***

The nightmare continued.

The leather mask was suffocating her as she struggled in vain against the ropes holding her arms to her side.

The branding iron seared her buttocks again as she screamed until she was hoarse.

She slumped against her bonds, only to be awakened by a pail of cold water splashed on her naked torso. The cold against the searing heat caused her to jerk in agony.

"Now, my dear, the petals have a deep red to them. I had to mark them twice," the woman's voice came from somewhere outside the discipline helmet.

She couldn't see who was tormenting her flesh so badly. But the voice sounded familiar.

Her mouth had been filled with a wadded pad so that her agonizing screams would be muffled. She had been screaming so horribly from each touch of the white hot poker, that her cries were now raspy and hoarse. She didn't need to be gagged any longer.

She would not have been heard if she wanted.

"You do like my tattoo, don't you darling?" The voice continued.

In her agonized state, Kelli couldn't quite make it out. She only knew that she had done a terrible wrong to someone, and now they were making her pay.

Ssssssssss…

She could hear the bellows heating up again as her body broke out in a fresh wave of perspiration.

She jerked and trembled.

Her knees went weak.

She could feel the overpowering smell of burnt flesh in the room.

She wanted to cry out that she wanted a tattoo, but not this kind.

She couldn't utter a sound.

She wanted to be branded.

Or did she?