Seer: Thrall Read Free Page B

out.
    "Is anyone there? Solange?"
    I wondered if anyone could hear me.
    It was several minutes before I heard the door open and close, and then a woman, clearly a nurse, if her attire was any clue, stepped through the small gap in the curtains. She caught my gaze. I wouldn't say her expression was friendly, but then, I had betrayed her employer, or so she probably believed.
    "Good morning, Ms. Welsh," she said. "I am Nurse April."
    I stared at her for a good ten seconds before summoning enough thought to say, "Such formality for someone in my situation. Are you a vampire, too?"
    "No," she said. "Do you prefer if we call you Sidney?"
    "It seems simpler," I said. "Call me whatever you want. What are you going to do to me?"
    She stepped closer. "Feed you. We changed your bedding and cleaned you up while you slept."
    I think I colored.
    "Just a sponge bath," she said, "and we brushed your hair. Maybe you can't feel them, but you're still fitted for waste removal."
    My blush undoubtedly deepened, but I didn't say anything. The nurse stepped out but returned nearly immediately, carrying a glass. She stepped to the edge of the bed and fingered the controls. Unlike Solange, she didn't offer a warning, and I had a moment of disorientation as the bed began to tilt me forward.
    Once she was satisfied with my position, she offered me the straw. I drank for a moment, and when I was done, she set it aside. The blanket had fallen down when I'd been sat up. I looked down and saw the restraints about my arms. I stared at them. April didn't say anything, but she lifted the blanket back up, tucking it in over my shoulders so it would stay.
    "Before you ask, don't bother. It is exceedingly rare, but from time to time, we get someone who is in a position to ask us to help him escape. The answer is always 'no', and then we report them to Ms. Casper."
    "Don't want to take their place?"
    "Well, no, but that's not why we refuse. In short, we're loyal to her. You don't need to know more than that." She paused. "I am also going to tell you a few more things. You may be tempted to be verbally abusive. I am human with human emotions. Attempts to make me angry may succeed. I won't abuse you in return, but I may not be kind, either."
    "What would you do to me?"
    "I won't sit with you and keep you company."
    I had looked away when I asked my question, but then I turned back to look at her.
    "I am not responsible for your situation," she added. "And I am not a fair target for abuse. And so I won't remain any longer than absolutely required to see to your most basic needs, and then I will leave you to stew. It's your choice."
    "Do you not feel guilty for what you help them do?"
    "Why should I feel guilty? I know who you are, and I know you must have betrayed her to find yourself here. I can look in the computer to see what everyone out there -- " and she gestured towards the hallway, "-- did to end up here. Am I supposed to feel guilty?"
    "I didn't do anything to justify what she's done." I tugged on the restraints. "I didn't do anything to deserve this, either. But if believing I deserve this helps you sleep at night, by all means, believe what you will." I managed to say all that without any venom in my voice.
    We studied each other for a few more seconds before she said, "It will take a few minutes to prepare your breakfast. It will be very simple and bland. It will feel good to close your eyes. If you drift, I will wake you when I return."
    I nodded and accepted her suggestion, closing my eyes gently. I heard her step away, and as she had predicted, I drifted. I didn't not notice when she returned, but then she touched my shoulder and said my name.
    I opened my eyes. There was a tray stretched across the bed in front of me. April offered me a little more water, then she picked up a bowl and spoon. "It's vanilla pudding," she said. "I've had better, but it's not horrible."
    "No Jell-O?" I asked.
    She smiled. "Did you want some?"
    "It was a joke," I said.