Serena walked over to where the elevators were as she pressed the button to call for one. She waited for a few seconds before she was joined by a mother and child, the woman ignored Serena, but the little girl was openly staring at her.
The mother glanced at her daughter's wandering eyes and told her, "Don't stare."
Serena couldn't help but smile at the beautiful little girl, imagining herself and her future child to be close like that. "Hello." she greeted with a warm smile.
"Are you a princess?" the little girl asked her innocent question, completely enthralled by the beautiful woman in blue.
Serena was thrown off by the question, but felt flattered by how the innocent child saw her as such. "No honey, I'm not." she corrected with a fond smile.
"Most definitely not." the mother stated in a cold tone as she held her daughter close to her person, "Do not talk to her sweet heart, the women in blue from her country steal children away from their families." Serena's smile disappeared at the disdain within the woman's words as the latter glared at her.
"Why?" The little girl asked, not understanding the hate her mother bears for the beautiful woman.
"Because they are evil creatures who twist Christianity into their own benefits. Since they are cursed to never have children, they resort to tearing babies from mothers who can." The stare the woman gave Serena was so chilling, she thought she was going to freeze up.
"Where did you hear such things?" Serena asked, hurt by how this woman instantly labeled her as an evil person.
"Your Gileadean kind killed my sister," the mother answered, "you tore her children from her and gave them to monsters of your regime. Don't try to deny it. Whoever you helped raped and got impregnated, I hope she gets here soon before you infect that child with your evil." her words stung Serena to the core, never had someone talk back to her like that save Offred.
The elevators opened for one of them, but neither made an move to get inside. "Come sweetheart, we're taking the stairs. Whatever toxic air she breathed in from her home is dangerous if we are in a small space with her. Safer for us not to be poisoned." she said, throwing shade at Serena one more time as she pulled her daughter away from the elevators.
"Blessings to you." Serena said to the woman as a form of greeting and farewell despite how much her words hurt the Gileadean Wife.
"May God cast you into the fiery pit." The mother responded, not bothering to look behind her as she kept her baby girl close to her.
Serena was left standing there before the elevators, the woman's words echoing in her mind. Feeling eyes on her, she turned to see the guests and employees staring or glaring at her before giving her the cold shoulder.
No longer feeling the need to return to her hotel room, she turned away from the elevators and made her way to the bar to get something strong to drink.