Your time with us is not to be frightened of. We would not harm you, but you must remember that you will be at our mercy. Your very soul will be ours, your body will be ours and your mind will want to be other than yours. We shall treat you well. Keep you warm and safe, feed you and clothe you. We will not falter as you will not falter. You will give of yourself, as we will give of our selves. Your sister companions will assist you and care for you as you will care for them.

Two further cards came in the post the next day. Repeats of the first two. Put together, the message, if that was what it was, read: Come hither chosen ones, come hither. Both jean and Carmen left a number on the answering machine, but after a week, nothing happened and they forgot about it. A month went by, then two more cards arrived, both with the same word on it: TONIGHT. Carmen rang Jean, they met for dinner and rang the number. This time, a male voice answered with Hello, you are the chosen ones. Listen carefully.

She descended the stairs and was shown to the dinning room. The first thing that struck Carmen, was the two heavy crystal chandeliers that hung from the vaulted ceiling. A long table stretched away from her which was set for about fifty places. An ice sculpture of a swan sat in the centre and refracted rainbow shards of light in all directions. Through out the meal, Carmen noticed that the men kept their masks on.

Her captor entered the arena that had been formed by bodies. He raised his hands to signify that he wanted absolute quiet. A deathly hush fell on the room. Nobody so much as shifted position, all enraptured by the prospect of the evenings entertainment. Carmen sought Jeans eyes and finally located her draped over the arm of a chair with her partners hand up her skirt.