Page 21 of Deliverance

"We'll be done in like fifteen minutes," Ronda said. "We're just making spaghetti squash and sauce."

"And salad," Liz clarified.

My stomach growled, reminding me that I only had bread and water for a few days.

"We have diet soda," Emily stated. "We aren't allowed to drink the alcohol upstairs."

"I'll just have water," I responded.

Once the food was ready, they crammed four stools around the circular table. "I can't believe we have four more girls." Liz passed the bowl around the table. Martin was preparing something for Madam as he sang under his breath what I assumed he was listening to through his headphones. "I mean, I'm happy there are more of us, but I didn't realize there would be more."

"I know," Sonya agreed. "Usually, it's just one at a time when someone leaves."

"How do we leave?" Dani questioned.

"When Madam says we can," Emily replied.

"Does that happen often?" I wondered, looking at Martin to see if he was listening to us. He was still singing and cooking.

Emily shook her head of blonde hair. "No. The last girl was here for three years before she left."

"You mean Lana?" I questioned.

"You know Lana?" Ronda asked.

I shook my head. "No, Zell told me about her."

The fouroldgirls looked at each other, and then Emily said, "You met Zell?"

"Who's Zell?" Tamara questioned.

The girls shared another look before Emily confirmed, "Madam's daughter."

"Why is it a shock I met Zell?" I asked.

"I'm just surprised you met her already," Emily stated.

"It's because I'm a teacher, so Madam wants me to teach Zell."

The girls shared another look. "That's good," Liz said. "I feel so bad for that little girl."

"Why?" Jasmine took a sip of her diet soda from the can.

"She's always locked in her room and is only allowed down here to get something to eat or drink," Liz clarified. "She goes out on the balcony when Madam isn't home."

My mind was racing with the information. "Are you saying that Madam locks her own daughter up too?"

The four ladies nodded their answer.

What kind of mother did that? Then again, Madam wasn't a good person given she was involved in the trafficking and sex slavery of women. I happened to glance up and saw a camera in the corner of the room that pointed toward us and the kitchen. "Are there cameras in every room?"

Ronda nodded. "Yes, but we're almost certain there's no audio."

"Almost certain?" Dani asked.

"We've said some things before, and Madam has never punished us," Sonya clarified.

"Like what?" Jasmine questioned.