(In order to get into the harem, one must undergo medical testing. Bekka finds herself in the waiting room with Aly and Tim, her fellow pledges)

In The Waiting Room

By Bekka Mouri

Bekka looked down at her hands as Aly finished her story. She felt lower than ever now. Here she was, a lowly escaped slave in the company of royalty. It didn’t matter that Tim and Aly were from another planet; they were still royalty.

Aly noticed Bekka’s sad look and place one of her slender hands on Bekka’s medium sized ones. “ Are you alright? “ She whispered, trying to look into the eyes of the woman in front of her.

Bekka looked away, “ I don’t belong here. “

“ What? “ Tim looked over now. “ What do you mean? “

“ All I am is a lowly slave girl, “ Bekka sniffled. Her insides felt like they were locked up in a vise. She knew she was having a panic attack. She hoped that Doctor Sarah could help her with those.

She had been plagued with them ever since she was a small child and that made her mother overprotective of her. The woman didn’t know any better and thought the child was delicate. The attacks had become even worse after the Drule slave traders had taken Bekka. She never knew when one was going to come over her.

Aly gripped Bekka’s hands tighter, “ That doesn’t matter, Bekka. “

“ But what if it does? “ Bekka murmured.

Tim reached over and stroked Bekka’s cheek, “ Why don’t you tell us about your life since we told you about ours? “

Bekka shook her head, “ No. It’s nowhere near as interesting. “

“ Come on, “ Aly urged, “ Please? Tell us how you came to this planet at least. “

Bekka sighed, “ I was kidnapped by slave traders shortly after I turned ten. “

“ That’s horrible! “ Aly gasped.

Bekka nodded, “ Wait. There’s more. “

“ Continue then, “ Tim put a hand on Bekka’s arm.

“ I made a friend on the way to this planet. His name was Enova and the slave traders killed him because they though he would be a bad influence on me, “ Bekka sniffled, “ He was so nice and kind. All he wanted for me was to be safe. “

“ Those bastards! “ Tim growled.

“ Once we had landed and I was taken from the ship, I was put in a cell by myself, “ Bekka continued. “ They did not want me to mingle with the other children who had come from other planets. They felt I was too valuable. “

“ How come? “ Aly asked.

“ Supposedly, humans are the most expensive type of slaves that can be found here on Doom. They were afraid the other children would make me ill. The traders risked too much if I were to die. “

“ Those greedy creeps, “ Tim shook his head.

“ Go on, Bekka, “ Aly patted Bekka’s hands, “ You’ll feel much better if you talk about it. I want to know everything. “

“ So do I, “ Tim patted her arm.

Bekka sighed again, “ I was sold into slavery right away. My owners were very wealthy but they treated me as one would treat a mangy dog. I was forced to live in squalid quarters with huge rats. “

“ Oh gross! “ Aly and Tim both said.

“ What was even worse was the rats were attracted to me, “ Bekka looked up a little bit, her eyes serious. “ I have a strange gift when it comes to animals. “

“ What would that be? “ Aly asked.

Bekka raised her head a little more, “ I can’t explain it. They are attracted to me. My parents could not take me to a zoo when I was a child because the animals would try to break out of their cages. I could not walk down the street without gathering a menagerie of creatures. “

Just then, a loud banging came from the front doors. Bekka, Aly and Tim looked frightened as a huge lyger came bounding into the room after knocking the doors open. It headed right for Bekka, rubbing its head on her leg and purring loudly. The medical assistant came running from another part of the lab to see what the entire ruckus was about.

“ See what I mean? “ Bekka loosed one of her hands from under Aly’s and scratched the lion/tiger behind the ear. ~What would your name be and who do you belong to, beautiful?~

~I am Sudan. I belong to Miss Michelle,~ The lyger answered.

“ No animals in the lab! “ The medical assistant crossed her arms over her chest.

Bekka rolled her eyes, ~You’d better go back to your mistress. I’ll play with you later if I am accepted.~

Sudan stepped away reluctantly, ~Oh alright.~

Tim, Aly and Bekka watched as the lyger slunk out of the lab. The medical assistant shut the door behind him and went back to doing what she had been doing. Aly looked at Bekka once he was gone and blinked, “ Were you communicating with him just now? “

Bekka nodded, “ It’s part of my gift. I can speak to any animal mentally. That is how I got the animals that would follow me to go away. I would ask them nicely to go back where they belonged. “

“ Oh, “ Tim said, then looked back at Bekka. “ Is that how you dealt with the rats? “

“ Yes. I made them my pets although I was rather disgusted with the thought. They wouldn’t leave me alone otherwise. They always wanted their bellies scratched and to be played with. Since I had no friends, I took what I could get. “

Tim and Aly looked at each other, “ Wow. I can’t imagine rats acting like dogs, “ Aly said.

“ Did you come right from your former owners? “ Tim asked.

Bekka shook her head, “ I escaped six years ago and lived in the shadows ever since. It took the job at the bar and kept my face covered, even when I entertained my customers. I know my owners are still looking for me. I was their most valuable slave and they would give anything to have me back. “

“ How do you know? “ Tim looked puzzled.

Bekka opened her leather bag and pulled out a folded piece of paper, “ This is how I know. “

Tim took it from her hand and unfolded it. It was a poster with a hand drawn picture of Bekka. Underneath the picture, there was a description and the amount of the reward that was being offered for her. Aly looked over and her eyes grew wide at the large sum of money being offered.

“ They want you back that badly? “ Aly snatched the paper away from Tim.

“ I was one of the last human slaves brought here before the slave traders met an untimely end. It is still a mystery how it happened but I am sure it had something to do with Enova. “

Aly and Tim looked at Bekka, “ What do you mean? I thought he had been killed, “ Tim said.

“ I found this necklace in my pocket when I found out he had been killed. There was a note attached to it, “ Bekka pulled a necklace from her bag. It was made of a mysterious looking red ore and seemed to glow like fire. A huge amulet hung from the chain, the center stone looked like a green dragon’s eye. “ I don’t remember him giving it to me but the note was signed by him. “

Aly and Tim looked at the necklace as Bekka pulled a very worn looking letter from another pocket on her bag. She unfolded it carefully and read what it said to them, “ Bekka, if you have this necklace then I am surely dead. Please keep it and never throw it away. It will protect you. A powerful Daedra lord’s spirit is inside and he protect all who take care of this. “

“ A Daedra lord? “ Tim gasped. “ I have heard of those. They are supposed to be very powerful and evil. “

“ I don’t know much about them but the rest of the note said that if any harm comes to those who have been chosen to protect this necklace, those who are responsible for that harm will die. Shortly after I was sold, the slave traders died when their ship crashed. I believed it had something to do with Enova and I have believed in this necklace ever since, “ Bekka tucked the amulet back into her bag.

“ Then how can you be sure your owners are still alive? “ Aly asked.

Bekka shook her head, “ I found that poster last month. If my original owners are not alive, surely their children are looking for me. They never did anything to me so the amulet cannot harm them. Not yet, at least. “

Aly and Tim looked at each other again, then at Bekka. “ I thought you said your story was not interesting, “ Aly arched an eyebrow.

“ I didn’t think it was, “ Bekka shrugged.

“ Well, it was, “ Tim said. “ You have had a hard life and you deserve to live the rest of it in luxury. You have experienced too much for someone so young. “

Bekka cracked a smile, “ Thank you. “