri, wishing me a good night, and asking if anything else had happened. I decided to message her on the tablet instead, just to make sure Marissa saw that I was sending messages if she decided to check.
"hey bbgrl, I'm up early. I got my food last nite, it was p good, its veggie stuff 2, i finally can eat again lol, been a while"
There was no reply, so she must still have been sleeping. I sent another anyway.
"the floors r heated in this bitch 2, rlly nice, got a big tv and a private treadmill, gonna break ur distance record soon"
Still no reply, so I slid the phone under the sofa cushion and put the tablet on the charger. I may as well get dressed at least. My pajamas were clean now that I'd figured out the washer and dryer (which took less than 5 minutes from start to end, which was nice), but I wanted something nicer if I was going to be on display all day. My options were limited though, I had either the pink bodysuit I had worn last night, some overalls that I'd need to roll up the legs on, or a light blue sash that kind of wrapped around my body to look like a dress and was kind of adjustable. I went with the dress-sash. I wrapped it in a way that made it look almost like a toga, and used one of the long ropes from the curtain as a belt.
I stood in front of the mirror and turned. It wasn't great, but it was ok, I looked normal enough, if sort of dressed up for just going to school. I needed to brush my teeth and figure out what meal I was going to eat half of next. I chose a poke bowl that had... different colored shapes in it, but I couldn't really tell what they were supposed to be based on texture or taste. I ate about a third of it, and put it away. It wasn't filling, but... I had something in my stomach at least. I was trying to decide if it would be a good idea to have a glass of water if I was going to be trapped in a jar all day, when I heard footsteps outside. I walked to my front door and peeked out just in time to see a very groggy Marissa slip into the bathroom and slam the door.
I wasn't exactly happy she was up, but it was good to know that the day had started, and I wasn't up TOO early at least. I headed back to the couch to check my messages (nothing yet), and sent off another one.
"im going 2 school 2day with 'lady m' keep an eye out, ill b her new accessory lol"
I flipped the tv on, and continued watching some care tip videos about class Bs. They were kinda helpful, these said we needed less sleep now, but got tired throughout the day and might need an afternoon rest. We're sensitive to bright lights and loud noises, and we have a hard time dealing with multiple people at once or we get overwhelmed. So... Nothing new there, that was all stuff that could have been said about me before I was infected. There might be new stuff in a later video, but... I felt like I'd wasted 30 minutes on that for no reason.
My tablet pinged, and I quickly opened the messages.
"Oh, klein fee... I'm happy you are settling in, but my heart goes out to you for the day you will have... I will be at the school as well, I will come see you as best as I can, and I will hopefully get time to spend with you myself. I do not know if she will let us though..."
I felt the couch buzz, and I pulled out my phone, listening for footsteps as I checked it. It was Henri again.
"I will try and steal you, anything to get you away. I can keep you safe, and be on a plane to Germany by tonight with you hidden with me."
Alarm bells went off in my head and I quickly responded.
"no no no!!! if u do that youll b arrested and locked up and sent away w out me and m will just flick me again or worse, pls dont steal me"
"But my little sweet, I need to know you're safe..."
"i wish i knew i was safe 2, but like just chill 4 now we cn figure it out or smth"
"Ok, I still want to try and see you..."
I heard the bathroom door open, and I quickly shut my phone off, hiding it again. The wall of the house swung away, exposing me to the larger world again. I shivered as I was reminded how small I really was, and looked out to see Marissa, dressed and smirking, the bottle in her hand.
"Well, Rat. Are you ready to be worn?"
Her smirk got wider at the last word, and I stood slowly, shaking.
"I'm r-ready, I ate, and I put on my nicest thing, and... I'm ready."
Her smirk twisted, as if she'd been wanting me to argue, but she reached in and plucked me out of the house anyway. I lay in her hand as she sat on her bed. Her grip was much lighter than yesterday, and I was grateful for that, I would have screamed if she squeezed my side right now. She unscrewed the top of the bottle, and held me over the opening.
"Have fun in there!~" She said in a singsong voice.
I slid out of her hand as she tipped me, my toga dress flaring up as I dropped into the little jar feet first. I smoothed it down and assessed my new container. It was small, just barely big enough to sit in, and the neck was just over the top of my head if I was standing. Marissa screwed on the lid, and I heard a slight hum, and cool air blew down onto me from the top. Looking up, I could see there were a few buttons on the underside of the lid. One to turn the mic on and off, one to make the fan blow more or less, and one for heat. That would be handy if I really was as susceptible to the cold as they said...
Marissa's slightly warped face loomed in front of me as she looked at me inside the bottle.
"Well, Rat, do you like it?"
"It's- I think I might get seasick in here, but it's not too bad, could I get a pillow to sit on or something?" I called out.
She grinned at me, and held up a small ear bud to the glass before slipping it into her blouse pocket.
"Ohh, sorry Rat, I can't hear you through the glass without this little guy, and... it doesn't go with my outfit. I'll just assume you're fine, ok?"
"Careful! I could seriously get concussed in here!" I yelled.
Ignoring me, or just not hearing me, she put the bottle necklace on, letting me bounce against her sternum. I could see the lower part of her face, but not much. the top of the bottle blocked most of my view. I could see in front of me pretty well though; it was warped because of the slightly curved glass, but I could still make everything out. Marissa walked out of her room, and I bounced with every step. She was... flouncing? If that was the right word? Walking with her body and shoulders, to make me shake more. I got on my knees and braced against the walls with my arms. I was already feeling sick, this was going to be a rough day.
~~~
"Don't embarrass me, Rat. We're going to make an impression, and you're going to look good, and make the others jealous, got it?"
I didn't say anything. She wouldn't have heard me anyway. She shook her head, fluffing her hair, and started to the front door of the school. I bounced slightly as she walked, and I swallowed hard, trying to fight off the slight nausea I was getting. Hopefully she didn't have a full day of classes, if my schedule was- or, had been I suppose, anything to go by, since she was off yesterday, she'd most likely have at least 2 classes today... She stepped into the main building, and slowed down. I felt her chest puff out as she subtly tried to show me off. It wasn't as subtle as she was going for from where I sat, but I did have a front row seat, so it might have been more classy from the outside.
There weren't many students here yet, and those that were seemed busy with their own stuff; on their phones, or walking to class. Marissa huffed under her breath, and picked up her pace again, practically stalking her way to the school's food hall. I guess she hadn't eaten at home after all. I wondered if she usually ate at home, if maybe she just chose to eat here to get a chance to show me off? Her comment about having "actual taste" implied she ate fancy foods, but the food in the school's cafe was pretty pricy too, I never got much more than a coffee or tea, I much preferred to eat in town.
She got in the back of the line at the cafe and folded her arms under me, framing me with them, and leaned back slightly. As the person in the front of the line got her food and turned, her eyes locked onto Marissa and she flinched slightly. I couldn't see Marissa's expression, but seeing the way the student's eyes flicked down to me, then widened, I could guess she was looking pretty smug. The other student lowered her head and walked past quickly, keeping her eyes forward. I recognized her as she passed. She was one of the students that had actively caused me trouble in the past, she'd even shown up to one of my birthday parties in high school, just to laugh at my family's apartment and leave after a few minutes. It was even worse than if she'd just not shown up, honestly.
To this day, she still smirked at me or made comments about me whenever I was around. She wasn't as bad as Marissa, of course, but... The way she was too afraid to even look at me? The way she just looked down and moved past? It almost gave me a sense of power... I knew it was really Marissa's power. The power to get away with anything, the power to get her mother to ruin anyone's reputation or job, the power that came with being cruel, but... It did feel good to get some of that power for myself.
Marissa got to the front of the line, and ordered a dirty chai and a chicken and lettuce wrap, and moved to stand by the other counter to wait. Her vibe was different now, the lady taking her order had watched me the entire time, her eyes wide, and the other customers kept glancing over when they thought she couldn't see. She was eating this up, and pretended not to notice the others looking at her as she collected her food and stepped out of the cafe into the food hall. She put her stuff on a table in the center of the room, and pulled me off her neck. She looked at me, and I could see the excitement and energy in her eyes as she whispered, her voice barely audible over the sound of my fan.
"Ok, Rat, just sit there and look pretty, maybe look kinda sad or something, got it?"
She set my bottle across from her, and opened her wrap, taking a bite that was bigger than me. I shuddered and hugged myself. That was... not a good train of thought I was going down. I looked around the room, and saw a a couple other students in a group looking back at me. I waved to them, and they jumped, and turned away. I heard Marissa giggle through her mouthful, and I sighed. As much as I wanted her happy, I felt bad feeding her need for power like this, but... I didn't have many options, just existing fed her need for power.
Marissa stood halfway out of her seat and waved to a girl that had just walked in. She swallowed hard, and called out.
"Tracy! Come here, come sit, let's catch up!"
I watched as Tracy stopped in her tracks like a deer in the headlights, before waving and pointing to the cafe.
"Of course, after, after!" Marissa called out in her singsong.
She sat back down, and grinned at me.
"She's my bitch, but she hates me. She'll tell the whole school about you, and how awful it is that I have you, it'll be great." She said, quietly. I nodded. I didn't know Tracy well, but I did know that she was in Marissa's orbit of people who stayed just close enough to not be a target, but not close enough to be friends. After she got her food, she sat down across from me and Marissa, a coffee and a muffin in hand.
"So... Marissa, I see you got a new... toy...?" She said, not sure what to call me.
Marissa laughed, and flicked my jar, I flinched and covered my head instinctively, but aside from a sharp pinging noise, I was fine.
"Yeah, it's the Rat! I got it at that boutique in the shops, it was NOT cheap. I saw that Bludsauger was trying to buy it, and was trying to raise money, so I snagged it up before it went out of stock. We can't have HER landing a fun toy like this, right?"
Tracy forced a smile, looking down at me with wide eyes. "Oh, ah, yeah, of course! It wouldn't make sense for her to have something this nice, it'd be- it'd be a joke!"
I watched Tracy take a sip of her coffee, her eyes locked onto mine. I waved at her, and she started, spilling her coffee on her fingers. It seemed people didn't like being reminded I was real...
"But... I did want to ask..." Marissa started, casually. "You see, that little fundraiser that she did, it had a list of people who donated on it, right?"
Tracy leaned back, in full defense mode instantly.
"Oh! Oh, that? No, no, see, she cornered me, and was super pushy- you know how tactless she can be, and I didn't think she'd ever get enough money anyway, and-"
Marissa's fingers drummed on the table. "Well, be that as it may, I only managed to get this new toy because I showed up early. In fact, I ran into its parents and Bludsauger on my way out... I saw you donated, what, $500? That's a lot of money to buy someone else a pet, you know..."
Tracy laughed, high pitched and forced. "That's- well it's a write off, you know! It's a charity! I was just trying to hit my deductions this year, and it seemed harmless, of course I knew you would want her- ah, it, but I knew that even if Bludsauger did get the money, you could still buy... it, if you wanted, and you did! Yay..."
She trailed off, her fake smile not reaching her eyes. She wasn't looking at me anymore, and her muffin lay forgotten on the table. Marissa took another bite of her wrap, and I watched her teeth tear through a strip of chicken almost as wide as my torso. I felt the tension in the air as Marissa ate, letting Tracy's 'Yay' hang in the air for too long, no doubt giving Tracy time to pick over every wrong thing she had said, enough time to start planning her next move.
Marissa put her wrap down and picked me up. She unscrewed the top, and dumped me out into her hand. I tumbled, and landed in a heap. Her hand smelled like her wrap and the slight lotion smell she usually had. I straightened myself out, and tried to be still. I couldn't tell if Marissa was actually angry, or having the time of her life, and I didn't want to risk anything until I knew for sure.
"I did buy it, didn't I? It's right here in my hand. It's mine, and no one can ever do anything about that. I own it." She mused. She looked up at Tracy, and held me out to her. "Would you like to hold it?"
Tracy gasped, and looked around. She nodded slowly, and I could tell she didn't really want to, but she knew she had to. Marissa tipped me into Tracy's hand, and this time I managed to slide rather than tumble, staying upright and on my knees. Tracy's hand was shaking, and smelled strongly of coffee. Her fingers were longer than Marissa's, and where Marissa held me like you would a hamster, with her fingers curled up, her thumb over my head to cover me, Tracy held me like you would an insect, with her fingers splayed, and her palm flat. If I wasn't careful, I could tip straight off and onto the table, or even the floor... I wasn't sure I'd survive either of those, so I stayed very still, my hands on her palm, off to my sides.
"Hello, Tracy, it's nice to see you!" I called out.
It wasn't, not really.
She stiffened and made a small noise of... terror? Was she afraid of me? Or was she afraid of Marissa and she was afraid me talking would set her off?
"I hope you're having a nice day!" I said, waving. I didn't care of she was or not, but doing this was upsetting her, and... it was pretty obvious that Marissa was trying to upset her. I wasn't about to ruin Marissa's day by messing up the first impression the school had of me.
"N-nice to s-see you, R-rat..." Tracy mumbled, reminding me why I hated her. I doubted she even knew my name at this point, she just simpered along to whatever the more popular girls wanted.
"M-marissa, t-thank you for letting me hold her- hold it, but I need to go to class, I have- stuff, thank you, but I have to go, thank you, sorry, I'll see you?" Tracy stumbled through her words, her hand shaking more and more and she shoved me back into Marissa's hands. She stood, and collected her coffee and muffin, and dipped her head in almost a bow before walking quickly away across the food hall. Marissa watched her go, not saying a word until she had left the room. Once Tracy was gone, she turned to me and closed her hand around me, squeezing, but not enough to take the air out of my lungs.
"Gods, did you see that? That was PERFECT. She was horrified, she's going to tell the whole college, it's going to be amazing..." She rubbed the top of my head with her thumb. "And that part where you called her by name and tried to talk to her? I mean, I know I said you shouldn't speak unless spoken to, but that rattled her, I swear she thought you were contagious or something, gods..."
She was in a really good mood now, and she sipped her chai with her free hand, her expression smug and satisfied. She kept absently rubbing my head, messing my hair as she sipped her tea, almost happy to just sit and bask in the knowledge that she was about to get a bump in status and fear, and she wasn't even done with breakfast. I wasn't too uncomfortable in her hand, her fingers were cold, and the tortilla and lotion smell was kind of odd, but it somehow felt better than being in the bottle, so I stayed quiet as she sat and finished her tea. She glanced down at me, and then pinched off a corner of her wrap, just the tortilla part, and handed it to me as she put me back in the bottle.
"You did good, Rat, I wasn't expecting to see you play along like that. Have some carbs, on me. You shouldn't get sick off that much, I think."
I took the bit of tortilla, and nodded as I dropped back into my jar. The doughy, fluffy texture felt nice, and I was still hungry from breakfast. From what I'd seen, a couple mouthfuls shouldn't make me too sick, I think.
"Thank you, I thought it'd be a nice touch, she really seemed to get the picture." I said. If I could get points here... I doubted she'd let me see Henri, but I had to try.
"Yeah, gods, her face when I dumped you into her hand? It was like I just handed her a used tissue or something... Anyway, I've got class in ten minutes, and I still want to walk the halls, so I'm putting you back on."
She capped the bottle, and slipped me around her neck again. She tossed the remaining half of her wrap and her cup in the trash on her way out of the food hall, and headed out to show me off to as many people as she could.
~~~
We sat in class, Marissa slumped forward enough to let my bottle rest on the table. We had gotten a few stares, and the professor kept looking at me, but other than that, there was nothing as dramatic as what had happened over breakfast. It was a long class, at least 2 hours, and I had already taken it last year, so I was bored out of my mind. Marissa apparently had to show up to classes to get credit for the class, even if she didn't really do the work, so she was zoned out and bored too, not paying attention because she had no reason to. I kind of wished she'd put in the earbud so at least we could chat, or I could chat to her, but her moods were as of yet a mystery to me, and I wouldn't want to risk saying anything that would upset her.
For a while, she'd tilted my jar onto one corner, and spun it, making me dizzy and plastering me against the floor and wall of the jar, but once she realized she couldn't make fun of me in class or hear me screaming, she'd given up. For now, she just sat, rocking me back and forth as the class dragged on. I had finished my snack, and while I did feel queazy, that easily could have been from the bouncing when she walked, or the spinning from earlier. I wasn't willing to rule out it just being me not being able to digest regular sized food though.
I turned up the fan and tried to lay down. The bottle wasn't big enough to really lay down all the way in, but if I curled my knees and put my feet on the wall, I could kinda lay down. The cool air helped. The rocking did not. I tried to watch the other students, but aside from the occasional glance in my direction, they were eyes forward, focused on the lesson. I suppose not everyone had enough money and power to coast, I know I didn't.
As the lesson drew to a close, Marissa stretched and popped her back, looping my chain around her neck. As she went to leave, the professor called her name.
"Marissa, may I speak to you?"
Marissa turned, and sighed. "Yes, Miss Arkel?" she said, walking down to the front of the classroom.
"I... see you have one of my former students around your neck, what's the story there?"
Marissa crossed her arms. I couldn't see her face, but I guessed she was rolling her eyes.
"She got infected, she got registered, she got put up for adoption, I'm her guardian. All above board, all legal. I have her paperwork if you need to see." Her voice was hard and cold. She'd been expecting this... She was using 'she' instead of 'it' now, which was nice at least. I guess it had something to do with who she was talking to though.
"Well, Marissa, I will need you to submit the paperwork to the head office, and we'll need to get your certification checked out too, I find it suspect that you managed to take and pass a 12 hour class when you can't even seem to stay focused on my two hour class."
Marissa spoke haughtily and icily. "The difference is, I actually cared about getting my class B care license. I could not care less about you going on and on about business ethics. If your class interested me, Miss Arkel, I might actually pay attention."
Miss Arkel's mouth compressed into a thin line. "I think it would be best if I took Miss Park off your hands until we get the paperwork we need from you. As it is, as far as the school is concerned, you have an unregistered person in your care, and that's against school policy." She reached for me, and Marissa jumped back, her hand clamping around my jar.
Her voice was a snarl "Don't you FUCKING touch her, I will sue you so hard you'll lose your car, I'll get you so blacklisted you'll have to teach at a community college. If you so much as look at her the wrong way, you will be in so much trouble the courts will be on a first name basis with you."
I got chills. That was the Marissa I knew, the cold fury. I couldn't see Miss Arkel's face with Marissa's hands clenched over me, but her silence was enough to know she'd been 'put in her place'.
Marissa continued "I will get the office the documents. I can prove that I own this bitch. I don't need you and your grabby hands trying to take my legally owned and legally registered property. Do you understand?"
"...I think it would be best if you got those documents filed by the end of the day, Miss Lund." the professor said, in a formal tone, using Marissa's last name stiffly.
Marissa spun, her hands still clasped around me, my jar dark, with bits of fog between her fingers.
"I'll get you your documents, just don't ever try that again." She spat back over her shoulder as she stormed out.
My heart was racing. She was in a terrible mood now, and it was all because of me. Kind of. Just being around her when she got like this was traumatic. I thought back to the teachers that were fired after bad interactions with her in high school, the students who had to drop out because their parent's companies went under seemingly overnight. Miss Arkel should have known better, but the fact that she used my name, and called me a person... It made me feel odd. I'd almost gotten used to being a 'thing' over the past few days. Something to be owned, used even. I'd played into her games in the food hall, I was being who- WHAT she wanted me to be. I hadn't really had time to process it aside from crying when I was taken away from my home, but somehow being reminded that I was a person, a real person with a real name, Amber Park, made my feelings twist up and tie into knots.
I'd been sliding into a trap. A trick by my own mind to make me feel better. If I was an object, I couldn't be too surprised when I was treated like one, right? I had to refocus, to try and maintain myself.
Marissa's hands fell away from me, and I looked out through the glass to see why. Waiting outside the classroom for Marissa to exit, was Henri.
~~~
It had to be right then that she confronted her, didn't it? Right when she was mad, right after she got done chewing out a teacher... I looked across the library table at Henri, the glare on her face uncharacteristic and a little scary. My bottle was halfway between her and Marissa, and I felt caught between two titans, each ready to fight to the finish. I just hoped Henri wouldn't try to grab me and dash off... After seeing what happened when Miss Arkel did the same, I knew it wouldn't end well. I tapped on the glass to get Henri's attention. She glanced away from Marissa for a second, her eyes filled with sadness, before her look hardened and she glared up at Marissa again.
"You're keeping my best friend in a bottle? That's inhumane, you know, I could report you for this." Henri said, low and steady.
"I bet you could, and you know what? I'd just tell them that per guardianship law, I'm allowed to keep my ward in any container with sufficient protections and comfort levels."
"Oh, and a bottle meets those requirements? Really?"
"This one does, it has heating, air, and a little microphone so I can communicate, it meets the legal requirements."
Henri looked down at me again, focusing on the top of the bottle and winced. She knew Marissa was right, I'm sure of it. Knowing her, she'd most likely taken the class too yesterday after she realized I had been bought, just to know what Marissa could lose custody over.
"I'd like to see her, in private, out of the bottle, please." Henri said in a curt tone.
"Hm, you know, I'm thinking you may be a threat to her wellbeing... If I let you see her privately, any harmful action you take is ultimately on me legally after all..." Marissa droned, almost bored.
I looked at Henri, surprised, had she planned on hurting me to get me away from Marissa? That... didn't seem like her, but she was desperate...
"I suppose..." Marissa continued "I suppose I could let her out of her bottle for a few minutes, a supervised visit, of course."
"Ja, ok, that works, just... Please let her out of there."
Marissa unscrewed my top and flipped the bottle over, once more dumping me out. I mostly caught myself with my arms, but still ended up in a heap. I stood, just as Henri's hand closed around me and lifted me up to her face.
"Oh, klein fee, I am so happy to see you... Are you well?" She asked in a hushed tone, her face inches from mine, although it seemed like a few feet to me. Her breath smelled like fruity candy. She must have been binging again... She always overindulged when she was stressed, and chewy, fruity candy was her weakness.
"I'm well enough, I guess..." I replied, wiggling in her grip. She was holding me like a handful of nuts, my limbs at odd angles as she tried to figure out how to let me support myself and to hold tight enough so I wouldn't fall at the same time.
"She isn't hurting you?" She asked, tilting her head, her look one of utter pity.
"W-well..." I looked back at Marissa, who had stood and was looming over us. "Well, I'm fragile now, I'm sure once we're used to it, I'll be safe, it's just a learning curve..." I trailed off, hoping Henri understood the words between the lines.
She did, and her eyes filled with tears as she clutched me to her chest. "Oh, klein fee, we will save you from this horrible fate, I assure you..."
"Hey." growled Marissa. "I'm still right here, I'm not that terrible a fate. I'll keep her fed and alive."
Henri kissed the top of my head gently and I blushed. I guess people didn't see personal space and boundaries the same way once you were a class B... I guess I didn't mind too much though in this case, it was just Henri, after all.
"Ok, too far, visit's over." Marissa cut in, putting her hand on Henri's wrist.
"Please..." Henri said, suddenly squeezing me tight enough to hurt. "She's my best friend, I want to-"
I made a small noise as her ring finger pressed into my side, close to my bruise, and she quickly looked down, shocked.
"See? You're hurting her with your clumsy hands, this is why we didn't want you on the tennis team."
Henri's hand shot open, and she examined me, worried and upset. "No, Amber, I am careful, I promise, I didn't..."
I give her a thumbs up as I stood up on her palm and shook my head. I opened my mouth to speak, but Marissa took the opportunity to snatch me back, stuffing me in my bottle and leaning away from Henri.
"She's safest with me, don't you think?" Marissa said, her sharp tone with a hint of cruel playfulness to it.
"No, no, no!" Henri cried, then stopped, looking around at the mostly empty library. "I just want to get to see my friend, I want to spend time with her, we spent every day together..." She finished in a quieter voice.
"Well, until I know you're safe to let around her, I don't know if I can grant that request." Marissa said, mockingly.
Henri's eyes filled with tears again, and she looked at me with longing as Marissa screwed the top back on.
"When... when can I see her again? I'm free after school, tonight I can come over and-"
"No, I'm busy, we can talk again on Friday, maybe you can see her then." Marissa said, cutting her off.
"Friday?! That is two days, you can't keep her from me!"
"Well... I can, I'm her guardian, I own her. She's mine. I could stop you from seeing her forever if I wanted, take away her tablet so she can't talk to you, it's all within my rights..." Marissa stood to leave. "But... I'm not going to lie, I like the idea of having two new pets, so... I'm sure you can earn the right to see her."
Henri frowned through her tears "Earn?... Doing what? You have servants and-"
"Oh, trust me. There's a lot of stuff I'd like from you, Bludsauger. Like I said, we'll talk Friday."
Marissa stood up, and dangled my jar in front of Henri's face. For a split second, I thought she was going to grab me, but the look left as soon as it'd come.
"I've got one more class today, then I'm going home. I'll see you Friday, Bludsauger..." Marissa said as Henri's eyes followed my swaying container.
Marissa spun and walked, my bottle swinging in her hand. I could see her face from here, and she was beaming in her horrible, cruel, half lidded way.