And her name is…

I have ample amount of time to consider if I should have told him the truth as we work out. Tiago was kind, but firm. He gave me breaks often and checked in with how I was feeling but didn’t waver on form and execution. Comparatively, Wulfric is a drill sergeant. I would like to say I stood up for myself and argued, but he made me feel like any argument I gave would be a failure only made worse by him winning.

After we’ve worked my muscles into submission he wants me to show him my fighting skills to which I have few. Still, he seems somewhat impressed by what I’ve learned so far, even as he sends my ass to the mats again and again. Each time he pins me his face is dangerously close to minebut he doesn’t kiss me again, just let’s me smell his musky odour as he takes in mine while grinning with his victory. By the fifth time I’m rolling my eyes, but by the tenth time I’m begging him to stop fighting and touch me. By the twentieth time though… I’m spent and the slight limp in my leg tells me I’m done, and luckily he sees it too.

“Honestly, not bad. I thought you’d give up an hour ago so you beat my expectations,” he announces with a grin.

I stick my head under a faucet and chug water like a fish before replying. “With me it’s always best to lower your expectations.”

I limp to the bench and grab my clothes, not even caring enough to put them on before heading to the door. My body is a sweaty mess and my limbs are dotted with bruises in all the places I hurt the most. Wulfric is talking to me again but I’m not listening as I walk towards the doors like a zombie.

“I need a shower,” I mutter, interrupting what he’s saying. “I’ll see you at lunch.”

I shuffle off down the hall and towards my bedroom, heading up the stairs and digging for the key from my pants pocket along the way. I drop it on the stairs and turn to watch it sadly bounce to the bottom. As I make my way back down the steps I see Noryth and he picks it up to bring to me. I grimace as I accept it, knowing what has to happen next.

“Thank you,” I say, taking it firmly in my hand before continuing on, but to my dismay he follows me.

“I see my brother kicked your ass, metaphorically and physically,” he critiques and laughs as I groan. “Don’t take it personally. He takes training seriously, no matter how he feels about the person he’s training.”

I roll my eyes. “I’m not sure how to feel about that,” I admit.

He grins. “Be glad he doesn’t hate you. I’m honestly surprised he didn’t offer to carry you to your room though. You look like you’ll barely make it.”

“He knows I’d kill him if he tried that again,” I mutter. “Also,-“ I huff, getting to the top of the stairs after an eternity, “shut the fuck up, dick.”

He knows I’m less serious than earlier and pats me on the back before strolling passed me. I’m glad he doesn’t walk with me any further, and I when I get to my room I put my key on the table then strip along my way to the bathroom. I don’t even check the temperature of the water before I get in, needing it on the colder side anyway with how I ache. Regardless of the temperature, I wash myself while sitting as fast as I can and wrap myself in a towel after roughly drying my hair. I feel like I can feel my body compiling the little building blocks of cells that will make up my new muscles when they’re done yelling at me.

I lay on top of the bed, still in the towel, and just flop. I am exhausted and I’m not even sure if I want to get up for lunch in a couple hours. Slowly my breathing relaxes and I feel myself slump into sleep. I sort of remember grabbing a blanket from the bottom of the bed to wrap around myself, but I fall immediately into the memories and the world around my physical body melts away.

—

There isn’t much more to my dream except the pain. My eyes are so bloodshot that I can’t see munch and Kheliq hasn’t even bothered to ask me anything. He’s bored, or angry, who’s to say really, but his only focus is on hurting me. The cuts are small, not for bleeding me or wasting my blood, though I know those involved are enjoying my blood right now. Several small cuts on my strung up arms and shoulders have felt a tongue run over them after they were made. Them getting high during this whole thing makes everything a lot worse for me, and as their energy increases they don’t notice me slipping further and further.

I hope that I’ll pass out soon, but I doubt it. Other than the damage to my eyes, most of it has been minimal. Most of my injuries are only to cause pain. Without my eyes to look over myself, I don’t know how bad it is. I know I’m probably mostly black and blue between all the small cuts, and I’m sure I’m drooling blood from a hard slap to the face.

I remember thinking that this isn’t so bad. I remember believing that if every day was like this, I could survive through it. Then I remember smelling citrus fruits and being called a ‘snack’. For every cut they reopened, juices from one of the citrus fruits was introduce to the wound, and if they felt like it they licked off the blood. Disgust at having their mouths on me is higher than the pain, and I bite my lip to keep quiet. Making a sound to either action would be a mistake, and I ignore everything to focus on trying to box up my pain to store it away with the rest. They stop touching me to talk, but I’m so focused on not hurting that I don’t hear anything.

My lifeless body is nudged and I sway. My feet barely touch the ground, and I moan a little as I’m swung like a punching bag. My mind is praying that they’re done so I can rest, but I hear a faucet and know I’m not so lucky. The next minute water as hot as the shower will emit is pelting my body, burning my skin and stinging my open wounds. If I open my mouth to scream he’ll drown me, so I bite my tongue as the scream fills my mouth behind my closed lips.

—

I wake up screaming in the memory of my pain and while I’m still panting there’s a knock at my door. I’m still in my bed, body soaked in sweat where it’s wrapped in the towel. My chest is heaving and I try to calm myself by curling my hands to remind myself that they’re healing, I can move them now so much easier than I could. My body is sore, but not from hundreds of tiny cuts, and I’m not tied to the ceiling like a hunk of drying meat.

The pounding on the door persists and the whole frame shakes like someone really wants in. I gather the towel around myself and stride to the door, my steps more confident than I am but I think it’s just to avoid reminding myself of my aches from the gym. My hand curls around the knob and I flick the lock with my thumb as I turn it open.

Wulfric’s hand is in the air like he intends to slam on the door again but pulls it back as I stand in front of him. He glances around me into the room and scans over it expectantly, though after a minute looks relieved.

“You’re alone,” he says and I nod. “I heard you scream.”

It’s now that I realize he’s out of breath and I look at him questionably. “These rooms are supposed to be sound proof,” I mutter, not knowing what else to say.

“I was outside,” he returns and I look over at my windows to see one open a crack.

Horror floods my veins. “How do those keep opening. I never open them.”

Wulfric storms passed me into the room and starts sniffing the air like an animal. He moves to the window and looks all around it before sticking his head out. I hear footsteps charging up the hall behind me outside my room.

“Darling!” It’s Helion’s voice I hear first, it makes me cringe, and then I see him in front of me where I’m still holding the door. “What’s goring on?”

“That’s a good question,” I return, turning to watch the man still sniffing my window.

Tiago brushes passed me and joins him, the two mumbling to each other under their breath. Helion wraps his arm around my waist and I push him away. At first he looks like he wants to protest but he looks me over quickly and then averts his eyes.

“Theodosine, why are you naked?” He demands, eyeing me before looking at Wulfric.

I fold my arms under my chest, holding the towel in place. “I don’t believe it’s any business of yours what I wear or don’t. Though if you want to accuse me of being naked, I could at leastactuallybe naked…” I raise an eyebrow at him and move to unwrap the towel but he halts my hands. ”It’s nothing either of them haven’t seen,” I mutter, gesturing to the men smelling my window.

Now Helion is growling and I nearly burst into rolling laughter at the hilarity. “Why have they seen you naked?”

“Well I guess Tiago has only seen me in the chest wrap and shorts while Nyx has been healing injuries, but Wulfric was the guard that watched while I showered.” I turn away from Helion, smirking at Wulfric’s stunned expression with a lot of enjoyment.

Helion is growling behind me, as if he would actually do anything. Wulfric’s expression turns from surprise to annoyance as Helion continues, but he glanced at me quickly first. He’s not sure what I’m doing, but he seems to gather I’m trying to piss Helion off. Tiago steps aside as he realizes what’s going on and looks between us, catching the mischievous look in my eye.

“You would have rather had a group of six men watch her bathe?” Wulfric returns sharply. “Because Kheliq may have seen her as less than, but they alldefinitelythought of her as a woman.”

My eyes grow wide and my mouth falls open. This is definitely not the way I expected the conversation to go. While I’m pretty sure Helion has no truthsayer powers of gifts, I’ve still always been careful around him.

There’s no point to revealing that I’m sure he’s lying as I return anyway, “what?”

“You didn’t seriously think a bunch of guys who watched you all day; watched you sleep, eat, heard your stories, and everything else, would never have a dirty thought about you, did you?” I nod my head and he scoffs. “I had the displeasure of hearing more than a few wild fantasies or comments…”

“That’s enough, you’re lying,” I accuse now, because this is my game and he’s taking the lie too far.. “Get out of my room, all of you.” They just look at me so I say it louder. “Out!”

They all look at me like I’ve smacked them but start to leave. Helion offers to wait and walk down with me so we can talk but I tell him to go without me. I’m not in the mood to see him right now and I want a second shower after that nightmare.