B E N E F A C T I O N

S T R O N G

"Constance, wake."

 I sit up out of my sleep immediately at the sound of my name. My room light has been turned out and standing at the end of my bed is a man I don't know. He gives me a hard look as he bundles my sheet in his hand and pulls them from my body. "It is time to rise. You are to go into the bathroom and rinse yourself from the waist down. The King demanded you smell of him, so do not shower."

Blinking slowly, I try to get my hazy mind to focus. When my vision clears of sleep, I look at the man before me. He's tall, but nowhere near as tall as the King. His body is covered in nothing but a white t-shirt and gym shorts. If I had to guess, I'd say he's bi-racial, his curling hair pulled up to the top of his head. The King is no longer beside me, yet his smell surrounds me. It's on my sheets, in my hair, dancing on my skin. 

Slowly I slip from the bed, not caring that I am naked, and pad over to the bathroom. I guess my modesty left when I became a super-natural creature. It takes me a few minutes to use the bathroom, brush my teeth, and clean myself. When I walk back into the room, the man hands me what looks like a sports bra and small shorts.

"What time is it?" I ask with a yawn.

"Four AM." The man says a he checks his watch.

"Four in the morning?!"

"Yes Constance, four in the morning. This is the time that the King and Queen wake each day except for Saturdays. Is this a problem for you? If so, I can go inform the King and I'll head to Marlie's chambers to have her accompany me to the track." My eyes narrow at the stranger as he lifts a challenging eyebrow towards me. With a heavy sigh I dress. He hands me a pair of shoes next that are my size and socks. Once I am dressed, he waves me out of the door and down the hall.

We continue walking until we are at the stairs I notice. He walks me down them and into the foyer. There aren't many people walking around, which I'm sure is due to it being so early in the morning. I'm led into a large kitchen and the smell of the King hits me. Turning my head slightly, I'm met with the beautiful sight that is him. He's sitting down at a small table nursing a cup of coffee, while looking through some sort of file. His eyes look up and meet mine as I'm walked through quiet area.

I want to go to him, but the stranger doesn't stop walking so neither do I. My heart threatens to beat out of my chest when I see the King give me a small smile and a soft nod. His eyes glance down at my ass, and he smirks before his gaze leaves me.

Soon I find myself outside and standing on a running track.

"My name is Enoch. I will be your personal trainer." The man says as he pulls a stopwatch from the pocket of his shorts. "Four times around this track is a mile. Run it. You have four minutes."

"Wait what?" I ask as I pull my hair into a bun at the top of my head.

"Are you deaf Constance or ignorant to my words? I said run." My blood boils at the way he speaks to me and before I can stop myself, I speak.

"You watch you tone when you speak to me. I've done my time in confinement. Been belittled enough to last me a lifetime. I'll bow to no one ever again, only my King." I seethe before turning away from him and breaking out into a full sprint. The speed I start off at shocks me as the cool morning air wisps past me. Everything moves by in a blur making my heartbeat faster.

This is amazing.

I push myself to speed up and giggle with joy when I do. The woods around me are a blur, Enoch's body is a quick flicker of white, since that's the color of his shorts  Finally, I decide to stop and when I do, I lose my footing and go tumbling forward. My body impacts with the hard ground and I squeak at my clumsiness.