Reap

Master’s female moved behind me and I heard water sloshing in the bowl. But I didn’t want her behind me. I wanted to watch her, look at her face. I wanted to feel warm. She made me feel warm.

Reaching behind me, I took hold of the female’s wrist. She froze and stopped breathing. I tugged on her arm and patted the floor in front of me.

She breathed out and relaxed. “You want me to stay in front of you?”

I nodded. She carried the water in front of me and smiled. I relaxed and she pulled out the round soft object that she’d cleansed me with yesterday.

Dipping it in the water, she pulled it out and the most amazing sound in the world slipped from her lips: a laugh. “This may get you wet. I hadn’t thought through how to actually do this down here.”

I was staring up at her, but I was frozen, my muscles seized on hearing her laugh. It didn’t sound like Master’s laugh. It didn’t make me angry, it made me feel. It made me feel full.

Water suddenly wet my head, the drops falling down my chest and onto my stomach. Master’s female leaned down to meet my eyes. “Is that okay?” She was smiling. She wanted me to answer, so I nodded my head.

Straightening, she continued to wet my hair. I heard the sound of something opening, and Master’s female put something that smelled nice into her hands, then onto my head. Her fingers lifted my long hair. She started running them over my head. She shuffled forward until she pressed against me.

I wanted to touch her. Lifting my hands, the chains rattled as I placed my hands on her waist. The female stilled, her fingers in my hair stilled, too. She took a deep breath, then continued. I closed my eyes at the feel of her touching my hair. The movements were making me relax.

My hands gripped her waist. She was so small, so soft.

I heard her breathing hitch and her fingers tightened in my hair. Eventually she stopped, and pulled back. I looked up at her face; it was flushed.

“I need to rinse it off now.” She held up the soft object, dripping with water and squeezed it over my head. I closed my eyes as the water ran down my face. My hair stuck to my face.

The female then took a towel and began drying my hair. She sat back and frowned. Something flashed across her face and she said, “I’ll be right back.”

She went to move and panic shot through my body. I reached out and took her hand. She jumped and whipped her head back. I looked up at her, silently begging her not to leave me. I didn’t want to be alone in here again. I couldn’t protect her if she left.

She bent down and cautiously put her hand on my face. “I’ll be right back.” She looked down at my chains and her face looked sad again. “I promise, I’ll be right back.”

The reassuring look on her face convinced me she would return. I released her arm, but my skin shivered as she walked away, then disappeared up some stairs. I breathed in and out, in and out, never moving my eyes from the stairs.

Come back, come back, come back, I said in my head. I didn’t want Master to take her from me. I wanted him to have given her to me.

I heard a door close, and then her feet came down the stairs. As soon as her brown eyes met mine, I exhaled and my shoulders lost tension. But she was watching me strangely. Something was in her hands. I tried to see what it was, but I couldn’t see in this darkness.

Master’s female bent down before me, her long blond hair falling over her shoulder. She swallowed, and said, “I want to release you.”

I frowned. She pointed to my chains. “I want to release you from these chains.”

My stomach tightened and I shook my head. Master did not let me go free. And I didn’t want her to get into trouble. The only time Master released me was to kill.

I froze. Did Master want me to kill?

Did I have to kill now?

The female moved closer. “No one will hurt you, I promise. I just want to get you away from the water so I can comb your hair.” Her hand reached out and, taking my wrist, she slid back the shackle. She flinched, and her voice caught. “I don’t want you to hurt anymore.” Her finger lightly ran over the scars and fresh sores from my chain. “I want to heal your wounds. I want to look after you.”

I looked into her eyes trying to detect deception. I couldn’t see any. Was it true? Was I being released so she could care for me?

No one ever cared for me.

No one ever spoke to me unless it was to give me orders or call me a dog.

No one ever touched me unless it was to bring me pain.

“I promise you won’t be hurt. There’s no more pain here.” I stared into her brown eyes. Trusting those brown eyes, I nodded. She lifted the key to the chains, but then stopped. I looked at her face and she said, “You won’t hurt me, will you? When you’re free, you won’t hurt me?”