"Good! You're ready. Come this way."

The door had shot open and slammed against the wall with the sound of an exploding pistol. Lisa jumped from the bed, feeling Anna's fingers grip her upper arm and pull her away from her bed. The matron nearly flung her into the hall, closing the door behind them, then pushing the blonde teen roughly forward. Lisa shrank away from the couch, keeping her eyes lowered while quickly moving in the direction Anna indicated.

They walked for what seemed like miles. At times, Lisa caught sight of another girl or two being ushered down the long, polished hall. But she didn't dare look up until they stopped in front of a large oak door. Anna rapped lightly with her knuckles, then opened it and pushed Lisa into a large, dimly lit room.

"What is this? This isn't an office!"

There was no furniture, no rug. There were no paintings, nothing that would suggest an office. But there were plenty of large, frightening-looking things hanging on the wall, things that made the girl's blood freeze in her veins. Whips, riding crops, prods, bridles, bits, Lisa recognized many of these things from all the horseback riding lessons she had taken before all the trouble had started at home.

She wheeled around, staring at the matron behind her. Anna was grinning widely, her fingers working against one another as her eyes skipped from one instrument of torture to another.

"This isn't – what are you going to do to me?"

Lisa's body shivered as she backed away. Anna was now looking far taller and more cruel than she ever had. Throwing her slender arms around her body, the blonde teen looked around her wildly. Surely there had to be some escape path, some way she could get out of here! Dashing to one side, Lisa rushed to the door, hammering her fists on it and shouting for help. In an instant, she felt Anna's fingers gripping her elbows, the digits feeling like steel bands cutting into her flesh. The matron pulled Lisa around and brought the back of her right hand hard against the girl's cheek.