They had been very blunt with me. My fake owners did not ever see Master Damien and his Brothers.


    They passed messages to one another. If I got my them in trouble they would sell me, Master Damien


    could not stop it.


    “I missed earth,” I lied. “I was anxious. My owners would not let me out until I calmed some.”


    “Ah,” Rose said satisfied, “it happens to many of us, the realization you will never leave can cause


    great distress. I’m sure changing owners made it worse for you.”


    “Yes,” I nodded.


    From days of Laying in the box, I was weak. My friends helped me inside and decided I needed to do


    something. They brought the drums over and asked me to y. It took an amazing amount of energy to


    tap the familiar rhythms on the drums.


    “You seem…strange,” Fuji said. “You have no strength.”


    “I was agitated,” I told her, “they kept me in the box.”


    “You have been gone ten day cycles, Ciara,” Rose said. “How much of that time was in the box?”


    Ang’s Library


    I didn’t answer her, but she seemed to understand.


    Rose’s breath shuddered out. “You must be active to get your strength back,” she told me. “Come with


    us; we will walk.”


    Fuji did not understand the walking I did with her and Rose. We just paced thepound. My bnce


    got better and I got stronger as the morning wore on.


    The lunch bell rang and we were on the wrong side of thepound. I’d never make it in time.


    “Go,” I told Rose and Fuji, “I’ll get there.”


    The girls ran off and I was left to stumble toward the Lunchroom. The men were all feeding their ves


    by the time I made it. I moved as quickly as I could to stumble and kneel before my owner.


    The other men asked him what was wrong with me. He gave them brusque and nomittal answers.


    “You were not trained,” Basin hissed. “I’m not sure why Damien chose your family. There were better


    choices, there still are.”


    “Mind your own ve, Basin,” my Master said in his regr dismissive tone. “No one needs your


    opinion on the matter.”


    The men in thepound found my obvious illness to be horrific, an insult to my owners. I heard them


    speaking about it when we left the Keepers. I tried desperately to look strong and normal, but ten days


    of a forceda had taken a toll.


    The took me to the bathhouse and sat me in their alcove. Since my first meeting with Master Damien


    and his Brothers, they no Longer plucked the mark. I knew they were keeping it hidden. I sunk into the


    familiar cushions and waited for them to be done.


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    When we were in the bathhouse, I’d taken to Looking around. I draped my hair over my face and


    Looked at the world through my shield. No one ever seemed to notice me, since I’d gotten quite


    sneaky.


    Tonight all the men were looking at me. It was worse than when I’d been at the posts. I heard them


    talking clearly and they discussed what a poor job my current owners were doing.


    “Would you sell it?” a man asked one of my owners as they bathed.


    “No,” was the disdainful answer. fou were not trained, that is now very obvious,” another man said.