As Nero and Frides sat down to a large spread of fresh fruits, the many, many skirts waved to and fro. Bustling over one another, laying out roasted potatoes and garlic herbed prawns mixed with juicy cherry tomatoes. Lastly a large platter of roast beef still sizzling. One of the attendants leaned in and sliced portions and placed them on Nero and Frides' plates. Urs sat on a bench next to Nero with her mouth watering.
"Can you give her just as much as you gave us, and please bring another one of the roasts for her. She's a growing girl."
"Anything for you. I'll even get you another Old Fashioned." She ran her hand across his shoulder blades.
"Thank you." She tilted her head and winked. "Number 33 is friendly. Actually all of these girls are so friendly."
"That should have been your first clue." Frides hinted as he wiped some of the juices from the corner of his mouth with a napkin and then back in his lap.
"Everyone except Glasses."
"Glasses?"
"Speaking of, here she comes. Hey Glasses!" She rolled her eyes and plodded towards them with none of the beguiling grace of the Numbered girls.
"How can I help you." She asked most unenthusiastically.
"Are those your glasses?"
"Yes, if thats all, can I go now?"
"Okay I believe you. I just wanted to hear you say it. Can you join us?" he gestured to the bench.
"Do I have to?" She looked down at Urs.
"Its okay she won't bite. I just want to ask you about a few things. If you'd suffer with me, my companion is terrible company." He slyly smirked at Frides who ignored him.
"What do you want to know?" She responded studiously. He looked at the bench and she plopped down with a grunt.
"Firstly, I think you're good company based on your reading selection." He pointed to the book at the back of her waist. "It's about the effects of Glow on the gravity or whatever."
A spark gleamed in her eyes and she sat up. "That's an over simplification. It theorizes the effect of Glow on."
"Test. The atmosphere and how the Glow Stones, such as this one, effects the planets mass if any." A smirk creased the corner of her mouth and it disappeared as she cleared her throat.
"Do you cut off all your guests." She feigned grace.
Nero broke out into laughter. "Don't please." He managed between laughs.
"Nero you're being rude look at her." Frides looked at her frazzled expression and she looked down away from Frides. A frown of frustration built between Nero's snorts. Annoyed she smacked him on his arm.
"Ow! It's not you and that's why I asked you to join us. No offense but your doing a poor impression of the Numbered girls."
"What's that mean." She asked awkwardly.
"See that's more you. Don't get me wrong. Its flattering and everything, what they do." He tilted his head towards a girl walking by. "But it stinks. You should stick to the awkward smart girl thing. Its more interesting. I'm more of a take charge girl kinda guy."
She craned her head up accentuating the deep curve of her neck. "Do you really want to talk about theories or do you want to ask about something else."
"I'd love to but our potential for future conversations can be debated at a later date. This one over here is amused by the things I don't know. What's going on here and what does it have to do with that listless look in your eyes."
"Nero you shouldn't. We don't know if we can trust her. I'll tell you about it when we get to our room." Frides tried to stop Nero but there was nothing he could say at that point.
"I'm a Retainer." She took a sharp inhale. "We can help. Do you need to be saved?"
"Almost a Retainer." Frides corrected him.
"Then you should kill me." She looks down and a tear falls onto her lap. "What your friend is amused by is the fact that you haven't noticed, this is a brothel. Everyone here is caught in a web of threats and manipulation."
"That's not what Retainers do! Why should we kill you?" Frides asked.
"You don't know what I've done. I figured it was only a matter of time before Retainers came to this place." She intended to shoot him a look of anger but all she had was sorrow and shame.
"Okay lets take this elsewhere. Come on." Nero grabbed her by the shoulders and lifted her up.
They go back to their suite. Nero sat her on one of the beds and Frides hands her a towel.
Nero took a seat next to her.
"So tell us what's going on here. We'll listen."
"What's the point. All I do is ruin things. I brought her here."
"Who?" Asked Frides.
She looked up. "My friend. When I came to this country I was homeless and hungry. She found me passed out and brought me to her house. She fed me, though I don't know why? I don't know anything. I don't know why I had to run. Or why I had to leave my family." She wiped her eyes as tears formed. "I'm better off dead."
Urs jumped onto the bed and nuzzled the girls hand. She weakly smiled and pet Urs' ears.
"Just tell us what's going on. What don't you know? You seem pretty smart to me."
"Imani was a thief. She taught me how to steal and how to protect myself."
"There's no shame in that. You did what you had to, to survive." Frides said.
"Yeah, no shame." Nero agreed.
"That's not even the worst of it. Their was this man that was kicking one of the kids that Imani and I looked out for. He was a Peace Corps. guy. Imani said we should just leave it but I got involved and next thing I knew I was laying face down coughing blood. Imani tried to help but we were no match. He chained us up and brought us here. I was so stupid!"
"Why don't you have a number, then?"
"He's right. All of the brothel workers have numbers, why don't you?" Nero Asked.
"When we got here they said I wasn't pretty enough to be an attendant."
"They must be blind." Frides said under his breath.
"That's not the point. Imani was, so I made a deal. In exchange for not making Imani work, I would." She stopped mid sentence. " I was a catcher."
"What's a catcher?" Frides asked.
"If anyone is able to escape, one or two of the five catchers goes and brings them back. Who would do something like that to someone in the same position as them? I told you. I'm better off dead."
"What's your name?"
"It's Eleanor, but my friends call me Elle."
"Then I'm going to call you Elle. Elle, I've met a lot of people that this world would do better without. You are not one of them. Don't ever say, no don't ever even think that. Promise me." Nero put his hand on her shoulder again and repeated. This time as a command. "Promise me." Elle nodded her head, "That you'll never even think that you'd be better off dead. Fight every single day you're alive. For every single breath. You can quit living when you're dead." Nero looked into her eyes and smiled. "Alright?"
Elle wiped the tears from her eyes and nodded her head."Alright, I promise."
"Why didn't you guys run?" Frides asked.
"We tried a month ago. They brought us back and they took their time. It's called breaking. When they're caught their bones are broken and they're beaten an inch from death. Then they put them in the springs and all of the wounds disappear. But they don't." She wipes the tear from her eye resolved not to cry anymore.
"Its okay." Nero tried to reassure her.
"No its really not. I've done it. I've broken five attendants in the six months that I was doing it." A tear slid down her cheek to spite her resolve. "Anyway. Not many try to run away again after that."
Nero looked up at Frides.
"Can't you go anywhere without leaving a pile of dead bodies. This better be worth the two days of silence."
"Ummm."
"Don't tell me you forgot. You better hold up to your end of the deal."
"Would you maybe take just one." Nero pleaded.
"Two as agreed, It was a contract."
"Alright, alright!" Nero gave up.
Elle broke out into laughter and Frides and Nero looked over to her. "Why do you guys even know each other?"
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure he was fated to kill me and someone did something unexpected and there goes the butterfly."
"He's right, you can blame me. Tried and failed unfortunately."
"You've gotta be kidding me." Elle exclaimed. "Some butterfly."
They all looked at each other and laughed.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading!