Page 56 of Undone
Remy
The entire month of May, and half of June, came and went without speaking to the Senator, only seeing glimpses of him in passing. I was a mess every day, nervous, waiting, wondering. I’d told Linette about my conversation—well, the part of it where he mentioned we were the only people in Primo Town who’d known each other “before.” We decided it would be best to sit apart.
Not being allowed to touch anyone was bad enough. I didn’t realize how much comfort I was taking just by beingnearTater until we lost that too. Sometimes I searched him out in the dining hall, and it always left me with one of two sensations. Either I’d find him sitting alone, sullen, staring off with his jaw locked, in which case my heart would ache horribly and I’d pray he wasn’t giving up or planning something reckless. Or I’d find him staring right back at me, wearing his need baldly across his face for all to see. In those moments I would flush head to toe, feeling dizzy, and look away before the guards could sense our connection.
Much to Linette’s chagrin, I ended up sitting with the children instead. I felt their warmth toward me, and I needed it. They knew better than to laugh or smile or touch one another, but we’d gotten bolder in the dormitory when the guards weren’t around. I would brush and braid their hair in the bathroom, and give each of them a quick squeeze before bed. I couldn’t help myself. I kept my eyes on the door the entire time. The thought of these girls growing up without any affection nearly broke me. I couldn’t even let myself think of the boys over in the male dormitory and whether or not anyone was loving on them. Especially now that I knew the Baelese had chosen each of them, from different backgrounds, for the sole purpose of breeding with whotheychose, and working to furthertheircause.
Being away from the Senator allowed me some clarity. Anger had risen from the depths of my soul. It was easy to hate him and his methods when I didn’t have to see him. But all of those feelings came crashing down, clanking and clashing when he showed up at Primo Town after dinner, flanked by guards, asking for me.
Whenever the Senator arrived, everyone in Primo Town came out to see. We couldn’t help ourselves. Every day was so mundane. Any change of routine was beyond exciting. My heart pounded when the guard called my name in the dining hall, and I stood.
“Bahntan is here to speak with you. Follow me.”
I dared not look toward Linette or Tater, though I knew their attention was on me, like everyone else’s.
This was it. The moment I’d been contemplating and dreading. Seeing him again. I’d run through every possible scenario of what he’d do to me. I’d seen him lose control. Not fully, but enough. I’d been too brazen, and yet not brazen enough.
I was mentally preparing myself for the worst when I looked up and saw him standing there with two young human children. And I swear, when I met his eyes, his tense shoulders lowered in comfort. He worked his jaw, and I wet my lips, stopping when I was close enough. A crowd formed behind us, but everyone knew to keep their distance. They couldn’t hear, but they were satisfied to watch.
“Ms. Haines,” he murmured.
“Senator.” I looked away from the intensity of his eyes to see the boy and girl. No more than four years old each. The girl had spirally black curls past her shoulders and creamy light brown skin. They boy’s hair was dark brown and his skin was a shade lighter—Hispanic, perhaps? Both of their faces were marred by dried tear streaks.
“This is Kelsey and Ronaldo. They are younger than the usual Primo Town citizens, but they were found today in a raid, and I assured my soldiers that you would care for these two until they are old enough to work. Ronaldo, of course, will bunk with the males. Perhaps your companion who works with the livestock will allow them to shadow her during the day while you teach.”
My eyebrows went up and I nodded. “Yes, I’m sure Linette would be happy to keep them.” Ha! I squatted to the children’s level. “Have you ever gathered eggs or milked cows?”
The boy shook his head, and the tiny girl nodded. “I used to get the eggs when I was little.” The Senator chuckled at that, seeing as she was so tiny, and I smiled. I couldn’t believe this. I thought he’d want me banished to a different colony of humans at the very least.
I held my hands out to the children, and as they reached for me, I suddenly yanked my hands back, staring up at the Senator. His jaw locked in contemplation.
“Small touches with these children will be allowed because of their age,” he said, glancing around at the guards. “For now.”
Relief hit me, and I held out my trembling hands. Each of the children readily stepped forward to take my fingers and gather close to me. I stood with my head up, defiantly ready to argue with the Senator or any guard who told me to let them go. Everyone was quiet, watching, waiting for the Senator to respond.
Finally, he spoke, keeping his eyes on the children. “They will be in good hands here.” He looked at his scowling guards now. “Come along, then.”
My breaths were coming too quickly when they turned and left us, locking the swinging gates. I smiled warmly down at the children, though they both looked wary, clinging to me.
“It’s okay,” I promised them. “I’m going to keep you safe. My name is Remy.”
“Where Mama?” Ronaldo asked, his chin quivering.
I clenched my teeth, silently cursing the Baelese.
“She’s not here, Ronaldo,” I said gently. “I’m so sorry. We’ll take care of you.”
The other humans remained where they were in the open courtyard while I walked up and introduced the children. I ushered forward Linette and Tater.
“This is Ms. Linette. She’s going to take you with her during the days to learn how to take care of the animals. You like animals, right?” The children inched closer to me, looking up at Linette suspiciously.
Linette’s eyes bulged, and I said, “Senator’s orders.” This made her blink and a smile appeared.
“Of course. How . . . fun.”
I waved Tater closer. “Ronaldo, this is Jacob. He’ll take care of you at night when you go with the boys.”
A fiery burn of affection filled my heart when Tater kneeled and gave the boy a genuine grin. “Hablas español chico?”
