Friday Excerpt - Perchance to Dream Chapter Sixteen

About thirty days after the impregnation, I was taken to the doctor's office inside my father's building. I was given a white veil to cover my head and hair because the women were sure that I was pregnant. They had found me vomiting my breakfast into the small toilet.

I had been trying to hide it for days because I knew that when they found out, I would be more cloistered than ever.

This time the examination was held in a private room with only my attendant in attendance. The guard was outside the door. The doctor bustled in and began the exam. He took urine blood samples and then left me there. We waited for a long time until he came back and announced that I was pregnant.

It would be three and a half months before I would know the gender. At that point there would be a ceremony determining whether I would stay a breeder. If I could have boys I would be in great demand with the other creatures in the compound. I kept my face passive. I had had enough experience in the last few weeks to keep my emotions to myself.

After the doctor's appointment, my attendant and the guard began our walk. When we were near the back of the building, I saw my brother walking towards us. We stopped. I saw the lust in the attendant's eyes as she gazed at my brother's lithe body. I was surprised to see respect in the guard's eyes.

The guard had kept his eyes hooded around me so I had thought that he was one of my father's spies. I guess I was wrong. I felt a spark of resentment as he nodded to the guard and attendant. He took me a few feet away so that the two of them couldn't hear us.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

"Why would you care?" I asked back. I felt the need to rip at someone, anyone, for the creature who was my father. I stopped my words before they pushed him away though. I was lonely. For the first time in my life I had been separated from my peers. I wanted to hear what he had to say. I wanted to judge his words through my filters instead of Mark's filters.

Then I added, "Except for being pregnant, I am fine … so far." I looked down at the ground. My toe nails were immaculately groomed. I wondered if the attendants did it during my sleep. I know I hadn't been taking care of the grooming except for my daily showers.

There was a long silence and then Seth said, "I am so sorry Daisy. I didn't think they would go after you."

I looked up at him, "What did you do," my voice had a fierce, growly sound to it. I felt like me for just a moment.

A quick smile, and then he became serious. I could see how the women in this compound would love to get their nails in him. He was handsome, and oh so masculine. I looked back at my attendant. Her mouth was open and her eyes were wide and shiny.

"You know that father is possessed."

I knew. I wasn't about to tell Seth how I knew, but I knew. I nodded my head yes.

"I had plans to overthrow him, but he found out. At first I thought you told him. When father told me that he knew, he laughed, and said that you had ambitions in that area too."

I felt a great weariness fall on me. "Not that I can do anything now brother." I could feel the tears gather in the back of my eyes. I held them back with a great effort of will.

"I am sure the entire place is guarded by ghosts who were killed by that creature who was our father." I refused to call him father. "We could be discovered here at any moment. Plus some of them can kill."

Seth nodded. "Give me some time. I'll find out how to get you out of here."

"No hurries, brother," I could hear the disillusion in my voice. "I have about eight months now."

Seth walked me over to the attendant and flirted a little with the attendant. I wonder if Seth had some charisma talent that hadn't been classified because she was glassy eyed when we started back to my cell.

The guard looked away and sounded disinterested. I was very sure that he was loyal to Seth. I had never had friends or even loyal friends when I had power. I had been allowed to be arrogant. Why was Seth so different? I suppose that I had sensed that about him at a young age. I had thought that he had a great deal of power to garner such loyalty.

Now I knew it was because he was worthy of loyalty, unlike that creature who had taken our father. I had a small speck of hope.