by L. S. O'Dea
McBrid kept his breathing steady. Jocko could just be hungry. Young, male Servants often were, but it was also a symptom of the transformation for many of the creatures. The Araneas usually skipped the phase of extreme hunger and cravings for raw meat, going straight to the deathly ill stage, but this was a new serum. He grabbed two empty syringes and filled them with their blood. The samples would tell the true story.
“Now, for your breakfast.” He left to get the food. They’d been lucky last night. He hoped they’d continue to be lucky and the process wouldn’t be as painful. He didn’t enjoy inflicting pain on anyone, even Servants.
CHAPTER 17: McBrid
MCBRID HEADED TO THE lab, carrying a tray overloaded with food. Jocko’s appetite had been increasing non-stop over the past few days. He balanced the tray between his body and the wall as he opened the door. The smell of vomit and feces slapped him in the face and he struggled not to gag. Jocko was stretched out on the bed, shaking and moaning. Fersia was next to him holding his hand.
By the mess in the cage, the young male had been sick for some time. McBrid wasn’t sure if he was relieved or disappointed. He’d grown accustomed to their conversations.
Jocko was the typical young, male Servant—cocky, energetic and occasionally snotty. Fersia, on the other hand, was different. She was smart, funny and respectful. He truly enjoyed chatting with her about architecture and gardening among other things. She was well read and intelligent.
However, Conguise had been harassing him about his lack of progress. No other Araneas had taken this long to begin their transformation. The blood showed signs of mutation but it was faint. He’d begun to think that he’d weakened the serum too much. The sound of retching drew him from his thoughts and he moved into the room.
“You’re here, thank Araldo.” Fersia’s big, green eyes pleaded with him for help, but all he could do was continue the process.
“This is normal.” He put the tray of food on the counter and filled a pan with water. He grabbed a rag and entered the cage. He was safe until the male changed. He placed the pan on a table near the bed. He wet the rag, wrung it out and handed it to her. “I’m going to go get someone to clean this up.” He motioned to the vomit covered floor.
“Okay.”’ She began washing Jocko’s face.
McBrid locked the cage as he left. It wasn’t a habit he could let slide on Level Five. He walked to the breakroom.
“Charlie and Louis, come with me.” He was trying to keep the two working with him as much as possible but without Conguise’s permission he couldn’t assign them to assist only him.
The two Guards jumped up and followed him down the hallway.
“I need clean up in Aranea19’s lab.”
Charlie’s face paled.
“The process has started. The male was sick last night, vomiting and diarrhea.”
Charlie’s breath came out in a whoosh. “I’ll get the mop and bucket.”
“I’ll also need containers for water.”
“How many?” Louis gave him a strange look.
“Four large ones with rags for each.” He left the Guards to their tasks and went back to the lab. Fersia would want to care for Jocko and that was perfect. Females often loved those they had to tend.
CHAPTER 18: McBrid
THE REST OF THE day was long and unpleasant. Fersia was worried and Jocko was getting sicker by the moment. McBrid hoped he didn’t lose the male. She truly seemed to care for her mate.
He packed his things into his backpack, his hand brushing against the books he’d brought. He went into the cage. “Here’s something else for you to read.”
“Is he going to die?” She stared up at him tears in her dark green eyes.
“No.” He might. “He’s strong and young.”
“I’m glad you didn’t give the medicine to my mom.” A tear slid down her cheek. “She’d never have lived through this.”
He wasn’t sure what to say so he pulled a book from the stack. “This is one of my favorites. You should sleep but if you can’t it’ll help pass the time.”
She kissed Jocko’s forehead and he moaned slightly, turning his head away from her. She took the book from McBrid. “Thank you.”
Araldo, help him. He was turning her into a monster and she was thanking him. “I...ah...thought you might like it. It has a lot of pictures highlighting the different architectural designs of some of our more famous buildings.”
“Am I going to get sick too?” Her eyes met his and he wanted to flee.
“I-I don’t know. I hope not.” He had no idea why she wasn’t already ill. Usually, the female got sick first and stayed sick longer. He’d attributed it to the smaller size but Fersia was tinier than any of the other female Servants who’d gone through this process.
“I-I don’t want the shot anymore.”
He was prepared for this. He heard it every time. “You can’t stop now. It’d be worse if you did.” That was the truth.
“Oh.” She wiped a tear off her cheek. “Then I guess we see this through to the end.” Her lips trembled when she tried to smile.
They usually argued or begged, but not her. She was braver than anyone he’d ever met. “Goodnight. I’ll see you in the morning.” He left, wishing he’d picked someone else for this experiment even if it’d meant failure.
CHAPTER 19: Fersia
FERSIA SAT AT THE table, staring at a book. It was late and Jocko wasn’t getting better. He’d yelled at her when she’d tried to get him to drink some water so she’d moved away from the bed to read, or try to read. He’d writhed and moaned in pain but eventually, thank Araldo, he’d fallen asleep. If it weren’t for the fever, she’d think he was getting better, but he was burning hot. She’d tried bathing him, but that only made him whimper as if even the lightest touch hurt.
The door opened and the young Guard came inside the room, pushing the utility cart. He nodded at her as he started cleaning the lab. His hand bumped a glass beaker and as he reached for it, he hit a stack of test tubes with his elbow. Everything crashed to the floor.
“Shit.” He stared at his hand, shaking it.
She glanced at Jocko but he slept as if he hadn’t even heard the sound. She moved to the front of the cage. “Are you okay?”
“Yeah. Sorry.” He wiped his hand on his pants and took the broom from the cart.
She didn’t like Guards. They were usually mean to the Servants but he was about her age and she hated sitting alone with her thoughts, unable to do anything to help Jocko. “How come you’re cleaning the lab? Aren’t Servants supposed to do that?”
“They do a lot of the rooms but only Guards clean some of them.” He tossed the broken glass in the trash.
“You must hate that.” The Guards she knew looked down their noses at cleaning.
“Nah.” He started wiping the counter again. “I’d rather do this than some of the stuff we’re made to do around here.”
“Like what?” She lowered her voice. “What are they doing here? The smells.” She shivered. The scents and sounds kept her up at night, especially with Jocko sick. Before, she’d snuggled against him, trusting him to keep her safe.
“I’m not allowed to talk about it.”
“Oh. Sorry.” She looked at Jocko. “Do you think he’ll be okay?”
“I-I don’t know.” The young Guard hurried and packed the cleaning supplies into the cart. “I’ve got to go.”
“Wait.”
He hesitated at the door, his feet shifting nervously.
“What’s your name?” She’d heard McBrid say it but she couldn’t remember.
“Charlie.”
“I’m Fersia.” She tipped her head toward the bed. “That’s Jocko.”
“I really have to go.” He averted his eyes.
“Will you come back?” She hated begging but she was desperate. “I...don’t like being in here alone with Jocko so sick.” She didn’t want to see his pity so she stared at her hands clasped around the bars of the cage.
“I’m scared.”
“I shouldn’t.” His feet rustled against the tiles. “I have a lot of work to do.”
“I don’t want you to get into trouble.” He was considering it. She just had to push him a little more. “Don’t you get breaks or something?”
“Sometimes.”
“Could you come by and talk to me? Only for a minute or two.”
“I...ah...don’t know. I usually stay with my brother.”
“I knew the two of you looked a lot alike. I wish I knew some of my siblings, but at least I had my mom.” Had. She swallowed the lump in her throat.
“How long did you get to stay with her?”
“Until I came here.” Until she chose Jocko over her mother. She wished she could go back to the first day and tell McBrid to send them back to the house.
“Oh.” He looked away.
“I miss her.”
“I miss my mom too.”
“When were you taken?” She hadn’t realized how lucky she’d been to have her mother in her life.
“They made us...made me leave when I was seven.”
“Just you? How did you and your brother find each other? Did Professor Conguise adopt both of you?”
“No. We were strays. Viola found us.”
“But you said you had to leave. How did you find your brother?”
His face almost crumpled and then he tightened his jaw. “Louis came with me. He didn’t have to. The master didn’t want me. I was always getting into trouble, breaking things, forgetting the rules. He was going to send me to the shelter. My mom was crying so Louis said he’d stay with me. He and I escaped that night.” He bent his head and quickly wiped at his eyes.
She pretended not to notice. “You’re lucky to have your brother.”
“I am.” He cleared the roughness from his throat. “That’s why I can’t get in any more trouble. I owe him.”
“Oh.” So, he couldn’t risk coming to visit her. “I understand.” She moved to the table and grabbed a book off the stack. She sat down and opened it, but she couldn’t see anything through the tears.
“Did you really read all those books?” He pointed to the stack ready to go back to McBrid.
“Yeah. I love to read.”
“I wish I could read. Louis says that’s stupid. Guards don’t read. Almightys read. House Servants read. Guards don’t.”
“I...could teach you.” This was her chance. She could help him and he could help her.
“Really?” His eyes brightened. “You think I could learn?”
“Sure. It’s not too hard once you understand letters.”
“Everyone thinks I’m stupid but I’m not. I just”—he raised his hands—“got big hands and they bump into things.” He frowned. “And sometimes I don’t think things through but I’m not stupid.”
“I’m sure you’re not.” She moved over to the stack of books and picked one that had few words and lots of pictures. “Come back whenever you can and we’ll start your lessons.”
He smiled at her. It changed his face from dour to kind of cute for a Guard. “Thanks. I’ll be back later.”
He tripped over his feet as he pushed the cart to the door. He glanced at her, his face heating, but she pretended to be looking at the book. He was all gangly arms and legs, no wonder he dropped things and tripped a lot. She went to the table, grabbed a pad of paper and pen and began to prepare her lessons. She had no idea if Guards were even capable of learning to read, but it’d give her something to do besides worrying about Jocko.
CHAPTER 20: Fersia
FERSIA WAS SO FOCUSED on planning her lesson with Charlie that she didn’t hear McBrid come into the lab until the door shut.
“Sorry. I didn’t mean to scare you.” McBrid chuckled as he walked to the cage, carrying the lunch tray.
“Oh. No. That’s okay.” She closed the book, putting it on top of her notepad. He probably wouldn’t like Charlie spending time with her, not to mention her trying to teach a Guard to read.
He slid the tray into the slot. “I’ll take the sample after you eat.” His eyes landed on Jocko. “How is he?”
“He seems to be resting more comfortably. Still running a fever though.” She grabbed her lunch and moved to the table.
McBrid went to his desk and began working—doing whatever it was he did all day. She ate her lunch and then moved over by Jocko, propping him up and spoon-feeding him some broth.
When she was done, McBrid came into the cage. He sat next to her on the bed. He took Jocko’s temperature and jotted it down in his notebook before taking samples of blood from both of them. “How are you feeling?” When he injected the serum into Jocko, the young Servant thrashed on the bed for a moment and fell still.
“Is he...dead?”
McBrid felt the pulse in Jocko’s neck. “No.”
“Are you sure?” She grabbed onto McBrid’s hand. Jocko sure looked dead.
“Yes. He’s...resting.” McBrid squeezed her hand. “He’ll be better soon.”
She blushed as she let go of him. “Sorry. I didn’t mean...” Servants never touched Almightys unless ordered to do so.
“It’s okay.” He smiled at her. “You can hold my hand whenever you’re scared. I don’t mind.”
“Thank you.” She blinked back tears. He was so nice.
“Time for your shot.”
She didn’t want the shot. It was cold going into her body and it made her nerves tingle, but he’d said she couldn’t stop and he was the expert.
He tapped her arm. “Only a little sting.” He pushed the needle through her skin and she shivered as the serum flooded her body. “Get some rest.” He stood, gathered her lunch tray and the books and left the cage.
He put the tray on the counter and began working on his computer. A few minutes later Charlie came into the lab. He kept his eyes averted from her cage as he gathered her lunch dishes and left.
She sat at the table, rubbing her arm where she’d gotten her shot. Hopefully, Charlie would come back later like he’d said. She paged through a book, looking for simple words she could use to teach him to read.
The day dragged on. McBrid left and returned hours later with her dinner. While she ate, he worked at this desk. Eventually, he stood and stretched. “It’s time to call it a night.” He shut down the computer and grabbed his backpack, stuffing some papers inside. “I’ll bring more books tomorrow.”
“Can you stay for a bit?” She wasn’t ready to be alone and Charlie may not show up. He’d ignored her again when he’d retrieved her dinner dishes.
“Ah...” McBrid looked nervous.
“I...There are noises at night and the smells are...stronger.” She wanted to say aggressive but that was silly.
“You’re perfectly safe. Nothing...No one can get into the lab and even if they did, they can’t get into the cage.”
“I’m scared.” She pulled her legs up onto the chair and wrapped her arms around them.
He frowned but moved to her enclosure and unlocked the door. “Do you know how to play cards?”
“Yeah.” She couldn’t hide her excitement if she tried.
“I can’t stay long—”
“Thank you.” She wanted to hug him, but he was an Almighty.
“Rummy?” He grabbed the deck of cards from a side table and sat across from her.
“Sure.” She pushed her books and papers aside.
“I have to warn you, I play twice a month with my uncle and father.” He shuffled and dealt.
“I’m pretty good myself.” She picked up her cards.
He laughed. “I bet you are. With all the books you read, you have to be quite intelligent.”
“Do you win when you play with your father and uncle?” She took a card from the stack, her face heating from his compliment, and discarded a different one.
“Seldom.” He picked up her card. “Actually, I don’t have much luck with cards.”
“What about your mother? Doesn’t she like to play?” Her
and her mom used to do this in the evenings.
“She passed three years ago.” His eyes dimmed as he took his turn.
“Oh. I’m sorry.” She was such an idiot. She needed to learn to keep her mouth shut.
“It’s okay. She’s...happier now.”
“Happier?”
“Yeah.” He sighed. “She loved a...someone and he died.” There was a slight tightening around his mouth. “She only married at the urging of my grandfather. She never got over the loss of her true love.”
“I’m sorry. That’s so sad”—she bit her lip—“for everyone involved. Your mom. Your father and you.”
“My father understood.” He tossed out a card.
“I’m sure it still hurt him.” Apparently, being an Almighty didn’t necessarily mean being happy.
“I...Perhaps.” He laid some cards down. “But he was a good father and my uncle was there too. I was well loved.”
“It must’ve been wonderful to grow up surrounded by so much love.”
“It was but it wasn’t perfect.” One side of his mouth curled upward into a half-smile, but his eyes were sad. “My grandfather detested me and my father. He was not an easy man to please.”
“You were lucky to have your parents and your uncle.”
“Yes, I was.”
She put down her cards, tossing out her final one. “Out.”
“Damn.” He dropped his cards. “You’re good.”
“Luck.” She grabbed the cards and shuffled. “I’ve always been lucky in cards.” She dealt. “Nothing else though, especially love.”
“Maybe that’ll change.” He picked up his cards.
She glanced at Jocko. “Doesn’t seem that way.”
The door opened and Charlie stepped inside. “Sorry it took me so....” His eyes widened when they landed on McBrid.
“Charlie. What are you doing here?” McBrid put his cards down.
“Ah...” Charlie glanced at Fersia.
“Uhm...” Her eyes dropped to the table. She shouldn’t have asked McBrid to stay.
