unwanted

chapter nineteen

unstopped

Moving hurt like a bitch. She tried to be as still as she could be. Apparently, she'd survived day three and four all over again.

She tried to move her hand a little knowing that Julian would be nearby. The hand that took hers was not his.

Swallowing her panic, she tried to open her eyes.

"You're okay. Rest. You've had a rough time of it."

"Julian?" She was unsure if his name made it passed her lips but before she could try it again, water moisten her dry lips and she sucked at it desperately.

"That's enough for now. Too much might make you sick."

None of this was pain that she wasn't used to. She allowed herself a full sixty seconds to lay there then she sucked it up and tried to sit up.

"You're such a stubborn one. Do you ever listen to good advice?"

"Nope."

Her plan was to figure out where the hell she was, then figure out where the hell Julian was. She forgot all of that when she got a good look at the girl next to her.

Not a girl, or at least not a human girl. She also wasn't one of Kell's people. There was no chance of that.

She'd look human if she wasn't shining like Edward did on Twilight. He had to be out in the sun for that but the room they were in was completely dark. Or it would be if not for glitter girl.

She smiled, and her long glowing hair moved like it had a life of its own before it went back to lie around her shoulders. "How do you do?"

"Where's Julian?"

"I'm unsure. I could guess if you'd like me to."

"Yeah, do that."

"If Julian is a person and if this person was with you when you were abducted, and if this person is a male then there is a good chance, he is on one of the outer floors where the rest of the males are kept. If this person is female and was with you then there's a good chance she wasn't abducted. The only females they take are the ones that are deemed useful. As I assumed you have been since you're wearing a collar around your neck. They never bother with any species that they don't deem useful. You are the first human I've seen who has require a collar."

Jess's eyes were drawn to the collar around the other girl's neck.

"They keep us from being able to shift or escape. They also allow us to understand each other's languages. I am Slenzer."

"Where am I?"

"We're in the rooms at the heart of the ship where all the slaves are kept."

"You're a slave?"

The other girl dimmed a little bit. "You are as well now."

She wanted to lay back down and try to remember how she'd gotten here but there was no time for that. She climbed to her feet. The clothes she wore were not her own. She looked like she'd just escape from prison except instead of being orange, the baggy one piece was neon yellow. Her new shoes looked like ballet slippers she'd had when she was a child.

Everything hurt, even the soles of her feet hurt.

Looking around, she realized that there were more girls around the room. Each laying on a sleeping pallet against the wall. Most of them were sleeping but a few laid watching her. None of them looked human. None of them looked like glitter girl either.

Some wore collars, some didn't. Some were close to looking human and some were nowhere close to looking human.

"New ones always do one of two things. Run around screaming even though I tell them there is no way out or they huddle in a corner crying. I'm guessing you're one of the first."

Glo baby went to her own pallet near the wall and sat down as she waited to see what Jess was going to do.

Panic was rearing its ugly head, but Jess beat it down. Closing her eyes, she thought about Julian and tried to move to his side. She'd never tried that before but if Kell could do it maybe she could too.

It didn't work, so she tried to move her ass anywhere but here.

Nothing happened. Her hands went to the collar around her neck. She couldn't see it but if it looked anything like the other girl's then it was black and had blinking blue lights.

"It will be morning soon; you should try to get some rest."

The panic she'd been fighting down reared up and took over. First, she clawed at the collar and when it wouldn't bulge, she looked around for a door or a window. There were none.

"When it's time to work then we'll be free to roam the ship. They don't worry about us escaping so during the day we can come and go."

Jess felt around the walls, but she knew how useless it would be. On Kell's spaceship the doors didn't open unless Dezrick wanted them to.

"Please don't start screaming. It won't do any good and most of these girls work all day long, so they need their rest. Come back and sit down, please. There's some water in the cup if you'd like it. I also saved you some diedo if you would like some. It's a cross between your bread and your cornbread. I hope you like it because we eat a lot of it."

"Why am I here?"

"There's no answer that will satisfy you. They didn't want you; they only took you because you were with someone they wanted. They would have left you behind, but they must have detected some type of powers from you."

Jess thought about the last thing she could remember. She was with Julian. They'd been playing on the road. Marty had been with them. She remembered camping that night and she had already been feeling bad. Her mark had burned hot and Julian had found her some cool water.

The last thing she remembered was him talking about taking her back to Adrian.

"How long have I been here?"

"Nearly a week. I recognized your sickness, so I managed to talk them into not disposing your body."

"Thanks for that."

"Most welcome. Is your mate the one they took from you?"

"Something like that."

"Well, you don't have to worry about him. The useful males are treated like royalty. If he's able to fornicate then he'll be treated like a king."

Tired and not knowing what else to do, Jess went back to the pallet she'd been laying on. "I need to see him."

"That hardly happens but you might get lucky. Get some rest, you'll be able to think more clearly in the morning."

She hoped so. Right now, her mind seemed made of mush and noodles. She was asleep before her head hit her thin blanket.