True to his word, Immortan Joe came back the next day for his wives. All of the women bathed and did one another's hair and waited patiently for him to call their name when he was done with his current wife. Toast went first, then Capable, and then Vex.

Vex demurely walked up the stairs, her head held high, to her room where Immortan Joe awaited her. She caught brief glimpses of Capable and Toast in their respective beds (no one left their rooms when Immortan Joe finished) before she pushed her curtain aside.

He tenderly rubbed her cheek and pulled her in for a kiss before setting her down on her bed. He took her from behind and ran his hands through her hair and pushed it out of the way, showing off her brand. She was thankful to be facing her bed as it hid her expression of revulsion and pain because her wounds from her first time still stung.

But he only took her once before pressing a kiss to her hair and left, calling The Dag's name.

Vex curled up on her bed, trying to ignore the throbbing between her legs and the sounds of Immortan Joe's grunts and The Dag's whimpers.

She wondered how long she would have endure his visits before his seed took hold in her belly. Would it be better to be pregnant than have him sleep with her whenever he wanted? She saw the way he doted on Angharad and her unborn child. She knew he didn't require her to sleep with him in fear it would hurt the baby and cause undue stress but it was still Immortan Joe's child. Could she handle being a mother to his child?

She heard Immortan Joe give a loud grunt before murmuring some words to The Dag and his footsteps faded down the stairs. It seems it wasn't Cheedo's time yet.

Throwing the thin linen that served as her blanket off, she stood up and exited. Below, Angharad and Cheedo were filling their circle back up with water.

She ambled down to the circle and joined them. She sat down at the edge and stuck her feet in the water.

"How're you feeling?" Angharad asked.

"Sore," Vex answered truthfully. "And bruised."

One by one the rest of the woman came down to join them, all of them grimacing as they sat.

Vex cupped her hand and filled it with water. Carefully, she shrugged her hair over her shoulder and poured the small amount of water over her brand. It twinged in pain but Vex said nothing. She was beginning to get used to the hurt.

Next she accepted some soap from Toast and ran some water of her legs and worked on scrubbing the dried fluids off her thighs. She stayed away from the apex of her thighs as it still stung something terrible.

Vex felt eyes on her and she glanced up to see Cheedo staring at her. The younger woman flushed when her eyes met Vex's and she looked away.

What did Cheedo think every time their husband came for his wives and she was left behind? Was she thankful that she had yet to do her duties? Or was she envious?

Could anyone be envious of them?

Yes, Vex realized. There were some who would kill to be in their place. To live in luxury with food and water and to deliver a child for their precious Immortan Joe would sound like a dream to the Wretched outside.

She looked at Angharad, who was currently helping Capable, and wondered who planted the idea of not being a thing in her mind. Was it Miss Giddy or…?

Her eyes traveled from Angharad to Furiosa sitting in her chair by the door. Since she told Vex her name, the woman had not uttered a single word to them. She merely watched them. Though the woman looked indifferent, there were times when Vex swore she saw anger in the Imperator's eyes.

Vex returned to scrubbing her skin and buried her thoughts deep down. It wouldn't serve her to dwell on such matters. Right now she needed to focus on building her hardness and preparing herself for the days to come.

-x-

Immortan Joe did not return for another five days. All the while Vex practiced the flute until her lungs were on fire.

After, she'd drink water and read books, sometimes joined by Toast or Angharad who would read their own books or talk quietly about the outside world.

Today, Angharad awkwardly sat down next to her on the stairs. "Hello," Angharad said.

Vex looked up from her book about the history of some land called Europe and returned the hello.

"I want you to look at something," Angharad said.

She handed Vex a small piece of a paper. Onside was blank while the other side was a picture of trees and grass. "What is it?" Vex asked curiously. She heard the wives talk about the farm Immortan Joe kept above their heads. Was this it?

"It's a green place," Angharad explained. "They used to exist long ago. There was water and food for everyone and women were not treated as breeding stock. Everyone was happy."

"Before the world was destroyed," Vex surmised. She tried to imagine what it would be like to live in a place like that where she didn't have to hide that she was healthy and a woman. But it was hard to do so. Her entire life had been Gas Town and the wasted land.

"Furiosa said she came from a place like this," Angharad continued. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "She doesn't like to talk about it though."

"She doesn't?"

"I don't know why but she won't talk about it. She says it doesn't exist anymore but I don't believe her."

Vex studied the picture intently. If Furiosa had grown up in a place like this, coming to this wasteland must have been a nightmare. How long had she been ripped away from her home?

She opened her mouth to ask Angharad that but the door opened. Immediately, the pregnant woman shoved the picture into Vex's book as Immortan Joe stood in the center of the room.

Vex's stomach twisted. It was time again? She stood up alongside Angharad and watched Immortan Joe warily.

He held his hand up and beckoned at Miss Giddy. The old woman shuffled forward. "Yes?" She asked calmly.

"I want entertainment," he said.

Miss Giddy nodded. "Of course."

She turned to look at Cheedo. "Cheedo, go sit at the piano. Vex will accompany you."

A large chair was brought into the room and Immortan Joe sat down. He look at Angharad and patted his lap. Angharad woodenly walked over and he reached for her and cradled her in his arms, one large hand resting over her round belly.

Angharad's eyes met Vex's briefly and Vex saw a flash of anger go through the pregnant woman's eyes. Vex's mouth twitched in a smile as she accepted the flute from Miss Giddy. She glanced at Cheedo and the young girl nodded. Vex lifted the flute to her lips and played the moment she heard Cheedo start her song.

She recognized the tune Cheedo played and imagined the notes in front of her. And together, they played a coherent song that sounded quite nice to Vex's ears.

She glanced up while playing and noted that even though Immortan Joe's hand was splayed over Angharad's stomach, his eyes were focused on Vex. But she did not meet his eyes and merely stared at Angharad's pregnant stomach.

The song finished and Vex allowed the flute to droop. This time, her eyes met Immortan Joe's and she saw unbridled lust in his eyes. Revulsion filled her as he began to clap.

"Wonderful," he boomed. "Simply wonderful!"

He stood, setting Angharad down gently, and reached for Vex. "You have a gift," he said to her. His hands traced her hips and back. And before Vex knew anything else, she found herself being swept up into his arms and carried upstairs.

He took his time, his hands touching every inch of her. Vex tried to force herself to enjoy it but every moment his presence filled her senses, she felt a deep loathing replace any pleasure she was supposed to feel.

I hate him, she found herself thinking many times. She hated the man who believed her his property and that she should be thankful for it. She hated him.

When he was done, he murmured soft, loving words in her ear and left. He said no other wife's name and she heard the familiar clanging sound of the vault door closing.

At that, Vex sat up and put her clothes back on. She walked out and down the stairs. Cheedo still sat at the piano, the Dag next to her. Capable and Toast looked up from their books and Angharad stood in the center of the room, staring at her.

Vex took a deep breath. "I am not a thing," she said loudly for everyone in the room to hear.

Angharad smiled. "You are not."

-x-

He didn't return after that. Vex buried herself in books and her flute. Her reading became much better and she learned how to write on what little paper they had. She enjoyed her time alone but she found herself becoming attached to the other women. At first, it felt odd that she would have such positive feelings for another human. Her entire life, she looked out only for herself.

But as Angharad shared her favorite books with Vex and Toast kept her company and Cheedo and Capable created music with her and Dag shared her odd sense of wisdom did Vex begin to feel a sense of camaraderie for them.

"I'm from the Bullet Farm," Toast told her one night. "They found me as I tried to barter for water."

"Not much different for me," Vex said. "It was despicable how they acted to get a chance for so much water."

"I tried to run," Toast admitted. "They ran me down."

"Do you ever wonder what would have happened to you if they never found you? If you lived out your full-life in peace?" Vex asked. Her eyes turned to the window and the stars twinkling above them.

"More often than I should," Toast said. "But one day I'll be back out there."

Three chances… Those words whispered across Vex's mind. If they failed, they would be released. But none of them would have any way to leave the Citadel. Where would they go?

"Do you think about what would happen if we were to deliver healthy babies?" Vex asked. Even now, Miss Giddy would not speak of healthy children as if it would curse the baby in Angharad's womb.

Toast sighed and shifted on the steps. "Angharad told me," she said. "If the baby is healthy, male or female, we would stay until we die, giving him more children."

"Because the children need a mother," Vex whispered. She tried to imagine small children running around their small prison but found she could not.

"And if we're healthy enough to give him full-life babies..." Angharad joined them. "We're worthy of him." A bitter look crossed her face.

"I'd say he's not worthy of us," Vex replied.

Angharad smiled. "Yes," she agreed. "He is not worthy of us."

The three sat there, a silence descending on them, until Vex heard the sound of the vault door unlocking. "Rather late," she commented as she stood up.

"He comes whenever he is in the mood," Angharad said, eyes narrowed.

Immortan Joe entered. "Capable," he thundered.

Almost immediately, the redhead was by his side. Vex, Toast, and Angharad moved to the side to allow them to pass. Capable glanced over her shoulder, giving them a grimacing smile as Immortan Joe pushed her into her room.

Vex wrapped her arms around herself as his grunts filled the air. This was her life now, no matter how she hated it—hated him. And when she heard him call her name later, she resigned herself to the inevitable and walked up the steps.

-x-

So sorry for how long it took to get this chapter out. I had a horrible case of writer's block when it came to this chapter. And I'm still not happy with it. So I decided this would just be a bridge chapter where Vex slowly starts acclimatizing to her situation.

But I got Mad Max for Christmas and I'm super excited to keep watching it whenever I please. I can't wait to get to the meat of this fic.

Reviews, favorites, and follows are love! See ya in chapter seven!