"Don't look at me. I know squat, just like you guys." Azubah rolled her eyes.
Since none of our phones or watches worked, we didn't know how much time passed, but I didn't think it was more than twenty minutes until another woman arrived. She appeared even more bedraggled than us, and I could have sworn there was blood on her clothing.
"Sara!" Judith rushed to her side.
Introductions were made, Homer slipped off again, and Sara's guard joined Ben and the others.
"Come, let's get you cleaned up," Judith offered the newcomer.
Sara shook her head stubbornly. "I want to wait for my sister and parents, we were separated."
"Sister?" Azubah asked.
"Parents?" Dina snorted. "What is that?"
The way she said it made me smirk, and I grinned at her in commiseration. "Right? Homer said mine were safe in a bunker, not that I have ever seen much of them."
"Me either," Andrea chimed in, which I already knew from our Instasnap conversations.
"Same," Judith agreed.
"Well, mine love me, and we were about to go to my father's secret bunker when that asshole over there," she nodded at the soldier who brought her in, "intercepted us and made me go with him."
All six of us now glared at the man, who caught our stares. He winked and grinned.
"Nothing personal, princess," he yelled.
"There's a special place in hell for you, Sergio," Sara yelled back.
"Yeah, maybe. But you'll get there first." At that he laughed hard, until Ben hit him over the head with the flat of his hand. He hissed something too low for us to hear, and the other men also shook their heads at him in disapproval.
"You know what?" Sara stepped from our group and pulled a ring off her finger. "We're done."
Azubah and I exchanged a raised eyebrow look, during which more passed than simple surprise over the latest development. I was twenty-four and had barely ever been kissed, had never shown an interest in anybody to warrant calling a boyfriend, let alone getting engaged with, something Andrea and I had sympathized over, because she, too, had never felt any sexual attraction to anybody. And from the look on Azubah's face, I was willing to bet she didn't either. I knew I was reaching, but somehow, I just knew.
"You two!" Homer, with another girl in tow, reappeared suddenly. "You haven't done anything forbidden, have you?"
"With that frigid bitch?" Sergio sneered at Sara. "Nah, my balls would have frozen off had I touched her."
"You—" Sara's words stopped short when Homer, in a show of surprising strength, caught her around the waist before she flung herself at Sergio.
"Yeah, suddenly you show more vigor than you have in the past two years," Sergio taunted.
One of the other soldiers said something to him, too low for me to catch, but I heard his response. "Had to stay close to that bitch somehow."
What was happening here? Before I could voice my question though, Homer let Sara down with a, "Behave yourself."
He turned to us, introducing the latest addition to our small group, "This is Phoebe, the last of the Chosen. Now follow me, and I will tell you everything you need to know."
"Au revoir, mon amour," Sergio taunted, and I caught him making an obscene gesture before I resolutely turned my head to follow our small group into another room. It was filled with seven vanities, a rack of white dresses, and a narrow table offering refreshments.
"We don't have much time, so if you would get ready while I talk, I would appreciate it." Homer indicated the vanities as well as the dresses.
"Ready for what?" Azubah spat in exasperation.
Andrea crossed her arms over her chest, "Yeah, for what?"
"I want to go home," Dina reiterated.