in the sort of trouble that would send them to a place
like. this? I wondered,
Because the door of the barn was still wideopen. neither Robin nor I risked speaking to them.
They didn't seem to care anyway. They still showed
absolutely no interest in us. We watched them with
fascination, however, as they both got under their
blankets and lowered their heads to their pillows. I felt like someone in a desert watching
someone drinking a glass of cold, sparkling freshwater. Those bunks looked so comfortable. How rich they were to have an actual pillow, a soft mattress. When I glanced at Robin_. I saw a similar
covetous expression on her face.
MLady Two stood in the doorway.
"Lights out, girls," she announced, and although
I didn't see her throw any switch, the lights snapped
off. It took a few moments to get used to the darkness.
The starlight coming in through the four windows
helped.
"Hey!" I chanced, calling to what I thought now
were lucky girls. "Who are you? How long have you
been here? Is this the only place for us to sleep?" Neither responded.
"I'm Robin and that's Phoebe," Rabin added.
"What are your names?"
Silence remained.
"What's wrong with you?" I asked. No one's
here. Can't you talk?"
"We're not going to bite you." Robin said. They
didn't budge. "You believe this?" she asked me. "No. They're just being brats. What's your
damn name?" I asked sharply, raising my voice a bit
too loudly.
Suddenly, the door of the barn swung open and
the lights went on.
M'Lady One was standing there.