Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40168 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 201(@200wpm)___ 161(@250wpm)___ 134(@300wpm)
He walked toward her and her heart pounded harder, but before he touched her, took her, forced her hand, like she assumed, he moved past her and turned the water off. She turned and looked at him, covering her breasts and between her thighs with her arm and hand, and felt so foolish. But why did she care? Why didn’t she feel anything but disgust right now?
“Take your time.” He turned and walked toward the door, but stopped right before he left. “And escaping is futile.” Tolcan looked over his shoulder at her. “And even if by some miracle you found a way out, I’d find you, Greta.”
The way he said her name had a chill racing up her body. He turned back around and left her alone. The door slid shut, becoming opaque so she had a semblance of privacy.
Turning back toward the basin of water, she smelled the sweet scent coming from it, and saw the steam rise up from the water. It looked like heaven, and although she wanted to bask in this moment for a second, she instantly felt guilt. The other humans from her camp were probably dealing with a fate much worse than hers.
Greta stared at the water for another moment, turned and looked at the door, and wondered how she was going to get out of here. It was clear he wouldn’t let her go, and until she knew what she would do she would need to be smart. He said there was no escape for her, but did mention if she did find a way out he’d be able to find her. Did that mean there was a chance? But even if she escaped she didn’t know where to go.
She didn’t even know where she was exactly. For all Greta knew she was in a compound already, one that held the housing units for the Rogues. Escaping might only end up having her land right in the middle of a group of Rogues. She didn’t even want to think about what would happen to her.
She moved toward the tub and stepped in, and as soon as she was engulfed from the neck down with the hot, sweet smelling water, a moan left her. She’d never felt anything as glorious as being weightless in liquid, or the peace and pleasure coursing through her. Opening her eyes and staring at the bath supplies on the ledge, she picked up a rock that was light, had holes through it, and brought it to her nose.
It smelled fresh, clean, and when she dropped it in the water it floated. She had no idea what it was used for, or many of the other items here, but she’d figure it out. The last thing she wanted to do was go against what Tolcan said just to be stubborn. His wrath was not something she wanted to see or tempt.
For the next twenty or so minutes she soaked in the tub, washed her hair with this gel type substance that smelled of the pine trees in the woods, and used this foam substance on her body that smelled of the wildflowers she’d so often picked. She had no hair on her arms, underarms, or even her legs. She didn’t know why as the other human females she’d seen during her time all had hair covering those parts.
Greta supposed it had something to do with her genetics on her parents’ side, but she didn’t remember much about them, and had no way of asking. She smoothed the foam along her legs and arms, and cleaned the rest of her body. She’d never felt this clean, not even after she’d bathed in the creek.
Once out and dried, she grabbed the clothing Tolcan set out for her. They were dark, loose fitting, and were in two pieces. Did all humans have to wear these? The dark colored top was long sleeved, but the collar was cut in a V shape, almost going obscenely down to her navel, with only a small string connecting the top to the corners so it didn’t gape open. The pants went to her ankles, and a drawstring kept them up. At least she was covered and not expected to wear something lewd, or nothing at all.
When she stepped toward the mirror she got a look at herself for the first time in years. There had been a few cracked and aged mirrors passed around the camps, but she’d never been interested in looking at herself. For some reason when she had, all she saw was a woman trying to run from something that would never stop chasing.
Her hair was dark and long, tangled even more from the bath. She looked around, found a comb, and started moving it through her hair. She’d had small necessities while in hiding, but they weren’t a priority. Brushing her hair and bathing hadn’t been the most important thing for her kind trying to stay away from the Rogues. They’d figured out long ago that the Rogues used heat sensors to find out where they were. At first they could go deep enough into caves that the sensors couldn’t detect them. But the Rogues soon picked up on what they were doing and advanced their technology.