Shifted

7.

Josalena
​Looking at the list of prisoners, I noticed a new name on it. Kitty, it read.
​No one kept records on the half-breed, no one even bothered to remember their names. I would find out though, and change the name on the list.
​I grabbed out my own piece of paper and wrote down the new name. Lucky for the person it was their turn, plus two others, tonight to get fed.
​Going into the cells with my left over food, only after waiting for Father to go to bed, I called out three names quietly.
​I felt silly calling out Kitty, I heard a shuffle, but didn't notice the newcomer was put in the furthest cell, I couldn't see until I got to it.
​After giving out two bowls, I headed towards the last cell. When I stopped in front of the cell and saw who was inside, I nearly dropped the bowl of food.
​My mouth fell open as golden eyes looked back at me with a guarded look. Her cat eyes always changing color. But I knew it was her. Even in the dark.
​"Um...I...uh, I - " I stuttered as I fumbled with the keys, trying to put it into the lock.
​"Kalaya is pretty, but not that pretty," I heard a voice mumble to someone behind me who disagreed, but I ignored them.
​Kalaya, the girl I had so badly wished I could see again, raised her eyebrows at me as she watched me making a big fool of myself. Here she was in a cell in my basement.
​She looked amused, but this wasn't funny! This wasn't how I wanted us to meet again! And now she probably thought I was just like my father.
This was horrible, and after all those fantasies I had of us meeting up again, dreams were so much better than reality.
​"Wow, this is the last place I thought you'd work," Kalaya spoke as I started to turn the key.
​"Oh, um, yeah...I live here." My face heated as I turned the key all the way. "Now if you'd just back up a little." It was more out of habit that I said it. Plus I couldn't trust her after what happened last time.
​Kalaya held up her hands and took a step back. "I'm only here for two days, no point in me running right?" Whenever she spoke I felt like my heart was fluttering more and more.
I heard a bark of laughter from behind me. I turned and shushed Fern.
"Father is sleeping!" I hissed, reminding Fern, which really shut her up. She was mean but she wasn't cruel.
​"Do they know each other?" I heard Gobe asking Curtis.
​Instead of focusing on them, I turned my attention to the girl I've been having a big crush on since I met her.
​She backed up and was now looking at me with no expression. I had no idea what she was thinking but knew it had to be bad as she wasn't smiling her beautiful smile at me anymore.
​Or even checking me out as I pretended not to notice. Her eyes were completely on my face now, watching me, waiting...for what?
​Placing the bowl of food down in front of her, I backed up, but stayed in the cell, not wanting all the half-breed's eyes on me.
​Instead of grabbing for it and turning away like they always did, she reached down, picked up the bowl, grabbed the roll on top of the food and offered it to me.
​"Bread?" She asked as if I hadn't just given it to her.
​"Um, no that's ok," I told her, but my stomach cramped up as I watched the bread and my stomach growled.
​Kalaya frowned. I rushed to explain.
​"I was just about to go eat dinner; I wanted to bring you guys food first."
​"You called out three names, are only three of us allowed to eat good meals a day?" She asked, pointing to an empty plate in the corner. "They handed those out an hour ago, it had a slice of stale bread. I'm confused," Kalaya admitted. "And then you come in here, giving only three of us a good cooked meal." Kalaya placed down the bowl, standing up and walking towards me. There was a flash of fear inside of me as her eyes flashed at me in the dark, her tail swinging from side to side and her ears twitching as if they were trying to hear something. Her head cocking to the side ever so slightly. "I think you're lying. I think this is your food. And I think you should eat too," she announced softly. I was stunned as I stared at her. No one ever bothered to care where the food came from. Just that it came.
​Kalaya held up her hand, placing it lightly at my throat. My breathing went from heavy to not at all as she lightly scraped her nails across my throat and my shoulder, her hand lightly sliding down my arm as I let out a breath that I was holding, trying to get my breathing back to normal but cutting it off again as she ran her hand down my arm to grip my wrist.
​It felt like a test, but I didn't care if I was failing as long as she didn't move away.
​She was very bold and I was very stupid. At any moment she could snap my neck, shove me down, steal the keys and run out of here. It would be so easy for her to do it too since I was just standing there, trying to restrain from throwing myself at the beautiful creature in front of me. I licked my lips as she stared down at them, afraid they looked dry and cracked. Dammit, why didn't I at least fix my hair before coming down here? My curls were frizzed out and I was wearing my worst dress, it was an old ratty thing.
Meanwhile she looked like a goddess come to life.
How could anyone look at her and see a monster or freak? All I saw when I looked at her was beauty, grace and only ever felt amazement. All I could see now as I watched her lean closer was a girl I really wanted to kiss.
​To my disappointment, all she did was brush her lips across my cheek to my ear. "Thank you," she spoke into my ear and I shivered.
​Yeah, it officially felt like I was having a heart attack.
​"But you need to eat too," she said, pulling back, tugging on my wrist, bringing me with her more into the cell. She pulled me down next to her, reaching out for the bowl and handing me a piece of food from it.
​Not wanting to refuse, I took it with a smile and started to eat it as she ate her food, it was blueberries and strawberry with two big pieces of broccoli and the bread. There was also a piece of meat. I quickly picked up the meat and ate it, remembering how she had flipped out the last time over the fish. She grinned at me like we shared a secret and it made me smile back.
​"What'd you do to get in here? And for such a short time?" I questioned after having waiting for her to finish eating. "Usually only long timers get thrown in here."
​Kalaya leaned in and whispered as if she didn't want the others to hear. "Stealing."
​That was weird, only two days for that? And even after the big scene she caused in town? It was surprising Father hadn't locked her up for the rest of her life. Or had her hung. Or hand cut off. He could be quite cruel.
​"So how is life as the General's daughter?" Kalaya eyed me from head to toe, looking at me as if I was something she wanted to very much study. "I wonder how did someone so ugly make and raise someone like you?" She flashed as half cocked smile.
​"Yeah, sorry for..." I trailed off, not knowing how or even why I was apologizing for Father, but having this overwhelming feeling that I needed to. And by the fresh bruises she was sporting, it seemed he had been rough on the way to bringing her over here.
​"I'm sorry too," Kalaya replied, reaching out and grabbing my hand, turning it over. Looking down I saw the cuts from when I had put them up to protect my face from my father. I had only needed bandages for a day and they weren't deep cuts so it wasn't a big deal. She kept surprising me, noticing things I never even had to try to hide before because no one ever took a close look at me. They saw what they wanted to see and that was all.
​This girl takes one look at me and it's as if she sees into my soul.
​I smiled as I looked away from her, not even tugging my hand back because it felt so warm in hers. "Eh," I shrugged my shoulders. "It'll heal."
Kalaya tilted her head at me. "But they'll scar?" She said as if it were a question.
​"Yeah so? Who doesn't have scars?" I asked rhetorically.
​"That is true," Kalaya agreed and we sat in comfortable silence, with her still holding onto my hand. She rubbed her thumb light as a feather over the cuts, causing me to shiver.
​I was starting to realize that all my thoughts started to focus on my looks. Did I have bread crumbs on my chin? Was my skin dry?
​It was disgusting to think when she had dirt caked to her but I couldn't help it. Being so near Kalaya like this, with her looking so flawless, even with a dirty face, swollen eye and bruises and cuts marking her, I wanted her to look at me and think I was pretty.
​"Do you ever want to get away?" Kalaya asked me now, her voice sounding as far away as reality was to us, in this moment.
​"What for?" I asked, confused.
​"What for?" Kalaya asked incredulously. She raised her eyebrows as she looked around the cell and down at our intertwined hands, down at my cut up one.
​I shook my head. "I've visited other villages and this is a better place," I answered, remembering how Father used to bring me to travel and how I quickly realized that there could be worse nightmares than the one I was living in.
​"Screw other villages! What about going out there, into the world, separate from all these laws, the discrimination, the violence, just going away with those you care about and just...just being free," Kalaya finished, looking breathless as if she had dreamed about this all the time and was excited by the very thought.
​With a sigh, I took my now sweaty hand from hers and I stood up.
​"I find it best to not fantasize too much. Or else reality will be too unbearable," I stated, as I backed up to the door and stepped through as she stayed on the floor, watching me with her hypnotizing eyes. "I'll be back with water for everyone!" I announced as I locked up her cell and walked away.
​Behind me, it sounded like she replied, "it already is," but I couldn't be sure.