Shifted

17.Josalena

I never thought I'd see this day. Never dreamed or imagined it would come to this.
Devouring all of my breakfast for the first time in forever, I ignored the nagging guilt I felt.
Because I haven't seen my caged shifted friends in a while. Haven't brought them food. Haven't brought them water. Haven't read to them.
I've grown so used to barley eating; it took a while to finally finish a full meal. Last night I ate all of my dinner for the first time too.
I needed to be healthy and strong and full. The days of ignorant bliss was long gone.
"Can I follow you again today?" I asked Father.
He smiled brightly at me and said around a mouth full of food, "of course," he swallowed his last bite before standing up, his chair scrapping against the wooden floor.
He came around and put a large cold hand on my shoulder. "I'm really proud of you these days, and I'm proud to call you my daughter." I nodded my head, choking back emotion as I grinned at him and patted his hand.
"I'll go get changed," I stood up, breaking the contact.
"We are patrolling inside the gate today, so prepare yourself and remember we are going to be around a bunch of filthy animals," his words followed me as I climbed the stairs. Filthy animals. It bounced around it my head as I changed and made my way back down.
Today I had on a brown laced up the front corset top that stopped midsection with a white ruffled sleeved blouse underneath matched with white ruffled pants that went right below my knee. I grabbed my steel leather bound canteen attached to a leather strap and placed it over my shoulder before meeting my father outside.
He eyed my attire before grunting and indicating I follow him. Usually I would wear dresses but I've decided to all put toss them aside for more practical wear.
"Can you teach me how to fight and use weapons?" I asked him and his face brightened at that. I was making him proud, for once he no longer looked at me annoyed and with disgust as if I were just a mini version of a wife that left him. Now he saw me as a potential prodigy.
"No, but I'll get you to work with the best trainer we have, that way you can be even stronger than I am," he said brightly. And I was glad for it.
"So what's the objective today?" I asked to fill the the air with another noise than my heavy breathing as I tried keeping up with his long fast strides.
"Today while shifted work, we are going to check around in random homes, make sure there aren't illegal items among them and make sure everyone who is able isn't slacking off. Along with checking in on the guards watching over the field, and get a report from them. If they report a half breed as slacking off; we will have to deal with them."
"In what way?" I hesitantly asked.
The general looked at me with cold eyes and a grin that didn't match. "In the way that will make them ever regret being lazy."
Well at least that didn't mean kill right? But my imagination was running wild and my pulse raced as we neared the gate entrance.
"Morning sir," a guard nodded as a group of them stood to attention as if they had been waiting for their general.
"Good morning men," he eyed the one female among them. "Woman," she nodded and looked at him uneasy as her crows feet around her eyes crinkled as she squinted at him behind wire framed glasses and against the shining sun behind us. "This is my daughter, Josalena, she'll be around often," everyone said hello and it was all so awkward and I was glad when he ordered everyone to file in and do the random house search. "Search as many as possible and as throughly as possible. I don't want another library to be uncovered. It should have never gotten to that point," he called out before they all moved at one. I hung back for a beat, unable to believe what I was hearing.
Were we looking for books? Was that what he meant?
With a sense of dread, I held in a deep breath before slowly releasing it as I followed along the general.
"Take this," he handed me a whistle and a small dagger. "You should be fine, mostly everyone is working and there's a lot of guard around right now. Don't search homes, just walk around, peek inside open doors only. Meet back here when you hear a whistle. Then we will head to the fields."
"Got it," I said, awkwardly holding the dagger.

Walking around, my heart clenched at what I saw. It seemed like a waste that so many guards were walking around checking for books. How ridiculous. They should be rebuilding this place. No one should have to live like this. These tiny homes, dirt packed floors. Small little makeshift shacks of homes. So close together, I could see how that big fire broke out not too long ago and spread fast they said.