CHAPTERTEN
Bela
“Tell me more of this chocolate,” Ynez asks with her chin resting on her folded arms and the rest of her body submerged in the pool. We’ve been talking about some of the things I miss most from Earth.
“Well,” I’m perched on the ledge of the pool with my legs dangling, slowly kicking my feet back and forth in the swirling water, “there are many different kinds of chocolate. There’s milk chocolate that has a sweet, creamy texture. Semi-sweet isn’t quite as sweet but is still creamy and delicious. Dark chocolate is slightly bitter with a nutty flavor. You can keep going until you just have baking chocolate, which is very bitter, and you can add your own amount of sweetness, depending on what you’d like to make it into.”
“That sounds off-putting.” Ynez scrunches her nose up. “Why would anyone choose something bitter over something sweet?”
Leaning back on my hands, I laugh. “Good point. I’ve always preferred milk chocolate. What about you, Sky?” I ask over my shoulder.
Skylar is curled up on one of the floor pillows with a tablet in her hands. Without looking up, she shrugs her narrow shoulders. I try to coax her into joining our discussion when the double doors suddenly fly open.
The older green female who often brings our meals stands with her hands braced on both doors as her eyes scan the room. When her gaze lands on me, she smiles, a scheming kind of smile, and my stomach clenches.
“The human has a customer,” she announces.
“Which one?” Elara asks, darting a nervous glance toward Skylar. Apparently I’m not the only one who is worried her age might not keep her as safe as I would like.
“That one,” she says, pointing a trembling, gnarled finger at me.
“Ozma, are you sure? I thought Madame Athea was waiting to introduce them?” Ynez asks as she climbs from the pool, wrapping a sheet around her narrow figure.
Ozma shrugs. “She was requested, and the customer is paying top dollar. It’s only for an hour.”
Ynez swings her head to me, and I can see her conflicting emotions flickering across her face. Can she do this? Can Ozma just take it upon herself to sell me to my first customer?
It’s going to happen sometime; might as well get it over with.
I swallow past the lump forming in my throat. “It’s alright,” I hear myself say.
“Bela, no!” Skylar gasps. The tablet she was holding tumbles to the ground, and she runs to me, wrapping her arms around my waist as if that might keep me safe.
Ynez turns narrowed eyes on me, and I do my best to keep my expression neutral. “If you’re certain…”
“It’s only an hour, and I’ve—"I can’t believe I’m saying this—“It’s not like I haven’t been with men before. I know what to do.”
Nita appears at my side, grabbing me painfully by the arm with a worried expression creasing her face. “What the hell are you doing?” she whispers harshly.
“Look, if it’s going to be one of us, it might as well be me,” I whisper back.
“Oh, so you’re just going to offer yourself as sacrifice?” Shaking her head back and forth, Nita tugs on my arm. “You’re not even going to fight this?”
“And what if I did? Huh? Then they’d just take you.” My eyes flicker to where Skylar is wringing her hands nervously, looking between me and Ozma. “Or they’ll takeher,and I can’t have that on my conscience. So if there is going to be a sacrifice, I’ll gladly be it.”
Nita lets go of me but shakes her head. “You don’t have to.”
“I know.” I try to give her a reassuring look, but I’m not sure if I pull it off. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
“You’re so stupid,” Nita sighs, and I can’t help smiling.
Taking a deep breath, I look up at Ynez. “I’ll do it.”
The glowing bio-luminescent lines across her chest flicker, revealing her concern. “In that case, let us help you get ready.”
Before I have a chance to change my mind, I’m surrounded by Ynez, Elara and Cybele as they walk me across the room to the cabinets filled with clothes.
“Put her in the red room when she’s ready,” Ozma instructs before disappearing back into the hallway, slamming the doors shut behind her.
