Being a Prisoner is Hard Work

"Uh oh?" I swatted at his arm wildly. "How does this always end up with one of us blushing and half dressed?"

He shrugged with a grin. "I thought you didn't care because it's your room." He teased. My face reddened further.

"It's different now..." I grumbled too low for him to hear. Everything is different... My feelings are different...

"I'm going to turn around. Grab your towel and hide in the bathroom." I did as he said. The knock came again and I heard him call out this time, fumbling in the dresser.

"Just a sec!" Then the door creaked open.

My curiosity got the best of me once more and I peered around the corner. The redheaded girl from before stood in the doorway holding a bundle of clothes, face nearly the same shade as her hair. William was leaning against the door frame smiling down at her, still shirtless. I glared at them from my position. He chatted with her quietly for a moment before clearing his throat.

"Well I should go before someone sees us together and you get in trouble." He said, just loud enough for me to hear. Her face fell and she turned to leave. In that moment, I felt a pang of sympathy for her. If I were in her shoes and a really handsome guy paid a bunch of attention to me just to manipulate me, I'm sure I'd be sad too...

He shut the door and locked it, pulling me out of my thoughts. Turning to glance up at me with a shy smile, he placed the clothes on the dresser. I watched him quietly from the bathroom.

"Come out and see what I got for you." He said. I ventured out slowly, clutching my towel tightly. Embarrassment from earlier still danced naked in my head, turning my cheeks pink once more. He held up a white cotton nightgown first.

"What do you think? Will it fit? Is it big enough? I don't know what size you are." Surprise and awe coursed through me as I reached my hand out and caressed the material. It was soft, much different from what I usually wore. All of my current clothes were quite a few years old, worn and ripping at the seams. I was lucky enough to learn how to sew at an early age, so when my requests for clothing were denied, as they always were, I'd just patch everything up.

"Try it on." He pushed it into my arms and spun me around, nudging me towards the bathroom. I went in and changed into the pretty thing, marveling at how comfortable it was.

"Does it fit alright?" William called. I opened the door and stepped out, smoothing the material down with my hands.

"It looks nice!" He handed me a tan dress next. "I noticed you don't have any dresses at all. So I asked for one. Apparently they're hard to come by so only wear it in here with me, alright?" I repeated the process, changing into the new dress next. But when I stepped out this time, I was nervous. This dress only came down to my mid thighs. Most dresses in the compound aside from the director's skirts came down to mid ankle. I calmed my nerves with a few deep breaths and finally looked up at the now slack-jawed William. He gazed at me, taking me in.

"What? Do I have something on my face?" I asked. He shook his head.

"You just look pretty..." He smiled. I blushed.

My stomach growled, making me blush harder.

"Yes sir!" William saluted my stomach with a goofy grin. "Go change and then we can eat."

The cafeteria in the compound took up half of the 3rd floor. The other half was taken up by the medical center.

Because of the amount of people living here, both sides were massive. They employed about 15 to 20 chefs at all times and the meals consisted of freshly caught game made into stew, vegetables grown fresh, or eggs and cheese from our chickens, cows, and goats.

All of the farming areas were located next to the major gardens where our produce came from. All of this hustle and bustle of workers was on the opposite side of the compound as my bench. The fruit grove was truly my own little secret.

The day's menu was already written on the sandwich board hanging on the wall outside the double doors that led in.

"Radish salad?" William asked. A sly smile slid across my face.

"We haven't had radish seeds in a year! I can't believe we got more." I said happily. Since we were first, I grabbed a tray and stood at the front of the bar. The head chef saw me and frowned. He walked over to me, wiping his hands on a towel tied to his belt

"Director said only bean paste for you until you learn your lesson." He grunted. I looked down at my tray for a moment, disappointed. Makes sense I suppose.

"Okay." He dumped a ladle of the thick brown sludge onto my tray and walked back to where he was peeling potatoes. I glanced at William, embarrassed by what just happened, before hurrying to grab a small table by a window. He joined me with his salad a few minutes later. As he sat, I took a bite of my "paste" and nearly choked. It was extra chalky today. People filed in, getting their salads and filling the tables around us. The cafeteria was soon filled with chatter and laughter. I glumly tried to stir my paste thing with my spoon, but it wasn't really moving much. The strange mixture was too thick. Appetite ruined, I pushed it away and set my spoon down. William on the other hand, hadn't touched his salad.

"There's too many people in here." He said, moving the lettuce around with his fork. "Let's go eat somewhere else."

"Where do you want to go?" He lifted both of our trays up.

"How about that little garden I found you in earlier?" I smiled and nodded.

"That's my favorite place in the compound honestly." I stood and took my tray back and beckoned him to follow. We left the cafeteria and walked down the stairs, heading towards the administration room once more.

"I never got to ask, how did you find me out here?" I held the side door open for him.

"I followed you. As soon as you walked out of the room I kept an eye on where you were going. It's my job to be around you at all times." My heart dropped at his words. I'm only a job. I reminded myself. He's right. He was only brought here to watch me like a glorified babysitter. For reasons I didn't quite understand, my mood went down a bit at the thought of him being sent elsewhere after this job. I sat down quickly on the bench and stirred my paste around some more. He joined me a moment later and gently took my tray from me, replacing it with his own salad tray. I looked up at him, surprised by the unexpectedly sweet gesture.

"I saw you eyeing it. It's not fair that they're keeping you here against your will constantly and punish you when you want to leave." I put a radish in my mouth, savoring the fresh crunch and the spicy bite it had at the end.

"I've been at this compound as long as I can remember. And like I said, I've been in Joth's care the entire time. I've been to every war meeting, every tactics discussion. He's never left me on my own. So I know all of the secrets here. I know all of the underground facilities and I've partaken in quite a few illegal things against my will. If I don't escape, they'll kill me soon enough anyway." I glanced at William. His face was expressionless. It bothered me that I couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"I'll get you out of here before they hurt you." He said quietly. I stared at him in silence. Someone on my side could change everything. William perked up and scanned the foliage above us, eyes intently focused.

"Don't be alarmed but there's someone in the trees watching us."