Page 29 of Brainwashed

So in we come. And suddenly I’m face to face with Manuel Blanco.

The Ivory.

Well, not exactly face to face, since he’s sitting at his desk and I’m standing in the middle of a giant office with at least ten feet between us. It’s very interesting to see him, though. I haven’t so much as peeped his face since the day I was brought here several months ago. But at the same time, he has the biggest window behind where he’s sitting, and the sight of the sunlight glittering over blue waters is much more appealing to me right now than AP’s Warden.

“Leave us, Officer,” he says to the guard, who simply slinks out of the room and closes the door behind him. “Good day, Felix. Nice to see you again.” I nod, and that’s it. Because what else am I going to say? He gestures to the chairs before his desk. “Please. Have a seat.”

I’m confused as hell. I don’t know why I’m here, or why he wants me to have a seat in his office like he’s my boss and we’re about to do a performance review.

He folds his hands on the desk, cocking his head to the side as he stares at me. And I stare back.

I got a good look at him the first time we met. When I arrived at Alabaster Isle, I was greeted by Manuel Blanco personally, at which point he introduced himself asThe Ivory. A name that makes sense based on his white hair, though I’m sure that’s not its only origin.

I remember thinking that he was good-looking at the time, an impression that hasn’t wavered, regardless of how wicked he clearly is. Strange white hair aside, he has a very chiseled look to him. Sharp angles, almost severe in their lines. Intense black eyes, like a ghoul who might suck out your soul if you look into them for too long. But he’d probably make it feelreallygood when he did it…

And the clothes… I mean, come on. The guy dresses like he’s going to step into a helicopter as soon as he’s done speaking with you and be whisked away for a meeting with Jeff Bezos or Kris Jenner or some other wealthy evil genius.

All that to say, yes, The Ivory is very attractive, but there’s something about his simmering, commanding personality that draws me in more than just his looks and his clothes. He has this quiet dominance about him… Something I’ve always found intriguing.

Cold. Aloof. Detached.

Why is that so hot?

The Warden leans in on the desk, cutting off my thoughts with his words. “I’ve brought you up here today, Felix, to let you know that I have plans for you.” I simply gape at him. “The research being performed by my doctors is all well and good for the rest of the monsters we house here in Alabaster Penitentiary, butyou… You’re a diamond in the rough.” His dark eyes shine like obsidian as his lips quirk. “A truly unique example of ordered chaos in the human mind.”

I shift in my seat, the chains around my ankles clinking as I do.

He glares at me for a few more seconds before leaning back. “A doctor is coming here just for you, Felix. A renowned psychiatrist… Another diamond in the rough, one might say. He is quite skilled, and I’m fully confident that he will work wonders on getting down to the root of what makes you tick.”

My head shakes a bit. “Why are you telling me all of this?” Blanco raises a light brow. “I just mean, it’s not like you need me to sign off on what you do to me. You said it yourself, I’m yours. I’mhere, for the rest of ever. Why not just send the guy in?”

The Warden gazes at me for a few heavy seconds, during which I feel like he’s looking into my soul. It’s a strange notion, but part of me feels like we’re kindred spirits, me and him, though he’s clearly at a higher stature. But still… I can see the same kinds of depravity in him that I know I possess myself. I suppose that’s what makes him so scary… The fact that he’s free and in charge of all these things.

“I want to keep you informed, Felix,” he finally replies. “As I mentioned, you’re not like all the others. You’re special, in that you’re so very sick, yes. But you also possess a self-awareness I’m not sure many of our other inmates carry. I would like to expand on that. I want to pull at all of your threads, Felix. And I believe the good doctor can do that for me.”

Something about what he’s saying makes me itchy inside.

Yes, I’ve considered myself to be pretty self-aware. But that doesn’t mean I want to crack open my head and have it examined by miscellaneous people. Being under a microscope doesn’t sound anywhere near as fun as being interviewed and fawned over by people who are fascinated by the beast in chains.

“So, if this doctor is coming, then that means no more experiments from Johansson and his team?” I ask, trying hard to keep the hopefulness out of my voice, though it doesn’t quite work.

Blanco grins, but shakes his head slowly, making atsk tsksound. “Now, where would be the fun in that, my dear Carver?”

Swallowing the sandpaper that is my throat, my lips part, but before I can say anything else, the Warden barks, “Take him.”

And immediately the guard from before bursts back into the room and grabs me by the arm, hoisting me out of the chair and out of The Ivory’s office while my head spins.Okay…

I’m distracted by that conversation for the majority of our walk back downstairs. My thoughts are scattered about, like a child’s toy chest that’s been opened and rummaged through. So when we burst through the doorway to solitary row, I almost miss the fact that another guard is there, removing an inmate from one of the cells.

Zoning in, I realize that it’s the cell next to the one I had been in. And my heart jumps when I see a gorgeous boy being dragged out in cuffs and shackles. His head is shaved, unfortunately, because he’s the kind of guy you justknowhas beautiful hair. He has a pale complexion, and even though he looks exhausted and starving, I can’t look away from the perfect angles of his face. Mainly his puffy pink lips and bright eyes with long fanning lashes.

He looks right at me, locking eyes with mine, and even in this poor lighting I can see the mixture of green and brown in his irises… A hazel that steals my breath because of how much it reminds me of my first love…Cameron.

The beautiful boy is staring at me like he knows me, and then it dawns…Could this be Dash?

A flutter happens in my stomach while we’re walked past each other. His lips part like he wants to say something, but our guards are moving us too fast. So I simply nod at him. And he nods back… Which tells me it’s definitely Dash. Why else would he be staring at me like he knows me?And coming out of the cell where Dash was being held in solitary!

I turn over my shoulder one last time before we reach the next doorway, but Dash is already being scolded and yanked by the guard through the door toward general population. I let out a soft sigh as we continue our walk, mesmerized.