She had felt so lost. Her friend Paula was gone, no one knew where, and it seemed her master had forgotten about her. Yet, he had appeared so quickly after she had been taken to the punishment room, surely within hours. If he had truly been ignoring her, how, why had he gotten here so fast? Then she realized, he was already on his way here, to visit her, maybe even take her home. Once again she had doubted him, and yet once again she had made a mistake. And his words, "disappointed", she could not remember the last time he had ever said that to her, before she had been sent here.

She heard movement farther down the corridor, the bedding cart. Cathy quickly folded her blanket and placed her sleeping pad and bedding next to the door. She moved into the daily routine once again, kneeling as she had been taught, waiting for the bedding cart and meal carts. After her meal was delivered, she ate thoughtfully. Everything she had done contrary to her nature had caused a problem for her. Running away, and now physical violence. She didn't want to be like that. She loved being submissive to her Master, allowing him to guide her, set her boundaries, having him take on the responsibilities that so distracted and worried her. And he asked so little of her in return. She had a nearly ideal life, virtually all she could want, and she was throwing it away.

Cathy knew if she really insisted, demanded to be freed, the Wardens would comply, at least with the point of contacting her master. She had not asked for it, because deep within she knew she still wanted to belong to her master, to be owned and controlled by him, and if he wanted to place her in this "school," a virtual prison, then so be it. It was time to stop playing. Either she accepted him totally, or she walked away from her life with him. She had pushed him to the edge; she risked losing him, the one person she wanted to please, the one person whose approval she needed.

The Warden was at her door, gathering the girls for the day's classes. At his order she rose, approached the door, and joined the group under the Warden's supervision. Walking down the hallway with the others, she resolved to do her best from now on, no more doubts; her master's presence would always be with her, as it had always been before now, even if she had never really thought of it that way. Her master had put her here to learn, and as Cathy smiled ruefully, she had indeed learned her lesson.

The day went normally, no one mentioned her incident. Some of the other girls had looked at her oddly, but not one asked. For Cathy that was just as well, because she remembered all too well the Warden's admonition not to discuss it. Too, the uncertainty, a fear of the unknown, and her own unwillingness to discuss it would only serve to discourage the other girls from copying her own inappropriate behavior. That evening she was placed in a cell with three others she knew slightly. All three of them had looked at her, asked if she was feeling all right, but skirting the real question. Cathy had smiled, thanked them for their concern, and made some small talk about the day's class. The others had taken the hint, and dropped the carefully veiled questions as to what had happened.

The days became weeks, and Cathy again lost any track of time. She allowed herself to be absorbed into the routine. She was always attentive in class, and worked hard to understand the lessons, and how they would apply to her when her Master finally came for her. And she had no doubts now, one day he would come. She dreamed of that day, when a Warden would come for her, and then take her to her Master, and then they would leave together. But until then, she would wait, because he would decide when she was ready.

Over the next few weeks, several girls seemed to leave, as the classes were getting smaller. Cathy would often find herself with only one or two other girls in a sleeping cell. One night Cathy found herself sharing a cell with only one other, a girl she had only seen a few times. Tonight the new girl, she had said her name was Alicia, was very quiet, sitting in a corner by herself. Cathy had tried to start a conversation, but Alicia had said very little, so Cathy left her alone, thinking she wanted some privacy. After the bedding came, they settled down for the night, but after a few minutes, before Cathy had fallen asleep, Alicia spoke to her. "Cathy, I think something is wrong. I feel so sick I can hardly move. Please, call a Warden, I need help, please."

Cathy sat up. It was a serious violation to speak after lights out. If Alicia broke that rule deliberately, something must really be wrong. She got up and went over to Alicia. At a glance she didn't seem to be that sick, her skin didn't feel too hot or clammy, but Cathy could feel slight tremors as Alicia shook beneath her blanket. Up to now Cathy had never seen anyone get sick in the "school," and didn't know what the approved procedures were. But Alicia did seem to be sick, so Cathy went to the cell door and looked to see if a Warden was close by making rounds. She didn't see anyone in the corridor. Looking back at Alicia, Cathy could see her shivering. She got her own blanket, laid it over Alicia, and then went back to the cell door. She hesitated, but the situation was serious, so she called out, "Sir? Is anyone there? Sir, a girl here is very sick and needs attention. Please, Sir, I think it may be an emergency." If they really did monitor everyone with cameras and microphones then her calls would surely attract some attention, even if it was late at night.

After a moment she heard the by now familiar sound of a barred gate open and footsteps heading her way. Cathy stepped back from the door, kneeling close to Alicia. "Relax, hon, someone is coming. They'll take care of you." Cathy reassured her.

A Warden stopped at the door, "what's going on here?"

"Sir, this girl, Alicia, seems to be very sick, I am worried about her. She was complaining earlier, now she is shivering." Cathy looked from Alicia to the Warden, waiting for him to decide what to do. The Warden took a set of keys out of his pocket, selected one, and unlocked the door. He knelt to the other side of Alicia, opposite Cathy, and made a quick examination of Alicia, taking her pulse, feeling her forehead for fever.

"Okay, this does require attention. C'mon Alicia, try to stand up and I'll take you to the infirmary. We do have a doctor here, I'll wake him and he can examine you." The Warden put an arm under Alicia and helped her to stand up. Alicia didn't say anything but did stand shakily and walked out the door with the Warden holding her. Stopping outside the door, the Warden closed it behind him and locked it. Just as he removed the key Alicia started shaking violently and collapsed against him. Caught off balance the Warden staggered and fell to the floor, but managed to hold onto Alicia and break her fall so she wouldn't injure herself. Alicia continued to shake and thrash about violently, but the Warden was able to hold her down. In a moment Alicia had stopped, just as another Warden arrived with a medical gurney. As Cathy watched, the two men loaded Alicia onto the gurney, strapped her down, and quickly wheeled her off to the infirmary.

The lights were still dimmed, and Cathy knew she should return to bed, but she was worried about Alicia. She went to the door, trying to catch a glimpse of Alicia as the Wardens took her away. She could hear them moving quickly down the corridor, but could see nothing. As she turned away, her eye was caught by a gleam on the floor. It was a ring of keys, less than a foot away from the bars of her cell.

Immediately she knew what had happened. Just as the Warden was putting the keys back in his pocket, Alicia had gone into her convulsions. As the Warden fell, holding Alicia, the keys had fallen out of his pocket. And the other Warden had been unlocking the gates; they might not miss this set of keys for several hours. Bending down, she reached out through the bars and picked them up. Looking closely at each key in the dim light, she could make out the labels, "SLEEP," "GATES," "SHOWERS," "EXIT," "ELEVATOR," and "VAN." She stopped at the last ones. This was a complete set; she could open her cell door, make her way to the elevator, and escape in a van parked at the entrance. It was night, there were only a handful of Wardens awake, and at least two of them were occupied. After all these weeks, months of captivity, she held in her hand the means to leave it behind. She selected the key labeled "SLEEP," then reached back through the cell bars and inserted it into the door lock. The key went in easily, it was the right one. She started to turn the key, to open her door to freedom...

And stopped. She couldn't do it. Not like that. Cathy felt her master's presence, looking at her, waiting for her to choose. She pulled the key out of the still-locked cell door, looked at the ring of keys wistfully, and then tossed them out the bars to the far side of the hallway, out of reach. She turned and went back to her bed. It was lights out; she was supposed to be asleep. The rules did not allow her into the corridors without a Warden as escort, and she was certain she wasn't permitted a set of keys. Falling asleep, she smiled, she would continue on her chosen path, and wait for her master.

About fifteen minutes later the first Warden returned, picked up his set of keys in the hallway, looked over at Cathy sleeping in her cell, nodded in approval, and continued on his way. His girl Alicia was a superb actress; even he had been halfway convinced she was having some type of seizure. Alicia was back in their quarters now, sleeping. He had stopped in the surveillance room for a few minutes, to review the tape of Cathy with the keys, and then continued on his rounds. Cathy's master would be pleased when he saw that tape. And he would collect that $5 bet from Joe, the other Warden who had helped tonight. Joe had been sure she would at least open the door.

The next morning Cathy awoke to the usual routine. When the Warden came to collect her, she started to ask about Alicia then thought better of it. The Warden noticed her slight hesitation, smiled, and told her, "Alicia is okay, Cathy. She had a quiet night and won't be returning here today. She will be well cared for."

"Yes, Sir, thank you for telling me," Cathy replied as she took her place in line. The day proceeded normally; the incident with the keys was never mentioned by anyone. That night Cathy was back in with several girls she had known for some time. Cathy and the other talked about the day until lights out, when they all went to bed.

Cathy did not see Alicia again, and assumed she had been released to her master for medical reasons. She had worried it might be something contagious, but no one else got sick. She had seen the Warden from that night a few times since, once he had looked at her oddly, but he had never mentioned the keys in the hallway, or how they had gotten to the far wall. Since he still made rounds at night, she assumed he had not gotten into trouble over the keys, or no one had known they were missing. Just as well, he was a decent guy, and she didn't want to see him get into trouble.

The daily routine continued for a few more days, until one morning, after showers, as the group Cathy was in was walking down a hallway to their assigned classroom, the Warden in charge suddenly stopped them. Another Warden came through the door, spoke to the supervisor for a moment, then came back to where Cathy was standing. The Warden unlocked her wrists from the group chain, handcuffed her hands behind her back, took hold of her upper arm, and led her away from the group. Cathy glanced back, saw them continue on, and then turned back to her guard. What was happening? Had they finally discovered the incident with the keys? Was she being taken to the punishment room again? She almost spoke, to plead for leniency, but she knew better.

They continued on for a while, and then he stopped at a barred door. He unlocked the door, freed her wrists, and then pushed her inside, closing the door behind her. She looked around, suddenly realizing where she was when she saw the sign on the wall, "SECURED AREA," and the rules underneath. There was the small table, and the other door, the one to the elevator. This was the lower entrance.

On the table a set of clothing was waiting for her, including underwear and shoes. Next to it was the familiar box that had held the chastity belt she had worn since the day she arrived, and which she still wore. Next to the box was a simple necklace, with two keys on it. Cathy recognized them immediately, the keys to her belt and the collar around her neck. On top of the clothing was a short note in her master's handwriting, "Your time here is over. I will arrive shortly to take you home. You may dress while waiting for me." Cathy looked at the note, read it over and over, tears in her eyes, relieved her long ordeal was finally over and she would be with her master once again. She set the note down and reached for the keys to that belt that had caused her so much frustration and misery.

Cathy smoothed her skirt one last time as she heard the entrance door unlock. It had been so long, she wanted to look her very best for her Master. The door opened, and there he was. She ran to him, put her arms around him, and felt his muscular arms encircle her once more. She laid her head against his chest, feeling again his sure strength holding her, surrounding her. He held her for a long moment, bent down and kissed her, then held her out at arm's length, "Let me look at you." Cathy stood with her head down, sensing his gaze on her.

"Well, I think you are more than ready to leave, shall we go?" he asked her. He walked over to the table and picked up the box off the table. It felt very light so he looked inside, and saw only an empty box.

"Master? I believe these keys belong to you," Cathy said, placing the long necklace chain with the keys around his neck. "But please, master, don't lose them," she smiled back at him. He reached for her, slid a hand around her waist, and felt the hard steel band of the belt underneath her skirt. Looking close, he could just see the steel still circling her throat, under the high collar of her blouse. He looked a question at her. "Master, it is for you to decide what I will wear for you, and for how long. I want you to hold the keys."

He looked at her a moment, one hand holding the keys hanging around his neck. Then he picked up the empty box in one hand, took Cathy's hand in the other, and led her into the elevator. At the top, the elevator door opened, and the guard looked in to make sure Cathy and her master were the only two passengers. He unlocked the gate, nodded to them, and resumed his seat by the door. The two of them walked out the front door, to her master's waiting car in the driveway.

"I have a surprise for you Cathy. We aren't going straight home. A friend has loaned me his beach house on Coronado Island, in San Diego. We will be spending a few days there first."

"Oh master! That's wonderful. It is so pretty there. And we have so much to talk about, so much I want to say. And do, if you might consider using that key around your neck," she winked at her master.

Her master roared with laughter. "Yes I would imagine you are very interested in the disposition of this particular key. By the way, I invited some guests to meet us there. I don't think you ever met Big Mike, interesting story, he's a mining engineer, was held hostage by Bolivian Indians for about a year. An old friend of mine, he just got back to the States a few weeks ago. I think you do know his girl, her name is Paula."

Cathy sat back in the car seat, "Paula? You mean the Paula I met in ..." Her voice trailed off at the sight of the big smile on her master's face. "Oh master! You know all about her. Sir, I really did learn my lesson in there. No more doubts, I want to be your girl, I want you to be my master. I will never disappoint you again."

"Cathy, I believe you. I can see the difference. I love you, I want to be your master, to care for and protect you, to give you the space to grow in your own way. It hurt me, more than you can know, to have sent you to that place, but I knew it would save our relationship."

"It was a terrible place master, but it also works. Free from distractions, forced to focus on what's important, I came to realize, and accept, what I am and what I want. I hope I never have to go back there, but if you believe it is in my best interest, I will go willingly." She leaned across the car seat, kissed him lightly on the cheek, and then settled back as they drove through the desert.

"Sir, I was wondering if you could answer just one question, about that place? I never figured out how the Wardens always seemed to know where they were going, but none of the hallways or doors are marked. I never did figure out how they did it." All during her stay Cathy had tried to spot some hidden mark on the wall or pattern in the floor or ceiling, but never saw anything to mark particular locations.

"Funny you should ask, that's an idea I suggested from some unrelated research I did for a customer years ago." He started to explain. "There is a small radio transmitter in each wall and by many doors. As they walk by the location is whispered into a hearing aid type receiver in their ear. It's very short range, only a few feet. They always know exactly where they are, and they can hear announcements over a private intercom too." Cathy nodded, it made sense. She had been looking for some secret mark and had never noticed the receivers.

She relaxed and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of once again belonging to her master, the feelings of freedom and completeness in her submission to him. And she knew, with a certainty, the next time she heard the words "your master requires your presence," she would be there, at his side, her place.