Read Online The Bonding Ritual (Girls Wearing Black: Book Four) by Spencer Baum - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Spencer Baum
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an entirely different person.
She had intimate knowledge of what it meant to be a vampire’s slave, so why was it so disturbing to hear Gordon describe what it meant for Frankie? Why did it make her feel so angry? So guilty?
The thought of running off to be with Ryan somewhere, the two of them relaxing and enjoying life, when Frankie had spent the past ten years like this, when she had been able to walk away from the Farm and Frankie couldn’t—it was unconscionable.
She owed him so much more.
“You’re saying it’s going to be a long time before Frankie is going to be anything close to human,” Nicky said.
“Normally, that would be the case,” said Gordon. “I was very skeptical when I heard the Network had visions of transforming Frankie into some kind of assassin. In my experience, a slave who has been programmed in childhood isn’t prepared for independent living of any sort for years.”
“But Frankie is different. That’s what you’re telling me.”
“Yes! He is so very different, Nicky! Working with him tonight was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. He made tremendous progress in such a short amount of time!”
“So how is he, really? Is he ready to go away with Eve and start training?”
“I think so. In fact, I think it would be good for him. The thing that made this all possible, the way he defeated his own programming—from what I can tell, Frankie held on tightly to his true self for all these years.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the real Frankie, the one the vampires tried to erase when he was only seven years old, was right there beneath the surface the entire time. He was struggling to break free, and when he heard Jill say your name the other night, he finally did it! I didn’t have much work to do to set him free. He was already fully in control.”
Nicky leaned back into the couch. What Gordon was telling her should have made her happy. Frankie was going to be okay. He had a real chance at a human life. After all, he was only eighteen years old.
But the thought of him trapped beneath the surface, a ten-year jail sentence inside his own body—it made her furious. How many more Frankies were out there? How many innocents were being held captive inside their minds, waiting out their days until some vampire decided to eat them?
“Can I see him now?”
“He’s asleep, Nicky, the most important sleep of his life. For the first time since he was seven years old, his brain is free to create new connections of his own choosing. That work happens best while we sleep, the deeper the better. I helped Frankie achieve a state of total relaxation. We need to allow him to sleep until Eve comes to take him away. You should get some sleep too.”
“I can’t risk missing him when he leaves.”
“It would be best for him if you did, Nicky.”
“What the hell does that mean? I’m not letting Frankie go without saying goodbye.”
“You loomed large in his mind,” Gordon said. “More than once, when I asked him for the first thought that came to his mind, he said, ‘I look out for Nicky and she looks out for me.’”
“It’s a promise we made to each other when we were little,” Nicky said.
“In his damaged mind, that childhood promise took on an enormous stature. In order for him to achieve any sort of self-determination, we had to treat that promise as another piece of programming. I spent the last hour of our session helping him put that promise in its place.”
“You don’t want me to see him at all before he leaves,” Nicky said. “You’re afraid I might break him.”
“I wouldn’t use those exact words, but yes, he is in a delicate state at the moment and your presence has the potential to undermine some of the progress we made.”
“Will I ever get to --”
“Yes, Nicky. Frankie just needs a few months of practice at being his own person. Then you and he may resume your friendship.”
Yet another reason for the night to stretch on
She had intimate knowledge of what it meant to be a vampire’s slave, so why was it so disturbing to hear Gordon describe what it meant for Frankie? Why did it make her feel so angry? So guilty?
The thought of running off to be with Ryan somewhere, the two of them relaxing and enjoying life, when Frankie had spent the past ten years like this, when she had been able to walk away from the Farm and Frankie couldn’t—it was unconscionable.
She owed him so much more.
“You’re saying it’s going to be a long time before Frankie is going to be anything close to human,” Nicky said.
“Normally, that would be the case,” said Gordon. “I was very skeptical when I heard the Network had visions of transforming Frankie into some kind of assassin. In my experience, a slave who has been programmed in childhood isn’t prepared for independent living of any sort for years.”
“But Frankie is different. That’s what you’re telling me.”
“Yes! He is so very different, Nicky! Working with him tonight was one of the most gratifying experiences of my life. He made tremendous progress in such a short amount of time!”
“So how is he, really? Is he ready to go away with Eve and start training?”
“I think so. In fact, I think it would be good for him. The thing that made this all possible, the way he defeated his own programming—from what I can tell, Frankie held on tightly to his true self for all these years.”
“What do you mean?”
“I mean the real Frankie, the one the vampires tried to erase when he was only seven years old, was right there beneath the surface the entire time. He was struggling to break free, and when he heard Jill say your name the other night, he finally did it! I didn’t have much work to do to set him free. He was already fully in control.”
Nicky leaned back into the couch. What Gordon was telling her should have made her happy. Frankie was going to be okay. He had a real chance at a human life. After all, he was only eighteen years old.
But the thought of him trapped beneath the surface, a ten-year jail sentence inside his own body—it made her furious. How many more Frankies were out there? How many innocents were being held captive inside their minds, waiting out their days until some vampire decided to eat them?
“Can I see him now?”
“He’s asleep, Nicky, the most important sleep of his life. For the first time since he was seven years old, his brain is free to create new connections of his own choosing. That work happens best while we sleep, the deeper the better. I helped Frankie achieve a state of total relaxation. We need to allow him to sleep until Eve comes to take him away. You should get some sleep too.”
“I can’t risk missing him when he leaves.”
“It would be best for him if you did, Nicky.”
“What the hell does that mean? I’m not letting Frankie go without saying goodbye.”
“You loomed large in his mind,” Gordon said. “More than once, when I asked him for the first thought that came to his mind, he said, ‘I look out for Nicky and she looks out for me.’”
“It’s a promise we made to each other when we were little,” Nicky said.
“In his damaged mind, that childhood promise took on an enormous stature. In order for him to achieve any sort of self-determination, we had to treat that promise as another piece of programming. I spent the last hour of our session helping him put that promise in its place.”
“You don’t want me to see him at all before he leaves,” Nicky said. “You’re afraid I might break him.”
“I wouldn’t use those exact words, but yes, he is in a delicate state at the moment and your presence has the potential to undermine some of the progress we made.”
“Will I ever get to --”
“Yes, Nicky. Frankie just needs a few months of practice at being his own person. Then you and he may resume your friendship.”
Yet another reason for the night to stretch on
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