Damien and his Brothers would have been upset if something happened to me. Basin knew I was smart enough to understand the probable consequences of my actions. I was reckless. His friends were what mattered and they would have felt pain because of me.

Since my owners were not available to reprimand me properly he took me to task. He lectured me until my ears felt numb. When he was finally done, he seemed to be no less upset.

I was ordered to kneel on my still tender knees and they fed me. A cup of the health drink was there and I took it without hesitation.

“Our slave only takes a drink in the morning," one of Basin's Brothers commented.

They started to talk about the extra health drink. I was just relieved the conversation was no longer on what an idiot I was.

One of them picked up the cup and sniffed it curiously. It was different from what Rose got. The man dipped a finger into the leftover dregs and tasted it. It was very different.

Basin looked hard at me. I saw him appraising my form. His critical eyes judged me from head to toe.

I didn't look ill or malnourished anymore. Just like when I first came to this planet I was lush and full. The evidence of my starvation had disappeared some time before.

“I see no reason for this," he stated simply

“And the Liquid is different," the other Brother said.

Lucky for me they dropped the subject and went to their sitting room. Rose pulled me to kneel beside her as the men played a game. She shook her head and squeezed my hand.

Damien and his Brothers stayed in bondage on the platform overnight. I stayed with Basin and his family. Since Basin felt I should be disciplined, I spent the night in their box.

The box was dark and it should have been creepy. I had slept in one for months though. Inside the box I fell quickly to sleep and dreamed of my family.

It was a normal dream. Memories of Hannah flying in the mountains, as Damien and I watched, predominated my sleeping thoughts. In the distance I felt like I saw my other children, the ones I was slated to have, soaring in the wind. Unlike real life, in the dream I anticipated meeting them.

The next morning Damien and his Brothers were let off the platform. Basin did not take me to see them, he took me to the Keepers. My owners would have enough to do without contending with me, he believed. They would have to get themselves ready and go to work, despite their injures.

The morning drink was again a topic of conversation on the transport pad. Basin and his Brothers knew it was different from what Rose took. It smelled, tasted, and looked different. Lucky for me, they never thought to ask me if I knew what it was.

I was relieved to be at the Keepers, until they tethered me with a short cord to a pole in the main room. They knew humans and when we became suicidal we may stay that way. Until Damien assured them I was no longer a threat to myself, my movement would be restricted.

Fuji and Rose sat with me. We played card games and other "safe" things the Keepers allowed them to get close to me. Being tied to a pole and after the stress the day before, I couldn't really concentrate. Fuji won most of the hands.

The Lunch bell rang and I sat quietly waiting on my kneeling place. The room around me was quiet, which was unusual. Without the flurry of the other girls you could have heard a pin drop.

One of the Keepers stood inside the empty room with me and then suddenly he was gone. In the doorway was Damien.

With the Light behind him, Damien Looked like an angel. When he stepped further into the room I realized angel was the wrong term. Avenging angel would be more accurate.

I'd never seen Damien in a battle with other men, but this is how I imagined he'd look. Focused and furious were the only two terms that came readily to mind. It was a strange juxtaposition and he handled the look of contained chaos well.