Tipping the Scales

Tipping the Scales, Chapter 16

Courtney patted Odelia's head and she awakened immediately, her eyelids flying up like blinds that had been tugged a little too enthusiastically. She winked at the girl, then rubbed her arm and loudly said "Ouch!" as the door opened and Melanie swept in.

Melanie favored her daughter with an approving smile and Odelia with a cold and menacing one. "Have a lovely day, did you? I certainly did."

Odelia studiedly ignored the pitcher exchange, fixing her eyes on the tiny crack in the ceiling, but try as she might she couldn't stop the rest of her body from paying rapt attention. Her nose tracked the ebb and flow of the intensity of the smell of chocolate as the new container swept toward her and the old retreated, her skin noted the chill coming off the frosty glass of the new pitcher, and her stomach... her stomach clenched and growled, spasming with desire.

Melanie waved Courtney ahead of her through the door, but instead of immediately following, she paused. Framed in the doorway, she silently stood there a moment, tall, thin and elegant, gold bracelets dangling from both wrists. Odelia was quite sure she was lingering to admire the purple bruises adorning Odelia's own arm like faded prison tattoos, the result of Brian's pinches.

Finally, with a dramatic flourish, Melanie raised her free hand, gesturing toward the light switch as if she were a 'Price Is Right' prize model pointing out a "Brand New Car!", and then flicked the switch to off. Permission had finally been granted for Odelia to sleep.

Thanks to Courtney, however, sleep wasn't an urgent requirement. Courtney had sat with her for two shifts, each lasting three full hours, and Odelia had drowsed through both. Shallow and fitful though this sleep had been, she was confident it was enough to allow her to stay awake throughout most of the night.

Amazingly, Courtney had agreed to this without being bribed. Not even an offer of a bribe had been made. Odelia had simply suggested there was no need to bother waking her unless or until footsteps could be heard in the hallway and that pinching was unnecessary since a simple touch would accomplish the same thing. Courtney had accepted the proposal without comment, plopping down beside Odelia's mattress with an armful of her 'guys', an assortment of dolls and stuffed animals.

Obviously, this deal meant she could play throughout her shifts uninterrupted, but Odelia didn't believe that was the only reason she'd gone along. After all... she risked losing out on the trip to Disney World just like Bryan did. At five, the offer had to appeal even more to her than it did her eight-year-old brother. To Courtney the costumed actors dotting the park would still look like actual cartoon characters, popped out of the television set and into real life to play with her. More powerful kiddy catnip than that was tough to imagine.

Courtney remembered the promised trip, she had to; it was probably never far from her thoughts. But, in stark contrast to Brian, she hadn't mentioned it at all. That had to mean something.

So, all things considered, Odelia could have answered Melanie's question with a "yes." She did have a lovely day. And now she was about to have an even lovelier night.

She unhooked herself, twisting to retrieve her stash from under the mattress, where it still lay, undisturbed. Of course... It had been paranoia to even suspect otherwise. This was the woman who wouldn't flip her own mattress to ensure even wear, so for her to search under Odelia's... Yup. Paranoia.

Damn... The battery light on the glasses was red and the power bar on the iPhone was down to its last notch. Both devices would have to be recharged immediately. She sighed. They could be used while they were charging, so it wasn't as if this meant the night would be wasted; she sighed because, due to her physical condition, plugging them in was a truly daunting process.