Chapter2-Ice pool

“Follow me.” He orders immediately he gets where I am standing before he walks briskly to the door while I run after him.

He climbs down the stairs and opens the door that leads to the back, and I follow suit.

There, he leads me to the part of the compound where the pool is located. The snow as well as the winter breeze blow repeatedly on my naked skin.

I am beginning to shiver vigorously as the cold air blows over and over again on my body, but the monster careless as he continues to walk until he is standing face to face with the pool.

Now I am pale and whitish.

I stand beside him shifting from one foot to the other to lessen the cold pervading directly into my feet since I am barefoot and not wearing anything either slippers or shoes ..... 

I am standing directly on top of the snow which fills the compound floor now.

Likewise, I watch him pull out his neck chain and throw it into the pool to fill with ice. The waters of the pool are all filled up already with blocks of snow which have fallen and are still falling.

I can feel my body numbing, literally freezing up. The cold is too much for my fragile body and besides I am standing naked under the falling snow with nothing on—not a dress or footwear to hide away from the harsh howling winter cold.

He watches as his neck chain swims down deep into the icy pool before he turns his gloomy eyes on me.

“Take a swim.” He ordered.

“What!” My eyes wide as I stare at him, horrified.” No, no, please.” I beg slightly moving back.

“Take a swim, May. And don't make me repeat myself.” I look into his eyes. There is no pity. There is no sympathy. It is full of loathing.

My eyes Pringle and glisten with tears.

How can he say that? How can he ask me to swim inside the icy pool under this cold weather after making me stand naked all this while as snow falls repeatedly on me?

God! Is he planning to freeze me to death?

I felt like begging him, but no, I can't beg him. He will increase my punishment. 

The last time I begged, I was made to walk naked around the whole company as the workers laughed and jeered at me.

I don't know what he would do if I beg again.

I hesitantly begin to take a slow step to the pool, hoping he will stop me. But he didn't. He watches as I near the pool.

“Don't show your pathetic face to me without my chain.” He says and briskly retreats to the building, leaving me standing alone under the snow.

As I stood there, I can literally feel my body ice up as if it was turning to stone and standing on top of the snow which litters the floor wasn't helping me consider the fact I am barefoot as it spread cold from my foot directly into my body, especially blood.

I can feel my bloodstream freezing. 

The cold is getting worse and worse with every second or minute interval that goes by and my body is numbing.

I gaze into the icy pool, then the floor and then up to the sky, I sigh tiredly and not knowing what else to do jump into the cold pool.

Falling into it with a loud splash and feeling the cold water pervade my whole body I felt like I am being frozen or rather still, have turned into an ice statue.

But later I started feeling better like my body is getting used to the icy water. 

Lies. 

A big lie.

I mean, who will feel better if they are kept in the freezer?

I can barely move my body. It feels heavy and I can hardly move my hand, to talk more about swimming.

That bastard is cruel!

As I manage, struggling to move my body, swimming around searching for his necklace, I know for sure I might not escape without pneumonia. It might end up becoming my better half.

I swim around the water, dipping my head in and doing my best to hold in my breath, even though it is quite difficult.

I continue moving around aimlessly, kicking, struggling, and fighting with the last strength in me.

Likewise, I persistently proceed, commanding my body to move even though it is very much difficult.

 The cold is now injected deep inside my body that I can barely breathe properly or move easily.

I was elevated when I saw the neck chain laying on the bed of the sea. Even though I literally have lost all my strength, I manage to swim to the bed of the pool and pick it up. 

I swam up afterwards and tried climbing out, but I couldn't. I held the handle which was connected with the pool trying to come out but couldn't.

 I tried over and over again, struggling to get out of the water, but my efforts were futile. All efforts proved abortive. I can't come out, I cannot move anymore.

My body, hands, and legs are stiff, I can't move them, no matter how I try. They have frozen and probably turned into ice.

There wasn't anything I did to come out from the pool that worked. All my efforts were in vain. 

At one point, I gave up and closed my eyes, welcoming the sleep which had been knocking a long time ago, and I keep resisting it.

But now, I have no more strength or energy to fight. My bones are all rigid. They can't move and the more I stay in the pool the more rigid it becomes.

Not knowing what else to do, I close my eyes and say a little prayer within me while allowing the heavens to take care of my fate.

I know I won't make it. I know I am dead.

Likewise, I find myself beginning to sink deep into the water, doing my best to keep my head up. 

At one point even my head got swallowed by the waters and I found myself sinking deeper with the water swallowing me whole, and I started to choke. 

The water covering all my body is now so much that I am starting to feel faint and can barely breathe. 

It's suffocating me and I find my breath shipping out of me. 

My eyes close on their own, welcoming death.

 Before I then heard it, first, a shuttling of feet then a splash before I was scooped into a masculine body and lifted from the cold water.

 I gasped immediately for breath as my eyes began to close more tightly than before.

I am still feeling cold, but the body hugging me was warm enough to give me a little shield. Not only that, but I scooted closer, hugging it firmly.

By now, I can't open my eyes. It feels heavy and no matter how I try to keep them open it will not budge. 

After several attempts of forcing my eyes to open, I give up and then welcome the pending sleep fiercely knocking on my door.

*

When I opened my eyes later, I was in a room. 

A well-furnished and decorated room. The walls are painted in a camouflage gold colour glittering thanks to a wall light that makes it look like actual gold while the floor tile is made of glass, a transparent glass.

The room screams expensive and I know immediately that it isn't my room.

 Even my three years' salary might not be enough to decorate my room this way even if I spend it all on luxury decorations.

I flutter my eyes open looking down, the bed I am laid on is huge, very comfortable. 

It is a king-size bed and the mattress is soft and bouncing. I can very much feel how soft it is as it caresses my skin lovely.

I borrowed into the pillow, dragging it to my chest and hugging it tightly and feeling its warmth 

As the furs caress my body it warms me up more.

As I try to pull more pillows close to me, my hand touches something warm and soft. Not as soft as the pillow, but its warmth is alluring. Very enticing that I couldn't let it be. 

I drag it to myself, but it doesn't move. 

I then yank it angrily with my eyes still close until it is staying side by side with me. 

I move up a little then engulf it to my chest seeking the warmth it offers.

I was unable to feel it, not the way I want though, so I hiss and angrily yank it again close with my whole strength and I hear a thud. 

Wait, is that someone falling?

I slightly open one eye and peep. I saw a head lying adjacent to me and I spring up quickly and fearfully.

Looking above me, I saw a huge teddy bear with a bold scripture inscribed on it." Lia Newman Thong.``

Seeing that brought different questions to my mind. Does Benson have a child? Is this her room? What happened to her?

Looking up the wall I saw a picture frame of a cute little girl holding the teddy while sitting on my master's lap. 

My master Benson was hugging the girl's back tightly and their familiarity couldn't be misplaced.

The Little girl is like his female version and they look like father and daughter having a good time together.

As I watch the photo so many questions run through my mind but I shrug them off and look away.

My eyes come in contact with a sheet laying on the floor, I pick it up."The meeting starts at ten, ``Don't be late."

Glancing at the wall clock, it passed twelve already."Oh my goodness!" I exclaim and hurriedly enter the bathroom.

Another punishment for me.