Monique opened her eyes and moved back in shock at the grinning woman leaning over her bed.

"Nikki," Monique laughed. "You scared me."
"It's time for your morning pill," Nikki said.
"Alright. May I sit up first?" Monique asked.

Nikki stepped back and Monique sat up. Nikki grabbed Monique's hand and placed a pill in it.

"What is it?" Monique asked.
"Vitamins," Nikki said.
"Oh, I take B12 too. I might as well take them at the same time," Monique said.

Monique grabbed her backpack and found the bottle of B12. A hand grabbed her wrist and she looked up to find Bo shaking his head.

"You don't need this," he said.

He took the pill Nikki had given her and tapped the bottle of B12.

"Just take those," he said.
"Oh, okay," she said.

She grabbed one of her B12 pills and swallowed it. He smiled at her as if she had just passed some sort of test.

"Can I take a shower?" She asked.
"Of course. Right this way," he said.

She followed him to a bathroom while Nikki walked behind them in silence. Once they made it to the bathroom, Nikki grabbed a fresh towel and a fresh set of clothes for her.

"You will wear our clothes. We all share here," Bo said.
"What a beautiful idea," Monique said. "Thank you."
"Come downstairs for breakfast once you're done. We won't eat until you're there," Bo said.
"You can eat without me," Monique said.
"We won't eat until you're there!" Bo said firmly.

Monique nodded and entered the bathroom. There wasn't a key but she didn't expect anyone to sneak in. She turned on the shower and tiptoed over to the door. She pressed her ear to it and heard Bo and Nikki talk right on the other side.

"Why didn't you make her take the pill?" Nikki asked.
"She's different. She came here willingly like you, Dexter, Erick and Joe did. I don't need to force her. She'll be useful to us," Bo said.

They walked away from the door and Monique hurried with the shower. She got dressed and went to her room. She grabbed the bottle of B12, poured a handful of pills out, and hid them in a pocket. She then made it downstairs where everyone was seated at a long table. She scanned the people and quickly found her brother and his friends. They didn't seem to recognize her at all and she didn't give away that she knew them.

"This is Monique," Bo said. "Everyone, say hello."
"Hello," everyone said in unison.
"Such polite manners. That's rare. I love it," Monique said.
"Sit," Bo pointed to a seat next to Joe. "Joe will guide you on your breakfast journey."
"I made the omelets," Joe said.
"They look delicious," Monique said.
"Everyone, eat," Bo said.

Monique noticed how everyone worked like robots. Bo gave an order and they all followed it. She did the same as everyone else. It was important she got on Bo's good side. Nobody spoke while they ate breakfast. Once they were finished, everyone remained seated until Bo gave his next order.

"Everyone, tend to your usual chores," Bo said.

Everyone stood up and made it out of the room. Monique stood up too but just looked at Bo.

"What's my chore?" Monique asked.
"You don't have one yet so let's start easy. Everyone needs their pills. You can be in charge of handing them out," Bo said.
"That's my chore," Nikki said.
"Not today. I need you elsewhere. You're moving up the ladder, Nikki," Bo said.

Nikki grinned in excitement.

"Show Monique the pills and the routine and send her on her way," Bo said.
"Follow me," Nikki said.

Monique followed Nikki to the kitchen. Nikki fixed a tray with cups of water and a bottle of pills.

"They need a pill every sixth hour. You turned this place upside down when you arrived late last night that I forgot to give them their pills before breakfast. It's okay. There's still time. There's a schedule here to follow," Nikki said.

Nikki pointed at a piece of paper hanging on the wall. It had the scheduled times for pills each day along with all the names of everyone living there. Monique nodded and grabbed the tray.

"You can count on me," Monique said.
"Don't mess up. Bo doesn't believe in second chances," Nikki said.
"I won't," Monique said.
"I better go find Bo," Nikki said.

Nikki hurried out of the kitchen and Monique put the tray back down. She grabbed three B12 pills from her pocket and hid them in her hand. She picked up the tray again and started going around to the people to give them their pills. She made it outside to the garden and her heart broke when she saw her brother and his two friends work like robots. She knew they didn't recognize her. Those pills kept them docile and unable to understand anything other than the orders they were given.

"Time for your pills, boys," she said.

She handed them the B12s in her hand followed by a glass of water. She watched as they all downed the pill and returned to their work. She couldn't linger. She knew she had eyes on her to make sure she did as she was expected to do. She walked away with a broken heart and a fake smile on her face and continued to hand out pills until everyone had gotten one. She returned to the kitchen and realized almost an entire hour had passed while she had been walking around locating people. She looked out of the window and spotted her brother with the lawnmower.

"I'm gonna save you," she whispered. "That's a fucking promise."