I’m terrified of him.
And part of me is terrified of how much he clearlywantedme alive.
CHAPTER FIVE
I can barely hear the rumble of my stomach over the gasping sobs I’m trying to muffle against the pillow pressed to my face—but I can feel it. That sharp and twisting pang pinching neatly inside my stomach.
I don't bother keeping track of the time, it'll just make everything worse to know how long I've been in my new cage. It feels like days, and it's getting harder to feel anything but despair.
Even the Deenz, for all their faults, never let me go hungry. Sure, the food was a nearly tasteless sludge, likely some amalgamation of the cheapest foodstuffs they could get their hands on. But it was filling, given at regular intervals, and I hadn’t felt empty since I’d been on Earth.
I press up, my palms sinking into the huge soft mattress, only to be greeted with a pair of digital eyes right in front of my face. I let out a little yelp, startled by the robot’s closeness.I flip over onto my back.
“How long have you been there?” I ask the droid as I clutch my chest.
“Apologies, I didn’t mean to startle you.”
“It’s okay.” I sniff, wiping away the wetness on my cheeks with the back of my hand.
Starcroft hovers over me as I scoot to the edge of the oversized mattress, his pixelated eyes drawn with concern.
“I’m not well-versed in the needs of humans, but if you’re anything like Warlord Mekkra, you sound hungry.”
“I am,” I admit as I stand. Starcroft whirls around me until we’re “face” to face.
“So if you’re hungry…you should go eat with Warlord Mekkra, no?” The droid sounds confused as it hovers in front of me.
“No, I won’t be doing that,” I tell him as I draw my shoulders back. “I want nothing to do with that beast.” The last word spits from my mouth with venom.
“Oh, he’s not so bad,” Starcroft says quietly. “Unlike me, you need to eat to survive, correct?”
There’s a beat of silence before I exhale quickly through my nose and answer with an annoyed little, “Yes.”
“So, your plan is to die?”
Another beat, and I can’t even bring myself to roll my eyes, because I’m realizing that he’s right. I will die if I don’t eat, and I won’t eat with Mekkra.
“He bought me,” I say slowly to the robot as I shake my head. “I can’t break bread with someone like that.”
“Hmm, I can’t say I understand. Warlord Mekkra purchased me as well—maybe it’s a bio-being problem? I’ll admit that food customs strike me as bizarre.”
“It’s not the same. You’re a thing…not a person.”
I realize as soon as his little animated eyes drop that what I’ve said hurts his feelings.
“Well, all the same, you should still eat—” His screens go blank for a second, like his consciousness has left for a second, before returning with kind-looking eyes. “It appears Warlord Mekkra has retired to his chambers for the night. Would you like to follow me down to the station’s kitchen?”
I tilt head.“Is that allowed?”
“It’s not explicitly against any of my set parameters…so yes.” The robot’s eyes crinkle in simulated joy. “And besides, Warlord Mekkra sent me to make sure you were comfortable, and I simply can’t let you go hungry, can I?”
“I find it hard to believe that…monster cares about my wellbeing,” I scoff.
Starcroft blinks.
“I assure you, you are wrong. You’re an investment?—”
“Let’s go,” I tell the droid as I walk over to the door. I don’t really care to hear about what a great buy I am.I smooth the sheer fabric over my thighs before standing.
