ORLANDA stirred awake, fluttering her eyes, trying to open them, but she couldn't, they were swollen, swollen from constant shedding of tears. Her body was heavy and aching badly. Every muscle throbbed, and a dull, feverish heat radiated through her. Her limbs were numb from the hours spent tied to the cold wooden chair, her wrists raw and bruised from the tight restraints. A shiver crawled down her spine, the room's biting cold still clinging to her skin. She blinked groggily, eyes adjusting to the dim morning light that filtered through her master's bedroom.

The sounds of life drifted in from downstairs outside, the distant hum of voices, the faint...