Chapter Seven: What Happened to the Soul

Thinking back on it, Mabel didn't even remember seeing him get the clothes, it was as though they hadn't been there one moment, and then she asked nicely, and the clothes were there. Bill didn't let her go for a long while, just holding her in his lap and grabbing the orange to hand to her so she could eat peacefully while still there. Mabel picked at it, not minding the seeds that were stuck in it. She had no right to be picky.

Eventually he let her go, watching as she picked up her clothes with a small word of thanks and disappearing down the hall. She had barely shut the bedroom door before she put on the clothes, which was nothing more than a short skirt and a revealing shirt. Hopefully she would be able to ask Bill for something to wear at night as well.

She started exploring the house, Mabel was amazed by how large it was. What in the world would she be able to do to get away when she didn't even know her way around the place she lived in? Could this even be called her home? She missed the Mystery Shack.

At the very least, he had a phone around here somewhere. Will didn't magically appear in the other room to talk to him, did he? Mabel needed to find that phone so she could actually get a chance to call her brother. He had to be worried over her, and she just had to let him know that she wasn't dead-

"Shooting Star," Bill voiced from behind her, making Mabel jump and swing around like she was afraid of being hit, "you always seem to try to get away from me before I can really get to know you."

"What's there to know?" Mabel asked instead, turning around to walk away from him. At least, she would have gotten away from him if he hadn't wrapped an arm around her waist, dragging her back to walk in the direction he had just come from.

"Lots of things. I do like to know lots of things," Bill laughed as though he had just told the most amusing joke to himself. Mabel rolled her eyes, pushing against his chest to try to get him to let her go, but he didn't even seem to notice.

"Anyways, I just thought I'd explore-" Mabel waved her hand around to emphasize her point "-um, this house."

"Your home, you mean," Bill corrected, ignoring the way that Mabel pulled a face at the correction, "I just thought you'd like to watch some television, maybe do some fun things with me, we can do a lot together."

"Look, would you just tell me what you want?" Mabel asked instead, pushing him firmly enough to force him to take a step back and away from her. "I'm sick of not knowing what you want from me, I just…"

She just wanted to call her brother and let him know she was alive. She just wanted to have the same freedoms she had before, she just wanted to make sure that she wasn't stepping over the line every time she talked to Bill. Before she could think of which one was best to say, Bill grasped her chin, a habit he seemed to have that greatly annoyed her, forcing her to stare up at him, no longer giving her a chance to actually pull away like before.

"Just what? What is it you want?" Bill's voice was almost an order, making her tense. "Just what? Just want to get away? Just want to be free? Just wish you were back at that auction house?"

"No!" Mabel almost shouted, loud enough to even make Bill pull back. "I don't want to go back there, never. I never want to go back."

If there was ever a chance, she would never want to go back there. She would stay with Bill if she had to, she would make sure she never had a chance to actually go back there. Bill let go of her chin, going instead to cup her cheek. For a moment, she actually thought that he was going to slap her again, and it just made her sense of panic grow.

"Well, as long as you behave, and do as I say, then you won't ever have to go back."

After a long moment, she nodded, leaning against his hand as though she was just submitting herself to his touch. Mabel sighed slightly, before reaching up to take his hand off of her face, letting go of it when he didn't move to place it back on her.

"Cipher-"

There was a rapid knock on the door, as though someone outside was eager to get inside. Mabel's heart leapt into her throat, realizing that she and Bill were a lot closer to the front door than she had originally thought. Bill made an irritated sound, one Mabel wouldn't have been able to mimic even if she tried.

This time, Bill simply took her hand, his long strides almost making her take two steps for his one. He only opened one door before they were at the entrance to the house, and Mabel could just barely see a figure trying to peek through the window next to the door.

"Cipher!" A loud man boomed the moment Bill opened the door, and Mabel was suddenly greeted with the sun outside and a rather fat man that had too many teeth in his smile. He almost looked feral to her.

"Teeth!" Bill greeted, stepping back and pulling Mabel away from the door. It was sad, all she wanted to do was step outside and feel the sun on her skin, but before she could, the man was inside and Bill's grip on her hand was even tighter than before.

"Who's that little treat you've got there?" Teeth asked, looking around Bill for a moment to look at Mabel. She was so thankful that she had normal clothes on and wasn't still forced in the same clothing set as before.

"Just a little pet I got. What do you need, anyways?" Bill ended up asking, slightly stepping in front of Mabel. She had no objections to that, just letting herself fall a step back so she could continue to stare out the window.

"Ah, yes, I'll get that, it'll just be a couple minutes." Bill spoke again in what seemed like just a second, but Mabel took a long moment to realize that a couple of minutes had gone past. Bill glanced back at her, reaching up to tug at her collar and motion her to follow. She could feel Teeth's eyes on her as she walked past him.

"Shooting Star, why don't you go and entertain my guest in the other room? I'll be in shortly." Bill's words were a bit clipped, and Teeth was almost at her ankles with how close he was walking behind her. Mabel blanched a little, the pursing of her lips showing how she really felt about that.

"I don't…" Bill gave her a cold look that made the words die in her throat and her heart stutter. She had no idea what he expected of her, but his words were ringing through the air. He didn't want to share her earlier, but now he did?

"Go entertain my guest." Bill ordered, letting Mabel pull away. She sent him a cold look, walking off to the other room without another word.

She had no voice. It had been so long that she had been allowed to do what she wished and say what she wanted without consequences, that Mabel could almost forget what it was like. She hated to admit it, but she didn't see him as completely evil. He seemed like a man who was dying for control over a life, and Mabel was the main reason why he had control. If he could control a person, all those other little things didn't matter as much.

Teeth was hardly a step behind her, and when they finally got to a room that looked vacant, he was on her, hands roaming across her skin. His skin was hot to the touch, as though he had held them against a stove. Mabel clenched her jaw, trying to breathe and make sure she didn't snap, at least not yet of course.

"Cipher made a good choice with you didn't he?" Teeth asked, ignoring the way that Mabel pushed against his hands and tried her best to avoid him getting closer to what he wanted. It always came down to that, didn't it? It came down to her body, it was all they wanted from her.

"Stop it," Mabel tried to order, but his hands just seemed to wander closer. "I said stop it!"

This time, Teeth didn't hesitate, grabbing her hips and pushing her against the couch. She had her hips pressed against the armrest of the couch, Teeth pressed against her back as his hands sought their prize like he was a dying man seeking salvation.

If she had to actually belong to someone, and really got no choice in the matter, she would prefer that it was Bill.

"Cipher!" Mabel shouted just as Teeth sank his own large teeth into her shoulder, either hoping to silence her or surprise her enough for his hand to clamp over her mouth. Mabel whimpered slightly when she felt blood drip down her back, staining the new clothes she had gotten.

Yet then he was gone, and there was a crash as Teeth hit the wall and Mabel could barely hear it as she sagged against the couch. Bill was near her, checking her over just to have Mabel bat away his hands. Bill turned his anger back to Teeth.

"You should leave," Bill snarled, throwing something in the man's direction before he turned away. Teeth scrambled to his feet, grabbing the item that had been thrown at him and rushing out of the house like the devil himself was on his heels.

"Come here, Shooting Star." Bill ordered, sitting down on the couch and patting the space next to him. At least it wasn't his lap, but Mabel didn't move, the anger and hurt burning too brightly in her chest for her to really move.

"I have to entertain the guest." Mabel spat, watching his reaction carefully. He didn't even move, it was like he didn't care.

"You're bleeding, come here." This time he was more commanding, and Mabel moved to sit down just because she was annoyed with being ordered around. At least she could sit there and not get in trouble for not listening.

"Is this what I am? Entertainment for whatever guests you have coming over?" Mabel started ranting, pressing one hand against the wound on her shoulder, feeling slight tears in her clothing where Teeth had just ripped through it. "You just never tell me what you want. I just wanted to lay down for a while and relax but every time I turn around, there's something new there."

As she was talking, Bill took the chance to come forward, moving her head to look at the wound and practically hovering over her. He didn't even seem to register that she was talking, even when she started talking about how terrible he was and how she just wanted to go home.

"Oh, Shooting Star, you are home." Bill mumbled, moving down and pressing his hand against the still bleeding wound hard enough to make her hiss. "I'm never going to let you go."

With his hand still pressed against the wound, he now ignored her silence and instead let his head fall against her neck, kissing her skin that quickly turned into bites and nips and sucking, and Mabel didn't even do anything as he started to work on leaving bright hickeys on her neck.

"I just want to see my brother again." Mabel whispered, when Bill seemed satisfied with his work and once more dragged her into his lap, arms wrapped tightly around her.

"Maybe one day, after something I have planned." Bill said, leading Mabel to lay her head against his shoulder. She did so without complaints. "I'm never going to let you go."

There was a long moment of silence before Mabel replied, with an air of defeat and some acceptance, but Bill ignored both.

"I know."