This Curse - By Alisha Basso Page 0,42
to eat something? Maybe get cleaned up?”
Her relief was visible. Moisture flooded her eyes and her lip curled up in a miserable looking smile.
I cringed, “Hold on there, Blondie,” I held up my hands. “It’s okay. No one can hurt you here, you’re safe.” I took her bony hand and led her to the table as slow and gently as I could. Her hand was so delicate I was afraid that it would just disintegrate in my grip.
She sat and watched as I prepared her a few things to eat. I wasn’t sure what her stomach could handle so I kept it pretty mild; buttered eggs, oatmeal with bananas, rice pudding, toast and the rest of a roasted chicken that I had in the refrigerator from a few nights ago.
She ate almost every drop, tearing into the food with her bare hands. I was stunned as I watched her gorge. God, those bastards must have really starved her.
She finished, leaving only a small piece of toast and the bananas. She drank two cups of green tea and almost all of my milk.
“Thanks Grace. Um, Can I take a shower?” she asked sheepishly.
I stood, resolved to the fact that taking care of her came first. “Sure, let me show you to one of the guest rooms.”
She followed closely behind as I led her through the house. Once I reached the hallway, she paused. I turned, frowning. “Is something wrong?” I asked.
“No…well. It’s just that no one has treated me like a person in so long that I’m just waiting for the other shoe to drop.” She pushed her tangled hair from her face and sniffed. He fingers were long and very pale. She was as tall as I was but painfully thin. She looked like the poster child for urban malnutrition.
“You are a person. I don’t care if that person has something extra or not, are we clear?” I folded my arms and shook my head. “I know you’ve suffered, but hopefully you will learn to trust me.” I moved to go then turned back to face her again. “Do you have anyone? Family, I mean?”
She looked down and shook her head. “I had a brother, but I lost him long ago. My parents died when I was born.” She looked up; a sparkle of tears lit the corner of her eye. “I have no one. Nothing.” Her shoulders slumped, as the truth seemed to hit her for the first time.
“Well,” I sighed, knowing she wasn’t a threat or a criminal. “Welcome home then.” I smiled and took her hand, “Now let’s get you to the shower. Your funk is starting to stink up the hall.” I winked at her and opened the door to my largest guestroom.
It was one of my proudest achievements. The bed, a modest queen size, was piled with fluffy white down comforters and huge square pillows filled to bursting with fluffy feathers. Midway down the bed was just a peek of the crisp white cotton sheets that wrapped invitingly around the plump mattress. A velvety throw was the only splash of color, throwing a slightly blue reflection onto the starkness of the pure white cloud it sat upon. The wood floor boasted a dark blue rug and two plump chairs. They were arranged in front of a huge bay window that looked out at the sprawling desert. A small table sat between the chairs and on top of it, I had placed a selection of books and a scented candle.
My guest sighed and stepped carefully inside. She turned to me, “I can stay in here?”
“Yep.” I smiled and gently pushed her further into the room. “The bathroom is across the room there,” I pointed to a narrow door. “Towels and a robe are inside along with all the soap you could need. New razors, toothbrush, and hairbrush are in the vanity. Take your time.” Then I turned to her, “But don’t take too much time. I need to know what happened.”
She smiled at me and I closed the door. I took several steps away from the door and was suddenly hit with an overwhelming sense of dread. My mind screamed that I was missing something.
I took a huge breath, and tried to calm my mind. Her story had better give me answers.
***
I sat and waited for a solid hour and thought about all the possible things that could have gone wrong with Seth. Well, all right, I didn’t sit. I paced, tried to contact Seth telepathically,