Heya, there has been a little traffic on this story but I would like to see more. I am fairly confident I responded to all the reviews, if not I'm sorry. I'll try and keep better track. Anywho, enjoy and REVIEW!
Entry 2- August 17, 2111
I don't want to go out today but my fuel is running low. Mina's words ring in my head as I scrub at myself. Luna is also getting restless. It's ten and we haven't left yet. I know I need to hurry, the hotter it is out the faster my scent envelopes me. Today I'll have to wear gloves to hide my hands or something. Mina's information had told me much about hiding myself.
I had analyzed my steps and found that I do walk heavily on the outsides of my feet. My medical book says it's a common characteristic of women with wide hips, caused by a rotation of the legs that results in tighter calf muscles. I've been working on walking more evenly and have even been stretching more. Seems to be working but I'll never know for sure.
Sighing I put on my clothes and walk to the door. I crack it open and let Luna out. I leave it a hair cracked, my new weapon drawn and ready to strike any who may enter. A few moments go by and I am getting nervous. Luna has not returned, a bad sign.
Panic begins to envelope me as a few more moments go by. I had promised myself long ago that I wouldn't go after her. If she didn't come back it was a sign that someone was out there waiting for me. I should slam the door now and not come out but if someone was there now it wouldn't matter. They would wait me out.
Damn. With a steady foot I opened the door a bit and stepped into the turned over dumpster. Taking another step I glanced out at the expanse of land and saw the white cat looking at me. He sat staring, his eyes fixed. Mina.
I quickly moved out and saw her standing a ways away with Luna in her arms. She smiled at me, A smile I didn't like. She sets Luna down who barrels towards me with a relieved hop to her stride. While I'd like to pick her up I currently have my bow aimed at the blonde woman staring at me.
"What do you want?" I asked firmly. "I will not give up my shelter. Nor will I allow you to live in it with me. I do not have the space."
Mina laughed then snapped her fingers, her cat walked to her lazily and was promptly picked up. "I am not here to take your shelter. I am here to ask a few questions. You see, my cat here is a male and there are very few female cats out there. I was wondering if you would be willing to breed your kitty." She cooed and rubbed her cat's ear. "I also come to offer you better shelter. You're hiding place is nicely disguised but it is not safe to live out here on your own. I can offer you safety."
"I am not interested in either of your proposals." I state blankly and glance up at the sun. It's too late to head into market now. Damn this woman!
"You are skeptical, rightfully so! I understand your hesitance. I assure you though, I can offer you better lodgings and more protection. There is a settlement of us, living in a large complex. I cannot tell you where as of now but I would be willing to show you if you blindfold yourself. You have nothing to lose really." She shrugged her indifference and set her cat down.
There was no way I was going to do this. None. She could sense it in me I am sure.
"Very well then, if you come with us I will send Malachite to market for your items. We will return you safely to your shelter and that will be it. We are not in the business of forcing our will on others. I simply thought you may find such an arrangement satisfactory. We can use your skills. You have your wits to you, you can garden, you are a valuable person. You also have a female cat. Another asset." She winked then sighed and looked above my head. That is when I noticed the large shadow I was standing in. Glancing to the side I saw that Malachite was standing on top of the dumpster with a gun in his hand aimed at me.
"You're not are you?" I sneered and glared at Mina.
"For my protection of course. If you were to shoot me with your bow Malachite would retaliate, that is all." I had to laugh at that. Her protection, as if. "Simply come with us Sean… what is your real name?"
"If I tell you, and accompany under the terms you specified… will you leave me be?" I asked frankly. I have never been one to beat around the bush.
"You have my word." She nodded. I glanced at Malachite and nodded. Returning to the doorway I shut and locked it in the secret way I had, and turned around. Malachite had come down and was staring at me with skepticism.
"Come now, your name?" Mina pushed and hurriedly grabbed my arm. I panicked and pulled away from her. "Sorry." She laughed.
"Serena. My name is Serena." I relented and watched her as she squealed with joy. How nice for her to be able to be so free. I could never be that free. To walk around undisguised, to sing and laugh. Oh how wonderful.
She was so happy, and Malachite seemed to take everything in stride. He walked behind us, his taller frame dwarfing our petite ones. "How long did you plan to hide like that Serena?" He asked suddenly. "You were easily discovered, thank the stars we happened upon you first."
"I will continue to hide for many more years." I snorted in anger. How can these people stand there and ask this? This was my life, my decision.
Malachite snorted in response. "You will not last long if you do. You have fooled everyone so far because they thought you to be young. Now that you have been around for a time the men know there is something off with you. Andrew knows your secret and is trying to hide you but others have been asking around. That is how we came to know of you. Mina volunteered to approach you and I am her companion." He offered the information so freely it was a surprise.
"What does that mean? Companion?" I asked with doubt. I had heard that word before always relating to a situation where a woman is being prostituted out.
"It means that I am her protector, as well as her lover. We chose one another you see, I am not taking advantage of her." He assured me and she giggled. I doubted the words though. How any woman could endure the company of a filthy, dirty man I'll never know.
Evil, that's what men are, mark my words! The only man I have ever known not to be evil was my own father. All others only take what they want will no regard for anything but their whims. In addition, they were dirty creatures, always smelling of dirt and months of sweat. They are unkempt and simply disgusting. Malachite looked clean enough and smelled okay but I couldn't trust that. I couldn't trust them.
Couldn't trust them, of course not. So why the hell had I let them finagle me into following them across this barren land? I cannot fathom a true answer.
Luna pawed my leg and suddenly, I felt guilty about this situation. I had no idea what I got us into. I had forgotten my kitty, that sickened me a bit. Pausing for a moment I scooped her up and placed her on my shoulder. We walked a few more steps before Malachite suddenly grabbed hold of my free shoulder as well as Mina's. I froze in fear. What did this behemoth of a man want from me?
I quickly scanned my surroundings and saw two men walking over a hill to our left. I held my arrow a little tighter as I saw them turn their attention onto us. Malachite positioned himself in front of us and squared his shoulders. He looked powerful, and I knew all too well that power was deadly.
"Hello gentlemen! Can I help you?" He asked blandly.
"Yes, yes you can." One of the men responded and glanced at me. "We're passing through and looking for supplies. Know where we can get some?" He shrugged casually.
"South, nestled between some hills, a half mile." Malachite answered coldly.
The man chucked and stepped up to me. He looked at me carefully and placed a hand on my head. "This your kid?" I felt the color leave my face as I dreaded Malachite's answer. "Got a nice bow. Been looking for one of those."
"Hands off." Malachite snapped dangerously and forced the man to back away. "My wife and I were going for a nice walk with our son before you happened along. He's ambitious, hoped to get a bird. That a crime?"
"Not anymore man. Look, we don't want trouble. We're just looking for supplies." With their attention off of me they turned their eyes on Mina. "You have a beautiful wife."
"Thank you. Mina, go ahead with Sean, not too far though." Malachite demanded. Mina smiled coolly and placed a hand on my shoulder. She gave me a look that said everything would be fine and stepped ahead.
I followed her and watched the men stare at us. "Stop looking at them." Mina demanded. "They'll know something's up if you keep gawking. That ass, there's no way I'm your mother."
"I don't mean to stare, I just want to be ready. Those men are looking for confrontation." I sighed and readied my bow.
"I know. Poor guys, they have no idea what's about to happen to them." Mina shrugged and smiled at me. "Anybody even looks at me, Malachite takes care of it. That wolf was raping me with his eyes." She shuddered a bit. "Animal."
I nodded. I noticed the way they had looked at Mina. I turned one last time to see Malachite holding a gun to the men. They looked terrified and though I couldn't hear it, I knew Mal was yelling at them. They cowered in front of him.
Rightfully so really. Though it's rare to find a gun with ammunition in it you can never be sure the gun is not armed. In addition, if the gun is armed people are reluctant to shoot it. It's even more difficult to find bullets. Some idiots (and I suspected these men are idiots) disregard the possibility of a gun being armed at all simply for this reason.
Sure enough one of the men lunged at Malachite, a deafening shot rang out as the attacker dropped to the ground. I was shocked. Just who were these two? Malachite had a loaded gun, Mina was somewhat fearless, what the hell? This isn't how people are! People are scavengers, they scrounge for supplies and conserve them as much as possible. Malachite had no problem shooting that man, wasting a bullet. Mina didn't seem shocked either.
"What the hell?" I gasp out loud as Malachite began to walk towards us. The other man had begun running away the second his friend had fallen down. "You have a loaded gun?" I turned to Mina who stood unfazed by what had just happened.
"Well, yeah, it's dangerous out here in case you haven't noticed." She shrugged then smiled as Malachite approached us. "You showed them." She laughed and pulled his lips to hers. I blushed and looked to the side. "My big strong man, defending us. I love you." She added then looked at me inquisitively. "Embarrassed?"
"Can we just go?" I asked with annoyance. They nodded and we continued on. We began to walk into what I considered a valley, or canyon was more like it. I began to worry once again. Why were they bringing me here? In a canyon like this no one would hear me scream. No one would help me anyway but sometime the prospect of others hearing screams gives me hope.
On this note, I don't go into canyons, ever. They are dangerous. If there aren't gangs waiting to kill you, there is the possibility of an animal jumping you. Luna was on edge as well. We walked further into the canyon, the light straining to reach the ground.
That's when I saw it. There was a large metal door with two men flanking it. They each held large automatic guns that I assume would do serious damage. As we approached the two men smiled happily.
"Hey! Mina, Mal! Brought a friend huh?" The blonde man on the left chuckled. "Damn her. I hate it when Raye is right. Makes me look bad."
"Get used to it Jed. Women are always right." The blonde man on the right chuckled. I studied him carefully. There was something off about him. He was tall, his blonde hair short, his eyes were a deep green but it was his voice ad shoulders that made me question him. He had smaller shoulders and a voice that didn't sound male. Could this person be a woman? If so she was very good at looking the part of a man.
"Jadeite, Amara, this is Serena. We're trying to convince her to join us." Mina smiled and put her arm around my shoulder. "She's pretty good at pretending to be a guy huh Amara?"
"She doesn't have the build." Amara responded.
"Yeah, lacks your man-hands." Jadeite joked with the woman at the door. He laughed heartily as she shot him an angry glare.
"Watch it boy. I'm not afraid to remove your parts. Then you can be a woman too." Amara sneered then turned back to Mina. "Well, I suppose you ought to get her in. Sun is going to set soon enough." Amara stepped back and opened a metal panel to the right of the door. She then placed her hand on the black plate underneath and I heard a beeping sound. A moment later the door slid open automatically.
I had to marvel at this. For one, these people had guns, then technology, and power! This was amazing! I then quelled my excitement and grew immediately suspicious. If these people had so much, what did they want with me? There was something strange about this situation.
"Come on my new sister!" Mina pulled me towards the dark opening in the side of the canyon. Once I went through the doors I was doomed. I could just feel it in me. Then again, with all of their guns it didn't matter what I did right now.
So, with a heavy heart, I walked into the darkness. As I did I noticed illuminated strips on the ground that seemed to outline a corridor. I followed the strips, Mina and Mal close behind me, until I came to another door. Mina giggled then stepped by me and taped a code into a key panel I had failed to notice.
When the door slid open I was unprepared for what greeted me. I was ushered into a large, round room with a dome ceiling. The walls were made of concrete, the floors were too for that matter. There were numerous tables and chairs to my right and couches to my left. Bookshelves held books and board games. There was a staircase in the middle of the room leading up to a walkway that went around the whole perimeter. Numerous doors lined the walls both upstairs and down. I was simply in awe over the site.
Mina laughed lightly and walked passed me to one of the large couches where there were other people sitting and staring at me. A mixture of men and women. I blushed and followed Mina hoping she would introduce me.
"Hey all! Look what I found!" She sang and motioned to me. "Her name is Serena, that is her kitty Luna. She's smart and has been living alone for some time in the outlands. Been watching her for a while, she can read and is good at horticulture." She reported easily. I was a little weary. I had no idea she had been watching me for some time. "Serena, come, sit down. Relax a bit." She sat on one of the couches and patted the cushion next to her. I sat and glanced around the room. There were six women and five men present. Each one rather attractive and clean looking.
"I'll do intros." Mina announced and began to point to the other people in the room. "That's Raye, Lita, Amy, Michelle, Trista, and Hotaru. These guys here are Zoicite, Nephrite, Seiya, Yaten, and Taiki. You met Amara, Jed, myself, Artemis and Mal. Now there's only Darien. He's always roaming around here. You'll meet him eventually." She shrugged. "We're a happy community of civilized people with skillsets." Mina smiled at me.
"Well, most of us have skillsets; you're only here to keep Mal happy." Raye retorted playfully then laughed.
"I'm the emotional support around here. That and I am a good scout. I followed Serena didn't I?" Mina huffed indignantly.
"Yes, good girl." Raye cooed then turned her lavender eyes on me. She was beautiful, her long raven hair framed her face wonderfully. She had an out of this world quality to her, as if she could see into you. "Welcome Serena. I hope that you choose to stay with us. We have been purchasing your vegetables in the market for some time. You have a gift. You see, we do not allow anyone to just come here. you have been chosen. You're intelligent, a quality that is hard to come by now days. You also have skills, something else that benefits our group." Raye outlined.
"In exchange for your skills and company, we offer much. Comfortable shelter, your own room, power, warm cooked meals, most of all, we offer protection. No one will harm you as long as you are a part of our group. We take care of one another." Lita chimed in her green eyes studying me carefully.
"Of course, a large part of what we offer is human companionship. You are very social so I imagine you had someone at one time." Amy added onto Lita's speech. I felt sadness grip me as I recalled my father. I loved him dearly and he was gone now. "I'm sorry, I've upset you?" Amy frowned, her blue eyes reflecting my sadness.
I regained myself as promptly as possible and sighed. This was a dream, this had to be a dream. "Look, I thank you all for allowing me to come here but I am happy where I am. It is my home, my family's home." I added.
"It may be that, but you have been discovered. You may not know this Serena but we have been watching you for some time. People know about you and it was time to make a decision, offer you a place amongst us, or, allow you to suffer a cruel fate. You cannot go back to that place alone." Nephrite declared powerfully. "There have been numerous killings to protect you Serena. You are valuable. Do not be so foolish to allow sentiments to be your downfall." He knit his brow with concern.
"Everything I have is there." I protested.
"We can move everything here. Anything you want." Zoicite assured me calmly. "Whatever you desire, we will retrieve. We will take you at first light to gather your belongings." He added.
"I do not have a choice in this matter do I?" I asked solemnly.
"Not if you want to live." Hotaru frowned. "I was like you too, had my shelter, I barely made it out. I lost all of my belongings because I didn't take the offer they gave me. I only thank heavens I was allowed in." She spoke with gratitude. Could I live here? Be like these people? "You do have a choice though."
"You should sleep on it." Raye offered and stood. "I will show you to your room for the night." She began to walk towards one of the doors. "I think you will be pleasantly surprised by our accommodations. This bunker was built by my family before the war. It was meant to be a sort of safe house hotel. My parents handpicked the original occupants each one with a different skillset. We are still doing that now." She opened a door and stepped inside. "Each room has its own temperature control and restroom. There are down blankets on the bed and clean linens in the closet. If you need anything someone is always in the common room. I will get a cat box made up for your friend." She smiled and looked around the room. "Well, I'll leave you alone then."
"Wait, Raye." I stopped her. "Are there extra clothes?" I asked shyly. She nodded and opened the closet doors to reveal a full wardrobe. I was again amazed.
"We have communal laundry." She spoke softly. "Anything else?"
"Yes, how do you power everything?" I know I sounded dumb but I didn't care.
"Solar energy. My family owned a plant that made solar panels. Everything we have is powered that way. Our electricity, water purification system, everything." She answered easily. "My brother is a bit of a jack of all trades and maintains most of our systems, well, he and Zoi."
"Sounds nice." I nodded and looked at the large bed. It looked comfortable and I was very tired.
"Yes, well, good night. Again, if you need anything, we're here." With those words Raye stepped out of the room and closed the door.
Luna took action and jumped down to the bed and began to give herself a bath. The thought sounded good so I made my way to the restroom. I stepped in and locked the door. Turning around I found clean towels. Actual towels! I ran my hand over them and felt giddy. Turning on the water for the shower I sighed as I felt the warm water. This truly was luxury!
I stripped down and stepped in. Taking my time I washed with actual soap and shampoo! I only had a small bottle at home. I would only ever open it to smell its fragrance but never dreamed of using it. It was the only bit I had and needed to be reserved for a special occasion. I had coveted that bottle, reading the instructions over and over again. Oh how I had longed to place some in my hand, apply it to my hair, lather, then rinse. It all sounded so surreal.
There was a lot of shampoo here. Truly what a wonderful thing. I finished washing and stepped out of the shower. Wrapping a towel around myself I stepped back into the room and jumped when I saw Mina.
"Sorry! Just dropping of a cat box for Luna here." She cried and stated at me with wide eyes. "Oh, Serena, you're really beautiful! Wow!" She gawked at me a little more, her eyes wandering my body making me self-conscious. "It's a wonder you hid all that as well as you did. I am truly shocked." She blinked then stepped towards the door. "Don't let Seiya see you like that, he's a bit primal yet. Hasn't been here too terribly long." It was a warning. I knew it when she said it.
She moved to the door, opened it, flipped the lock, then stepped out. I simply stood there with unease filling me. If Seiya had the potential to hurt me then what of the other men? Would they be interested in me as well? I felt a panic rise within me. No! That couldn't happen, not to me, not here. There were too many people here… and… door locks. I suspected that every door in the place locked, meant for privacy. Well, privacy could be a bitch when you needed help.
It was something to think about. Feeling brave I dropped the towel and crawled into the bed nude. The feel of the soft sheets against my skin soothed me and allowed me to drift into sleep quickly.
