Almost Human

Chapter 5: Fuzzy Feelings

Rider lead me to his bedroom and placed me up on his counter of his bathroom. He grabbed a washcloth, dipped it into some water, and began to dab my head. It stung but in the back of my head, I knew it was nowhere near the worst pain I'd felt before. How is that possible if I'd been frozen for my entire life?

"How come you've got a bedroom?" I asked.

"What? And you don't?" I shook my head no.

"That's weird. The rest of us do. Perhaps it's because you're not being very cooperative."

"Why should I be? I'm being kept like a prisoner and aggressively man-handled and told where to go by my doctor. They even dress me."

Rider chucked, the deep vibrations circling the air, "See if from their angle. You're a soldier that that THEY created. We should be thankful." Thankful? Was he kidding me? I don't care if they did give me my abilities or not. I was still human.

"And what do you believe?" I whispered softly.

Rider carefully wiped away the blood and then examined me. "I think you'll be alright," he told me. Way to evade the question.

"I was alright before you cleaned me up," I rolled my eyes, "but thank you."

My eyes locked with his deep powerful amber eyes. He looked at me with wonder and curiosity. I took a quick breath at how he was standing. I was sitting up on his counter and he stood in between my legs. I want to just wrap them around him and bring him closer. Huh. A smile inched onto his lips as he noticed we'd been staring too long. Why's he looking at me like that?

"What are you looking at?" I whispered. He didn't answer and I dropped my gaze from his. Rider was so close. I needed to focus. "Do you not have any doctor escorts?"

"Usually," he admitted, "Two, three at most. Although, I can usually walk to my room alone." I wish I could. Goodness. It is like the doctors are always breathing down my neck. There is never one moment that I could even spend alone. Someone somewhere is nearby or watching.

"What do you think is really going on here Rider? Everyone tells me to not trust the doctors. Why? Why am I not being told?"

"It will have to be your own personal opinion. I have chosen to not cause trouble. But the others have fair reason to not trust them as well. You're still new to all of this. Just wait. You'll see what all the rest of us have seen. Sometimes it's better if you just experience these things for yourself."

Still not the answer I wanted but I supposed that it'd have to do. As if on cue, there was a sudden knock at the door.

"Bree? It's Doctor Jackal. Come on out so we can see if you need any bandages." Just great.

"Why is everyone worrying?" I called back. "I'm fine." I hopped off the counter and led myself to the door. Before leaving, I looked back over my shoulder. I'm not sure why I did. I guess I wanted a last glance at Rider for some reason.