Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
I catch Katya’s annoyed, narrow eyes and say, “I’ll come back in a bit. I’ll have Trevor make us pizza for lunch. I think I saw a whole case of Cherry Coke in the pantry from the last delivery,” I finish, pushing a smile to my lips.
“I’ll see you at dinner,” Father says as Katya reaches for his hand.
“Can we play Once Upon A Time tonight?” Her eyes twinkle as my father’s go dark.
“Of course. I’d love that.” He pulls her hand upward, kissing the backs of her fingers. Once Upon A Time is a game my mother always played with us. She would start with, “Once upon a time…” and we would take turns filling in what came next.
The stories took some twists and crazy turns, but my mother always kept us on track and they always ended with a happily ever after.
Katya claps as my father tips his head toward the door. I pass the tutor, who doesn’t make eye contact. I’ll admit, I’m not all cotton candy and rainbows to the staff either. I’m not cruel but I’m no one’s friend. My father and Katya are the only ones who matter. Everyone else is just part of the machine my father has built to keep us safe and our lifestyle secure.
Well, to keep Katya safe, at least.
It’s not that he loves her more, it’s that he sees my mother in her. And, she’s young, naïve. She’s always been delicate, prone to every cold or germ that’s floating in the air. Her hair is honey blonde, straight as an arrow and as smooth as silk where mine is the same color, but in waves and unruly curls I have no interest in taming.
I’ve thought of myself as more like my father’s son without a penis since our lives changed. I’ve always been harder, tougher, but after the orc return and the loss of my mom, I turned into Teflon.
Where Katya has a closet full of brightly-colored dresses and fanciful costumes she wears at her whim, mine is full of black and brown without a dress to be found.
The orcs aren’t the only threat in this new world. There’s plenty of human filth that’s taken root here in the occupied land. The Neo-human Coalition, they’re called, and they rape and pillage their way through what’s left of neighborhoods and the small pockets of humans that remain here trying to build a life in the center of the storm.
Father shoots me a hard look when we step into the hall. “I need you to handle the issue with the guards from yesterday.”
I nod as his demeanor changes the farther we walk from Katya’s bedroom. “I will. I already told Damon to bring them to your office at ten.”
“Do what you need to do. I have to be in the lab, there’s a problem with one of the condensers and those stupid fucks that are supposed to know how to fix it, fucked it up beyond belief.” He turns the corner to the back staircase where two hulking guards stare straight ahead as we pass. “They won’t be a problem again,” he adds.
It’s a long time since I stopped wondering where the bodies go when someone around here disappears.
We descend the stairs in silence and move past more guards, more staff, until we hit the pathway between the house and the main building where we have offices and the production facilities for the smikkaan and ivee we sell and distribute. It’s a stunning morning, birds are chirping and the grass is greening up after a long, gray winter. But, over the far east fence, the sky is turning angry and there’s a coolness whispering through the morning warmth, making me shiver again.
The drugs we manufacture are addictive as fuck to the orcs, and my father is the largest producer in the occupied territory and probably the entire country. His background as a chemist, as well as what he learned from my mother’s degree in pharmacological studies, created a perfect storm for him to become the kingpin of drug distribution in this new world.
He punches the numbers into the keypad on the side entrance to the enormous box-style structure. Inside we pass more staff who all move aside, keeping their eyes averted.
“I’ll be up later,” my father says as I head toward the main stairway to the second floor, where his office is.
“I’ll be here. I’ll take care of things.”
He nods as he walks away. “I know you will. I can always count on you, Aleena.”
His affirmation warms and chills me at the same time. I want his approval, I respect him, but also, there are times I wonder when our razor-wire surrounded house of cards will come crashing down. All I want is a life I can count on. The quiet security we had before but the machine that my father has built here he will not give up without a fight.