Chapter 1: The Visitor

Robert wondered, how his Wife had managed to bring her daughter to wear the light flowery dress. It covered way more of her body than anything she had worn for years. There had been no time to wash weeks of grime out of her hair but at least it was carefully kempt and now framed the face of the girl his daughter had once been.

Sandra was sitting opposite her parents in the living room and waiting for the ominous visitor. Her obvious curiosity and trepidation nearly made him take her into his arms. But then the doorbell rang and Louisa went to greet the visitor.

He looked normal going on plain. His dark grey suit, the blue tie, and the shiny black shoes wouldn’t merit a second glance if she passed him on the street, Sandra thought to herself. But a firm handshake and good eyes. The mouth …

“Attention, please! Mr. Black just asked you a question!”

Sandra was really frightened now. She looked at her father, then at the stranger sitting comfortably in his chair.

“It doesn’t matter, Mr. Hamer. There is ample time for questions later. Sandra has problems concentrating. Many of our clients show similar symptoms. General neglect of her outer appearance. Her mind is a mess. No structure whatsoever. You will see that your daughter will benefit greatly from our therapy.”

“How long …”

“Mrs. Hamer, I cannot seriously answer that. Not yet anyhow. We will assess your daughter during the first week of her stay at The Retreat. I will inform you in ten days about the details of her therapy and the proposed duration of her stay.”

“But …” Sandra couldn’t believe what was happening.

“Hush, my dear. We do not need any input from you for the time being.”

“You dirty …”

“Sandra, please behave yourself! You make this much more difficult for all of us!” Louise had tears in her eyes.

“You will see great improvement after her stay with us! You agreed to our social package?” Mr. Black asked the parents after a look at his tablet.

“Yes. You see, we cannot afford anything else.”

“Very well. This means that Sandra will have to work for her treatment.”

Robert was very OK with that: “I think it is high time that she earns some money!”

“But she has no education. How can she earn the kind of money you charge for her treatment?” asked Louise.

“You just let us worry about that, Mrs. Hamer. There are lots of possibilities for a young able-bodied woman, aren’t there?”

“What do you mean …?”

“Stop it, Louise. We agreed on this course of action. I do not really need to know, how they deal with her. To be honest, I am quite sure, she will soon return to us anyhow. They will cut their teeth on her, believe me.”

“Well, Mr. Hamer, we will see, won’t we? Our success rate is …”

“We have read your brochure, thanks. Do you need us to sign anything?”

For the first time in her life, Sandra was intimidated and did not dare to open her mouth. Her father obviously couldn’t wait to get rid of her. Her parents were about to abandon her. How could they?

“You are funny, Mr. Hamer! What we are doing here is – strictly speaking – illegal. Your daughter is a grown-up citizen. Thus, whatever you sign won’t have any meaning. I am going to abduct your daughter and you are accomplices in her . Don’t be afraid, we gladly take the risk upon us. We are happy to help you and have arranged a plausible story to explain her disappearance.”

“She got a job offer in Sanbana. She will work there as a nanny. I think she doesn’t have a lot of friends who want to know about her whereabouts.” Robert said.

“Indeed. Our background check revealed that she has very little presence on social media. Her two best friends will get an email explaining what happened. If necessary we will provide messages showing that she is alive and well.”

Sandra was in a panic now. She jumped up, looking for a route of escape. Before she even knew it, Mr. Black was behind her and gripped both her arms.

“Mrs. Hamer, if you please?”

Her mother was standing in front of her. Sandra was shouting, pegging, and trying to kick around when she saw the syringe in Louisa's Hand. Then there was a sting. And then …