24


    24


    "Come, Ciara, I must walk you back to thepound. I must rejoin my brothers or they wille to


    look for me if I amte," Christof said pointing back the way we''de.


    As we walked I took Christof''s hand in mine. His presence was a blessing and I was d for it.


    "Why are you doing that?" he asked looking at our joined hands.


    "Because I want to," I answered grinning.


    He pushed me gently against a tree and ran a finger under my jaw. "Does it mean something?" he


    asked watching my eyes.


    "On my when two people hold hands it''s because they like each other," I said watching him.


    "I like you too, Ciara," he said grinning at me. His face turned to a frown quickly, "My brothers, when


    theye, will probably just feed you."


    "That''s okay with me," I said, "I appreciate knowing someone understands."


    We walked back to the Keeper''spound holding hands the whole way.


    The other girls were dying to know why Christof took me outside. I lied and told them he had wanted


    to have sex.


    "He wanted sex out of doors?" Rose asked suspiciously. "They hate that. They all hate that, I


    thought. He really is strange," she mused


    I hadn''t known that would be a mistake and asked her why they didn''t like sex outside, normally.


    "The way the women take them is notfortable for them. They like to use us privately in their


    ces for resting, where everything isfortable," she answered.


    I didn''t talk to her anymore about it. My gut instinct told me what Christof and I did at lunch didn''t


    usually happen. It was best to keep it a secret.


    After lunch I had to pee, really bad. Fuji told me to go tell the Keepers. I wasn''t permitted to go by


    myself. Much like at my new home I was watched and cleaned, it was weird.


    I was distracted from the strangeness of it all by our after lunch activity. The Keepers took us


    outside the back of thepound. We walked through sand and I was thrilled to see water in front


    of us. The sea, much like the sky was a shade of bluish purple. The Keeper''spound sat right on


    the shore.


    We were in a protected alcove with rock walls almost encircling a little bay. The beach was


    beautiful, it was a light coral color. The sand felt like sand at home. Little waves broke on the beach.


    I almost ran into the water with my outfit still on, Fuji stopped me.


    "You have to get permission from the Keepers to be in the water and they will take off your panels.


    Your owners will get mad if it gets dirty," she said pulling me back.


    I went and asked the Keepers and they said I was allowed to swim. My owners had permitted it.


    They took my little outfit off of me and ced it to the side.


    When they undressed me I had tried to help them and they looked at me like I was strange. Despite


    my difort of sitting around nude with my new friends, I raged at the other women that I could


    take care of myself. Roseughed at me.


    "It takes some getting used to," she said, "but this is the way they look at it. You can''t do anything


    for yourself. It stems from the experience with their earliest ves. They bought the ones that


    fought them, but broke them. They treated ves horribly and the ves lost the will to live. If they


    didn''t do everything for them after they were broken they died faster."


    I shuddered and she continued, "The Paterians gotpetitive about keeping ves alive.


    Eventually they figured out the ves that were given less pain and more pleasure did better. They


    also learned the better they cared for their ves the better they did. It became a sign of the men''s


    training and ability to keep a healthy ve. The end result is you get treated like a prized pet."


    I listened with interest, but was dying to get in the water. Rose shooed me and I ran to the shore,


    dipping my toes in the ocean. The water was cool, but not bad. Wading out into waist deep water I


    swam around. The water got deeper toward where the inlet was. I dove down and inspected the


    rocky shelves.


    All of the sudden I came across a barrier. I reached out and touched it. It was arge metal grate


    that covered the opening to the inlet. It ended right at the water line. The grates weren''t small, but I


    couldn''t get through them. Little barnacle like creatures covered the metal from top to bottom.


    Belongs ? to N?velDrama.Org.


    Swimming to the other side of the inlet under water I found a ce where the grate was open. It


    looked like it must have gotten broken by something. There was a holerge enough for me to fit


    through. Surfacing, I looked back at the shore. The Keepers were busy with the other girls, no one


    was watching me.


    Feeling wicked, I slipped through the grate and explored the ocean outside the inlet. I surfaced just


    long enough for air. Not wanting to get caught I slipped back through the grate. Making a note, I


    decided I''d have to do that again. I swam around until I was called in by the Keepers.


    Much like kindergarden we were picked up at a specified time. A little bell rang and we all went into


    the courtyard and kneeled on our pads waiting. The Warriors came in and picked up their ves,


    sometimes stopping and talking to the Keepers.


    No one came for me. I waited a long time after everyone else was gone, I thought I might have


    been left. Perhaps Christof had repeated what I had said and it had made them angry. I jumped


    when boots appeared before me


    "Get up, ve," Master Evan said towering over my kneeling frame.


    I hadn''t heard his approach. Looking up all my owners were standing there ring at me, except


    Christof who looked amused.


    I followed them out the wall and balked when I saw the transport pad. My uncles all rode roller


    coasters, but I was too chicken. I''d never even been on an airne. I hated heights.


    "This eve will be very difficult or very enjoyable for you, depending on how you act," Master Damien


    threatened in my ear.


    Gulping back my fear I followed him onto the pad. It shot up like a rocket and I screamed, dropping


    to the floor. My eyes were shut tight as I begged them to please make it stop. When the thing


    started to move forward I grabbed onto the closest leg and cried.


    I felt hands removing me from the pant leg I was clinging to and Master Damien''s voice was in my


    ear, "You will learn to stand and act respectable during transport. We are taking a trip tonight. It will


    only end when you stop this ridiculous behavior."


    They had the driver swoop the pad every which way. I screamed I would fall off and die crashing to


    the ground. They thought that was amusing.


    "Do you remember the currents that prevented you from moving at the auction?" Christof asked.


    "Simr barriers prevent you from falling off the sides of the pad."


    "You should try them," Master Evan said pushing me with a quick thrust toward the edge. He was


    supremely annoyed.


    I yelped but didn''t go off the side of the tform. They were right, something was stopping me. The


    invisible barrier swooshed against my hand when I hesitantly tried to ce it outside the bounds of


    the pad. Turning around I smiled at my owners. The operator of the pad acted like I wasn''t present,


    most of the rest glowered at me.


    The anger on their faces was undeniable, except for Christof, who still just seemed amused. The


    lines of skin color that were usually so light seemed to darken with anger. They looked slightly feral


    and I made up my mind to ovee this fear immediately.


    Finally, I learned to watch the horizon and rx on the pad. It didn''t matter if it went up or down,


    zipped left or right. I stayed in my position and kept my eyes open. The scenery was beautiful.


    Mountains were in the distance every which way and the ocean bordered on all other sides. In any


    other circumstance, I would have enjoyed the view.


    The sun had set and the sky was dark by the time the man dropped us off in front of our door. I


    waited patiently for Master Damien to open the gate and followed him off the pad. It felt funny


    walking on solid ground again, like when you get used to wearing roller skates.


    The rest of the evening was quiet. The men took me down to bathhouse with them after dinner. I


    heard several Warriorsmenting on my morning ride. Evidently, everyone had seen that little


    fiasco.


    Thements the other men made were upsetting to my owners. In turn, my owners were colder


    and less interested in me than they had been thest two days. I learned the lesson quickly, a good


    ve does not embarrass its Masters.