Chapter 14

AVA

I run my fingers through the bubbles on the surface of the water, staring at the ceiling above the bathtub that was, thankfully, very intuitive to fill up.

The water has grown cool and the heaps of bubbles I started with have popped down to a thin layer.

Olean dropped off the food some time ago, calling out from the bedroom that it was on the table before quickly exiting again, leaving me to my bath.

Even though my stomach growls, I stay in the water, savoring the normalcy of it. I can almost pretend like I’m at home as I soak.

Not home as in my shitty apartment, because it didn’t even have a bathtub.

But home on Earth in some fancy hotel, like the one I stayed in my senior year of high school for my cousin’s wedding.

The escape from reality I allow myself during the bath slowly slips away as my mind can’t help but wander to the other girls from the market. ~What sort of situation did they find themselves sold into?~

I cling to the optimism of Kiri’s declaration that humans are expensive enough to be very well cared for and hope they all went to aliens as kind as Koza seems to be.

But then that makes me think of Kiri, and how she was not optimistic she would even fetch a buyer at all, and by the time I haul myself out of the bath, there is a heaviness to my mood.

I wrap myself in a towel and drag my feet as I trudge into the bedroom. I plop down in front of the table where the tray Olean prepared for me sits. The plate on the tray is covered by a dome that looks like milky-white glass, and a tumbler of neon-green…something…has left a puddle of condensation soaking into the neatly folded napkin that rests beside it.

With a good deal of apprehension, I lift the dome by the knob on top to reveal the food underneath.

The smell that greets me sort of reminds me of pizza, making my stomach growl with excitement. But the source of that smell is a dish that is suspicious looking at best.

Multicolored spheres of gel in different sizes and various bright colors float in a sauce the color of dirty, gray dishwater.

I study the plate for a good, long while, truly impressed that something that smells so appealing can look so heinous. I gingerly pick up the thick metal straw that sits beside the plate, assuming I’m meant to suck those spheres through it.

~Okay, well, when in Rome and all. Here goes nothing.~

I lower my straw over a bright-red sphere and take a long pull. It feels as if I’ve put a raw egg yolk into my mouth. My gag reflex threatens to kick in when the sphere bursts, filling my mouth with a rich and spicy flavor.

I slurp up the rest of the dish with my eyes closed so I don’t have to think about the appearance of what I’m eating.

The drink looks way too much like the stuff inside of a glow stick for me to risk swallowing it. But I take the drink into the bathroom and pour half of it down the sink, rinsing the evidence down the drain. I don’t want to hurt Olean’s feelings.

I leave the glass on the counter and open the double doors of the wooden wardrobe on the wall beside the sink.

Olean obviously raided the wardrobe of the smaller soldiers stationed here, because there is a mishmash of shirts and pants that are clean but worn.

I pull out a long-sleeved black shirt that ties at the neck and reminds me of something a pirate would wear along with a pair of soft leather pants. I dress quickly, rolling up the still too-long sleeves of the shirt and give myself a quick glance in the mirror inside the door of the wardrobe.

I look like an extra in a production of ~Oliver Twist~ and give a small snort at my reflection.

These leather pants are definitely going to make my ass sweat. But I’m hardly going to complain. After the dress from the auction, I’ve decided that opacity is my new favorite feature in clothing.

I collect the dishes from my meal on the tray and cross through the bedroom, tentatively opening the bedroom door. I hesitate, not sure what to do with the tray. Leaving it on the floor outside in the hallway like hotel room service seems like a dick move, so I push away the nerves fluttering in my stomach and pad quietly down the stairs, in search of the kitchen.

I head down the hallway toward the back of the house, where I assume the kitchen will be. As I turn at the end of the hall, I nearly drop the tray at the sudden appearance of Olean.

Olean sweeps the tray out of my hands before it can clatter to the floor and gives me a toothy grin before waving me out of the kitchen in a friendly but clear dismissal.

I turn and head back the way I came, slowly looking into the rooms off the hallway as I go.

The first room is clearly the general’s office. A prominent desk, that looks like it is made from shiny steel, faces the open doorway. Shelves behind the desk contain a variety of books and random alien trinkets, and a bar cart beside the desk holds several bottles of alcohol, including the garbage blue drink I had the misfortune of tasting already. I turn away with a shudder.

Across from the office is a good-sized library, and I make a half-hearted mental note to explore the shelves at some point. But I doubt there will be anything in English. Unfortunately, the translator implant only applies to spoken languages.

I barely spare a glance at the large, formal dining room that comes next, until finally my wandering brings me back to the entryway. I turn into a sitting room. Large windows overlook a round pavilion filled with groups of aliens engrossed in various training exercises.

I lower myself into a large armchair that faces the window to watch them, not sure what else to do with my time. It doesn’t feel right to ask for more with all everyone has already done for me, though I would love some art supplies.

I pull my legs up into the chair, hugging them to my chest and resting my chin on my knees as I stare at the crowd outside.

Then I spot a group gathered around a raised, floating platform, excitedly watching the group of men sparring on it. I lean forward, dropping my toes back to the floor as I squint to get a better look at what everyone is gawking at.

I gasp as I recognize Koza in the middle, taking on three other soldiers at once. He whirls at an inhuman speed, the glint of his metal blades flashing as he blocks attacks all around him.

He has stripped down to nothing but his tight leather pants, and while objectively I was aware he was ridiculously built, having felt those muscles up close, I still find myself gaping at the sight.

~Oh, sweet baby Jesus, I have always been a sucker for back muscles.~

And apparently back muscles with a side of tiger stripes really, really does it for me. I shouldn’t want much to do with my…owner…but I tilt my head to the side, watching him deflect strike after strike, in some sort of trance.

The sound of steps down the hallway interrupts my ogling, and I lean back in my chair trying to act casual as Olean walks into the room.

“Hi,” I say, wincing as my voice comes out husky and rough. I clear my throat and try again. “Hello there, Olean.”

~God, that was lame.~

Thankfully, he doesn’t call me out on my complete social ineptitude. He silently takes a seat in the matching chair beside me, stretching his bad leg in front of him with a barely perceptible grimace.

“Impressive, is he not?” Olean asks me, tipping his head in the direction of the general.

I blush from the roots of my hair down to the tips of my toes. ~He totally caught me checking out his boss.~

Rather than owning up to that completely embarrassing truth, I instead blurt out the other thought that has been rattling around my brain as I watched the training.

“I was just wondering about the knives,” I blabber. “I expected lasers and jet packs and not something so…primitive. We have way, way more advanced weapons on Earth and yet all I hear is how underdeveloped my planet is.”

Olean gives an amused huff. Crossing his arms, he leans back heavily in his chair, staring out the window as he answers.

“We had such things, long ago,” he tells me. “But as technology develops, so do the countermeasures. Bombs can be disarmed remotely. Shields built into armor to nullify the laser guns. Until the defenses make the weapons completely obsolete, neither side being able to advance past the technology, and so, back to blades it is.”

“Huh,” I reply, ever the thrilling conversationalist. “I guess you’ve learned a lot working for the general?”

He lets out a loud bark of a laugh, turning to face me with his eyes gleaming in amusement.

“I was the general once, girl,” he informs me bluntly. “Koza there was my second. He took my place when our planet revolted and the Plurians fell out of favor.”

I blink at him stupidly as he simply turns back to the window, watching Koza with a fond expression on his face.

“I would have been sent to the fighting pits if he had not intervened. Koza managed to convince the High Commander it would be a greater dishonor for me to be kept on in service at the house. That boy did always know I had a fondness for cooking.”

While it was clear aboard the High Commander’s ship that Koza did not much care for the ruler, it was suddenly becoming clear that there was much more to it than I had initially realized.

With a smile and a slight shake of his head, Olean hauls himself out of his chair. He gives my shoulder a light squeeze as he crosses behind me to leave the room.

“Let me know if you require anything, Ava,” he tells me in a gentle voice.

“Paper?” I blurt out before thinking too hard about making demands my first day here.

Olean cocks his head at me in a questioning manner, clearly not understanding my request. I almost chicken out and tell him not to worry about it, but I really am going to need something to do. I gulp down my nerves and persist.

“I like to draw… I was an art student. You know, paintings and sketches? I was hoping for paper and a pencil or something? But really, paper is the most important. I can find something to draw with… I used a rock in the market that was like chalk.” I realize I’m giving him way too much information, but the words just spew out of me. I bite my tongue and cut myself off. “Please?” I finish.

Olean gives me a small bow and promises to procure something for me. I turn back to the window.

I watch the three soldiers who were up against Koza bow in submission, before one of them drops to all fours and lumbers away like a bear.

~Holy shit, this is my home now.~