[A.N.] Uploading multiple chapters today. Ch13 being the first.
After recounting the events from earlier that day, Ana started to feel the codeine kicking in, the pain slowly melting away to sweet numbness as a sense of euphoric drowsiness washed over her.
She sighed contentedly, "Mmh, I'm so happy to be back." she mumbled.
Vaas shot her a glance and furrowed his brow a bit, taking a drag on a cigarette, "You should take a shower while those pills are working." He pointed his cigarette towards his door.
"Shower?!" Ana's face grew warm with embarrassment at the excitement and shock in her voice.
"Go down the hall away from the entrance, you'll see a red door, there's a shower outside." He explained groggily.
Ana had noticed that Vaas smelled better than most of the pirates. He still usually had a musk about him but seemed like he was a bit less grimy than most of the others, she figured he had access to a shower but never thought she'd be given permission to take one.
She got up cautiously, still off balance despite her numbness, pulled on her shorts carefully and made her way to the door, holding the ruined shirt across her chest. Placing her hand on the door knob and turning it, Ana hesitated.
Turning her head to face Vaas, who lay lazily on his back, "Thank you." She said awkwardly and, when she realized he wasn't going to respond, headed out the door.
Outside behind Vaas' shelter was a crudely built wooden shower stall. Inside was a short, old pipe jutting from the outer wall of the building ending in a rusty shower head. She looked around, making sure no one was in sight and stripped off her shorts, piling them with the torn tank top on the ground and entering the wooden stall. She turned the loose knobs and water sputtered out. Ana let out a gasp as the freezing water hit her skin, recoiling from it quickly and reaching over to turn up the hot all the way. Slowly the water warmed and rose to how she used to take her showers back home, she winced pleasurably as the almost scalding water made her skin hurt in the best possible way.
"Fuck..." Ana let out a sigh and raised her head, letting the water wash over her hair, cascading down her shoulders, chest and still slightly thin frame.
Ana turned her attention to the slabs of rock that made up the floor of the shower and saw the reddish-brown mixture of filth and blood running down her legs and pooling around her feet. She caught sight of a couple of slightly rusted razors and picked the oldest looking one, rinsing it in the hot stream before completely ridding herself of unwanted body hair. She didn't know when she'd have the chance to do so again. There didn't seem to be any soap to her disappointment but she was just glad to feel more-or-less clean again.
After shutting off the water, Ana looked up at the darkening sky, she couldn't see the stars like this in California, tropical birds called to each other in the distance and she closed her eyes and leaned against the wall, waiting for the water to run off her body before she put her clothes back on.
The door swung open without warning and Ana threw a hand across her chest, crossing her legs and pulling her free fist back, "Whoa, chill, hermosa." Vaas chuckled, clad only in his pants. He held out fresh clothes.
Ana relaxed and reached out, closing her hands around the clothes and frowning when his hold on them didn't loosen. Her face flushed as his eyes trailed down her body, raising his brows hungrily when he saw that she had shaved.
Ana yanked the clothes away and shimmied into the shorts as quickly as she could. They were snug but at least the red wife-beater he had given her this time covered her entire torso. Clutching her fists in her hair she wrung as much water out as she could, scratching her fingertips across her scalp to tousle it, giving the warm breeze more access.
"Thanks." She said again, nodding at him and cautiously squeezing past his intimidating frame.
She gathered the old clothes just to have Vaas tear them away and toss them into the fiery barrel a few feet away. He was still silent so, unsure of what to do, she nodded again and turned away, making her way towards her shack.
Vaas growled and reached out, clutching her wrist and dragging her back into his shelter. Ana worried her brow, she was exhausted and not really in the mood for a second round. Once they were back in his room, Vaas slid the lock into place and released her wrist, walking over to a nearby table and picking up a half-smoked joint. He re-lit it and turned to the girl who stood awkwardly at the entrance.
He shook his head, looking irritated, "Sleep." he commanded, tilting his head towards the bed.
"Here?" Ana asked, her chest fluttered with hope and Vaas shot her an unimpressed glare.
Nodding, Ana crossed the room to the bed, unable to hold back the wide smile that split her face. She pulled back the slightly odorous blankets and slid underneath them, pulling the sheets all the way up to her chin and curling up on her side.
"Thank you, Vaas." She smiled genuinely, closing her eyes.
She heard him grunt an acknowledgement. She must have finally gained his trust, he was being so good to her and the pure, unadulterated joy that filled her entire being sent her off into a comfortable sleep for the first time in what seemed like forever.
She woke only once, when Vaas climbed into bed. He sprawled out under the sheets, Ana cracked an eye open to see that he was still shirtless, laying on his back with his hands behind his head. Curiously, She shifted closer, pressing her back against his body softly and expecting to be shoved over any second. When he didn't push her away, Ana decided to push it a bit further and rolled over, settling in beside him. She reached out cautiously, as if she was trying to pet a hungry bear, and placed her palm on his warm torso. Ana peeked up at him through her hair, watching his calm expression for any signs of irritation. Finally, she gently rested her head on his chest, enjoying the scent that was purely Vaas.
A pleasant groan sounded in her throat when she felt his hand rest over her, absent-mindedly twirling her hair between his fingers.
Ana spent the next few days in Vaas' room with daily visits from the medic at Vaas' command. When she was healed up enough to walk without limping, she was given permission to do what she wanted.
"What?" Ana frowned incredulously.
"I said do whatever you fucking want." Vaas scoffed impatiently, "Except my men, don't even let them look at you. You're mine." he gripped her bicep tightly before pushing her towards the door.
Once outside, Ana stood awkwardly for quite a while, she had never had the freedom to do what she wished and she didn't know what to do. Figuring she couldn't stand there all day, Ana headed to grab some food.
She devoured the juicy mango, it brought her some relief in the humid jungle air. While walking around absently, twirling a water bottle around, she heard a familiar voice nearby.
"I'm s-sorry..." the quiet voice said shakily.
"Just fuck off." An angry pirate yelled back, Ana turned towards the voices and saw Jenny fall to the ground through an open shack door.
The blonde trembled, trying to get to her feet, she had lost a lot of weight as well and looked absolutely deadened. The man pulled her up roughly by her wrist, twisting it horribly as she let out a weak yelp, and started leading her to the 'whorehouse'. Ana ran up, reaching a hand out to grab the man but retracting it, remembering Vaas' possessiveness.
"Hey." she called and the pirate spun around.
"Fuck you lookin' at?" She could just make out what he was saying through his heavily drunken slurs.
"I'll take her." She replied confidently, holding her hand out expectantly.
"Th' hell you wi-"
"Do you see me shackled? Accompanied by your boss?" The man frowned and looked around, finally the confusion setting in.
"Why-?" He demanded angrily, wondering why she was walking around free with a casual air about her.
"I've been given permission. So unless you want to really piss Vaas off, I suggest you don't give me any trouble." Ana snapped at him, she knew Vaas probably wouldn't give a shit about the situation, but maybe her words would be enough to spook the pirate into giving Jenny up.
The pirate snarled and violently threw the blonde in Ana's direction. She grasped Jenny's shoulders to lighten the impact, feeling the blonde's skinny arms circle around her desperately. Ana pulled the shorter girl's arms from around her and took her arm gently but firmly, leading her towards the slave housing.
"A-Ana..." Jenny whimpered.
"Not here." She replied flatly, pulling her along more hurriedly and turning the corner of the housing.
Ana spotted a pile of shipping crates nearby and walked behind them with Jenny in tow. She peered around cautiously, making sure Vaas wasn't around.
"Oh my god, Ana..." Jenny sobbed quietly, "I thought you were dead! Until the other day I... What happened?"
Ana felt her brow crease, she didn't know how to reply and was confused at her strange annoyance at the sound of Jenny's voice.
"What happened?" Jenny asked again, reaching up and putting her hand on Ana's, pulling away abruptly when she felt a missing digit, "Oh god," She clasped her other hand over her mouth and carefully examined the now-healed stub, her shaking fingertips trailing over the 'V' now forever scarred into Ana, "Did that bastard-"
"Don't." Ana hissed defensively, pulling her hand away.
"Ana, what are we going to do? I don't know how much more of this I can take... Do you have any idea what I've been through?" The blonde stared at her with teary, blue eyes, "Every day... all day... They..." She trailed off, shudders wracking her entire being.
"I have an idea." Ana replied bluntly, raising an eyebrow, kind of offended, Does she have any idea what I've been through? She pursed her lips.
"I'm sorry..." Jenny shook her head, "The others, have you seen them? Rick!? Did Mei get home safely? What about Jared?"
"They're gone." Ana shook her head.
"Where?" The blonde asked carefully, not sure if she really wanted the answer.
"They're just gone." She insisted.
"Ana I can tell you know what happened... Please-"
Not waiting for her to finish, Ana spoke up, "Sold into sex slavery. Mei too."
"Oh god." Jenny repeated, her sunken cheeks even more apparent as she opened her mouth in shock, "Rick? Did he go too? What hap-"
"Rick's dead." the red-head said, not wanting to drag it out, "I'm sorry." The final words stung her mouth like acid, she had no right to say them, nor was she even sure she meant them.
"No." Jenny shook her head quickly, truly in danger of breaking down into sobs now, "No..." her face contorted and her lips quivered, "What did he do to him?"
Ana remained silent. Jenny didn't need to know what had happened to her boyfriend, or that the girl standing in front of her was the one who ended his life.
"How do we get out of here?" She asked, remembering that Ana had come in in the Jeep, she had been on the outside, a ray of hope sparkled in the blonde's teary eyes.
Her old friend simply shook her head, her face expressionless, uncaring, changed, "We don't."
Jenny's eyes widened, "But Ana... We'll die here! We have to get away before that psycho assh-"
Ana slapped her hard across the face, the blonde spun her head back, looking at her in horror. The red-head's eyes were dark, furious, "Don't..." Ana spat, her palm tingling from the impact.
"Oh my god, Ana... He's fucking brainwashed you... Hon, we have to get out of here, you have to understand-" Jenny's panicked words strung together sloppily, she tightly closed her hands around Ana's arms and shook her slightly.
"Shut the fuck up." Ana had had enough, it was a mistake to talk to Jenny, she wasn't part of her life anymore, Vaas was right, they didn't know who she really was.
Roughly, the red-head shoved the blonde's arms away from hers, slapping her hand into place firmly at the base of Jenny's neck and leading her to the door of the slave housing.
"Ow! Ana please!" As soon as she spoke, Jenny felt herself hit the cold familiar floor amongst the other sex slaves.
Ana stood ominously in the doorway, staring down the last person remaining from her old life. Before closing and locking the door, she added, "And Rick... it wasn't Vaas."
Jenny's eyes bulged in sheer terror, tears overflowing them at the red-head's words, and the slight smirk that tugged at her lips.