Unsurprisingly, I did not sleep well. For a split second I wondered why I wasn’t in my own room. The events of yesterday poured in like a waterfall. My eyes were still puffy and weak from so much crying. My body ached all over, and my arms and legs made me look like I’d lost a wrestling competition. Most humiliatingly, my sex hurt the most, both from the caning and the relentlessly rough pounding that bitch decided to put me through.

Aura Kensington.

I am Aura Kensington’s property.

At least, that was what my marks - and the law - told me. Those words didn’t feel real. That concept was absurd. I hated Aura Kensington and everything she stood for, all the inventions she’d fund to get Property beaten ruthlessly, like me. And Aura didn’t seem to care much for me - I didn’t think so - beyond acknowledging me as her Soulmate, and taking that as permission to do whatever the fuck she wanted.

I didn’t get up immediately. I didn’t want to. Everything I had worked towards in life, every step I had taken to fight for my beliefs, all the people I’d met and things I did… none of it mattered anymore. None of it mattered, all because of a stupid mark on my chest destiny decided to torment me with. 

Besides, my ankle was still chained to the bedpost. I would have hoped my Soulmate would not be the kind of person to chain me down and beat me. Guess I’m not that lucky.

I gave an experimental tug, and without any effort, my leg was freed. “Huh?” I audibly gasped, quickly sitting up. As quick as my bruises would allow. The cuff had been undone at some point in the night. Which probably meant… Aura had come into my room at some point. Ugh. I hoped she didn’t do anything worse to my unconscious body.

Either way, I was free. Briefly, I dreamt of escape. The memories of the cane bruising my body black and blue crushed that dream.

I grabbed my sketchbook, still open next to me. The pages were all filled with all kinds of painting and collages and mixed media and even some poetry… except for yesterday. Yesterday, I just took a pen, and scribbled on the page, tearing holes through multiple pages, furiously sketching until the pen was sucked dry of ink. What I drew wasn’t art. It was blind rage.

A sigh escaped my lips. I flipped to another page, a blank one, to try and forget about my anger. It wasn’t going to do me any good. If anything, my anger would only get me into more trouble. I abandoned the sketchbook and rose to my feet. My bruised, aching body almost collapsed with its own weight… I forced myself back up and to the restroom.

At least Aura gave me things like a room, and a bathroom, and basic necessities. She could have kept me under a cage and left me naked at all times, only feeding me the bare minimum from a bowl. I guess I should be grateful.

And the way she held me after she filled me to the brim, the soft kiss she gave me before I cried myself to sleep… those things didn’t feel bad…

I scoffed. No. I had nothing to be grateful for. 

I looked at myself in the bathroom vanity. I hardly even looked like the same person. The bruises were one thing. My expression was another. The face of a mildly annoyed anxious bean of a person had been replaced with… a ghost, whose wealth of tears had extinguished.

My body arched to put my head in my hands, when I saw something else. A makeup bag, sewn with honest-to-god leather, and a note in front of it. I grabbed the note, almost ripping it with my nails, and read the paper.

Dearest Cassidy,

Every day I will give you a list of what makeup, shoes, and clothes to wear. They will be laid out plainly for your ease.

I will be teaching you inspection poses. After you have put yourself together, stand in front of the door, your feet shoulder-length apart, and your arms crossed behind your back. Your posture should be straight and confident.

Every day, by 7am, you will put on the makeup, take off your night clothes, and stand in your inspection pose until I am done inspecting you. Once I have given you permission, you are to put on the outfit and shoes provided.

I have taken the week off to attend to our new situation. We will be spending it wisely.

Do not disappoint me, Soulmate.

-Aura Kensington

I wanted to scrunch up and throw away the paper. I gagged when I read the word makeup. Nothing could make me wear makeup - not an interview, not a date, and if I were feeling more courageous, not even a stern note from my Owner. But my body ached worse at the thought of another beat down. At least Aura would get to suffer looking at my terrible makeup skills.

Sure enough, the makeup she’d chosen for me was on the counter. I didn’t quite know what everything was, but it was the basic items, from what I could tell. Foundation, concealer, eyeliner, eyeshadow, mascara, lipstick, blush, and items to apply the makeup. I groaned and picked up the foundation. How the hell would I do this? If I had my phone, I could have looked up a tutorial, but…

I did my best. My pink eyeshadow was almost certainly in the wrong spot, and completely uneven. Same for the eyeliner and mascara. I wasn’t entirely sure what the foundation was supposed to cover… I just smeared it all over my face, that fact was obvious. And my red lipstick made me look more like a clown than the model Aura wanted me to be.

I reread the note to get the inspection pose down. Going back into my room, staring at the door, I got in the pose, as much as I wanted to protest.

Oh, right.

I groaned angrily, took off my nightgown, and threw it to the corner. The pose just made me look more naked, more vulnerable, more like I was some dumb slut. I guess that’s what I was.

I looked at the hanging clock. 6:57am. Ughhh. Did I really have to wait for her? Did I really have to do this every morning for the rest of my life?

Standing in the pose left my mind wandering. I wanted to imagine a better place, a place I could mentally escape to. A personal library with all the art supplies and machinery I could ask for. Yeah. That would be ideal.

But as hard as I tried to put myself there, I couldn’t take myself away from the reality of the situation. All I could think of were the events of last night and what other brutal beatings were to come my way. I hiccuped as the corners of my eyes welled up. Ugh. Not even 7am, and I was already crying.

I wiped my eyes, breaking the pose for two seconds.

Oh. Of course those two seconds were when Aura opened the door to greet me. I quickly got back in the pose, averting my eyes from Aura. 

She already looked frustrated. No, no fuck I didn’t want today to start like this.

“The instructions really weren’t clear enough for you, were they?” She growled. Grabbing my out of pose arm roughly, she continued. “One pose. You couldn’t hold one pose for, what, three minutes? And what is with that atrocious makeup? Have you even ever put on lipstick before, idiot?”

I scowled back. Already I was completely done with today. Being forced to wear makeup was bad enough, being insulted for it stung even more. “Not since I was 12, Mistress. I had more important things to spend my money on.”

The anger in Aura’s voice - in her posture - turned cold. She released my arm, and for some reason, I got back into the position. “Do you really,” she started calmly, “want to begin your day with this?”

I clenched my fists behind my back. “…No, Mistress.”

“Then apologize.”

“…Sorry,” was all I said to her.

“For what?” She hissed.

I closed my eyes, inhaled, and exhaled. “…I am sorry for my tone, Mistress.”

Aura exhaled, a light smile returning to her face. She held my cheek still and lightly slapped the other. “There we go. That’s better.” I felt like I was being spoken down to, like some pet. “Next time, ‘no, Mistress’ will suffice.”

Duly noted.

“We can get you classes for makeup. Amongst other things. Don’t worry, you’ll have plenty scheduled outside of being my brainless plaything.” Aura gave my body a bunch of squeezes, and I tried not to flinch against her cold hands. With one last grab of my asscheek, she seemed satisfied. 

“Very good. Let me get some clothes for you.”

I was about to relax from the position before Aura stopped me, “stay in position until I tell you otherwise.”

My muscles tightened. “Yes, Mistress.”

Aura shuffled through the wardrobe. My eyes rolled her direction. The only look I had in the drawer was the nightgowns, and calling those skimpy pieces of fabric nightgowns was generous.

Eventually, Aura emerged from multiple cabinets, some pieces of clothing in hand. She also places two shoes next to my bed.

I wanted to vomit.

The first was a strapless bra, black fabric with light blue accents. On top of it was a crop top that honestly looked more like a bikini top. The pants were even less gracious - I could already tell they would not fully cover my ass. Both pieces of clothing were latex, meaning that they’d cling to my body, showing all the curves I hated so much. That was obviously the point.

“Well?” Aura urged. “Put them on. We don’t have all day.”

Honestly, all I wanted was to toss the clothes in her face and tell her to go fuck herself. But Aura was right - I didn’t want to be in the same place I was last night. Besides, it was hot outside. A gift in disguise, maybe.

Ugh. I still hated that sentiment. I put on the bra - surprised she had something for my cup size - and then immediately put the top on as well. Unsurprisingly, it did not cover any part of my mark. It seems Aura had a similar vibe for herself; her button up was half-undone, showing her admittedly impressive chest and the mark claiming she owned me.

Next were the pants.

Damn it.

“May I please,” asking this politely made me want to die, “have some underwear now, Mistress?”

Aura smirked. “I was waiting for you to ask.” She opened the wardrobe again and tossed me a set of panties to match my bra. Once again, not something that would cover up much, but at least the panties were existent.

I put on the rest of the outfit. Lastly, I looked at the diamond-encrusted sandals she’d given me. Honestly, they looked so expensive it looked tacky. Besides, they were heels. “Mistress, I—“

“Can’t walk in heels? I figured as much. That’s why I started you with one inch heels.”

I stared at her, my mouth dropped.

“What? I could grab the four-inch heels, if you’d like.”

Internally, I seethed. She was turning me into some slut, some princess, some… doll. I sure as hell wasn’t the type for dresses, heels, and makeup.

I got enough of that pressure from my parents.

And Aura was intent to change that. My looks weren’t an important part of my identity, but having another part of me stripped away like it was nothing…

I put on the heels. Fuck, walking in these were only going to make my leg bruises worse. “Good girl,” Aura said, petting my head condescendingly. I truly was just some thing to her.

“One more thing.” Aura moved over to the bed, the toys hanging around them. She pulled off a riding crop, and slapped me gently on the back with it — of course, on bare and bruised skin. “You know. For good measure.”

~~

At least Aura hadn’t put me on a leash. Yet.

She’d only shown me the first floor yesterday, and gave me a tour of the rest this morning. Every time I slowed down, especially while climbing up stairs, she slapped me with her damn riding crop. My body moved faster almost instinctively. Aura explained the rest of her mansion, and I offered as little words as possible in return. She tried to coax more out of me, but I wouldn’t allow her to. I had to hang on to the last bit of fight I had.

At the very least, my new living arrangements were much nicer than what I had. Instead of being in someone’s cramped closet, I had room to spread out - as much as Aura would let me, unfortunately. My room alone was larger than my whole apartment, and that seemed to be the case for most of the quarters, save for closet space. How much did this place even cost? Did it even make a dent in Aura’s wallet?

In a way, it didn’t matter what vanities Aura’s mansion offered. None of it she’d let me use without her permission.

At least I got to see Milkshake a couple times. Each time she curled around Aura’s legs, brushing up against her ankles, and then would curiously sniff - or even lick - my own. So far, Milkshake was the best part of this arrangement, though the bar was in hell.

At the top floor, I looked out the window, and saw a rather large crowd gathering outside the front gate. Seems Aura actually locked it this time, thankfully. “Au— um, Mistress Aura, what’s… going on?”

“Hm?” She stopped in the middle of her explanation, and looked out the window. Aura inhaled and took a slow, frustrated exhale.

“God damn it. I should have guessed something like this would have happened. Get behind me.”

I blinked, but didn’t ignore the order. I cowered behind Aura. Why did I think she would protect me? “L-like what?”

“Paparazzi,” she grimaced. “I can only imagine why. The CEO of the largest Soulmate Industry company now has her own Soulmate Mark.” Aura quickly closed the curtain as soon as one of the cameras pointed up her way. “You’d think they’d at least give me some privacy. People are just so nosy.”

Aura scowled and tugged at my arm. “Ignore them. They’ll disperse soon enough. I’ll show you the exterior later.”

“O-okay, Mistress.”

Paparazzi. I mean, I guess I couldn’t say Aura wasn’t famous — infamous, rather. I hid further behind her. If she was feeling awkward, I definitely was too. I didn’t want my face plastered all over the media, my friends flooding me with concerned texts - though I guess I wouldn’t have a way to read said texts or see any articles about myself.

The paparazzi already have my name. After all, it was plastered on Aura’s chest. Once again, I wanted to disappear. At least Aura wasn’t the cause, this time.

As we walked through the house, Aura closed blinds, locked windows, and even whispered to a maid to do the same throughout the house. I ended up closing some blinds, too. Not out of respect to Aura, I didn’t think, more out of respect to myself and my own privacy.

We made it back to the first floor, to the kitchen. Aura grabbed the notice of her personal chef and gave her instructions on what to make. I could guess she’d make good food, at least. And I wouldn’t have to worry about making my own breakfast on occasion, or even not eating.

Slowly, I sat down. Aura sat down across from me.

SLAP

The riding crop hit my thigh. “Ow!” I exclaimed. “What in the world was—“ I paused, caught my breath, checked my pride at the door, and spoke again. “Why… did you do that, Mistress?”

“Sitting down without my permission,” she chided. “When you’re in my presence, don’t sit down or relax until I tell you to.”

“Yes, Mistress.” Being with Aura was like the worst dance ever. She’d do something I would genuinely appreciate, and then in the next breath would take away a simple luxury of life.

My hands clasped around my thighs. I couldn’t look at her. It had only been just a bit over 24 hours and I felt like it’d been a year.

Fuck. My stomach hurt only thinking about last night.

“Let’s go over some of what’ll be expected of you,” Aura said as she pulled out a folder with various notes shoved inside. They didn’t seem to have any sort of rhyme or reason to how they were laid out. You’d think for someone like her, she’d be a bit more organized. Aura looked through them, murmuring something to herself, before pulling out a packet.

“We’ve gone over basic rules, but I typed it up for you last night after you slept. Here,” Aura handed out a sheet with everything she discussed yesterday, plus a few extra bullet points.

“I am allowed to revoke, add, or change any rules as I please. I will always provide you with an up to date list. Next,” she put something else on the table. Another bullet point list. “Things you will be expected to learn or be trained on.”

• Obedience and Manners

• Expressing Devotion and Adoration

• Willingness, Submission, and Surrender

I knew those things would be listed - and hated it. I kept reading.

• Organization Systems

• Cleanliness and Tidiness

• Soothing Your Mistress When She Is In Distress

Those next things were a bit more… unexpected. I looked up at Aura. “Well? Keep reading.”

“Y-yes, Mistress.”

• Confidence in Your Position

• The Ins and Outs of the Soulmate Industry

• Service to My Colleagues, Friends, and Acquaintances

• Topics of Your Choosing - at Mistress Aura’s Discretion

“Topics… of my choosing?”

“Yes. You said you had a plethora of hobbies. Don’t think I only want a submissive who knows how to be obedient and docile. You’ll be rather well-rounded, if you allow yourself to be.”

“I—“

“First,” Aura didn’t let me continue whatever thought I had, “you’ll be doing makeup and posing every day. In the event I am unable to provide you with instructions, or if I am relieving you, you will be notified. Oh, and,” she reached a finger to my face. I flinched. She disregarded my reflex and wiped off a bit of my excess lipstick. “I’ll be enrolling you in some makeup and grace classes. Along with a couple fitness classes. Can’t have property who runs out of breath after one flight of stairs.”

I crossed my arms and said nothing. She didn’t have to put it quite like that, but at least she didn’t make any fatphobic comments. Once again, the bar was in hell.

“After I inspect you, you will ask me if I would like any particular favors done. Whatever I ask of you, you will obey it, questions only if you need clarification. This is not negotiable. Understood?”

I tried not to think of what kinds of awful things she’d ask of me. It was impossible not to imagine it at least a little. “Yes, Mistress.”

“To give you some routine, you’ll be taking some college classes. Give you something to work for, since, well, law school didn’t seem to pan out well.” I raised my eyebrow. Like… college classes? “I will give you some freedom, but to start, I’ve enrolled you in a course on the basics of the Soulmate Industry.” Oh. Of course. Brainwashing me to see her twisted view. I shouldn’t have expected anything else. “I also enrolled you in a Psychology course, which will be your major.”

This, was a little more confusing. My head tilted and the confusion on my face couldn’t be hidden. “Why… psychology?”

Aura’s eyes narrowed. “Are you questioning me? I’m enrolling you in one of the best schools and you’re questioning me?”

“U-uh, no, Mistress.” It never became easier to use that title. “I was just… curious.”

She accepted that response. “The other class, you will choose yourself. I will give you a list of options at a later point.” So I was… being a servant. And going back to school. And learning how to be Aura’s sex toy. Why college? Did she need an excuse to humiliate me over my grades even more? “Oh, and I expect you to get top marks. Anything less, and, well… I’m sure even you can guess what will happen.”

Somehow, straight A’s in topics I didn’t know — on top of my entire life being upended — seemed… unlikely. I’d have to brace myself for lots of punishment, though I suppose that was already apparent as daylight.

“You’ll be taking care of Milkshake’s routine, in the morning, afternoon, and evening. Feeding her, playing with her, getting rid of her… leavings. Making sure she’s well attended to. I’m sure you can do that without making a mess.”

A small smile laid out across my face. Milkshake truly was the best part of this endeavor. “Of course, Mistress.” I wondered where she was. Probably asleep in a well lit room. “How… old is she?”

Aura’s eyes softened. “She turned five this past month,” she said. “I got her as a kitten.” Once again she looked human. For a second.

Five years ago… Kensington Love was founded just a bit before that.

My Owner changed the topic.

“You’ll be helping me organize my office,” she continued. “You’d better not laugh at me for this, but it tends to get chaotic quickly. I’m a busy woman, after all.”

Busy making sure people like me at going through hell.

Though, right now, I guess it’s not so bad…

“Typing up whatever handwritten notes you find, making sure I can find anything important, filing papers accordingly. Occasionally, you’ll accompany me to my office to do the same. My assistants can’t be trained the way I can train you.” She winked at me, smirking, knowing I knew what she was thinking. My face flushed red. “You won’t have to worry about simple cleaning. That is what I have a maid service for. Though, you may find yourself filling in for one, or dressing in a maid outfit if I think you’ll look nice in one.”

I tried to imagine myself in a maid outfit. Fuck, I couldn’t even picture it. That thought was just… outworldly.

“You’ll be trained in many things a good submissive should know, not the least of which devotion, obedience, and surrender. You still haven’t completely accepted your situation.” Aura wasn’t wrong. Even though I didn’t feel abysmal in this second, I sure didn’t feel great about it. I still wish it were different. “I’ll make sure that changes. You’ll be learning mantras, rituals, how to worship your Mistress, how to give sufficient offerings.”

Aura leaned onto her hand. “You’re a creative type, you said, yes? Then it would make sense to use those skills of yours for our benefit?”

I crossed my arms hard across my chest. “Mhmm.”

Aura slammed her hand against the table. My back straightened instinctively, and she grabbed my face tight. “‘Mhmm’ isn’t ‘yes, Mistress.’”

I wanted to roll my eyes. Every time I thought things weren’t going to be awful, Aura just had to clamp down on control. “Yes, Mistress.” It proved impossible to hide the sarcasm in my voice.

SLAP

The riding crop hit my thigh, and I screamed in shock. “What was that tone?” Aura challenged.

“N-nothing,” I murmured.

SLAP

“You’re lying, now? Do you think acknowledging me as your Mistress is somehow wrong?”

I hesitated. Because she was right. That was mostly what I thought of her.

“I’m just adjusting,” I said as coolly as possible.

“So you haven’t even started to accept your situation, yet.”

I looked away, biting my tongue. Well, she wanted honesty, she’d get honesty. “It isn’t right. My Soulmate… someone meant for me would never treat me this way.”

I guess what I said wasn’t something she wanted to hear, because she slapped me again. Again. Again. Again. I lost count of the strikes. The bruises on my thighs began to swell up again. I’d started crying again. I don’t know when, but sobs escaped my esophagus and I couldn’t speak clearly.

And she liked seeing me cry.

“I thought you feared the concept of even having a Soulmate. Treat you this way as in, giving you an amazing home, enrolling you in classes, making sure you are well fed, and being taken care of better than you can yourself?”

“She wouldn’t hurt me!” I exclaimed.

SLAP

“Yes she would!” Aura shouted. “Because, like it or not, I am your Soulmate, and I will hurt you if you continue to disrespect me!”

SLAP

SLAP

“Only you can make this scolding stop,” she growled.

Each slap hit me harder than the last, all in the same spot to accentuate the pain. Aura grasped my shaking hand, and held it tight, tight for dear life. She crushed it with her strength. “Yes. Mistress. Say it.”

I nodded. “Yes, Mistress.” As confidently as I could.

SLAP

“Fuck!” I shrieked. I had reached my limit, and she hadn’t given me any out. “S-stop that!”

The riding crop hit me again, and stayed on my aching thigh. “Are you ordering me, toy?”

“Yes!” I exclaimed. “Stop hitting me! I get the point!”

Aura’s face twisted into anger. “Clearly, you don’t.”

SLAP. The riding crop hit me five times and then she stopped. “I’m going to hit you five times, after each round you’ll say ‘Mistress Aura owns me entirely’. Simple enough for you?”

I didn’t respond. Whatever positive feeling had emerged about Aura had once again flushed away.

“Do you want me to make it ten strikes, instead?”

The words came out of my mouth like shredded paper. “No, Mistress.”

“Then you will obey. Eagerly.”

What the fuck did eagerly even look like to her? Did she want me on my knees kissing her leather boots?

I couldn’t question anymore. The five strikes came, all in one area, one after another with increasing speed and intensity.

Aura gave me a chance to think. I felt the words die in my throat, but I spoke anyways. “Mistress Aura… owns me entirely.” Saying it hurt. Hurt more than the strikes Aura was dealing me.

The five strikes came down again on me like lightning. I hissed, caught my breath, and apparently took too long for Aura. “Get up,” she ordered.

I seethed in my chair. My anger, my fight, slowly it returned, piece by piece. Aura grew impatient, stood up, and dragged me to my feet. “On your hands and knees.”

Once again, I didn’t immediately obey. Aura forced me down, straightening my posture, expertly using her hands to contort my posture to her liking without damaging my bones. “Say it again.”

“Mistress Aura owns me entirely,” I hissed. 

Once again, the slaps rained down. “Mis—“ Aura didn’t stop at five. She kept them coming, one after another, until my voice box was barely working. Once more, I broke, tears welling and falling down my hot, furious, humiliated face.

They stopped.

“Say it,” she ordered.

Finally, I had enough.

“Fuck you.”

Aura’s eyes widened considerably. Seems I finally struck a nerve. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me!” Like a dam, my tears and frustration burst. I don’t know what made me so angry about this particular interaction, but whatever it was, I couldn’t take it. “We’re not meant to be together! I wasn’t meant to be with anyone! Real Soulmates would never hurt their partner! You might think so because of your twisted company and the profit you make from it, but it isn’t true!”

“What the fuck do you know?!” Aura slapped my face with the riding crop. “You despise this very concept, for no good reason! All because of your own damn insecurities that I want to help!”

“I don’t need your help! You don’t want to help me, you want to hurt me and make me someone I’m not! If you were a good person, you would have let me go! You want to think you’re a good Domme, but you’re the worst Soulmate I— anyone could possibly ask for!”

I expected more slaps.

Slaps to stop my outrage and correct my behavior.

Nothing came. Aura stood there in silence, her face in complete shock. I don’t know how much time had passed.

Then, something in Aura snapped.

Aura grabbed my kneeling body and forced me back up on my feed. She threw the riding crop to the corner, and her demeanor completely shifted.

“Would you please just shut the fuck up for a minute?!” She screamed, straining her vocal chords. Whatever I was about to say next died in my throat. Her voice had changed, echoing something of… what I could crudely describe as an angry teenager.

I cowered against her sudden change in character, and she continued. “Do you know how selfish and entitled you’re being?! We haven’t even been together for a day and you’re acting like you’re getting locked in a closet to die or some shit!” Aura’s language had changed, almost regressing. The look in her eyes showed fury clear as daylight - not in a kinky, disciplinary way, simply in a wretched way.

“I—“ I tried to interject, but she bulldozed over me.

“You want to know what I honestly think? I think destiny might have made a mistake too, because even if my Soulmate wouldn’t have been my ideal match at first, at least they might have given an actual shit about me and my feelings!” I was speechless as guilt took me like a wave. I was confronted with the impact of my words, the way I fought back against Aura, the sentiments I expressed directly to her. I stood in shock, unable to say anything.

“Do you even know how much you’re hurting me? Do you even care? What, because you think I’m some big bad Domme you get to just say whatever you want to me and you think it won’t impact me? Do you think I’m not human, or some ethereal being? I could be treating you so much worse, but I’m not, because contrary to your bullshit beliefs about me, I actually care about you and I actually want to learn to be with you! But you’re making that completely fucking impossible!”

The weight of my harsh words had collapsed on me. “I’m so—“

Aura didn’t want to hear whatever crappy excuse I was about to give. “You think you’re the only one struggling with your own anxieties, your own fears, your own anger and insulted feelings? Well, think again, you dumb idiot! I figured out you were academically stupid, but I didn’t think you’d be a dumbass with empathy too!”

Aura’s voice had raised to a scream at some point. I didn’t know what to say. The image of the perfect hard Domme she put on — was it fake? Was I really that stupid?

“You don’t care about me! You don’t even want to try!”

The corners of Aura’s eyes welled up. My body was frozen still, my mind working at a billion miles a minute.

“But what should I have expected? No one thinks well of me! Everyone thinks I’m just some merciless bitch who doesn’t have a heart! I looked forward to having a Soulmate, because I thought it would be someone who would understand! That’s why I built myself up in this industry, you dunce! There is actual research backing the benefits of Soulmate relationships, and costs of destroying those, like you’re doing! You think I don’t have problems too, secrets I want to tell, troubles I want to unload on someone for the first time in fucking forever? I was scared you wouldn’t be the one for me, and I wanted to believe you would prove me wrong! But here I am, stuck with a Soulmate who doesn’t care about anyone other than herself and her own self-obsessed feelings!”

I didn’t know what to say. Once I figured she was done, I started. “I’m so sorry,” I began.

Before I could continue, Aura shut me down. “I don’t give a shit! Just leave me the fuck alone already!”

“I—“

“Don’t come back out until I tell you to! Leave me alone!”

Aura dragged me through the mansion, shoved me into my room, pushing me onto the floor. Growling and hissing at me all the while, refusing to listen to me. I didn’t blame her. “Ah!” I exclaimed. I quickly stood up to explain, “listen, I’m so sorry, I didn’t mean—“ but Aura slammed the door, the sound reverberating in my ears.

I heard her stomp away, her footsteps echoing down the hall. I didn’t open my door. She told me to leave her alone. She ordered it.

For a long time, I sat alone with my thoughts. I stood up, dusted myself off… and then sat back down on my bed. My mind tried to wrap itself around every word she said, every sentiment she shared.

She hardly even seemed like the same person. I couldn’t quite put my finger on why. It wasn’t like she was “cold angry” vs. “hot angry”, but no, I’ve seen hot fire in her punishments, the way she beat my body red and blue, insulting me with each strike.

This was different.

I laid in my bed, staring at the ceiling. Theoretically, I could have done something productive, but I just laid in the worst trance-like state.

A knock sounded on my door. Almost too excitedly, I got up to answer it. Instead of Aura, I was greeted with one of her maids, bringing me what was presumably breakfast on a folding table. For some reason, I expected Aura to have gotten over our fight already and come to make amends.

Two thoughts came to mind: I’m glad it isn’t Aura standing here and I wish it were Aura standing here.

“Breakfast for you,” the maid noted, setting the table by my desk. “Aura only asks that you do not leave any crumbs. She says you are still not to leave the room until you’re told.”

At least I had things to keep my mind occupied. Some music or YouTube essays while I ate would have been nice, though.

“Thanks,” I said, giving a polite nod to the maid. Maybe she could see the disappointment and regret on my face, but if she did, she didn’t comment on it.

“I will be back with lunch and dinner. Do you eat meat?”

I nodded. “Basically anything except bacon and seafood.”

The maid pursed her lips. “Understood. I will notify the head chef.”

Head chef. So Aura had more than one. I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to the maid; she simply closed the door on me and walked out. With a long, hefty sigh, I headed to my desk to eat in pure silence. Feeling nothing but my own guilt. At least the food was great; I could get used to eating like this, and for free, as well.

The fact it was free only made me feel worse about my outburst. I paused eating the scrambled eggs for a second. I grabbed my sketchbook from my bedside plus a pencil and opened it up. I didn’t even know what to put down. Nothing beautiful or exciting or interesting came to my mind.

So I just wrote mindlessly. Whatever was in my head; and, well, there were a lot of thoughts in my head. She didn’t say I couldn’t write it down.

This was basically all I did for the rest of the day. Get brought meals every 5 hours, mind-dump onto my sketchbook, and repeat. I wanted to see Aura, and I checked the clock every 30 seconds to see how much time had passed, guessing when she’d stop by.

She never did.

I deserved it.

I finished my last meal, and left the table by the door. For a second, I thought of clasping the cuff to my own ankle; in a way, it would have felt reassuring, giving me that false sense that Aura wasn’t all mad at me. Of course, it was a comforting lie.

I laid in bed, once again crying to myself, until my consciousness drifted to sleep.

~~

The next morning, I went into the bathroom immediately. I woke up pretty early - having fallen asleep at 8, or something. I still felt miserable, but for vastly different reasons this morning.

I looked at the makeup bag, seeing what Aura would want me to do today. If anything. Instead, I saw a note with simple words—

Don’t bother with makeup and posing.

We will talk today.

Written in heavily different writing from yesterday's note. I sighed. The makeup bag was empty. Not even the items I used yesterday were there. Never did I think I’d ever feel bad about not wearing makeup. But today it felt like a skewer through my already guilty conscious.

We will talk today. I wondered what she was feeling. Probably still not great, in the same boat as myself.

She probably meant not to bother with the posing, either, considering she didn’t leave a note about that either. Her wording was abundantly clear.

Instead, I looked at myself in the mirror. I looked like a ghost. To be honest, I wanted to slap myself for everything I said to Aura. Yesterday before her ‘switch’, and the day before.

Something else was different.

The Mark.

Whereas previously the symbol was the outline of a sleeping cat in a bird’s cage, the cage was now missing. The cat, instead, looked miserable, sick almost. Its form was hunched over, almost weak and defensive. If it were in a room, it probably would be hiding.

The wording beneath was still the same — Property of Aura Kensington — in much less refined type.

I put my head in my hands, scrunching up my hair. I damaged the Mark with my dumb actions. Her mark was most likely also damaged.

Why didn’t the mark change after the abuse she put me through? Maybe there was an actual reason for her actions, something that would contribute to our combined happiness. My actions, on the other hand, had no purpose other than to hurt Aura, to change a situation that obviously couldn’t be changed.

Well, I succeeded. And I hated it.

Almost in a rush, I left the bathroom, and scavenged through my suitcase.

I have to make this right, I thought to myself for some reason, I have to fix this. For both of us.