"...and here's those microwave meals you wanted, I made two of them. I couldn't tell what they were, though, so... hope they're good?" Quince said, putting a folded up napkin next to my case.
I unwrapped it, and found that one of the meals was a lasagna, and the other was some kind of 'ch'cken' covered in spices. Tandoori maybe? I pulled out the lasagna and unsnapped the fork from the packaging and wrapped the other one back up.
"Thank you, Quince." I said, pulling the wrapper off "I was pretty hungry, and the pellets are pretty much inedible."
She'd shown up a few minutes ago with Tracy, and the two of them were sitting next to Marissa, having brought my stuff and Marissa's phone in and dumped it on the bed. Kensey had 'hidden' behind Henri's purse, and was nervously holding her knees, trying to pretend she wasn't there.
"Yeah, whatever." Quince said "I just wanted my new pet back, otherwise I wouldn't have bothered showing up."
I shrugged and ate the lasagna, the gooey, stringy pulp tasting far better than the pellets did.
"You can have her back..." Henri said "But we would really like to have a talk with you about her first, Marissa and I, I mean."
Quince glanced at Marissa, who was scrolling on her phone with a scowl "...I don't really want to talk to her at all, honestly."
"Yeah, my head was bleeding..." Tracy added "That's like, I could sue."
"Then sue, see if I care." Marissa grumbled
"Uh, Marissa said she wanted to talk to you two as well, though..." I said "I think it's a good idea..."
"Shut up, Amber." Marissa said, glowering at me
"I'm honestly pretty fed up with you, you know." Quince said to Marissa "You acted like a bitch, you physically hurt me, you ruined the first girl's night we've had in ages, and we didn't even get to watch the movie I picked out."
"We've seen that one before, like, five times." Marissa said
"Uh, yeah? It was gonna be nostalgic?" Tracy said "Then you put yourself in the hospital and smashed my head up."
"..." Marissa glared at them for a few seconds. I poked her leg, she'd mentioned wanting to make amends, right?
She took a breath and spoke clearly and carefully "...Look, due to inexperience with a new type of drink, I may have misjudged the amount of alcohol I was drinking, and as a result of that, I may have reacted disproportionately to your conversation. It's sad we didn't get to watch the movie, maybe we'll get another chance soon."
I frowned. She... didn't apologize at all, she didn't even attempt to. I wasn't expecting her to, really, but she'd addressed the problems Quince brought up, without ever really accepting fault.
"...Whatever." Quince said "I just want my pet, I gotta go."
"Well, wait!" Henri said "I really want to talk to you about her, I think-"
"Are you trying to tell me how to treat my pet?" Quince said, her eyes snapping to Henri
"Uh, I think you should listen to her..." Tracy said "Kensey looked... not great, when you took her out for the first time."
"Marissa and I just think you should hear a few tips from people who know about class Bs..." Henri said
Quince scoffed "Oh, yeah, I can hear Marissa's advice now 'if you want to have fun with your class B, torture them half the time, and fuck them the other half', great advice."
"We're not- ugh, just shut up and listen." Marissa rolled her eyes "You need to get her a case with a bed and bathroom in it, like Amber's. She had to pee in the sink earlier, and that's not ok."
"Don't tell people that!" yelped Kensey from her hiding spot
"Yeah, whatever, I'll get one." Quince said dismissively
"I'm surprised you didn't get one at the shop..." I said "I was in one for a whole night before I got bought, and they just gave Marissa the case with me."
"I ordered her express." Quince said "They delivered her to me directly instead of the store, duh."
"Well, peeing in a sink is awful, you really need to go get that thing for her." Tracy said, wrinkling her nose
"And food, you have to get her real food, not pellets." Henri said
"The internet and the class said the pellets were fine, I'm not going grocery shopping for a pet." Quince snapped
"I have the rest of my breakfast on Henri's tray, you should try the pellets..." I said, pointing.
She glanced at the paper cup, sighed, and picked it up, tipping the balls of 'food' into her hand
"Ok, fine, I'll try it." she said, and tossed them into her mouth all at once. She looked neutral for a moment as she broke them up with her tongue, then her face scrunched. "...Fuck, yeah, that's like eating a lawn..." she muttered
She looked down at Kensey, who flinched at her glance "...I'll get you the fucking microwave stuff, I guess."
"Which means you need a tiny microwave." Marissa pointed out "And a home to put it in."
"Marissa, that fucking house you got was thousands of dollars, it was almost as much as Amber, I can't afford that!" Quince said
"I never thought I'd hear you admit you can't afford something!" Tracy said, impressed
"I just bought a car and a pet, within a couple weeks of each other." she mumbled "I wiped out my savings."
"You didn't tell me you got a car..." Marissa said, sounding mildly hurt
"An electric sports car, yeah. It's gold and black. I figured you wouldn't care since you can just pay Drew to drive you around." she sighed
"Well, even if you're spending money on... gold sports cars," I cut in "I know there's cheaper options. I got a full house, yeah, but I know one girl, uhh, Babae I think? She had an apartment, it sounded like it was way cheaper, the way she said it."
"I just- I imagined her sleeping on a little pillow on my bed..." Quince admitted, looking disappointed
"Maybe if you have sleepovers she can?" Henri said "But that is not comfortable long term. Maybe once a week she can sleep on your pillow or something."
"Fine, I'll look into an apartment too." Quince said "Listen, I- I really just wanted her so I could dress her up and show her off and snuggle with her, all the... logistics of it are sucking the fun out of having a cute new pet."
"She's still cute and fun!" I assured her "She'll be super happy if you do this stuff and treat her well, and happy class Bs are cuter, right?"
Kensey looked at me, her expression torn, before plastering a grin on her face and nodding "Yeah, I loooove being treated like a little princess! It makes me feel all special and wanted, I'd love to be your cute new toy, I just get scared easily!"
"It's super scary being this small!" I said, helping her play it up "And we're just lil people, really, so you just have to be super gentle and careful with us. She'll be a great pet, you just have to know how to be extra careful!"
Quince looked at Kensey smiling up at her nervously, and a flicker of pity rushed across her face, before being replaced by her usual know-it-all smirk "Little princess, huh?... I can do that."
Henri relaxed a bit, and Marissa rolled her eyes, not looking up from her phone. I felt slightly relieved, if we could get Quince to think of her in a cute, pitying way, she'd be so much safer... Before I forgot though...
"Oh, um, I wanted to know if she could get a tablet?" I asked "Like the one you brought for me. I don't have many friends, and I'd love to chat!"
"It's got parental controls on it, and it's useful for keeping them busy if you want to go on a date or something." Marissa said, still scrolling "Amber is on hers a lot, when I don't want to play with her."
"..." Quince thought about it " I guess so..."
"Can she message regular people from it?" Tracy said "I'd like to chat with her a little."
"You never asked to chat with me..." I said, frowning
"Yeah, but you're the Ra- uhhh, I already know you." Tracy said, catching herself "It'd be weird to text you."
"Amber messages me sometimes, you can text anyone." Henri assured her "Quince, if you could get all of us her username once it's all set up?"
Quince huffed "Great, ok, look, it's already almost noon, and I need to go shopping for... a lot, apparently, so come on Tracy, we're leaving."
"Why do I have to go?" Tracy asked "I wanted to hang out more..."
Quince pointed at us in turn "Loser, physically hurt you last night, and, you know, Amber. do you really want to spend time with them over me?"
Tracy looked around at the rest of us before glaring at Quince "...Well it'd be awkward now..."
She stood up with Quince, and the latter scooped up Kensey into her hands
"Come on, princess, let's go make you feel special." Quince said in that baby-voice people kept using for me. I winced, but gave Kensey a thumbs up, and watched them leave the room.
"...Well, hopefully her life will not be too bad now..." Henri sighed
"It's gonna be shit either way." Marissa said, finally looking up from her phone "Either she fights back and it turns into an abusive relationship, or she has to 'stepford wife' herself into being the perfect pet."
"...Isn't that what Amber did, though?" Henri asked
"Hey! I'm still me, I'm not brainwashed or anything." I protested "I just experimented and liked what I found."
Henri shuddered "Experiments that involved getting bitten so hard you bruised..."
"Henri, that's private, don't mention it again." Marissa said quietly
"I saw the marks when I was checking for abuse, it is a valid thing to be concerned about..." Henri said
"Henri, new rule, if you ever force my girlfriend to strip for you again, for any reason, I will kill you." Marissa growled
"Fine! Fine, I just I do not get that, it is so dangerous..." Henri said
"It's not as bad as the stuff in those books you told me to read." I pointed out "One of them had the guy use a branding iron, that's way worse."
"Those are just books, Amber." Henri said "It is not like, my friend being in danger of being snipped in half."
"I wouldn't ever snip her in half." Marissa said "A limb or two, yeah, maybe, but I'd never bite her in half, her organs would taste terrible."
I shivered and pressed against her body. I knew she was kidding, but somehow, even the idea of her biting my leg off, her teeth tearing into me, snapping my bone... It was horrifying, but I still almost wanted to see what it'd feel like.
"You know..." Henri said "That is something that actually happened, recently."
I looked up, surprised "What?"
"Yeah, what?" Marissa echoed, moving my case to her side table
"Well, not bitten off, but ja, someone pulled the limbs off their class B recently, it was in the news. They had an argument or something, it was a popular content creator, too." Henri said, her eyes sparkling with interest
"That's so fucked up..." Marissa said, making a face
"Was the person jailed or something?" I asked
"No, they just had their rights to be a class B guardian taken away..." Henri said, shaking her head "It was on the news, so people know it was fucked up, but the guy just got away with it."
"That's horrifying..." I said, shuddering "I try to stay away from that kind of news, it just makes me paranoid."
Marissa gently picked me up and brought me to her face "I promise I'll never, ever, ever do anything that leaves permanent damage to you." she said sincerely
"That is not as reassuring as you think it is..." Henri said, shaking her head "I gotta go get lunch, you want anything?"
"Yeah, gods, anything." Marissa said "They never brought my fucking breakfast..."
"Ok, well... I will be back, ok?" Henri said, more to me than to Marissa
"Here, while she's gone, put me in my case, I wanna change out of this clown outfit." I said "Clown-fit. Clow-fit? Clowntfit? Hm..."
"Don't hurt yourself there..." Marissa snarked, but I could see her smile peeking though anyway.
~~~
"Oh, fucking gods this is good..." Marissa moaned around a mouthful of burger
"It is really not..." Henri said, frowning at hers "It is made of like, beans and peas and stuff, it is weird..."
"You underestimate how hungry I am..." Marissa mumbled around another bite "And I'm still all hungover and buzzed..."
"Oh, I forgot they pumped your stomach!" I said "You were like, empty empty."
"They did what?" Marissa asked "No wonder my throat is all raw, I thought that was just the hangover..."
I lounged on Marissa's chest as she ate, hearing the weird noises of her swallowing through her ribs. It was almost disappointing to be out of my clown outfit. It'd looked stupid and I'd been freezing my butt off, but at least it was thin enough to feel Marissa through. Now, with the track suit on, it felt like I was laying on a warm mattress, not a bed of flesh.
"So, do you think-" Henri started, just as the door swung open
I tensed up and felt my body lock into place as Miss Lund walked in and took one of the seats the girls had pulled up to Marissa's bed. Her eyes fell on me and stayed there, cold and unreadable, before turning up to Marissa.
"I canceled my afternoon meetings, I was able to get here earlier than I anticipated. I see you weren't expecting me..." She said, her voice firm
"I was just... eating lunch." Marissa said carefully
"Your pet is out, and acting like it belongs on you." she snapped back "I thought I told you I never wanted to see it again."
"Well, I wasn't expecting you, so..." Marissa said, sitting up straighter, one of her hands lightly resting over me. It smelled like burgers...
"How did it even get here?" Miss Lund asked, sitting back and crossing her arms
"Quince brought her over!" Henri interjected "She was going to go home, and she did not want to leave Amber alone in the house."
"I don't want you to be distracted by pets while you're supposed to be recovering." Miss Lund said "It will return home, and stay there until you are discharged from the hospital.
I stifled a gasp, did that mean Miss Lund would be bringing me back?! I really didn't want to be handled by her at all, ever.
"Oh, I can look after her, it is not a problem." Henri said casually "I imagine you would not be interested in taking care of her yourself, Miss Lund, and I doubt the servants are qualified."
I felt Marissa tense up, her heart rate rising under me "Oh, no, I can just keep her here..." she said "She's really not that distracting, she just sits there, mostly."
"It is no trouble, I can return her to you Monday sometime, assuming you can still make it to school, of course." Henri said "I think it might good for Amber to be... out of the house for a while."
"I agree, I think this is an excellent idea." Miss Lund agreed "I don't have the time to feed or clothe it, and I wouldn't trust most of the help not to steal it."
"I don't think that's the best-" I started, before being cut off
"Perfect! Let me just get out of your hair then!" Henri said chipperly, swiping me off Marissa's chest and picking up my case "I will be on my way, may I borrow Drew to take me back to the house to get my car? I will send him back here after, of course."
"Oh, of course, feel free!" Miss Lund said, nodding
"Wait- no, I can't- this is- you..." Marissa stumbled over her words, too scared of her mother to fight back, but still desperately looking for a way to keep me "I- you can't take her, I'm her guardian, and I don't approve it!"
"Mm, in the case of a medical emergency, another licensed guardian can take temporary custody if the original guardian is comatose or in an altered mental state." Henri recited "And you are still drunk, and I am licensed."
"You know your laws!" Miss Lund said, impressed
"I made it a point to be well informed once people I am close to started getting involved with class Bs, ma'am. I got my license just in case I needed to watch Amber here for Marissa for any reason." Henri said smugly
"You just want to steal her, if you take her, I'll never get her back!" Marissa said, her face panicked and flushed
"I would really rather stay with Marissa, please..." I said
I stared at her, my heart racing. Would I see her again if I left with Henri? What would living with Henri even look like? Marissa's face looked like she was on the verge of tears, but her eyes kept flicking to her mother, and I knew she wasn't going to- couldn't fight this, no matter how much she wanted to.
"Sorry, but as the guardian here, I will have to overrule..." Henri said, patting my head "Say goodbye, we will see her again soon enough, ok?"
"Amber, I-" Marissa started, the blankets clenched in her fists, the fight left her body and she slumped, her face hollow "I... I'll see you Monday..."
My heart was racing, would I? I swallowed, and nodded "I'll... see you then, Marissa..."
Henri laughed lightly, and picked up my case, waving goodbye as she left the room.
~~~
I sat in the backseat of the car, feeling weird and alien about being here, where me and Missy had so many heartfelt conversations, with my best friend. My best friend who just essentially kidnapped me, right under Marissa's nose. I hadn't said anything since we'd left the room, and while she'd tried to engage me a few times, she was being awkward about it, and had settled into just watching me sit and squirm. Her face was pensive, and she was humming to herself as she watched me, making me feel self conscious.
"C-can you stop?" I ventured
"Stop the humming?" she asked
"No, just- staring me down... it's making me nervous."
She sighed and shook her head "I am just... thinking about stuff."
"What kinds of stuff?" I asked, afraid of the answer
"I am.. trying to decide what to do with you, honestly." she replied truthfully "I know you do not want to go back to Marissa, but so many things could happen to you while you're with me, it... It is tempting."
"Are you threatening me?!" I asked, scooting away. This wasn't like her, I thought she wanted to have me for herself, if she did something to me, she'd lose me too, right?
"No, no, not- well, a little." she admitted "I was just thinking, if you die while I'm watching you, or if you run away to try and get back to Marissa before it's time and no one finds you... Well, I am just saying, it would be a tragedy, but it would stop her from having you."
"You're threatening to kill me?!" I yelped "You're a monster, what the fuck Henri?! If you can't have me, no one can, is that it?"
"I- no!" She said, shocked "I would never kill you, Amber... I love you far too much for that, I just meant I would fake your death!"
"...What?"
"If you 'die', then I get to keep you forever, all I need to do is to find a way to make it look real... There will be an investigation, sure, and I will loose my license, but once it blows over, you would be a ghost, no one will know you exist! And you will be mine forever!"
I backed all the way up from her "I won't go along with that, I'll fight back, I'll escape for real, I- I won't be your secret toy."
"Not a toy, my partner! My girlfriend! And you say you will escape or fight back, but honestly, I'm not doing anything Marissa isn't doing..." she cooed, laying down to get closer to me again, her smile wide and bright "She kept you locked up, she gets to keep you forever, she is dating you, all I am doing is taking her place!"
"But- I don't- No! It's different!" I shouted "Marissa paid for me, she follows the rules, mostly, she's accountable to the law for taking care of me, we're dating, as weird as it is, I choose to stay with her, Henri!"
"You do not seem to have much of a choice to me..." she said "The law locks you to her, no way out, ja?"
"I could report her and get away, I don't want to get away." I said, pushing away one of her hands "They'd catch you in a heart beat, anyway. I have a tracker on my leg, and it doesn't come off!"
"I am sure I could get it off, with wire cutters or something, it will be fine." she said dismissively
"It's got glass in it, it'd explode, it could shred my leg!" I protested "They don't come off, for exactly this reason!"
"...well, there are other ways to get it off." Henri said, frowning
I remembered the news story she'd told us about earlier and shuddered, she wouldn't go that far, would she?
"Please, Henri, I just- please..." I said, not knowing what to say "Just enjoy the time you have with me, it's ok, let's just have fun and relax, please?"
"I said I was still thinking about it." Henri said, slightly annoyed "You do not have to beg, it is not happening for sure."
"I don't even want it on the table!" I yelled "I want to have a fun time with my best friend, and get returned to my girlfriend in a couple days, without having to worry about my best friend cutting my foot off with wire cutters!"
"I am just thinking out loud, Amber, götter..." Henri sighed "We will have a lovely, safe time, I assure you."
"So you promise not to fake my death or anything?" I asked
"I promise we wil have a good weekend, nothing more, nothing less." Henri said.
She sat back up and picked me up off the seat. I shivered, realizing that in here, with her, there was nowhere I could go that wasn't within arm's reach. As the car pulled up to Marissa's house, Henri's hand squeezed me gently, and her thumb brushed my head. It felt... not right. Not the way Marissa did it. Missy's squeezes were more "You're mine and I want to hurt you, but I love you, too.". Henri's felt more like... "I want to hold you and keep you, no matter what you want.". It made me feel gross, in an objectified way. She'd done so good at the party, she promised she'd get better, why the fuck was she being so scary now?
~~~
Henri stepped into my old apartment and looked around, her arms full of the supplies she'd picked up when we stopped at Marissa's. She peeked around the living area, then nodded and made her way to my- or, her room, closing and locking the door behind her.
"Looks like your family is not home!" she said "That's lucky!"
"Why is that lucky?" I asked sullenly as she put me on the desk and dumped the clothes, blankets, and food on the desk
"Well... We get to have fun now, right?" she asked "Or- actually, I think we should have showers first, then have fun."
I sucked in a breath "What kind of fun requires showers?"
"Well we both smell like hospital, so, like, all fun would be enhanced by not smelling like a hospital, right?" she pointed out "Ah, but... we do not have a shower your size, do we?..."
"Henri, no, I don't want to-" I said, my teeth gritted
"It would be irresponsible of me to let you shower alone though!" she said, her grin widening. I could see her hands shaking as she collected her clothes and stared at me
"It's very unsafe for you to shower with me, though..." I said "There's nowhere good to set me, and one slip or fall from either of us and I'd be dead..."
She stared at me for a moment, then nodded slowly "I suppose... That just means I will go first, then come get you for your shower, and give you my full attention!"
"I'm not comfortable with that either!" I yelped "Just- let me use the sink!"
"Mm, I would really feel safer if I could watch you, though." she said, picking me up and dropping me into my case, and pushed a stack of textbooks agains the door "Here, it will just be a moment, I will be clean in a bit!"
"How is this treating me like a person?!" I yelled at her through the plexiglass "You're being worse than ever!"
"I am doing what you want!" she protested, turning from the door "I am still seeing you as a person that needs love and care, but I am being a bitch about it, that is what you like!"
"When did I say that?" I asked, confused
"Last night, at the sleepover. You said you liked Marissa being a bitch to you, and that the only reason you were not dating me instead of her was because you're scared of losing me. Well, I can be a bitch too, and still care for you, and you never ever have to worry about losing me!" her smile was wide, but she looked nervous "It is the best of both worlds!"
"I don't want you to be a bitch, I want Missy to be a bitch, you're supposed to be my friend!" I said, shaking my head
She sighed, and the energy slipped from her for a moment, and I felt like I was looking at my old friend again, not the person who kidnapped me and threatened me "...Amber, just... we are doing it this way, ok? Just go along with it, it is ok, I promise."
I stared at her, and leaned against the glass, my mind throbbing. Was it an act? Was she putting it on to get me to like her? Or was she genuinely like that and just had a temporary moment of lucidity? She stared at me for a couple seconds, then gave me and awkward smile and closed the door. I dropped to the floor, not even bothering to try and move the books out of the way. There was nowhere to go, not really. We were a good twenty minute drive from the hospital, at least, so getting back to Missy was impossible without help. My tablet was on the bed, so I couldn't message Nada and ask her for help, but I'd feel guilty, since the only other time I'd messaged her so far was to ask for help, I wanted to actually chat with her too. Maybe if she messaged first...
After what felt like an eternity, the door opened again, and Henri stepped back in, hair wound up in a microfiber towel, wearing one of my tanktops and shorts. I noticed with mild annoyance that she was stretching out the tanktop, but... it wasn't like I was ever going to wear it again, I guess. She locked eyes with me, and made her way over to the desk, shoving the books out of the way.
"Ready to get clean?" she said sweetly
"No, I'm not! Stop being like this, you're not going to endear yourself to me, this is like, sexual assault!" I said, backing up to the bed
"There is nothing inherently sexual about a shower, Amber." Henri admonished "It is no different than a nurse giving you a sponge bath at a hospital."
"Except the nurse wouldn't be in love with me, I can wash myself, please..."
She sighed "Come on, there is a nice pink dress waiting for you after your shower, won't that be nice?"
I glared at her "You're acting like Quince, Henri. Cut it out."
She reached in and pulled me out as I kicked and yelled "You like bitches, I was being a bitch, would you rather I act like Marissa? I can do that too, you know."
She reached up with her other hand and flicked me in the stomach. I gasped for air and curled up, it wasn't as bad as Marissa's flick, but I was still lightly bruised, and she'd hit me directly under my lungs, forcing the air out.
"Come on, Rat, let's go give you a shower." she said, lowering her voice and narrowing her eyes in her best Marissa impression
"Sh-she wouldn't do that!" I yelled, thinking fast "She's super good about sexual stuff, this is out of character for her!"
She turned and walked towards the bathroom, stepping inside and closing the door behind her. She got on her knees and turned the water on with her free hand and set me on the edge of the tub, the water thundering down behind me. She looked at me, her face a mix of placid and upset and pointed at my tracksuit.
"Take it o-" she choked and took a breath "Take it off..." she continued, her voice shaky and quiet
She was having second thoughts, she was nervous... If I could break her act... I curled up in a ball, using my hands to cover my chest and crotch, despite still being fully clothed
"I'm not doing this, Henri, if you want me to be naked, you'll have to tear the clothes off me yourself!" I yelled, pushing fear and pain into my voice
She swallowed again, and reached up, her hand shaking violently, stopping just before it reached me, and she sobbed, tears springing up in her eyes, shoulders and chest shaking, and she fell over, curling up on the rug in front of the toilet. I sat there, shaking, too afraid to move, too afraid to remind her I was here. Whatever she was going through, I didn't want her to drag me into it anymore than she already had. Her wails and sobs filled the small tile bathroom, and she lay and shook until the water turned cold and the fog on the mirror disappeared.
Finally, after what felt like ages, she sat back up, the pattern of the rug pressed into her cheek, her eyes bloodshot, and her breaths coming in short gasps. She tenderly reached over and picked me up off the side of the tub and shut the water off. I trembled in her hand as she stared at me, tears still flowing out of her eyes, but she didn't say anything, just looked at me with a haunted, empty look. She stood up, and brought me back to my old room, setting me gently in front of my case.
She looked at the stack of books she'd used to block me in before, and then at the bed. She stepped over to the bed and moved all of my things to the desk next to me, carefully setting my tablet down by my still-curled-up form and looked at me, her expression hollow. She went back over to the bed and collapsed face down on the mattress, and rolled onto the bed, wrapping the comforter around her as she did, and lay there, still as a stone.
I watched her, her body unmoving. I couldn't even see her breathing, but that could have been from the thick, down comforter. After five minutes, I felt safe enough to stand up. I grabbed my tablet, and made my way to the back of the desk, behind my computer tower, where the fans blew warm air out, and sat down. I powered it on, and muted it as soon as I could. I knew she knew I had it, but was she expecting me to tell Marissa on her? The cops? I didn't know, and I didn't know what I wanted to do, either. I could get her banned from seeing me if I told the authorities what she'd tried to do, but... She might be the only thing keeping Marissa in check. I knew Missy wasn't as bad as she first was, but having the threat of someone taking me away was a good thing to have.
I opened the messages tab and saw a few new messages, one from Kensey's new antmound account reading
'Hey friend! I feel like an absolute princess! Quince even got me a little hot tub and a super cute bathing suit, and we're going to have a hot tub party tonight! I'd love for you to come if you can!'
Quince had obviously set up message forwarding, then... I thought about it for a few minutes. It might be nice to be around a group again, if nothing else it'd stop Henri from trying anything else. There was no assurance that she'd be up for going though, even assuming she wanted to see those people again. Still, I didn't want to be rude.
'Ill see if henri is up 2 it, shes watching me rn so like its up 2 her. what r the deets'
I didn't think I had a swimsuit with me anyway, but I'd have to see. I just really didn't want to be alone with Henri longer than I had to be...
The next message was from Marissa, and I winced as soon as I saw it
'Amber, so help me, if she hurts you at all, if she's creepy, or if she tries to convince you to leave me, let me know and I'll kill her on the spot. STG I can do it from this hospital bed, I know people.'
I didn't doubt she did, and I doubted even less that she'd go through with it. I typed a response back, telling her that Henri was being a bitch, but she was taking a nap right now, and checked the next message. It was a number I didn't recognize, but it was obvious who it was from the context.
'Hey, ok, so I know I was super rude about texting you, and I'm sorry about that, friend of my friend is my friend and all that. Anyway, I wanted to know, I heard Henri took you, is she like, being weird about it? I wanna know how she's acting, is she singing you german lullabies or something?'
I sighed, and sent a short message back
'Shes just sleeping, actually'
I opened the last message in my inbox and sighed. It was from Nada, asking for an update about last night. At least I didn't have to feel bad about asking for advice now. I sent her a message too.
'yea shes not getting 2 go 2 court. we convinced her ownr that shes like a little princess so shes treating her better??? but its still not great. i wnated 2 ask tho, my big friend i mentoned at the group us being weird. she thinks i like bitches so shes acting like one and shes the one watching me rn bc my owner is in the hospital and she tried 2 get me 2 shower wth her then cried a lot when i said no. im scared and upset, but i dont think she was TRYING 2 b bad just maybet liek she was pushing herself 2 b bad or smth idk what do i do she cried herself to sleep and hgave me the tablet i think so i can call the cops but idk if i want 2'
I sent it, and was surprised to see the typing bubbles pop up almost instantly. Nada must have already been on her tablet... Before long a response popped up on my screen
'Amber, that's less than ideal! I'm glad your class B friend is in a better place, but we need to impart our humanity and equality on our class As, not just adoration for us. As for your class A friend, I cannot recommend you continue to have contact with her. Trying to force you into that situation is highly illegal, and she should have her license taken away. I recommend you using the emergency contact feature on your tablet as soon as you can. Even if she showed remorse for her actions, that's unacceptable. I'm so sorry to hear Marissa is in the hospital! How ever did that happen?'
I groaned and stared at the message. It wasn't what I wanted to see, and I especially didn't want to call the cops on her. I needed to think about this long and hard...
'i dont kno if i want 2 call the cops on her. shes making sure im safe with marissa i dont know if its a good idea for her 2 not b here. marissa was drinking at a party and has 2 much so i called an amulance fro her. shes ok but not safw 2 take care of me rn ig or smth and her mom wants 2 kill me and make me a lab rat so henri is the only other option ig'
I turned the tablet off, and figured I'd check her response later, I needed to just exist for a while right now... I breathed the hot, computer-y air and thought about everything I'd been through. It was non stop, especially the past couple days. I hadn't even set up my new video game yet, and I most likely wouldn't get the chance until Tuesday... I just wanted to play with my catboys, damnit.
I heard a creaking noise, and footsteps, and I froze, she was awake... I carefully lay flat and shimmied under the pc tower, leaving my face out enough to breathe, but hopefully hidden enough to stay away from her for now until I knew she was stable. I heard her walk over to the desk and shift things around, looking for me.
"Amber?..." she said, her voice frail and wobbly "I want to talk, I- I need to talk to you... Amber?"
She moved more stuff, and her movements for more frantic "Amber, did you- are you trying to escape? No- I swear, Amber, I'll give you back, please, it's not safe for you to go by yourself, Amber?"
She dropped to the floor and started sliding things around "No, no, no... Amber, please! Please don't be gone... Fuck, no, Amber..."
Her voice was melting into sobs again, and I felt a twinge of pity, this was my friend, she loved me, she just wanted to know I was ok, that I hadn't tried to leave the apartment, I could give her that, right? I started to slide out, when she screamed, loud and angry at nothing.
"I just want you to love me! I'm doing everything I can! Why can't you just love me?!" she howled, and I heard the sounds of things being pulled out from under the bed, the closet opening, and containers being dumped out.
I slid back under and closed my eyes, praying to as many gods as would listen that she wouldn't find me under the PC, and I listened to her tear my room apart looking for me.
~~~