Child of Fear

"What can we do?"

Mori answered, "Simple. She'll become one of us."

A chorus of "WHAT!" resulted.

"I said, she'll be one of us."

Lado jumped to her feet, as did several others, "You can't be serious? Do you think you can keep her nature hidden from everyone?"

"That is not our concern. All you need to be concerned with is the fact that we are commanded to search out and save all abandoned girls. And did you not say that you thought her abandoned, Scara?"

Scara, who wasn't exactly any more certain about this course than Lado, said, "Yes, I did say that. But I'm not certain of it."

"There. That's all we need to know."

"But.. What if her kindred comes looking for her?"

"We will do what we always do. She will return with them if that is her wish."

Lado wasn't about to let it go at that, "I don't believe this! I can't believe you expect us to live with that monstrosity. She's an abomination!"

There was a collective gasp as several looked in the girl's direction. The object of their attention had stopped eating and had once again curled up into herself. Though she didn't understand their words she could comprehend their content. Majua yelled at Lado, "Shut your face!" She got up and went over to the child.

Lado knew she'd gone too far, but wasn't about to give in yet, "Well, it's true, isn't it? She's a monster. Her kind destroys everything. We can't let this thing live here!"

It was apparent that many others felt the same. But Mori didn't care, "I'll tell you what you can do. You can obey because this is a goddamned order. Understand?" The Sisters stood in silent submission, for none would dare to disobey Mother. "Take the girl to the dormitory and assign her to a cell. I expect you all to treat her with the same concern as you show all the other girls here."

The Sisters quietly left the room, taking the acolytes with them. Many muttered as they left. Majua lifted the girl and led her away. She and Scara took personal care of her themselves. They led her to the lowest cell, the one closest to the door. That way she'd be in constant view of the door ward, who was Yenta tonight. Majua assisted the girl to remove her clothing, allowing her to keep her undergarments. Miranda liked that. Even though these were all women, she didn't like her body being put on display. After checking the arm, Majua put the girl in bed, "Now, you need sleep more than anything. Try to rest as best you can."

They left her then. The remaining girls having also composed themselves for sleep, the lights were slowly banked down until the only illumination came from the moonlight streaming through the windows. Miranda wasn't exactly comfortable. The bed was composed of a straw mattress. The blankets were rough. And the root the woman had given for her pain wasn't nearly as effective as the medicines her own people made. In addition, Miranda was used to sleeping during the day and moving around at night. She had been unable to care for her personal needs adequately. She wasn't surprised that her mother thought these people unhygienic.

The combination of pain, fear, and fatigue finally took their toll. She slept well into the night. It was hard to say what actually woke her. All she knew was that she was suddenly awake. The light of the gibbous moon lighting much of the room. Her own corner was pitch black. At least it was to any human. To Miranda it was merely dim, not dark. She became aware of a figure hovering at the foot of her bed. It was a small figure, not a full-sized woman, but clearly female. Miranda could smell her fear. The girl hadn't realized yet that the one she was near was yet awake. Miranda gave her a lesson. She lashed out with a foot, receiving a satisfactory grunt in return. The girl vanished.