Evelyn looked out the upper window, and saw Shyla come awake as though startled. She noticed where she had been seated, and calmed herself. The envelope under her thigh intrigued her, so she slipped it into her jacket, and returned to her small room in an abandoned building.

If Evelyn had known where she slept at night, she might not have put her back outside, only to fight for survival all on her own.

She opened the envelope, and pulled out half a dozen sketches. She lightly touched the first few. One was of Eva, the friend she greatly cherished. It was of her still sleeping on the bed, with Evelyn laying behind her. It showed how Eva trusted Evelyn, and how much she loved her. The second was of Roberta, just before she was mummified, asleep on the chair, her feet pulled up.

"Oh." Shyla held her hand to her lips. There were four more sketches. All of her. The first was of her sitting in the chair, her eyes closed, in much the same position she was in earlier. The second one showed her with wrist restraints on, standing quietly, watching Evelyn in front of her. The third was of her back, completely nude, her arms above her head, marks on her skin from being whipped.

The last was of her sitting quietly on a cot, completely nude, looking out through a set of bars. There was no fear in her eyes, and there was a tray of food on her lap.

Shyla rubbed herself through her jeans as she looked at the one where her back was marked by a whip.

"She's telling me a story. Of what awaits me if I return." Shyla curled up in the corner of that room, held the sketches to her chest, and slid her hand down inside her jeans.  This girl was turned on by the promise presented to her.

Evelyn had obviously read her desires, and saw some things she had not revealed. This was one of the reasons she had gone back to the gallery time and again.

She wanted what her friend had. The look of absolute betrayal was only able to be put there because Eva trusted Evelyn, and loved her deeply.

Her poor physical condition should be obvious to anyone, so she didn't try to hide it. The condition of her clothes was also obvious. Threadbare at best would be the description she would use.

Shyla was like Eva. Starved. Abused. On the run. She could disappear and no one would miss her. So Evelyn offered her the choice that she didn't give Eva. She told her where she would end up, and what would happen.

Evelyn took a chance that this story would fall on deaf ears, or ones filled with so much fear that she couldn't see the sketches for what they were meant for.

If Shyla couldn't see the offer, why did she become a fan of this terrifying woman? Evelyn had already killed two of her lovers, and was on her way to a third. Shyla knew this. One of those lovers was her friend. So why would she offer herself up to become like them?

She wanted what her friend had experienced. Happiness. Trust. She would not be betrayed as she already knew what kind of woman Evelyn was. She might end up as her sculpture, and even expected it.

It was the time before she was mummified that she looked forward to.  The happiness.  The love.  And the small possibility that she could make this scary woman keep her, and trust her as she hadn't trusted Eva, or Roberta.

Shyla wasn't afraid.

* * *

Evelyn opened the doors and lifted an eyebrow. Shyla was seated on her bench,  quiet and contemplating the people that walked by the shop, holding three envelopes against her chest. Shyla heard the doors open, and looked up.

"You didn't come get me." Shyla said, almost as an accusation. Evelyn smiled softly.

"I gave you a choice. It wouldn't be right to take that choice away from you, as I also gave Eva a choice to model for me. You knew, so I had to give you that choice another way." Evelyn smiled gently. "It was difficult to not go get you though." Evelyn gestured to the chair inside the shop, beside the chair Evelyn used to sketch her models.

"Sit. You should have something to eat before you take your place." Evelyn said gently. Shyla blushed.

"What about Jill?" She whispered.

"Upstairs, and asleep. She wakes up later, and won't disturb us." Evelyn smiled, took her by the shoulders, and directed her inside. "You'll even be able to see her be transformed into my model in a few months, but I do not want her to see you." Shyla nodded.

"It would ruin her experience." Shyla said softly.

"Yes. She should believe that all my focus is on her, though she already knows I still love Eva, and Roberta." Evelyn said, and went to the kitchen. She poured the water into the pot. "She also knows that I have my eye on a certain 'cat' who comes and goes." Shyla blushed again.

The tea was put down in front of her, while Evelyn went back to the kitchen. Shyla picked it up, inhaled the scent, and took a sip.

"It's not the one from yesterday?" She asked. Evelyn smiled.

"That is a special tea for special occasions. Yesterday was special, and you deserved to know. Today is not your first day, but it should still be one that I mark." Evelyn put a plate down, which held sliced fruit, two biscuits with butter, and a small dish of jam. She sat down beside her, and picked up her sketchbook.

"Eat, Shyla. My pet should have a meal in her belly, as her skin is far too thin." Evelyn said, which made Shyla blush a bit.

"Your pet?" Shyla asked in a small voice. She picked up a piece of fruit, and gratefully ate it, though in small bites. Evelyn could see how timid she was.

"You'll eat much better than this, my pet, so don't think this will be used against you." Evelyn said firmly. "Food is not a weapon. If you need harsh punishment, you'll eat oatmeal. If you don't, you'll eat full healthy meals at the proper times of day." She turned the sketchbook towards her. Shyla could see herself again, behind those bars, laying on the cot with a blanket. Her modest breasts could be seen peeking from the top of the blanket, while her hair was splayed out on the pillow.

"A safe place to sleep." Shyla said, and ate another piece of fruit. Evelyn smiled.

"And warm. No one can get in that room unless I open the door." Evelyn said, and watched her expression. "There will be routines to follow, training to experience, and once the training is complete, your life will not change much. You'll have a safe place to sleep, food to eat, new clothes to wear. The training will help you to serve me, and soothe me of my loneliness." She sketched another one, and showed her. It was her standing, naked, and her back to the viewer, marked by a whip.

"Will I always be in that room?" Shyla asked, as she bit into a biscuit. She reached out and put jam on the biscuit, but did so gingerly. Evelyn could see how food had been used before she came to her.

"For several months. But I will never push you out that door, or put you on display. You will be my pet. Mine, and mine alone." Evelyn watched her face.

"Property?" Shyla asked.

"I protect those who belong to me." Evelyn said, she watched her eat, and gestured to the other fruit. "It's all for you. It will put a bit in your belly while you think."

"I don't need to think. That's why I came back." Shyla said. Evelyn smiled.

"I won't take it away. Finish eating." Evelyn smiled, and returned to her sketchbook. The pencil was moving quickly over the page, while Shyla sat there and finished the two biscuits, the jam, the fruit, and her tea. Her eyebrows drew together slightly, and she pulled her feet up on the chair as she yawned. It was the way she always slept, but the chair was more comfortable than her small room.

"I didn't drink the tea." Shyla said softly. Evelyn turned the page towards her. It showed her exactly like she was, but naked, her arms covering her breasts, her legs and feet covering her fur, but on her wrists were leather restraints.

"I wanted you to experience the entire thing." She stood up, leaned down, and lightly kissed her cheek. "You will wake up in your cell, ready for training." Shyla murmured softly, and fell asleep.

"I didn't tell you that if it alarmed you, it would be easy to break out of the drug's hold. I wanted to see if you would fight to escape, or go willingly." Evelyn smiled, knelt down, and pulled Shyla forward. She went over her shoulder, and Evelyn gently patted her slender butt.

"You are my first volunteer. It is truly a special day."