Chapter 3: The Student's Tale

Part 1: The Albert Hall

I am Branca. I used to study here in London. It's not easy being a student here in London. Not when you come here from abroad. Everyone is so busy; it is hard to make good friends. And it is so expensive. Much more expensive here than in Lisbon or in my home town, Porto.

But it is good to study here. The Imperial College is very good. To be studying engineering there is very good. And I thought I would have many friends. In Lisbon there were not so many girls that study engineering. Here it is the same but the boys, well they all work hard. It is not easy to get to know them. I think I am attractive. Perhaps I am a bit tall for the boys here: 1.8 metres but that should not matter? I like my black hair, I'm proud of how it shines. In Porto the boys think I look fine. Sometimes they are a bit too enthusiastic. If I want to study I have to shoo them away. But here the boys do not seem to notice my hair or my body. They think only of their books.

And London is so expensive. That is why I had a job as well as I my studies. To help pay for my flat and for my books. But for my job it was good to be Portuguese. There are not so many of us here in London so for translating there is a demand. And I made some good money from translating. From Portuguese into English, from English into Portuguese. I worked for an agency. They have a good system — for all their translators they have a web site it says to their clients what areas of specialising their people have. For me it says for engineering both electrical and mechanical and also bio-tech. Their clients can look for just the right person for what they want.

I wonder if that is how they found me?

A man phoned me. He said he had some work that he believed I could help him with. I told him that he must speak to the agent. They get cross if I do freelance work. He said it was more to do with the university, some papers from another student. He just wanted someone to take a look at them and tell him what they were about. He wasn't sure if they were important and worth translating or not. Perhaps if he bought me coffee? Well it didn't seem like it could do any harm.

He was nice. He said his name was Harry. He showed me the papers. I read them through while we had some coffee. They were about a plant for producing bio-diesel. There are many developments of this kind in Brazil now. I told him I thought they were useful for someone planning to invest in bio-diesel technology. He asked if I could translate them properly for him. If his friend found it useful there would be other work but that he would put through my agent, of course.

I thought it would be all right. It was not so much work and if my agent got a big contract he would not mind.

I phoned him when I had finished. Could he collect it that evening, he said. He had to be at a concert at the Royal Albert Hall. Perhaps I could bring it by afterwards? I said of course. It is very close to the college. Just around the corner from the library. It will be easy, I said.

It is very busy there, just after a concert. Everyone, milling around. A great bustle of people, chatting and laughing. And then it is very quiet. They all go home, of course. After the concert. And the pavements were empty. I saw him hurrying towards me. He waved. He was obviously worried that I would have gone.

There were two others with him. Two women. "Eva," he said and "Doctor Jordan" They looked friendly. It looked like they have all had a good time at the concert. "Come and have some coffee," he said. "Please come," said Eva, "Harry says you are from near Lisbon, I'd love to hear about it."

So I said, "Yes," and we walked to his car. It was parked not far away. Thurlow Gardens. It was a big car, a people carrier, a Mercedes, almost like a small van. Big and black with blacked out windows. I was telling Eva about Lisbon, about the Alfama, the old town. We all climbed in, Harry driving, Eva and the Doctor and me in the back.

The car moved off. I remember we were going towards Marble Arch. Harold said, "We are very pleased with your work Branca."

Eva said, "I told him we need to take you on full time." I think she is joking. I said, "No, but I am at University."

And then Eva was pointing a gun at me and saying, "Sorry, Branca. You haven't understood. We are taking you on full time. Just don't argue." And the car was going quickly, along Park Lane.

I was saying no and pulling away but Eva pushed the gun against me. The Doctor leaned across me and makes a cut through my tights with scissors and she says "this will make you feel better Branca", and she pressed a hypodermic into my thigh. I am struggling now but Eva and the doctor are holding me. There is a warm numb feeling in my leg.

I heard Eva, say "So what is that?

The Doctor said, "Ketamine. It's safe, if you know what you're doing, it doesn't have to go into a vein and it's quite quick and the more Branca struggles the quicker it is " The inside of the van seemed to go dark but I could see bright lights through the windows still. I wanted cry out but somehow my mouth wouldn't work any more. I fell back against Eva, seeing Doctor Jordan smiling.

And then...

When I woke up I was in a strange room. I was on a bed but I could not get off. Eva was sitting by me. There were wires from pads on my chest going to a monitor. There was a tube going into my arm from a bag of fluid hanging from a metal pole at the side of the bed. I asked Eva, "What happened? Am I in hospital?"

"No, Branca, but you are somewhere safe. You are with us."

Then Doctor Jordan came in and I started to remember what happened in the car. "How are you feeling now, Branca?" Dr Jordan said.

I was confused; they seemed so kind but they had taken me away. "I am feeling tired and sick. I want to go home now," I said.

"Don't worry," Doctor Jordan says. "You may not remember what has happened to you, just as you may forget a dream. It will take some time before you feel well again. Movement is extremely difficult. It is better for you to stay here. You are home here, Branca."

"No I want to go to my home," I say. I tried to get up. I couldn't.

Eva said, "Branca you are ours now. Our home is your home. You must stay here."

I felt so weak. Doctor Jordan said for me to rest, "and when you are ready, we will move you to your very own room."

I tried to get up again and then I saw they had strapped me to the bed. I was frightened, I started to cry. Doctor Jordan put her arms round me. She talked softly. She said, "You will be fine, Branca. We will look after you. You will be safe now with us. You'll see."

I don't know how long it was before I woke up again. I was still in the room, still strapped to the bed. I don't know if it was the drugs but I didn't seem to mind. It was quite dark. The walls were bare, the floor just tiles. There was a window but it was covered over with frosted glass.

Later on Doctor Jordan took the tube out of my arm. She let me get up from the bed and walk around the room. They had taken all my clothes. "How are you, Branca?" she asked.

I was shaky. It was hard to stand and walk. The Doctor gave me a sweet orange drink and I began to feel stronger. "Now Branca, now you are here there are many thing you have to learn, many things you have to know. You want to learn don't you? Like at the University?"

It seemed strange to me, not like the University at all, but I heard myself saying, "Yes, I want to learn."

"Good," said Doctor Jordan, "It is time for you to start to learn. We have someone to help you to learn. Connie will help you to learn. Connie is very good." For a moment everything seemed strange and I thought I would fall over but Doctor Jordan reached out to hold me. "Do you trust me, Branca? Do you?" she asked. I nodded. "We'll go and see Connie."

The Doctor put a wide leather belt round my waist and cuffed my hands to it. I suppose it seems strange but it did not occur to me to try to stop her. She put a blindfold on me and gently guided me somewhere else.

There was another girl there, waiting for me: she had a deepish voice and a sweet perfume. I heard her say, "Is this the one?"

"Yes," said Doctor Jordan. "She's all yours now."

"Kneel down," the other voice said. "This is Connie speaking, Branca. You must do as I say."

I said, "Oh!" and "Yes." I was still confused but I got down to my knees. Someone put a bar between my teeth and strapped it behind my head. It felt hard and tasted of rubber. Connie trapped my head between her legs and brought a cane down on my bottom several times. I squealed with pain and grunted around the gag. I was whimpering. Connie heard my sobbing and crouched down beside me. I felt the side of her face pressed against mine. "Hush, Branca, don't cry. If you are obedient then all will be well. You can make things better by being obedient. Stop crying and you can see me." She held me closely. Somehow I wanted to see her. I wanted her to take off the blindfold. "Stop crying Branca." I sniffed back my tears. "That's better," said Connie. "Start crying again and it goes on again. Stop crying and you can see. You will soon learn to do your best for Connie." Eventually I stopped crying.

Part 2 : New Learning

Connie took off the blindfold. I shook my head and looked around me. I saw the room was small and cold, just bare walls and a tiled floor. There was a rubber mat on the floor and where the floor dips down was a toilet with a shower head by it over a floor drain.

A black skinned girl stood in front of me. She looked African. Her face was finely boned as if made from some black porcelain. Her black hair was braided and tied back tight. She was wearing riding boots over tight cream trousers and had on a white leather T shirt. A riding whip hung from the belt of her trousers. She wore white leather gloves. She had a gold ring glinting in the septum of her nose. She looked so confident and strong and so very ... desirable. She smiled. White teeth. "Hello, Branca," she said. "I'm Connie."

I looked up at her.

She crouched down beside me, her head close to mine. "Branca, you know you must learn? You work hard and earn your privileges. You understand?"

I nodded.

"You thirsty?" Connie said. I nodded eagerly. "Uh huh? That's good. I'll take out your gag so you can drink." She unbuckled the strap and the rubber bar came clear of my mouth. "If you want it to keep the gag out of your mouth put your face at my feet, rub your face on my boots." I whimpered but I didn't want the gag back, I bent my face to her feet, pressing it against her boots feeling and smelling the leather. She spoke again. "What about hungry? Branca? Uh huh?" I gave an mmm in response. "Well," Connie said, "ask me to shave your head and then you can eat."

I was puzzled, confused by her response.

"Sorry Branca, that was not quick enough," Connie said pulling her feet away from my face. "You have to learn to say yes quickly. Not only obey but obey quickly." With that she chained my ankle to the wall and left me locked alone in the room.

When Connie came back she asked the same question. This time I managed to say, "Yes. Yes, please shave me."

Connie looked down at me disapproving. "Not good enough, Branca," she said. "I think you are not happy about being shaven. It is not enough to do as you are told you must want it. You must be happy with it. We'll try once more, one more chance today if you want to eat."

So I pleaded with her, begged her to shave me. Told her I hated my hair and that nothing would please me more than to lose it. Connie smiled, pleased with my response. "That's better Branca, come over here," she said. She bent my head over the toilet. I heard the soft whirr of clippers and felt the slight pulling sensation as she ran them from the nape of my neck up to the crown, over and over again. I saw all my hair falling away, together with my tears. Connie lifted my shaven head and turned my tear streaked face towards her. "Tears, Branca?" she said, sadly. "I said you must be happy with being obedient. Tears means you cannot be happy. That means just raw vegetables for your food today."

That was how it started, how I learned to obey and be happy obeying. Life was simple. There was just me and Connie. She was my only visitor and as the weeks passed I found myself asking Connie to beat me, rape me, to let me lick her bare feet, do anything she told me to do, to think of things she might want me to do. And to obey and to enjoy obeying. And gradually I earned a warmer room, a blanket at night. She stopped shaving my head. They gave me more to eat than raw vegetables and water. And I began to think that I loved her and finally I would do just anything she asked me to do to her or for her. And then, when she brought her boy friends and girl friends and I would do anything she wanted for them, too.

Then one day Doctor Jordan and Connie both came to see me. The Doctor says, "My, Branca, you have done well! I am very pleased with you!" She stroked my hair. It was growing back. As long as I obeyed, Connie let me keep my hair. I'd been very good. It was still very short of course, but you could not see my scalp. That's how good I'd been. "Just look at your hair now." She can tell I am puzzled by her arrival. "It's time to pass you on to your Owner." She sees my distress at realising I must leave Connie. "You have been chosen specially, Branca. Chosen for your language skills and for what you know about engineering. Now Branca, we expect you to try hard. You have to do your best for Connie," she says and I knew that I must and I knew that I would.

I started to cry again because I did not want to leave. It was safe there with Connie. If I did as she said and I was happy with doing what she said then all was well, I could manage things there. I looked at Doctor Jordan. "Will I ever see you again? Or Connie?"

The Doctor looked sympathetically. "Yes, Branca. If you are ill, I will look after you and when your Owner goes away, perhaps you can stay here with us again. So what will you do Branca?"

I knew what to say. "I will do my best for Connie," I said and Connie and the Doctor smiled. I heard that phrase so many times in my training. I know when I hear it that I must do exactly as I am told.

"Well done, Branca! That's right," said the Doctor. She placed a metal collar round my neck. I ran my fingers across the cool titanium. I could barely feel where the too halves joined. There was no screw or catch that I could feel. I could think of no way in which I might release it ... Even if I wanted to. She fitted a belt around my waist, a metal plate that runs down across my sex, two heavy chromed chains that run from that behind and around my buttocks up to the belt. The fit is perfect for it really has been made for me. I explore the belt with my fingers. I could tell that I would be able to use the toilet but I could not console myself at all. My only consolation would be that I will do my best for Connie.