Story #3

She woke slowly, which was in itself unusual. The smells were different. Less urine, more musk. She could hear soft voices in the background, but none of them were clear to her. No, there was definitely a woman and a boy and an occasional male. They were clear, but they were speaking a foreign language. The aches began to remind her of the terrible beating, and a heavy weight pressed on her chest. She felt the covers lightly on her and what must be a bed, but she was no longer tied. She opened her eyes.

Two yellow inquisitive eyes looked into hers. Whiskers twitched, and she realized it was a very large cat on her chest. It began to wash her nose.

Movement beyond the cat, and the woman's voice exclaimed something. The cat was forcibly removed. The woman was covered in fabric that draped and hid her figure, but her face was still visible. Only that and her face showed she was female. She said something to her, but she did not understand.

She debated how dumb she should play. No threats had been offered to her yet, but that did not mean they would not come. "I don't understand you," she finally said.

The woman's lips pressed together, and she replied in her own tongue. She felt her forehead and moved her head to look at the wound on her scalp, lifting the wrap.

She remembered the last blow from the flying rocks. She did not understand why she had been surrounded by men yelling at her and throwing rocks. She defended herself, but it only made them angrier. She hit several, possibly killing a few, but they only threw stones- they had refused to touch her even to block her blows. She did not understand.

The woman's touch was gentle, and she spread some ointment and then replaced the wrap. She then brusquely checked her other bruises, applying balm where necessary.

She was surprised to realize that she was completely naked under the covers. It had probably been necessary to treat all of her bruises however.

When the woman finished, she pointed to herself and said, "Anna." Then she pointed at her, with an eyebrow raised.

"Delia," she replied.  ¶ 10:43 PM