Glimpses of the Island

First Meeting

She forgot to breathe when she heard the doorknob behind her. Elise desperately wanted to turn and look but resisted temptation. This first impression was critical. If she started it off with a show of blatant disobedience he might walk out the door and not even speak to her. What would happen after that she didn't want to think about.

The office chair casters squeaked as he pulled it out from behind the desk. She heard him sit down and drop something on the desk. Then all she heard was silence. She waited for him to start but nothing happened. Was something wrong? What had she forgotten? Had he mistaken her for someone else? A thousand possibilities whirled around inside Elise's head.

"Very good, you answered my first question correctly." He had a deep voice, with the flat accent of Midwest America. "Turn around and look at me. You will remain silent."

Eagerly Elise turned and faced the man who would determine her immediate future. She didn't recognize him, just as well since she didn't want any contact with her past. He wore a business suit but no tie. He had a moustache and short beard with a few tinges of grey. By appearance she guessed he was a few years older than her. He sat in the office chair with arms folded, head cocked to one side, studying her intently. She met his gaze and their eyes locked. She couldn't look away. Underneath his non-threatening exterior she sensed a reserve of self confidence that made her knees weak. This was someone who was used to power, someone who could suggest softly with the same effect as a loudly shouted order.

He stood up and approached her. He stopped close to her, reached out, and put his hands on her shoulders. "The first question, should you be here? Your answer was yes, because you did not turn around." He put one hand under her chin and lifted her face to his. "The next question, am I the right man for you, will take a little longer to answer." He let go of her and went back to his chair.

"You are here at my request. The reason why is not important right now. I know quite a bit about you, not only the time spent at the Facility but also your life prior to that point. You know nothing about me. This meeting is to adjust the balance a bit more in your favor."

He paused, gathering his thoughts. "Before I start, are you comfortable? Are your cuffs too tight? You may speak up at any time if you have a problem with them."

A direct question, she had permission to respond. "No problems sir." She had been taught to answer with short, to the point responses when under orders to remain quiet.

"Then we'll begin. You may speak freely, with no fear of punishment. Whatever you say will be between the two of us and no one else. However, I expect a respectful attitude and do not tolerate cursing. Clear?"

"Yes, sir. May I ask questions too?" Elise knew she was taking a risk in asking, perhaps overstepping the privilege he had granted her.

To her relief he took it well, at least he grinned as he answered. "You can pose your own questions after I'm done. For now I'll do the asking. If you don't understand something then yes, please ask." He held out one arm and made a slow spinning gesture. "Turn completely around, slowly."

So he wanted her to display herself. That was something right out of the training classes, a request she expected and was prepared to meet. Elegance, grace and poise , the words of Mrs. Yates came back as she made the first quarter turn clockwise, left to right. The challenge was to complete a smooth movement while both obeying his order and accentuating the qualities she wanted to portray for him. The long hours practicing in front of the mirror paid off as she drew his eyes to the shackles on her ankles, and from there to the feminine curve of her legs, while she glided through the routine.

Facing him once again she saw only a blank expression but the movement of his eyes down and back up told her it had worked. She wasn't twenty anymore, but her legs were still in great shape, better than the rest, so that's what she wanted him to look at. She finished by widening her stance to the full extent of the chain, pulling it taut between her ankles. It was a subtle finish designed to remind him that he literally held the keys to her freedom.

"You do that quite well, I'm impressed." He leaned forward in his chair. "Let me see it again." Elise could tell from the gleam in his eye that he enjoyed her little performance. Again she slowly turned around. When she finished she met his look and held his gaze for just a moment before lowering her eyes.

Show him you are somebody, proud of your accomplishments, but don't challenge him, let him know you want him to be in charge . Those were memorable words from her training. These past months in the Facility had given her the confidence to be a woman who knew exactly what she wanted, a woman who didn't hesitate to show the world who she was.

Ben stood up, picked up the keys on the desk and opened her handcuffs. He removed the cuffs from her wrists and closed them again, but left the empty cuffs dangling from the belt around her waist. "Why don't you sit down?" He returned to his chair.

She waited until he faced her before sitting down in the chair. With her hands free she was able to gather her skirt to prevent it riding up her legs. Once in the chair she straightened the hem below her knees while carefully keeping her legs together.

Ben watched her, enjoying the graceful way she moved. Modest and reserved, even though at any moment he could command her to strip. That particular order wasn't part of his agenda today though. He wanted her to relax and not be too nervous to carry on a conversation. Removing the handcuffs and letting her sit down would help by bring a feeling of normalcy into the room. However, he did not remove the shackles around her ankles. It was no oversight; they would be a subtle reminder to her, and a pleasant picture for him. That was part of his plan, to maintain some level of control over her at all times.

"First of all, I think I can clear up a mystery for you. When was your uniform switched?"

"Last week, sir. I wasn't told why." And she still didn't know, but it looked like she was about to find out.

"Let me fill in some background first. My heritage is Jewish. I'm neither Orthodox nor very observant, but I still try to respect Judaic tradition and the mitzvot . Those are the Commandments, all 613 of them. And I do it by choice as much as faith." Ben paused for a moment.

"I happened to mention to the Director that my ideal companion would be a woman who followed the practice of tznius . That's a Hebrew word referring to modesty in a woman's dress and behavior. Among other things it dictates that a good woman must be covered below the collarbone, the sleeves of her blouse must cover her arms past the elbows at all times, and her skirt must cover her knees even if sitting down. Sound familiar?"

That's what Mrs. Yates was doing when she made me sit down and reach up . All the pieces of the puzzle fell into place for Elise. "Yes, sir, now I see. I thought I had done something wrong." And it explained why Mrs. Yates couldn't provide a reason. The women at the Facility were never told of interviews in advance. Rather than a punishment she had been trying to help.

"It wasn't at my request," Ben continued. "It seems Mr. Yates, he's the Director, took it upon himself to stack the deck ahead of time. By the way, whoever picked out your uniform did get it right. I find it quite attractive."

She could tell by his appreciative stare his words were not an empty compliment. "Thank you, sir." She brushed a non-existent bit of lint off her skirt to hide her nervousness. "If I may, I'd like to add I like the look too." And I owe you one, Mrs. Yates.

For the next two hours Ben did almost all the talking. He started with the early days in Indiana, med school and military service in Israel, and his move to the Island after retiring early from the Defense Forces. He let Elise ask questions, but kept the focus on himself.

So far the interview had progressed as Ben had intended. To an outsider he would probably come across as egotistical, deliberately keeping the subject to his life only. But he knew she was at a significant disadvantage. He was thoroughly acquainted with not only her past but her training regime at the Facility, while she knew nothing about him. From the questions she asked his strategy seemed to be working. She was genuinely interested in what he had to say.

By the end of the first two hour phase her questions were changing from polite and generic to a tone of familiarity but with pointed probes into specifics he had glossed over. She picks it up fast, he realized . Clancy warned me a woman like her would spot the gaps immediately; seems he was right. Ben decided it was time for a break.