Page 8 of Chosen
I squeeze my eyes shut and take several calming breaths to stave away the images I’ve fought desperately to rid myself of. I focus on the gentle pressure of Maggie’s fingers as they massage my scalp. A pleasant floral scent mixed with honey wafted to my nostrils. Whatever was in the shampoo made my skin tingle but it wasn’t an unpleasant sensation.
It felt nice and for the first time in weeks I found myself relaxing ever so slightly. “Mmm.”
“Feels nice doesn’t it?”
“Yes. Good. I’m going to rinse this out now so keep your eyes closed.”
Maggie pours water over my head and repeats the process a few more times.
“Now, I’m going to wash your back.”
Seconds later, my ears are met with a loud gasp.
I open my eyes, fully aware of what she’s seeing. “It’s okay. You don’t have to wash my back. I can take care of it.”
“No, it’s fine…but…does it hurt?”
“Not really. It used to bother me a lot but not anymore. When I first came to the manor, one of the doctors gave me some ointment to help heal it but I didn’t want him to apply it. I said I’d do it myself.”
“But clearly you haven’t. Tell me where it is, and I’ll apply it after your bath. I’m sure there are spots you aren’t able to reach properly.”
“Thank you. I appreciate it but could you do me a favor?”
“Of course.”
“Could you please not mention this to my sister or parents? They would freak out if the saw this or even knew about it.”
Maggie doesn’t answer right away and for the first time since I’ve entered the tub I turn to look at her. I grip her hand. “Promise me you won’t say anything.”
She opens her mouth, closes it and then sighs. “Youdounderstand you’re putting me in a difficult situation, don’t you? Miss Noah is the Sector Leader’s wife which makes her the second highest ranking official in the entire sector. To lie to her would be tantamount to treason.”
“I’m not asking you to lie. Just don’t say anything about what you’ve seen. Besides, you and I both want her to have a safe and healthy pregnancy. If she knows, it would cause her undue stress and I’m leaving anyway. Even if she knew there wouldn’t be anything she could do about it because I’d be gone. Knowing my sister she would make herself sick worrying about me.”
Maggie purses her lips and furrows her brows. After a pregnant pause she bows her head. “Fine. I won’t mention this but maybe you’ll tell her one day when you’re ready.”
“That’s if I survive sector 10.”
“Why wouldn’t you?”
“I’m not stupid Maggie. I’ve heard about the leader from that sector. He’s known to kill people for looking at him the wrong way.”
“Has that been confirmed as a fact? The last Sector Leader summit was held at this manor not long before you and your parents arrived. While, I didn’t personally serve any of the other leaders I spoke to a few of the workers who did. From what I’ve learned, Sector Leader Draken was quiet and kept to himself. He only really spoke to his advisor and I believe he and Lord Magnus had a private meeting. But that’s all. He didn’t cause any problems for the staff unlike a few of the Sector Leaders. One of Leaders challenged Lord Magnus and was killed on the spot.”
“Did you tell me that to reassure me? So what if he’s able to control himself while the other Sector Leaders are around.That means nothing. There’s a reason why the homo sapiens are shipped off to Sector Ten when they’re labeled as undesirables. They get sent there to die.”
Chapter
Four
JAMIE
For the first time in months, I nearly resemble my old self. My hair is of course much shorter than it used to be, but Maggie has styled in to where it’s slightly longer on top and shorter in the back and on the sides. I’d always loved when my hair was long but this style suits my more angular face.
My skin is practically glowing after all the body oils she’d massaged into my face and body. She even convinced me to put some liner around my eyes to accentuate their shape and some gloss on my lips. I didn’t particularly care what I wore so she had picked out an outfit for me, a flowy, sleeveless, halter dress that reached all the way to the floor. It was layered with what looked like a rainbow of scarves. The material shimmered in the light.
As I stare at my reflection in the mirror, tears spring to my eyes because the old Jamie would have loved this, being dressed up like a fancy lady. But now all I feel is dread because I know I’m being prepared to be sent to my doom.
“You look, beautiful Jamie,” Maggie complements, eyeing me from head to toe as if admiring her handiwork.
