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"Niklas will be here in about twenty o in my room and keep the door closed Is that understood?"

"Yes"

I hate how cold he feels again, just like he felt when I first roithin Victor over the ti to do?"

"What I have to do"

He walks past -sleeved black pullover shirt and black pants It’s refreshing to see hi him in suits He is attractive in whatever he chooses to wear, I admit to oing

"Victor?" I call out behind hi "I-I could help you" I can’t believe I’ this "Have you ever…trained anyone? You know, to be like you?"

Victor stops mid-stride underneath the entrance of some spacious, marble-floored room out ahead

I see his shoulders rise and fall Then he turns to me

"No," he says, "and I never will"

He leaves it at that and walks into the room where I continue to follow and once I’m inside, the beauty of it takes my breath away There are four life-sized statues of Greek wo tall in all for corners of this round, doht another wall-sizedoverlooks the turbulent ocean and in front of it, sitting proudly on display is the most beautiful piano I’ve ever seen

I try to tearup behind hio back out there I have no education, didn’t even get to graduate I have no friends, no family, no work history Victor, I don’t even have a real driver’s license or a birth certificate and social security card I have no identity, at least not a legal one"

He leaves the rooh an exit on the other side and I stay close behind hi-to-floor bookshelf situated on the back wall, filled to the bri black lacquer desk on one wall A leather recliner sits in the center of the rooet those things back," he says walking toward the table beside the recliner "It will take soet theo to a colances at me and adds, "It will be hard, but it’s your only option"

He takes a writing book of sorts froes

"But that’s not what I want," I say "I want to…do what you do I know it sounds ludicrous but--"

"It is ludicrous," he says, snapping the book shut in his hand "The answer is no It will always be no, so do not waste your tiain

And I follow hih the roo rooain, but I stop him

"I want to stay with you"

With his back to h my admission stole his movements and voice away I didn’tI had left hich to throw at hi to respond, even if only just to tell ain and lectureabout or what I’ And then finally rounds the corner heading back to his roo defeated, I sit down on a barstool in the kitchen and watch the video surveillance television fixed inside the wall to my left; one screen split four ways to show four different areas of the property sies to another camera every few seconds to show yet more areas of the property

Minutes later, a sleek black car,the coate

Victor, probably watching the same screen in another rooestures for me with one hand "Remember what I said: stay quiet and don’t come out of my room until I tell you"

I nod nervously

My sto twice as hard as seconds ago

I get down from the barstool and walk quickly into Victor’s ily, another wall-sizedA ainst another wall, dressed by black and gray bedding pulled tight over the mattress so that no wrinkles or imperfections can be found It seems that’s the case in every roons of even the slightest disarray