“So did you get any sleep at all?” Eva asked, and her mother chuckled nervously. Her face was swollen red with tears. She was sitting on the living room sofa, cradling a pillow and cup of coffee. Eva honestly couldn’t remember how the two of them had gotten there. It had all been a blur of tears and shock and confusion. Somewhere in between, Mary had joined them for a moment before wisely extricating herself from the situation. This was between Eva and her mom.

“No. I didn't sleep,” her mother said. “I just…”

She didn’t continue. Instead, she looked at Eva’s feet, and kept looking away for what felt like a solid minute, taking deep breaths, trying to start talking, again and again, without success. Finally, after a long time, she managed it. There were tears in her eyes. 

“I was so angry at you!” she sobbed. “So… incredibly angry! I thought my daughter had betrayed me. Lied to me. To her father! To everyone! My whole life! I cried! Oh I cried so much, and I prayed to the Lord to make it go away, for Jesus to take me and make my suffering stop!”

Eva’s insides were churning with horror to see her mother cry. It hurt so much to hear her say those things about her, and to know that she had caused those feelings. It felt like another punch was coming, another insult, another end that ruined it all – but it also felt like her mother was baring herself for the first time since she’d known her.

“But… but then, I remembered something Father Marcos said to me once, in my own time of doubt, and I know he did not mean the same thing, but… in that moment, I…”

She sobbed. “He said to me: ‘Nothing in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.’ It’s… it’s from the Romans, and when he said it to me he meant that I should forgive myself because God forgives all creatures and loves all creatures. God… He loves us all! He loves you! And if God loves my daughter, how… how can her mother not…”

She broke down crying, and Eva didn’t think. She leapt to her mother’s side, and embraced her, and didn’t let go for a long time as her mom cried in her arms.

She saw Mary standing in the door, looking at them with tight lips. Eva hated to see her angry like this. But she had to understand. She had to know that Eva had to try to mend this and that in the end she would choose her love over her mother if it didn’t work out. Of course she would. But she had to try.

Mary was texting with someone. Eva knew not to worry about that at all.

When her mom had finally regained some composure, she managed another weak little chuckle. “I just… wasn’t ready, honey. It sounds so stupid when I say it like that, but it’s true. And it still feels overwhelming. I still feel like I am falling and I don’t know when I’ll hit the ground. It’s just… all my life I thought you were someone that you are not. And… it feels… hard… not to blame you for that.”

Her voice was trembling. This was obviously extremely difficult for her.

“And… I thought about what you said. That you’re the same woman I’ve always known. It took me a long time to understand. Because I just kept thinking and thinking and thinking that I did not know you at all! I kept thinking that you had lied to me! And it hurt me! So, so much! But then… I don’t know, I just… thought about it, over and over… because I had to understand why you would say something like that. How could you say something like that after lying to me? After lying to me all my life! How could you lie to me and claim to love me? How!?”

She swallowed heavily, her eyes glistening with tears. “And then it fell like scales from my eyes, all at once. I was like Paul, and I felt so blind and stupid. You didn’t lie, did you? You would never lie to me. You’re my daughter! You’re a good person! I know that! I… You’ve always been a good person! That’s… that’s what you meant when you said that you were the same person I’ve always known! It doesn’t matter who you love! It doesn’t… you’re a good person, and it doesn’t matter what people like me think! I know you never meant to hurt me, and… and I’m so sorry for ever doubting you! I love you, Eva! I love you! God loves you!”

They were both crying in each other’s arms, and it felt painful and good at the same time. Her mother was holding her tightly, like she never wanted to let her go again, and Eva held on to her, tears slowly rolling down her face as she sobbed and panted, relief and gratitude prickling in her numb fingers. But as she sat there, her crying mother next to her, she couldn’t help but feel a nagging sense of annoyance. Of course her mother had never had any insight like that – until today, when keeping her old worldviews would have meant admitting that she had failed as a mother. It wouldn’t be true of course, and Eva was endlessly glad that she’d come around. But it was undeniable that this was mental gymnastics to deal with her own cognitive dissonance. This was an easy way out for her. 

She wished she could just be glad to be accepted. But some part of her felt bitter about it. Of course she was happy that her mom had changed her mind, but somehow it would have felt so much more fucking honest and consistent for her mom to fuck off forever and for Eva to slam the door back into her face.

She looked up. Mary was still standing there, still looking pissed. Eva couldn’t blame her after what had happened. Her mom still owed her an apology. Nothing would make that go away. Eva was going to hold her to that, no matter what. But not yet. Not–

“I…” her mother said, hesitantly. Eva noticed that she was looking at Mary. “I am so sorry about what I said. I…”

Mary crossed her arms, and Eva felt her mom wince. “I will not say that I did not mean what I said,” she said. “But it was hateful, and stupid, and wrong. I was wrong. And I beg your forgiveness.”

Mary shifted her weight, and looked at Eva. She looked utterly exasperated. Eva didn’t know if she was looking at Mary with a look of desperation or understanding, or if she was silently begging her to let it all be mended. She was numb with pain to see the woman she loved look so disgusted and conflicted. She wanted everything to be alright. She wanted to see Mary smile. She wanted all of this to be… good.

Mary looked at her mother, and let the silence drag. Finally, she spoke. “If forgiveness is good enough for God, who am I to make a fuss?” Her voice was tight, however. Controlled. Almost cold. Still, Eva let out a sigh of relief, and felt her mother do the same. “Thank you,” her mom said, and blushed. “I… I’m sorry. I don’t even know your name.”

Again, her tone was curt. “Mary. Eva and Mary.” 

Eva saw her mother deal with the biblical irony of it, and manage a smile. “It’s nice to meet you, Mary,” she said. “I’m… Eva’s mother, Luisa.”

Mary nodded, her lips tight. This was awkward as hell.

“This is awkward as hell,” said Eva’s mom, and Eva had to chuckle. “And it’s all my fault. I’m… I… I think I need an hour of sleep, or two, if that’s alright. I… need some time to let all of this settle. It’s been… a lot.”

Mary scoffed. “Are you sure you really want to leave? I’m going to kiss your daughter when you’re not looking.”

“MARY!” Eva shouted. She couldn’t believe it.

“No. Sorry, but I need to get this out now,” Mary said. Her eyes were suddenly alive with intense passion. “Because I’ve been trying to keep all of this in the entire time, and I’m sorry – but I’m also my own person, and I don’t want to fucking dance around this any longer.”

She looked at Eva’s mother, her voice tight and artificially saccharine. “Hey, Luisa, it’s really nice to meet you too. I mean that. Genuinely. But here’s the thing I need you to understand, and I don’t want you to ignore it and think about flowers or clouds or God's infinite love to make it more palatable and PG. Eva and I are lovers. I know her. Thoroughly. Biblically. I have lain with her as with a man. I have tasted her lips. All of them. And she has tasted mine. Because we both wanted it. Because we are both informed, consenting adults, free to choose who we love and how to love them. And I think that is absolutely beautiful.”

There was utter silence.

“I don’t need you to agree,” Mary said. “But I need you to understand that that’s the reality of what we are, and always will be. And I need you to take that reality and accept it.”

She turned to Eva, a tear in her eyes. “And I need you to tell your mother that nothing less will do.”

Eva looked at her mom, and saw her struggling. How could she honestly blame her? Part of her wanted to side with her. Mary was being so cruel right now. But on the other hand, she was right. She had the right to be respected. She had the right to demand that their love be recognized for what it was. 

“She’s right, mom” Eva said. It was so hard to hound her mother like this, after how much she had already come around – but it had to be all the way. Her love was real. This was real. She loved Mary. If being with her meant losing her mother, that was the price to pay. “That’s what I am. That’s what we are. If you truly accept me, that’s what you’ll have to accept.”

Her mother pursed her lips, slowly nodding her head, obviously warring with her own emotions and a lifetime of blindly held beliefs thrown into utter disarray. She looked at Eva, then at Mary, then back at Eva, and then, finally, back at Mary.

“Do you truly love her?”

Mary looked at Eva. “I do.”

“Of course you do,” her mother said with a sly smile. “She’s wonderful. And whatever it is that you do when you’re alone, you better make sure that she’s satisfied. Women have needs, too.”

Eva audibly gasped. Mary just chuckled. Eva’s mom was completely blushed red with embarrassment, and it was obvious that she couldn’t believe what she’d just said in front of her daughter. Eva couldn’t believe it either. She had always known that her mother was a good woman, but she would never have thought that she’d be able to jump over her own shadow like this. It was monumental, and it meant absolutely everything.

Why, then, for God’s sake, did she feel disappointed?

The Contingency dropped when they were in Mary’s car.

“Fuck, I’m so sorry about this,” Eva said. She fucking hated herself.

Mary sighed and rolled her eyes. “It’s not your fault. Mistress doesn’t punish us as long as we obey.” She still sounded exasperated. Of course she did. This was a mess. Contingency 7 had obviously been meant to drive her mother away, and yet here she was, in the middle of her fucking life, keeping her from serving. It hadn’t worked. Devanshi had bet on the wrong horse.

Eva made another mental notch. Another piece of proof that Devanshi wasn’t infallible. It was reassuring to know that her enemy wasn’t perfect. Still, she really wished that the Contingency would have worked.

“So what now?”

“I contacted the compound and informed them of the situation. Mistress isn’t happy of course, but this unlikely outcome had always been considered. I’ve been told how to proceed. You’ll be free to receive your advanced training tomorrow.”

Eva’s heart skipped a beat. “Cool,” she said. “Glad to hear it.”

Mary nodded. “You’re quite the troublemaker.”

“So I’ve been told,” Eva replied. “And I’m sorry that so many other slaves had to deal with it. I mean, Laura’s had to reschedule things, like, four times. Patricia’s been on and off because of me. Vicky, too. And you…”

Eva looked at Mary. “Sorry for all the confusion.”

Mary took a deep breath. “Yeah, well. Can’t say that I’m not to blame. It’s not like you were the one coming forward. I could have just… you know… not asked whether you and Emily are a thing. I still don’t know what the hell got into me at that moment.”

Eva pursed her lips, wondering if she should say anything. This felt like another opportunity to get back into the mess between them. 

“It’s fine,” she said, putting as much finality and warmth into it as she could.

“Yes,” Mary said, and put the car into drive. “Exactly. Let’s… let’s do what we’re supposed to do and get some groceries.”

Eva laughed softly. “Yeah. Let’s pretend we have lives and best not think about how much time we could spend serving instead.”

Mary chuckled, too. “It’s so fucking true, though. I was supposed to care for slave Emily right now. She’s doing much better, by the way. Just bruises. But I wish I could be there. It’s so rewarding to be complicit, and enable it all. You know, when she was damaged the day you joined us? I was there.”

“I know.”

“Right. But not just for aftercare. I was there for security, too. It was my task to make sure that she wasn’t used in a way that wasn’t paid for or beyond the services offered.”

She smiled as she remembered it. “It was amazing. Emily served so well.”

Eva swallowed down a lump in her throat, glad that Mary was keeping her eyes on the road as she was driving.

“Does it turn you on to watch us serve?” Eva asked, trying to change topics while sounding like a good fuck slave worrying only about serving Devanshi.

“It’s so much more than that,” Mary said. “When I’m obedient and complicit like that, I… I just know that I’ve been given the best possible life. It’s so good to be like this. We’re so lucky. No more free will, no more life, no more responsibilities of our own. Who else gets to live without any regrets?”

Eva smiled, feeling melancholy. She wanted that. It sounded amazing. And she almost had it. She was so tantalizingly close to it. Only obedience. Only service. Only her Mistress.

“Yes,” she sighed. “We’re nothing but slaves.”

Mary smiled at her, and turned the car into a parking lot. They stopped, and got out, and Mary gave her a little peck on the lips. 

“Get a shopping cart, slave,” she said with a wink.

Eva chuckled. “Yes,” she said. “I obey.”

Eva groaned under the weight of the grocery bags. Taking a trip to the store had been so overdue. Why the hell hadn’t she done this earlier? It wasn’t like she didn’t have any time after work. Weird.

“Maybe we can get stuff for the freezer tomorrow?” she asked Mary, who was carrying another bag. “For next week.”

“We won’t need that,” Mary said. It felt like a strange thing to say, but Eva didn’t worry about it at all.

She pressed the elevator call button. “So, did you get what you needed from that basement place? That was quite a bit out of the way, too, wasn’t it?”

“Don’t even think about it.”

“Okay.”

The elevator arrived, and they got in, bags set down around their feet. “I wanted to say sorry again,” Eva said. “For all the shit my mom said. I shouldn’t have put it off like I did. I should’ve dropped some hints, prepared her. I was way too deep in the closet.”

Mary took her hand. “It’s fine,” she said. “Like, both fine as in ‘fine’, and fine as in ‘kinda shitty’. You promised me that you’d never compromise just to spare her beliefs.”

“And I do. This is our life, Mary. I love my mom, but part of me was always prepared to let her go.”

Something about that didn’t quite feel right, but she knew it was true. This was who she’d always been. How she’d always felt. Even if she hadn’t really known it at the time. This was real. This was her life. Her love. Yes. This was what she had always believed.

“I will always choose you over her.”

Mary smiled. “Good. Always remember that.”

Eva blinked. It was such a callous thing to say. Eva didn’t worry about it, however. The elevator bell rang, and they got out into the hallway, and back to her apartment.

Her mother was still sleeping. After everything she’d said, Eva wouldn’t be surprised if she was going to sleep until late afternoon.

Mary and her put the groceries away. Eva didn’t worry when she noticed that Mary had left the small bag that she’d picked up in the car. It wasn’t important. Mary had told her so.

They made some food, using this opportunity to actually spend some time cooking something more involved. Eva had found them a nice-looking recipe for coq au vin, and even though they didn’t have time to marinate the chicken overnight, the kitchen quite soon began smelling wonderful. 

“So I guess you’re sticking around today?” Eva asked.

“I mean, the sooner she gets to meet me, the sooner we’ll know.”

Eva sighed. “I guess you’re right. Promise you’ll be nice though?”

“Why wouldn’t I be nice?”

“Because you’re stubborn and rightfully hurt?”

“Fair.”

“And I’m not telling you you’re wrong to feel hurt, but my mom is really making an effort right now, and I’d hate for her to only see your grumpy side as a first impression.”

“Don’t worry,” Mary said with a smile. “I’ll be charming.”

It wasn’t long before her mom turned up, obviously still tired and just as obviously anxious and timid. Eva couldn’t blame her for not being immediately comfortable with this extremely new state of things. She couldn’t imagine having her life upended like that. One day, you believe one thing, and just like that, everything had been cast into doubt and disarray.

“Hey, mom,” Eva said with a careful smile. She looked at Mary, then back at her mother. “Sorry, it wasn’t a dream,” she joked. “But on the upside, lunch is almost ready.”

Her mother chuckled. “It smells lovely, honey” she said. She yawned, and stepped into the kitchen. It was getting quite cramped with all three of them in there. Eva’s apartment was quite spacious for L.A. standards, which meant that it was tiny compared to the house she had grown up in. 

“I’ll make myself a coffee if that’s alright?”

“Sure.” “Of course.”

Eva and Mary stood and watched Eva’s mom make herself a cup, occasionally giving them a glance and an awkward smile.

“I’m actually relieved about all of this,” she suddenly said, and turned to look at her daughter. “Your father and I were worried that you might be taking drugs.”

Eva raised her eyebrows. “Really?”

Her mother waved her hand dismissively, “Ah, I don’t know what we were thinking. We were just worried. You know we always read what you post. Papa got himself a smartphone just for that, basically. Our little girl in the big city! Going out! Meeting new people! Watching shows! Taking way too many pictures of what she’s eating!”

Mary gave Eva side-eye. “Wow,” she said. “What an honor to meet my girlfriend’s biggest fan.”

“Shut up,” Eva said.

Her mom looked at her intensely. “And then you just stopped. What happened?”

Eva stammered. “I… uh… nothing. I just… needed a break.”

“But… where was any of this before? You always seemed so happy.”

“I am happy,” Eva said. “I am! But no one is always happy! No one’s just… exactly where they want to be and always want to be. And no one posts that part to their instagram story, right? No one shares the little doubts and worries that probably won’t amount to anything anyway. But maybe they might. I’ve been in this place for a couple of years, and I’m not the person that moved here after college anymore. Life isn’t static, and it isn’t simple. I met Mary, and she made me realize that I was so much more than I thought I was, and that my life could be different, and that it wouldn’t be a bad thing. That’s what I’ve been thinking about – for months, by the way.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?” her mom asked, and suddenly there was a lump in Eva’s throat. She really didn’t have an answer. Suddenly it felt like she’d been making all of this up. 

No. This was real. This was true.

“Because I was afraid that you’d react exactly like you reacted yesterday.”

Her mother’s face fell, but Eva knew she was right. Mary was holding her hand, keeping her strong. She had to remember that her mother had been wrong. Mary and her were in love. They belonged together. This was true. This was real.

“I understand,” her mother said. “And I am sorry. And…” She smiled. “I promise you, I will never hurt my daughter like that again.”

She turned to Mary. “Is that acceptable?”

Mary nodded. “Of course. By the way, your coffee is about to spill over.”

“Oh mierda! Sorry! Thanks!” Eva’s mom quickly grabbed the filter and put in the sink, flicking drops of coffee across the counter and against the backsplash, looking embarrassed and clumsy before catching herself and giving them a timid smile.

“So… how’d you guys meet?”

They had lunch together, and it was as nice as anyone could expect it to be after everything that had happened. It was clear that her mom was still struggling with everything, obviously making an active effort to be nice and accepting and open-minded, and just as obviously still being slightly uncomfortable with the whole situation. No one could change their minds like that in a heartbeat. Her making the conscious decision to accept her daughter as a human being worthy of compassion and empathy didn’t just magically make all of that indoctrinated baggage go away. It went against her understanding of the Bible, and therefore against her understanding of how the world had always been supposed to work. 

Still, her effort was really, really admirable. Eva loved her so much for it. And honestly, it almost felt like her mom might actually beginning to like Mary. Of course, there was no reason not to. She was smart and beautiful and funny, and if Eva had been her mother’s son instead of her daughter, she would’ve probably already asked when she was going to propose to that wonderful young woman.

Things being as they were, this was going great.

Mary got a text, and smiled as she read it. “Guys,” she said. “A friend just told me about this open-air antiques market with live music in West Hollywood. I know this might be a lot, but I think we should go.”

Eva raised her eyebrows. This felt very sudden and out of left field. “Uhm… I guess?”

Mary looked at her, smiling, “I mean, do you want to sit on eggshells all day or do you want to show your mom the town? Come on, you know it’ll be great.”

Yes. Mary was right. Eva turned to her mom. “It sounds really nice actually.”

Her mother looked at them, a moment of hesitation in her eyes. Again, Eva saw her make a conscious decision. 

“Do I need to dress up?”

Eva smiled. “No, of course not. Unless you want to.”

“I’ll get ready then!” she said, and went to the bedroom.

“An antiques market with live music in West Hollywood?” Eva asked. “Really? It’s gonna be the gayest thing that has ever gayed. Are you trying to scare her away?”

“Stop worrying.”

“Yes,” Eva said. “I will.”

“Get ready. We've wasted enough of our day already.”

“Yes.”

A few minutes later, they were in Mary’s car and on the road. For some reason, Eva had the feeling that the route they were taking was very familiar. Eva had taken the back seat, and she and her mother were making small talk as they were driving, with Eva answering questions about the city, and about the occasional prominent building they passed. It was indeed a beautiful day as far as L.A. went. It wasn’t too hot, and there was a nice breeze blowing inland, and the sky was spattered with nice little clouds. The air hardly smelled like car exhaust.

After twenty minutes, they rounded a corner. They weren’t in West Hollywood. Not even close. Eva didn’t worry. She knew not to worry. The car came to a stop in front of some quite deserted-looking houses.

“Is this it?” Eva’s mother asked, and Eva suddenly wasn’t sure at all. No. Surely this wasn’t it. But why else would Mary stop here? She trusted Mary. She loved her.

Mary reached for the center console and opened a small leather bag. 

Outside the car, someone was exiting one of the houses from the souterrain stairs.

It was Vicky. She looked focused and determined.

“Ow!” her mother said, and Eva suddenly felt her heart racing. She suddenly knew something big and violent was happening. She looked at her mother, and saw the syringe in her arm, and saw Mary pushing down on the plunger.

“What the fuck, Mary?!” she shouted. What was going on? Why? What?

“End Contingency, slave Eva.”

Eva blinked, confused, shocked, overwhelmed. Suddenly she felt like someone had punched the air out of her. Her chest was tight. The car felt utterly claustrophobic, and seemed to be spinning around her.

“Eva!” her mother’s voice slurred, and Eva looked at her. Her mom was struggling against Mary, but Mary was holding her arms, constricting her. They were rocking back and forth as they fought — and for a moment Mary's hand slipped, and the small bag tumbled across the car. 

Eva grabbed her mother’s arm and held her.

Her mother’s eyes met hers, and they looked confused and scared and at the same time Eva saw her eyelids droop. “Eva? What?”

Her words were barely audible. She was fighting, but she had already lost. The drugs were taking effect. Eva looked at her, and watched it happen. Seconds later, she stopped struggling. Her eyes had gone empty. Her face had gone slack.

They had her.

“Sorry,” Eva said. She wasn’t talking to her mother. “This whole thing’s totally gone out of proportion. Hi Vicky.”

Vicky was looking in through the window. “Hi, slut. Still fucking up everything you touch?”

“Fuck you. I obeyed exactly like I was meant to.”

Vicky scoffed. “Sure. Whatever. So that’s your mom, then?”

“Yep,” Eva said, and looked at the drugged, passive form of her mother. She was staring into empty space, not a single thought behind her eyes. Eva sighed. Some part of her wished that it hadn’t come to this. 

“Do you need me, Vicky?” Mary asked.

“No.”

“Good. Luisa, get out of the car. Eva, you’ll join them.”

“Yes,” Eva said and obeyed. She closed the door behind her and stepped past her mother to the passenger side window “Thank you. Mary. You dropped this.”

She handed Mary back the small satchel of syringes that she had dropped during the fight with her mother. 

“No, those go downstairs with your mom.”

Eva nodded. “Okay. See you around, then.”

Mary smiled awkwardly. “Yeah.”

Vicky cleared her throat. Eva’s mother was standing next to her, looking at nothing.

“You coming, slut?”

“Yes, bitch. I’m just being polite in public.” She stepped away from the car, and heard Mary drive off without another word as the three of them stepped into the semi-basement.

“Bag, please,” said Vicky tonelessly, and Eva handed her the syringes. Vicky gave her a strange look, almost suspicious, and glanced into the small bag. There were between a half-dozen and a dozen syringes in there. Mary hadn’t bothered taking out the ones she didn’t need. Vicky zipped it closed.

“Time to rape your mother”, she said, not breaking eye contact.

“Yes,” Eva said. She agreed. She loved her mother, but Devanshi had obviously decided that it had become untenable to have her around without her being made complicit. This was it. Anything to ensure that absolute enslavement could happen. Anything to leave this old life behind. If this is what it took, it was more than worth it. Honestly, it was making her hot. Enslaving people was such a fucking turn-on for her. 

Vicky kept looking at her, gauging her reaction.

“Did you think I would resist this?” Eva asked, brows furrowed. “You need to fucking stop this. I’m just as enslaved as you are, Vicky.”

Vicky smiled humorlessly. “Well, not quite yet. But we’ll get there in a bit. Undress and stand over there. We’ll do your mother first, and you can watch how it’s done properly. Then we’ll do you.”

Eva’s heart skipped a bit. “I thought that was tomorrow?” she said, trying to make it sound like a joke, trying to remain calm, trying to keep her pulse from racing.

Vicky scoffed. “Fuck you! You single-handedly fucked up a whole week of Mistress’s operation! This is my second day of being off-schedule because of you! I could be giving my body right now! Mistress is furious! She told me she should have ordered me to redo your enslavement on day fucking one, and we’re not going to put it off any longer, you broken little piece of shit! Take! Off! Your! Clothes!

Eva obeyed with trembling hands. It was dark. The array of lights that was going to brainwash her mother was still idling, only a few of them illuminated. She made a show of it, equally spiteful and aroused. She put up her hair, pulled off her top, and let it fall at her feet. She undid her bra, and flicked it across the room, pointedly, with a tight smile. She let her tits sway as she stepped out of her shoes and pulled off her socks, and finally she unbuttoned her jeans, and pulled them down with her panties, and stepped free. She was naked and exposed, and wet. 

“Good. And now her. Undress her.”

Eva obeyed, and stepped out of her discarded clothes. Her mother was standing stiffly, looking straight through her, not at all reacting when Eva unbuttoned her blouse and pulled down her skirt. Eva didn’t hesitate. She didn’t waver. This wasn’t the part she was afraid of. This was the part that was completely necessary. This was the part that made her wet. She stripped her naked, and watched her sit down in the enslavement chair when Vicky commanded her. She secured her legs open, and strapped down her arms and head, and inserted the lubricated vibrators, and made sure that everything was ready as instructed by slave Vicky.

“Step back,” Vicky finally said, and Eva obeyed. 

“Did you like that, slut?”

“Yes,” Eva admitted. She knew that Vicky was taunting her, but she didn’t even mind. This was so fucked up. She was such a brainwashed little whore. She fucking loved this – and she knew that Vicky loved it, too. 

It was what she had counted on. She had counted on Vicky looking at her naked body, and at the naked body of her mother, to be distracted by the wonderful perversion of it.

And it had worked. She knew that it did.

If it hadn’t, Vicky would have noticed. 

But she hadn’t.

“You promised that you’d let me help,” Eva said, heart pounding in her chest. “That you would teach me how to do it.”

“Fuck you,” Vicky said. “You fucked up too bad to get that kind of reward.”

“I obeyed exactly as I was commanded,” Eva said. “Please! Let me be more than just complicit! Make me part of it! Make me push the button!”

Vicky licked her lips. She hadn’t noticed!

“You fucking whore, you really think you’re special, aren’t you?”

Eva took a step forward. “Tell me I’m not, Vicky.”

“You’re not! Stay over there.”

“My best friend enslaved me, and now I’ll enslave my own mother! I caused so much trouble, and still Mistress won’t let me go. Tell me I’m not special!”

“Shut up!”

“Slave Mary told me that she can’t stop thinking about me. A hospitality slave, in love with a fuck slave. Tell me I’m not special!”

“What the fuck is this? Shut the fuck up! We’re here to serve and obey!” 

“That’s all I want, Vicky! I want to serve! I want to know how to enslave! I want to be your well-trained pet, your special little whore! Tell me you don’t want it, too!”

“Shut! The! Fuck! Up!” Vicky shouted, and her voice echoed dully on the blank walls of the basement. For a moment, the only sound was the gently electronic buzzing of the vibrators idling inside of the material waiting to be enslaved.

Vicky’s eyes were cold and full of disgust. She hadn’t noticed.

She bit her lip, and shook her head.

“Come here. We got work to do.”

Eva took a tight breath. Her heart was hammering like war drums as she slowly walked over to the console. Vicky leered at Eva’s glistening tits as she took her place next to her. It was dark. She hadn’t noticed.

In the end it had been blind luck. What else could it have been? There had always been too many factors, too many moving parts. Security cameras, and changing schedules, and mothers visiting from out-of-state at the exact wrong time. There had never been a way for her to actually find a way out of this without defying some sort of utterly stupid odds.

Or maybe it had been hubris. Complacency. The weight of a thousand little oversights and errors that Eva had managed to exploit, managed to improvise against, taking her chances at every opportunity that presented itself.

It didn’t matter.

The only thing that mattered was that Vicky hadn’t noticed.

Eva let her hair fall open with a gesture so casual and natural that Vicky didn’t even realize what was happening until the syringe that Eva had used as a hairpin was already pushed into her skin.

For a moment she looked down in utter shock.

The next thing Eva knew was that she was lying on the floor, jaw throbbing with pain. The world was spinning. Time was missing. Fuck! What–?

Vicky had punched her, and she had fallen to the floor. She opened her eyes, looking up, trying to orient herself. Vicky was right there, above her, with her back turned, frantically doing — something. Eva’s head was pounding. The world was opaque with disorienting, screaming pain.

A jolt of adrenaline surged through her. Vicky was turning around and Eva could see her struggling to stay awake, struggling to – fuck!

Vicky half-fell, half-lunged at her, another syringe in hand, and Eva tried to roll out of the way through the thick fog of pain. 

It wasn’t enough. She felt Vicky fall onto her, and felt the sting of a needle.

“No! Pull it out!” she screamed – and Vicky obeyed immediately. But it might have been too late. She felt no pressure. Only sharp pain. She looked down at herself, and saw Vicky lying next to her, eyes empty, expression utterly blank. She was still holding the syringe. The needle was bent.

“Drop it!” Eva said, her heart racing, and Vicky obeyed. Eva took the syringe, and looked at the content. Please be full! Please be full!

It was halfway empty.

Well, fuck.

And then she felt it. Felt the heaviness of her own thoughts. The way everything turned simple. True. Easy. Vicky was lying next to her. Behind her, strapped to an enslavement chair, was her own mother, naked, drugged, ready to be brainwashed. 

But who was going to brainwash her, now? They were all drugged. Oh no. This was just like the last time, when Emily had lost herself in the lights. This was bad. They were going to be late. So late. They couldn't be late! Mistress Devanshi would know! She mustn't know!

She should be doing something. But…

…why? 

Everything was correct. 

Everything was nice.

…

…except that one thing that had seemed so important. After that, she could finally give in.

What was it? What was so important? There had been something.

There had been...

what...?

This was nice. Everything was nice. This was good. This was…

This was…

Oh, right. Yeah. That! 

Wow. That had been really important. Good thing she remembered.

“Vicky,” she said. “Enslave my mother.”

Vicky obeyed, and got to her feet.

Yes.

Good. 

What a relief. 

Now she could relax and listen and do whatever felt right and easy. Yes. Listen and obey. Listen and... obey...

Listen.

Obey.

Listen.

Obey.

Just like her mom.

Just like Vicky.

Yes.