Chapter 12: Chapter 12

Hannah is expecting again. Her baby boy is just seven months old, and she's already carrying another child. We do our best to keep her well-fed, but her severe morning sickness makes it hard for her to keep anything down.

She becomes so frail that she can't even lift her own son. There are doctors around, but they're only concerned with the Masters' health. We don't have a nurse to care for us.

One morning, while I'm helping Hannah change her son, she faints in my arms. She doesn't stay unconscious for long. Her eyes snap open, and she's crying out in pain.

I don't need to guess what's happening. I've seen it before. The doctors are summoned, and Hannah is laid on her bed.

Gael and I hold her hands, trying to keep her from hurting herself while the others clean up the blood and sweat. She survives the miscarriage, but the baby, only six months along, doesn't. The baby is cremated that same afternoon.

Hannah weeps for days. I can't help but feel a sense of relief that she didn't carry the baby to term. It would have killed her. At least now she has a chance to recover and maybe have another child.

I just hope her Master won't force her before she's ready.

***

One day, I come across a worker teaching her two-year-old daughter how to wash her hands after coming in from outside.

The woman is labeled Defective because her daughter is a Cripple with light-green eyes. I don't need to speak to her to know she's only four years older than me, and her daughter, Cripple Abby 585,865,435,043.64.2, is her second child.

Her first child, a son, is nearly three and already in school. He's been thoroughly examined and shows no signs of being a Cripple. But he will be watched closely.

All the workers wear tags around their necks so we can identify them without needing to speak. I watch as the young Cripple washes her hands correctly and giggles at her mother's praise.

It reminds me of Beth at that age. An age I'll never see her reach.

I watch Defective Abby struggle to keep up with her kitchen duties while her child follows her around. I suggest letting Cripple Abby play in my room with Beth while she works, so her daughter won't be in the way.

At first, Defective Abby declines. But one morning, I hear a soft knock on my door, and Defective Abby brings her daughter to play with Beth. I try to hide my excitement and promise to take good care of her.

I spend the day watching Beth play with a child who is older than her. I watch them laugh together, and my heart fills with joy.

I know my time with my daughter is limited, so I try to memorize every dimple in her smile and every note of her laughter.

She won't remember me, just like I don't remember my mother. But I'll remember her and keep her in my heart forever.

One day, while Cripple Abby is playing with Beth, I notice a bracelet around her wrist. She's proud to show it to me. It's small, made just for her.

It's made of dark wood, polished and smooth so it's comfortable to wear. There are small carvings on it. Some I recognize as flowers and trees, others I can't identify. It's unlike anything I've ever seen.

She tells me she's not allowed to give it to anyone or show it to anyone, but she likes me, so she's happy to show it to me.

“Where did you get it, Abby? Who gave it to you?”

“Sowlder,” she tells me seriously.

“A soldier? A Foreigner? A prisoner?”

She shrugs. “Not pwisoner,” she replies, then giggles and starts showing her bracelet to Beth, who looks envious.

When Defective Abby comes to pick up her daughter in the evening, I'm dying to ask her about the bracelet. But I can't.

The next day, Cripple Abby doesn't have the bracelet. She tells me about the soldier who only lets her wear it at home in the nearby village.

Over the next few days, I try to get more information from her. But there's only so much a two-year-old can tell you, and I don't get far.

***

Now Gael is the one who's pregnant. Five months along. She managed to hide it for a while, but not anymore.

Her daughter is six months old and still nursing. She tells us not to worry, that she's had children less than a year apart before, so she'll be fine.

But I don't believe her. I know better than to believe her. After what happened to Hannah, we're all worried and angry. How could Gael's Master do this to her? Why didn't she refuse?

One night, I find her crying. She's sitting in the workshop, surrounded by nails she's dropped on the floor. She's hiding from her Master, she tells me.

“Is he forcing you?” I whisper, starting to pick up the nails. Her eyes are wide and filled with tears.

“Every night. He knows I'm pregnant, but every night.” She sobs.

“Have you told him how dangerous it is? How weak you are?”

“I've asked him to stop,” she whispers.

“And?”

“He hit me.” She gasps, then covers her mouth with her hands. “Oh, Alex! I shouldn't have told you this!”

“No, he shouldn't hit you. He should be the one protecting you. This can't go on, Gael. He's killing you.”

“I want to get rid of the child,” she tells me.

I'm silent for a moment. Get rid of a child. A Perfect child. A Master's child. If anyone found out, she'd be disposed of. Her tears stream down her face, and she shivers in the darkness.

“Go to bed now, Gael,” I whisper. “You're exhausted.”

She gives a nod, and I lend her a hand to stand up. “Alex, I shouldn’t have let those words slip. I didn’t mean them…” Her voice fades into a sob.

“You did,” I exhale heavily. “You did, and it’s okay.”

“I’ve tried already,” she murmurs. “I tried hurting myself, forcing things up there, but it just won’t come out!”

Tears well up in my eyes, but I quickly swipe them away before she can see. “I’m going to be there for you, Gael. I promise,” I assure her. She gives my hand a tight squeeze in response.

“Thank you, Alex.”

“Get some rest. I think I might have a plan,” I tell her.

She nods and begins to head for the door. “Gael,” I call out as she walks past me.

She spins around, her eyes wide. “What is it?”

“If getting rid of this baby meant losing your Perfect status, losing this life here, would you be okay with that?”

She falls silent for a moment. “Yes. I don’t like it here.”

“You could end up in a factory or be forced to live in hiding for the rest of your life.”

“As long as I don’t have to share a bed with Hector, Alex, I don’t care,” she responds. Her voice is steady.

I give a single nod. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning. Come to my room,” I instruct her.

She nods and hurries off. I don’t waste any time and rush to Eric’s room so he doesn’t start wondering where I’ve been.