Kalaya
Josalena snuck me back into my cell early in the morning. With a deep kiss, we parted.
She closed the bar doors, about to lock it, when suddenly she was opening it again, coming forward, putting her hands softly on either side of my face, her gentleness feeling so good as she kissed me deeply, whispering, she kissed me quickly once more before actually locking the cell. With one last, "see you soon," she left from sight.
Once the door shut behind her, I heard a snort and someone else laughed. I could feel their amusement and disapproval pressing into me.
"Child, you're in deep shit," Gobes told me simply.
"I'm shaking my head right now. Seriously? A human? The General's daughter?" Fern's voice carried towards me.
"Keep this up, you'll be dead soon," added in Barkin.
"Wow, thanks for the encouragement everyone! Anyone else have anything positive to say? No? Good," I sneered, pacing around in the dark, something I did a lot whenever I was angry, nervous or even excited. I felt a rush of all these emotions.
No one answered and as it got silent we all heard a loud thump from upstairs.
"Stupid bitch!" We faintly heard the roar of the General. "How many times have I told you? Worthless piece of shit!"
There was a reply back, but it was too soft to make out.
My heart squeezed painfully in my chest as I realized it could be Josalena he was talking to.
There was another thump and more voices.
This time the General said, "stupid half-breed," and I realized he must be talking to one of the shifted who was forced to work here.
I felt no relief to this knowledge.
"Poor thing," Fern muttered right before we heard a new voice join the mix upstairs.
"Leave her alone!" The voice was faint, but I made it out as Josalena. "She didn't mean it!"
All noise ceased to exist.
For half the day I had to sit and worry about Josalena like I've never worried before. Everything was completely quiet, even the other shifted had gotten silent. I had even started biting my dirty nails as I strained my ears to hear better, but no, there hadn't been any noise afterwards. Not even the sound of feet walking across the floorboards.
But finally, at dusk, there was the pounding of feet coming downstairs.
It was the General, looking smug as he dragged me from my cell.
"Time to go home," he sneered at me as he yanked me by the arms upstairs.
When we got up there, just before he dragged me out of the front door, I spotted Josalena.
I breathed easy as I saw no bruise or cuts on her. But as the General stopped to tell her to remember to clean up, Josalena looked over and as I looked into her eyes, the hairs on the back of my neck rose. Her eyes looked dead as she stared ahead, not looking me or him in the eyes, but over our shoulders as if she didn't see us. It looked like she was swaying slightly.
"Yes sir," her voice came out in monotone. "Right away sir," she said, and turned back to look out the window as if he hadn't just told her to do something.
"The barn better be cleaned!" The General called over his shoulder as he continued to drag me to the front door.
I tried to catch her eyes, but she didn't look back at us.
Both sadness and anger overwhelmed me and choked me like a cord being pulled around my neck.
I wanted to kill the General so badly, it scared even me. Hatred for the man was bubbling up within.
What had he done to her? What made her look so vacant as if she had seen something that would scar her forever? As if she had to shut down to block from overly strong emotions.
I've seen that look she had before. All the time among the shifted.
What had he done?
YOU ARE READING
Shifted
Fantasy(lesbian romance) (This is NOT a werewolf story it's a shapeshifter book) Kalaya must lead her people to freedom; humans have kept her kind enslaved with the propaganda that they are less than and should be treated like animals. Shifted are people...
