I apologize for the wait. School has been fucking me over for the past two weeks. I promise your wait is over.
Chapter 15: Baby Don't Hurt Me
"You thought I was pregnant?" Sennia's face was etched in concern but quickly faltered with nervous giggling.
"Of course I did! You have been very emotional lately. You were vomiting. I thought I noticed your breasts were a little larger." I swept my hand through my hair with a loud sigh.
"I'm just sick. That's what I wanted to talk to you about." She sat up in the cot as I knelt down beside her. She smelled of the beef stew she loved to make for me. Her hair was greasy and tangled.
"What kind of sick?"
"I think I have the flu or something. I don't know but I feel like shit." Shepushed her fingers to her temples.
I pressed my hand to her damp forehead. "You have a high fever. I'll get you some water and rags."
I stood up and left the tent to head towards the kitchen again. I wouldn't mind having to put Siri back in her place if she made any remarks.
"What do you want, Vulpes? Is your girl okay? I heard she wasn't feeling well." Siri said through a tight smile.
"She's sick and I won't hesitate to ensure that you suffer along side her. Give me a glass of water and a rag."
"Sucks for you. We just ran out." She replied with her hand on her hip.
"Then send Melody. How fucking dense are you if you clearly can't even think of that?"
She pulled back from the venom in my words. "Fine." She was clearly going to try to backpedal.
I lifted my sunglasses up to look her straight in the eye. "Watch your damn mouth around me and keep her name out of it. I'll see to it that you will learn next time I hear about you spewing shit."
"I said fine. I'll send Melody when we get more water." She looked down in defeat and turned to go back to cooking lunch.
I reentered the tent and sat down next to Sennia on the floor. "They didn't have any water so they will send Melody as soon as possible."
"Everyone hates me, don't they?" Her words were muffled by the blanket she pressed to her face. She had been crying very recently.
"No. Why do you assume?" I pushed her hair off her face.
"I'm the spoiled slave girl that gets special treatment. Siri is constantly shitting on me and the other slaves avoid me. Caesar wants nothing more than to see me on a cross. You and Lucius are the only people that talk to me." She scratched at her face under the blanket.
"You will get out of here. You will love it in Flagstaff. There's plenty of free women there and you don't have to worry about being considered spoiled. In Flagstaff, the women are highly respected and they're viewed as goddesses. No one dares to touch them and the women are very close to one another."
"How much longer until this war is over?" She peeked over the blanket with puffy eyes.
"It seems that Caesar has made plans for two months from now. He believes that's when we will be most ready to take over the Dam. It shouldn't be long now." I reassured her.
"That's forever." She whined. "Can I just sleep for two months?"
I chuckled and ruffled her messy hair. "That means I wouldn't see you for two months."
"You would still see me. I would just be asleep."
"You body would be here, but you wouldn't really be here." I pulled my hand back at the thought of her stuck in her sleep for two months.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to say that." She rested her head in my lap.
I worked at combing her hair with my fingers. "It's fine. It's just a scary thought."
She looked up at me and before she could say anything, a young girl poked her head into the tent.
"You asked for some water and rags?" She asked nervously.
"Yes. Do you mind bringing it over here?" I ushered her closer.
She hesitantly walked closer with a cup of water in one hand and rags in the other. She regarded Sennia in my lap.
"Here you go." She looked at Sennia as if she would ask her something.
"Is there something you wish to discuss, Melody?" I took the water and rags.
"Is she Sennia?"
Sennia looked at her blankly. "I am." I dipped the rag in the water after offering a sip to her and wrung it out and placed it on her forehead.
She gasped with a toothy grin. "I want to be just like you."
I stopped and looked up at Melody. "What do you mean?"
"She has someone who loves her and protects her. I wish someone treated me the way you treat her."
"You don't." I stated flatly.
She gave me a questioning look. "But you love her, right? And the men here don't touch her like the other girls."
"I am not as good as I wish I could be." I glanced at Sennia who looked very uncomfortable.
"He treats me fine and though we may not always like each other, that doesn't mean we don't love each other." She winked at me.
"I don't get it. I thought if you loved someone, it doesn't matter if they hurt you. They still love you." Melody asked in a serious tone.
Sennia shot up quickly. "Melody, don't think that way. If someone says they love you, but they still hurt you, get out of there. They don't love you. It's not love. You don't hurt those you love."
"Oh, never mind then. I guess I was wrong. I should probably get back to work." She turned around with a sudden burst of energy. Sennia must have made her uncomfortable.
"I can't believe she would think that." Sennia said while shaking her head.
"You seem awfully passionate about that. You don't know anything about that, do you?"
She glared at me with pure anger. I must have struck a nerve. "I just know."