Captivate (Manipulate, Book 2)

Chapter 16

Claire felt a rush of air as Basher slammed the door behind her and she wrapped her arms around herself.

“Welcome back,” Young Twin said. “They’re about to bring us dinner. Are you hungry?”

Claire nodded, then shook her head. “I don’t know.” All she knew was that Basher still didn’t believe her, and she had no way of knowing if he ever would. She’d almost felt that he might be considering it... but then he’d changed his mind. She didn’t know why it was so important that she make a connection to him, but it was.

These Rik, some of them anyway, were being friendly to her, and she felt the danger of succumbing to it. She’d told Basher she was afraid that they’d kill her in her sleep, but her greater fear was that she’d connect with them. She’d felt Young Twin’s fingers on her cheek and she’d desperately wanted to counteract that with someone real. She’d felt, even if it was just her fingertips, that the contact would help her remember who to trust. Basher had refused, and now she felt herself slipping down the slope.

“I know some of you don’t want me in your cell tonight, but you’re just going to have to deal with it," Claire blurted out. "And I told Basher, and he’s going to make sure the night guards keep an eye on me. So you shouldn’t try anything.”

This wasn’t exactly the truth, but she felt the need to distance herself from them.

They started doing that eye gaze thing again, and Claire snapped, “Stop that! I can see what you’re doing, you know. It’s not subtle.”

There was shocked silence.

“It isn’t?” Diva said. “How disappointing.”

“Basher was right. You are all crazy.”

“Not crazy,” Diva said, and sighed. “Just, not human.”

“Not human,” they all muttered, like a too-often repeated prayer.

Claire stared at them, they stared at her.

“You can’t stand there all night,” Young Twin finally said, gently. “You might as well lie down. We’re not going to hurt you.”

Claire rubbed the crook of her elbow where she'd gotten the shot. It was going to be a very long night.

An hour later they were fed dinner, and the Rik gathered together to eat.

Sage, Diva, and Athlete sat next to each other on Diva’s bed, and the twins sat across from them. Their knees bumped in the narrow walkway between bunk beds.

Claire sat further away, and awkwardly held a small food box in her lap. Sage had passed it to her with a slight smile when it was delivered.

When she cracked the lid, Claire smelled something amazing. She stuck the spork in it and pulled out some kind of pasta with tomato sauce. Human food! It looked like a recently frozen meal, probably shipped here in bulk, and Claire was thrilled.

How she missed real food. Faal had fed her the occasional human “delicacy” he’d imported, like canned corn or crackers, but generally she ate an oatmeal-like mush that was appropriate for carbon/water species like her. On the Diarena’s ship she’d eaten better, but it wasn’t human food.

Claire took another bite with the spork provided. It was wonderful. She closed her eyes and savored the taste. It reminded her of a Tuesday night dinner with her mom in front of a movie. It was leftover lunch after mass before a lazy Sunday afternoon. Tears filled her eyes.

“That’s incredible,” Diva said. "So sincere.”

“The neocortex handles the sensory input, but also connects to the emotional center of the brain,” Sage explained.