Chapter 9

Hearing whispers around me, I try to keep my focus. I can no longer move. one of the women in a blue dress is cupping my face but my eyes refuse to focus on her. Then a faceless man in a black suit leans down, cradling me in his arms. He scoops me up and continues down the corridor, following the women into a room.

"What happened?"

"I don't know, she just fell!"

"Are we going to be fired?"

"Shut up, Elise, we didn't do anything wrong!"

"Calm down, Anna. Akida will find out what happened and clear everything up."

"Hurry up unless you all really do want to lose your jobs! Benny, you get out of here. Marie, get some water. Anna, towels. I'll get her clothes."

A door closes and I feel myself being jerked around a bit. Though I can't comprehend what's happening, I feel like I should at least attempt to fight it. I try to lift my head but it falls back and hits something soft. The voices disappear. And I fall out of consciousness.

...

What's that smell? There's a scent of Eucalyptus in the air and I open my eyes just enough to let in the light. Still a bit dizzy, I blink a few times until I the room stops spinning around. This room is unfamiliar to me. Where am I?

The sound of a door opening coaxes me to fully awaken. A figure appears above me and I flutter my eyelashes until I can see clearly. It's a beautiful woman! Not a woman in a blue dress and a white apron. Her hair is not tied in a knot but cut short. I'm mesmerized by her and simply stare until she speaks.

"You're a quiet one, aren't you?", she says.

"I-I'm sorry. I-", I try to speak but it comes out in a rasp and she cuts me off.

"No, no. Don't worry. I'm Akida. I'm the doctor of this manor.", she says as she places a big case down on a nearby table and opens it. "Have you seen a doctor before?"

I shake my head instead of trying to speak again.

"Well, I'm happy to be your first, I guess. Last night, I came to see you while you were sleeping. Your heart was beating irregularly, probably due to dehydration. The thing in your arm is called an IV. It should help with that by giving your body the fluids it needs. I gave you some vitamins through that little tube as well. Are you feeling any better?"

I nod my head and she holds up a device hanging around her neck.

"This thing is called a stethoscope. It allows me to listen to your heart and lungs. It doesn't hurt but it might be a bit cold. I'm going to put it on your chest and take a listen. Okie dokie?"

I nod yet again and she sits on the bed next to me. As she lowers the blanket slightly, I realize I'm completely naked under it. Thankfully, she doesn't lower it any further and I flinch as her cold tool touches the warm skin just under my collar bone. She listens for a moment before getting up and going back to the table.

"Much better.", she says, rummaging through her things. "The information I was given for you is very limited, so I'm not really sure where to start. I guess I'll just start asking questions and build your chart from there. You're seventeen, right? When was your last cycle?"

I have read about this but it has never come for me. "It hasn't visited me yet.", I replied.

She stops rummaging and turns to me. Suddenly appearing to be facing some kind of inner turmoil, her demeanor changes from the bubbly one she entered the room with to one of resentment. With a furrowed brow, her eyes meet mine, begging for understanding.

Softly, she says, "I don't think that there are enough words in my vocabulary to tell you how sorry I am for you. I know that men and women are sold every day but I've never had to be in the position of branding one or doing a preliminary exam."

Her head drops and she crosses her hands. What does she mean by branding? Is she going to burn me like Father does to livestock? What kind of person would do such a thing to another human being?

"No!", I scream at her, sitting up and clutching the blanket to my chest.

She turns and sits down on the bed, staring out the window as a means to avoid meeting my frightened, angry glare. There's no way that I'm blindly going to obey while someone sears my skin with a hot iron. While I mentally prepare myself for a physical fight against her, Akida sighs and and finally brings herself to face me.

"Listen to me carefully, Euroah. Zion, your master, is a cold hearted and lonely son of a bitch. But he's not evil, he just has a temper. He's been through so much. I told him to find someone to play with but I never dreamed that this idiot would go the route of buying a slave."

A tear forms in her eye but she holds it back and she continues, "You got lucky though. Many masters would beat you, rape you, force you to do unthinkable things. I'm so sorry that you have ended up in this position. But you have been blessed to be here instead of in someone else's hands."

"Why am I blessed to be here? I was happy on the farm with my father! I never asked to be anywhere else!", I cry as she leans in, pulling me into a hug and patting my back.

"I don't want to cause you any further pain or trauma. But I have to follow orders, Euroah. I promise you that if you cooperate and let me do what I need to do, it will be easier for both of us. The last thing I want is for someone to hold you down like an animal. I'll be your doctor for a long time and I want to have a good relationship with you."

I'm not sure why, but I feel like she's someone I can trust. I've been all alone since this nightmare started and I want to lean on her. Her offering me a hug in my moment of weakness shows her intention and I desperately crave a friend to turn to in this dreadful place. I close my eyes and nod. She wipes my tears away and helps me lay back down.

"Try not to move that arm too much. The drip is almost done and I'll remove it as soon as it finishes.", she says, pulling the blanket back up to my shoulders, then turning on a light at the end of the bed as she puts on a pair of gloves.

"I need to take one quick look between your legs to confirm what your master was told at the auction house and that you are healthy. Bring your knees up, touch your heels to your bottom, and let your legs fall apart. I will lift the blanket only up to your hips and I will touch you just one time. Quick, easy, and painless. I promise."

I curse the heavens for allowing this kind of inhumanity to exist in the world. If I don't do what she says, someone will hold me down while she does it. Though I'm internally seething, that thought is enough to make me comply without hesitation. At least she's a woman. Some day, I will get revenge for everything my father and I have been put through.

I inhale, look at the ceiling, and do as she says. The sudden burst of cool air gives me goosebumps. I feel one hand on either side of my private place, exposing the inner part fully, and then just as soon as it starts, the blanket is pulled back down and I'm completely covered again, just as she promised.

"Do you know what a microchip is?", Akida asks.