Perfected Ch. 7-8

Chapter Seven

Ella goes to check on Ruby in her bedroom. Ruby is really upset so Ella... decides to lay down in bed next to her?? Okay, that happened.

Ruby tells Ella that the phone call was a girl who wanted a ride to a party that Ruby was not invited to. Ella is unhelpful, and Ruby gives her a butterscotch. Ella is reluctant because it's not an approved food, and Ruby works her corrupting influence and Ella finally eats it. Ella is in rapturous glee or something. There's a couple potshots at Elise because we can't have a positive mother figure in YA. Ella finally admits to Ruby that she can't read.

Ruby is really upset at Ella's lack of... abilities and immediately decides to teach her to read, and it's really cute. Dammit, I just want this story to be Ruby being Ruby and not all this other creepy-ass shit.

After they read some stories (Ruby decides to start out reading aloud and teaching letters later), Ella leaves and hears music coming from Penn's bedroom.

The voice coming from behind the door was gruff and slightly shaky, and filled my heart with an ache I'd never felt before. The pain in my chest was sudden and completely unexpected, and I leaned up against the door frame and closed my eyes tight, trying to hold on to the sound even though it hurt me. I couldn't tell whether it was sadness or joy pushing against the insides of my ribs, threatening to break me open.

Yeah, I feel crappy when I listen to Kings of Leon too.

Ella straight up starts crying because apparently she was never taught to control her emotions and Ray LaMontagne is just that soulful to a dumb uneducated girl, I guess, and Penn opens the door and surprises her.

"What, they didn't have music at the puppy mill?"

I mean, nice potshot at the disgustingness of the Kennels, but c'mon, Penn, you know they're trained in music you dick.

"We had music, but it was all classical. Nothing like this. This is so. . ." I fought for the right word, but I couldn't decide what to call it. "...so beautiful," I finally said.

 I mean... sure. That's what you'd call Ray LaMontagne if you've never even conceived of other music ever. I mean, not bashing the guy at ALL, but it'd be super jarring going from Bach to his smoky vocals.

0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0.0................................

 BTW that was my cat and I'm leaving it in because I'm amused.

Their conversation is interrupted by Elise and another woman talking downstairs. They're arguing.

"Of course it's my business. It's a complete injustice. I thought you'd come to your sense, but apparently I was wrong. To think that you and your husband are bringing this sort of barbarity into our neighborhood a second time. It's unbelievable."

...I just. Barbarity? Not... sick? Twisted? Disgusting? Just barbaric? Sure, Jan. I mean, yeah, it's good that she's pissed about it, but that seems a bit tame of a descriptor.

"We are the owners of a pet that the United States of America has deemed entirely legal in all fifty states. Whether or not you agree with it is beside the point."

 

DAMMIT ELISE I TRUSTED YOU.

 The other woman sees Ella, and Penn... apparently decides to block her view of Ella. Elise makes the other woman leave.

"You don't have to hide her from me," the woman said. she grabbed onto the doorframe and her voice rose again. "you! Girl!" she yelled at me. "Don't let them trap you here." Her voice was frantic. 

Elise betrays me further and pushes the woman out the door and slams the door.

I thought you were my friend, Elise. I thought you were my friend.

Chapter Eight

Ella is sitting in her room overcome with FEELINGS. I mean, I guess I get it. She hears other music and tastes candy for the first time and her life before sounds dull as shit. I mean, her currently life is dull as shit but at least Ruby interacts with her.

Guess who knocks at her door and opens it before she could respond?

OUR RESIDENT CREEPER!

I wish it were this kind.

Ella invites him in and he sits next to her on the couch. This bitch has a couch in her room? Shit, they do have more money than they know what to do with. 

He asks about her first day, and she lies. The congressman gives her a box and she opens it to see a necklace with a pendant. A round pendant. With a word engraved on it. That turns out to be her name.

Does this Bullshit have a contact number? 

Jesus, next he's going to get her microchipped.

"It's your name," he said, reachign out to run his finger over the lettering. "And on the other side it has our address and phone number."

WHAT THE HELL I WAS JOKING ABOUT THE CONTACT NUMBER!

 He cups her cheek and then says he'll put the necklace on her. It's creepy. He keeps his hand on her bare shoulder long after he puts the ID tag on. Then he kisses her cheek.

Elise was watching the whole time and I just want her to have lulled us into a false sense of security with the other woman (I think her name is Rhonda) to throw her husband off the scent and then she kills him in his sleep with one of her fabulous stilletto heels. Though Elise strikes me as the type to be a lot more duplicitous than that. Maybe poison. A little injection between the toes....

I really freaking hate John the congressman.

Elise is all "Let Ella go to sleep" ALONE, and they leave.

After awhile Ella goes outside to the pool and puts her feet in the water. Yanno, Ruby n ever did put sunscreen on her so she should be super red by now. I call shenanigans. Unless... I wouldn't be surprised if they could genetically engineer these chicks to avoid sunburn somehow. It makes as much sense as anything else in this piece of shit.

Ella is thinking about taking off the ID tag when WHO SHOULD APPEAR BUT NONE OTHER THAN PENN AND TELLER?!

That would make this book so much better

"You look like a ghost in that nightgown," he said.

And you look like... a douche in that... face?

Ella tries to leave, saying he might be expecting someone else, and he realizes she saw him making out with that one chick. She asks if she's Penn's friend.

Penn explains they used to go to school together and apparently John's like MY SON CAN'T BE A MUSICIAN, HE HAS TO BE A BUSINESSMAN because we need that boring ass bullshit trope in this novel as well.

"Is that why you touched her that way?" I asked. "Because you were bored?"

The... hell? I mean, I figured they'd keep these dumbasses as ignorant as possible but she doesn't even know what kissing is. Mein Gott im Himmel. Penn gets really flustered at her questions and realizes that Ella is more innocent than a three year old.

Penn is like WTF yo, they didn't teach you anything and... what

But before I could untangle the knot of questions jumbled up inside me, Penn leaned forward quickly and brushed his lips against mine. They only rested against mine for a moment, but the touch sent a spark buzzing to the very center of my body.

WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOU

Like. This is so ridiculously gross. The only reason it's not as slimy as the congressman is because Penn is around her age. AND THAT IS NO GODDAMN EXCUSE FOR THIS. She has absolutely no frame of reference for this level of intimacy, and it's like. ugh. No. This isn't romantic.

THIS. 

IS.

NOT.

ROMANTIC.

Kissing a girl who doesn't understand, who has no concept of boundaries or consent, is NOT. GODDAMN. ROMANTIC. Penn. No. Stop. No. 

Penn is all "lol now you know what it feels like" but they're interrupted by Elise and John arguing over John kissing Ella. Ella idly wonders if John felt the same spark she felt with Penn.

I am so grossed out right now, guys.

Elise is pissy because John can't help himself around the girls and she doesn't want to have to go through it all again. Rightfully so. Elise is like "I don't want an apology, I want reassurance" (I'm taking it as meaning that he DOESN'T TOUCH THE GODDAMN SEX SLAVE) and John's like "but I got her for Ruuuuubyyyy it's soooo not the saaaame".

So... he's admitting he got Ravenna for sexy times? Or what? I'm so confused.

John pulls up the same bullshit about it looking bad if he doesn't support his own bill and he doesn't want people digging into what happened with Ravenna. Like. I'm pretty sure people are already doing it. ESPECIALLY with something as violating of fundamental human rights as this. Anonymous probably had everything on this dickbag as soon as he proposed the legislation.

Of course, there's still no mention of cell phones, computers, Internet, or even a goddamn TV so... yeah. Maybe the Internet doesn't exist in this universe.

Elise agrees that it will be good for Ruby instead of... I dunno, getting her counseling or signing her up for karate or soccer or anything outside of school to get her interacting with kids her own age. Nope, gotta get a $200,000+ girl who is unable to get through a conversation without sounding like a blue footed booby.

Also Elise is like "I want her to not be fat anymore and care about her looks" becuase... that is 100% relevant to anything. 

"I'm trying to keep an open mind. You're the one who's refusing to listen. I fyou would just consider having her-"

"I'm not getting her spayed."

 

John whines because it costs $10,000 dollars and she'll be recovering for weeks. Because. Um. That is so much money. When he spent at least $220,000 on her in the first place. 

(also a laproscopic tubal ligation takes about 1 week to recover from).

Like. Um. Yeah. So. Tristan and I were discussing this. I thought it was really weird that the people engineering these girls didn't make them infertile in the first place. Tristan pointed out it brings a whole other really disgusting level of people who purposefully want to get these girls pregnant.

I am. So. Disturbed. By. This. Book. Furthermore, does Ella get her period? That seems like... that would be something the owners wouldn't want to deal with, regardless of what they use her for. 

To his credit, Penn is extremely disturbed. Ella begs Penn to tell her what it means, and she thinks about the room they took girls into. Yeah, it's a euthanasia room.

Ravenna totally got pregnant by Congressman DoucheChill and was murdered. 

Penn explains what spayed means, and Ella is like "I didn't know i could have babies. La dee dah, oh, why did the other pet get returned?

Penn repeats what was said about Ravenna the day before, that she "came down" with something they couldn't deal with and the kennels insisted that she come back. 

Penn refuses to tell her more and leaves. Because why would he explain to her how fucked up the situation really is and give her the information she needs to start thinking as her own person? Oh right, this motherfucker randomly kisses her when she doesn't understand what that means either.

Ella is worried she may be sent back because she has weird feelings about Penn. Now she's worried she may be euthanized. aND THIS IS WHY KEEPING PEOPLE IN IGNORANCE IS FUCKED UP, WILLIAM PENN.

Tristan was right. This book is an abomination.