Chapter 8
Sweet Becky furiously threw herself against the barrel's walls but to no effect. It was too heavy for her to tip, at least with so little space to maneuver. Her stomach sank as she realized the truth of the situation. She was helpless, and nothing was likely to change that soon. Hidden away as she was, the odds of anyone noticing her were astronomical, and she couldn't even muster the energy to try to attract attention.
Shy Sarah returned some time later. "You ok in there?" she taunted, "Good. I had to check in with Lady Maybelle at the telegraph office. Sounds like everything's ready for you."
There was nothing that Sweet Becky could do to keep herself from being lifted onto the back of Shy Sarah's horse, her salvaged rope bonds from being reinforced with a newly purchased copy of Shy Sarah's signature dark blue and gold-star patterned rope, and being carried off to her doom.
Ranger carried Shy Sarah and her captive down a winding path through rolling green hills. Nothing happened for a very long time until they came to a covered wooden bridge stretched across a wide river.
"Hold it right there!" came a voice. Sweet Becky couldn't see where it was coming from where she was. "If you want to cross, the toll is…"
"I'm transporting a prisoner for Lady Maybelle," explained Shy Sarah.
Sweet Becky could hear frantic whispering. "She telegraphed ahead. Go on through," the voice answered. Sweet Becky's heart sank as she heard that. Apparently, Lady Maybelle's name had a good deal of power here as they grew closer and closer to Fort Mallow. It was increasingly unlikely that anything would stand in their way now.
Twelve days… twelve days trapped, separated from all of her friends, at the mercy of her captors. It was unlikely that any of the girls at Clever Anne's ranch would risk Lady Maybelle's wrath to mount a rescue, and even if they did, it would only be delaying the inevitable.
Sweet Becky wasn't sure where it was, but it was clear to her that they had passed the point of no return. She had lost, and there was nothing she could do now but go along with whatever her captors wanted and hope that someday she'd have her revenge. The captive girl lay still, not moving or struggling, her vacant eyes watching the countryside roll by. She couldn't even muster the energy to process Shy Sarah's occasional taunts.
Time passed. Maybe hours. Sweet Becky could hear the sound of waves crashing onto the shore, bringing her memory of the sandy beach that Fort Mallow overlooked into perfect clarity. She scowled as the sun hit her eyes as Shy Sarah turned Ranger northwards. It was low. The reset would come soon, but not nearly soon enough. Then, finally, she saw it. The cream-colored brick walls surrounding Lady Maybelle's magnificent stronghold.
The courtyard was abuzz with activity. Small groups of girls of various ages chattered in the shade of the fort's many pillars. Vendors busied themselves with disassembling their stalls and packing them away for the night. Riders carried out bundles of supplies to the surrounding pastures. Lady Maybelle had many followers. She had the maturity and experience to tell the girls of Happy Trails what they wanted to hear, and many were simply impressed by the fact that she was an adult woman who was interested in the same things that they were. Sweet Becky cringed when she remembered that it wasn't long ago that she had fallen for it herself. Of course, lady Maybelle's vast wealth didn't hurt her image either, and her three sons, who occasionally transferred to Happy Trails to visit her, had their fans as well. Sweet Becky fondly remembered the middle child's sandy hair and gentle voice, but her memories were marred with the recollection of the terror she felt when she learned who he was and how protective Lady Maybelle was of him.
Shy Sarah asked around, but no one seemed to know where Lady Maybelle was at the moment. A girl in one of the guard towers pointed her to the holding cells, so Shy Sarah carried her prisoner down the flight of stairs she was directed to.
Fort Mallow's stockade was a dreary place. The only light came from a series of barred windows high on the walls, through which Sweet Becky could see the boots, ankles, and hooves of girls and horses passing by the courtyard. The cells were narrow, only big enough to lie down in one direction, and very crowded. Some of the smaller girls were packed in with two in one tiny cell. Shy Sarah had to bring her prisoner all the way to the end of the cell block to find a vacant cell for her prisoner, and once she did, she lay her on the stone floor and closed the door with a click. She had earned her reward, and she stared at Sweet Becky with a look of great satisfaction and relief. Sweet Becky could only glare.
Sweet Becky looked around her cell. It wouldn't be so bad, staying here for a while, if she was left alone, but she knew that Lady Maybelle had more sinister plans for her. The wall beside her was solid brick, and she couldn't see the cell next to her, but across from her, a girl hung suspended from the ceiling in a hogtie. The girl was very young. It was unusual to see a player that young so far from the beginner areas, and Sweet Becky wondered what she had done to warrant this kind of treatment. She was dressed in a lamb costume, the white wool contrasting with her shockingly black hair and skin. It was adorable, but Sweet Becky had a feeling she wasn't dressed that way by choice. Fancy Delilah Birdsong was her name. Sweet Becky amused herself for a moment by watching her squirm and struggle; she knew she should have a little more sympathy for someone clearly caught in the same situation as herself, but she couldn't help herself. It was just too cute.
Soon, she grew bored with watching her and instead focused on the chatter of the other prisoners. It seemed likely she'd be getting to know some of them pretty well, and she hoped their company would turn out to be tolerable. But suddenly, the conversation stopped, and the entire prison fell silent except for the sound of footsteps echoing through the hall.
"…put these three to work in the stables tomorrow. And I think Lucky Betty here has earned an hour in the goat pen tomorrow morning," an unseen adult voice instructed while another set of footsteps hurried to keep up.
"Got it," acknowledged a more youthful voice.
Finally, the two of them reached Sweet Becky's cell. Lady Maybelle Mariposa, in all her glory, and a younger girl named Happy Georgia Cinnamon. The former was an imposing figure, towering over the majority of people Sweet Becky had seen in the game. She wore a rhinestone-adorned cattlewoman's hat over a light-colored collared shirt that gave her an air of authority while sitting tight enough to show off a body that was the envy of many young teen and preteen players. The jodhpurs and heeled boots she wore only served to enhance the effect. Happy Georgia trailed behind her, hanging on to her every word. She was dressed in a red gingham dress, with her dyed green hair in braided pigtails that ran down the back of her head. Her avatar was unusually heavyset and bulky, which might have been intimidating if she wasn't half as tall as the woman she was standing next to.
"Ah, Sweet Becky Marigold. I was told you were here," she said as she gripped the bars of Sweet Becky's cell. "Happy Georgia, make sure you strip this one and put her in the stocks first thing tomorrow."
"Ok, got it," the younger girl answered, "Now can I…?"
"Yes, you did well today. You can take little Delilah out to play now," Lady Maybelle answered. Excited, the girl ran into Fancy Delilah's cell and cut the girl down. The child mmphed and struggled furiously as Happy Georgia carried her out under her arm, singing a jaunty tune as she skipped out of the cellblock.
Lady Maybelle opened Sweet Becky's cell door and crouched down to remove her gag. "You really should have known better than to think you would get away from me. I've been doing this a lot longer than you have."
Sweet Becky stayed silent. What was there to say?
"Lucky for you, free-play's almost over. You'll get some rest before your punishment really begins," Lady Maybelle continued. She stood up and tapped Sweet Becky with the toe of her boot. "To girls like you, free-play just means a chance to be naughty and take what you want with no regard for anyone else, doesn't it? Did it ever even occur to you that you could use the freedom you had here to be BETTER than you are in the waking world?"
She walked out to stand by the door. "Here, where young girls like you have all the power you never had in the real world. And what do you choose to do with that power? Rob… bully… kidnap… harass. Form cliques and gangs and exclude those who are different. You could have made this world into anything you want, but you built a world that's almost as cruel and meaningless as the real one."
She closed the cell door with a click and leaned against it. "Oh, but don't get the impression that I'm complaining," she whispered with a wicked grin on her face, "I'm having the time of my life here. And it looks like I have one more thing to look forward to tomorrow."