Sleeping was a wonderful thing. I understood why the humans did it so often. It was a luxury and I didn’t miss an abundance of events getting enough rest. It was a mere seven hours.
I woke refreshed and loving how I felt. I stretched and then washed up, placing on the checkered shirt and denim pants. The flip flops grew on me, they were fun and I liked the noise they made when I scurried at a fast pace.
The clear, water looking beverage smelled toxic, but everyone was drinking it and I figured it was a good source of fuel for the human body since everyone was consuming so much.
It tasted bitter at first and burned my chest, but after a few, they went down smoothly. They were magic. All my inhibitions were gone.
While I found the game of Old Maid taxing, I did enjoy the laughter and antics of the game Skip Bo. I grasped the game pretty quickly. In fact, I grasped the way humans were pretty quickly. The mannerisms, the way they shortened words, hand movements, and jokes.
They talked and told stories while consuming the toxic water. I shared stories as well, although I didn’t give dates or years to any stories. No one questioned anything I said. I suppose because they assumed I was from Esperanza Straits.
I did not want the evening to end. These humans were not like any of the ones I had encountered. They weren’t feeble, weak, or subservient. They weren’t like the angry rebels I had heard about or the God driven people of my far past.
Yes, these people believed in their God, but they didn’t live by His every whim or obey His every word.
Unfortunately, I knew that if I stayed any longer, I would lose focus of what my true mission was—to get back in good standing with my father and Kingdom, bring the downfall to the rebels, and destroy the Mare. The more I stayed with Burt, the more I would lose sight of it.
After dressing, I left my room. I was greeted by every person I walked by.
“Hey, Madge.”
“Morning, Madge.”
“Good game last night, Madge.”
It was overwhelming and it filled me with a sense of guilt that these genuine beings were being deceived. Not that I was all that good of a person, but they brought out the ‘human’ in me.
I made my way to the eating station because Burt told me that was where everyone gathered. Claudette was seated at a table, and I joined her.
“How do you feel?” she asked. “You drank quite a bit.”
“I feel fine, thank you.”
A cup of brown substance was set before me and then Burt sat down. “Good morning, sunshine.”
Immediately I felt his warmth and wanted to giggle. How silly was that? I titled my head and looked at Claudette. “He called me sunshine.”
“He’s quite a charmer,” she said.
“That he is.” I patted his hand.
Within moments, Joshua joined us.
“Morning, Madge.” He sat down. “Ready to start your job?”
It was the moment of truth. “Joshua, Claudette, Burt, please don’t take what I am to say as ungrateful for the hospitality you have given me. For making me well and finding me when I had been lost. I have a focus and a goal and I feel if I abandon it even slightly I will never do it.”
Burt looked at Joshua. “I think she’s talking about the rebellion.”
“Is that why you left your home?”
“Yes,” I said. “I don’t know if Angeles City holds for me what I need, but I must find out.”
Claudette asked. “How you gonna get there?”
“Walk.”
Joshua laughed. “You can’t walk there. Though we hate to lose you, I can get you most of the way there with the solar car. Get you close enough to hit one of their outer villages.”
“I would appreciate that very much. So you know where it is?”
Joshua nodded. “We do. They don’t know where we are. We’re not part of the rebellion because we got it together here. No one bothers us, we bother no one. I’ll get you close. Can you wait until tomorrow? Maybe we can get you to do some garment repairs today as your barter for transport?”
I nodded. “I would do so, yes.”
Burt grabbed my hand. “Hate to lose you, Madge.”
“And really, I did not expect all this,” I said. “However, I can make a promise to you.”
“What’s that?” Burt asked.
“After I find Angeles City, you’ll see me again. I promise you this,” I told them, looking at each of their faces. “I will be back.”