Flutter by, Butterfly

Chapter 24

Warm water. Wet skin. I slowly opened my eyes in a fragrant bubble bath. My head was carefully placed on a bath pillow. Alejandro was carefully washing my body. I could see to my left an assortment of cotton balls and make-up cleansers. From the looks of it he had already washed my face.

"You've been asleep for a while, now. The boys weren't too rough on you, were they?" Alejandro's voice was soft, with a feminine ring to it.

"Are you a woman?" I asked.

"Oh dear. I always manage to mess up everything."

"Why?" I asked.

"Well," said this new side of Alejandro. "I tend to come around and bring a feminine touch. The ones we work for don't really have any use for me. So, for the most part, I tend to remain hidden, but every once in a while, I come and think of something they would not think of or might forget. I picked a bubble scent for you. I hope you like it."

"I do," I said. I did. It smelled like lavender and moonlight. "Thank you."

"Oh, you are most welcome." Alejandro looked at me carefully. "You know, you are the only one that has ever seen me and didn't feel the need to freak out a bit. All the others weren't so agreeable."

"Others?" That thought stung a bit.

"Jani, what's wrong?"

"How many?"

Alejandro's feminine side softened even more.

"Not very many, though he has had lovers in the past. Nobody has ever stuck around, though. You see, those who fell for Romeo found the others too harsh. Those for Carlos found the others to be boring. The one you call master, everyone was afraid of him. Nobody has ever developed feelings for Hugo before, and vice versa. They all found him to be cold and unfeeling, and for the most part, he was. You are the first and only one he has ever loved. But for him to be able to fuse with what the rest of us call the sadistic bastard, even for only a moment, it was a miracle!"

"I'm the only one?"

"Yes."

For Hugo anyway. I still was not satisfied.

"How many for Romeo and Carlos?"

Alejandro continued to bathe me, but answered my question sincerely.

"Romeo was the first of us to fall. We were a young and tender age back then. He was not the type to love without giving his heart. When it wasn't returned, it hurt him deeply, but the people we work for don't give a damn about feelings or broken hearts. So that's when Carlos appeared."

"Why did Carlos have to fulfill the needs of so many?"

"We were never given a choice."

I began to cry. I thought of my dreams, and all of the things we never talked about, but silently acknowledged. All the hurt he had to go through, but managed to protect me from.

"Oh, don't cry." Alejandro took my hand. "Besides, you are here now. All of that is over now."

I looked at this feminine form. She still looked like Alejandro, but she had a softer disposition.

"What's your name?" I asked.

"My name is Ellied," she said. She squeezed my hand. "Nobody has ever asked me that before."

"Why not?"

"I don't believe that many people are as observant as you. Most of them just accuse Alejandro of being gay or secretly wanting to be a woman." Ellied giggled. "Can you imagine accusing any of them something like that?"