After Humanity

Chapter Nineteen

Rachel

The next time Rachel's eyes opened, the light of day was leaking into the room and the house was entirely quiet. She wondered how much longer she'd managed to sleep. Her head still felt cloudy but she knew she didn't want to remain in bed. Slipping out from beneath the covers Rachel forced herself to rise and pulled back the curtains, welcoming the sun.

The house was cozy in spite of the slight chill she could feel near the windows. Even dressed in just her nightgown Rachel was not uncomfortable. Still, she slipped on the robe Alice had laid out for her, savoring the soft fabric on her skin. It seemed that Alice had left made her a small pair of wool socks to cover her feet. She put those on as well. It felt nice to be so warm after here time with Gifre and his men. It felt nice to feel so safe. And yet...she still was not certain how safe she really was. It was true that, in spite of her cold demeanor, Alice had not yet been unkind, nor had Magnus, but that didn't change her circumstances.

    Rachel moved around Alice's room in a bit of a trance, still trying to rouse her mind fully from slumber. It felt strange to be in the space without the old woman. Somehow, in spite of her absence, Rachel almost imagined Alice still had eyes in the house. She couldn't help but be curious though and it was hard to resist the urge to look around while she had her chance.

    She started by more closely exploring Alice's room, peaking in her draws, trying to read the titles of the books on her shelf and make sense of the papers piled on her desk, filled with ledgers and numbers she did not understand. Everything was immaculate and tidy, making Rachel certain that Alice would notice should even one small object be out of place when she returned She didn't dare touch anything.

    Moving into the living space Rachel saw the fire in the hearth still burning. She added a few fresh logs from the pile beside it. As Alice had told her, there was a pot of porridge sitting on the stove. She'd even laid out a bowl, spoon, and cup for Rachel to use. A waiting mug was filled with tea leaves and the teapot on the stove was filled with water. It seemed she really had gone to every effort to make certain Rachel was provided for in her absence. But the stove was strange, with odd nobs on it, entirely unlike the wood stove Mama had used.

Rachel opened the door to the icebox and was surprised when a light turned on within it, a gust of cold hitting her in the face. She'd heard of such things in Mama's old story books of earth that was. How humans used to have electricity to heat and cool their homes and food. But such luxuries in a slave's house seemed out of place. She knew that the sibla did not want humans having much of any technology. Again she wondered why Magnus might give Alice so much status. What had she done to gain his trust? What would she do to keep it?

    In the end, Rachel found the milk and poured herself a glass, taking only an apple to eat along with it. She felt guilt wasting the food Alice had made, but she wasn't daring enough to try the stove. The milk was fresh and creamy. Cold from the electric icebox. Putting her glass on the counter, Rachel wondered the rest of the house while nibbling at her apple.

    The living space was just as tidy and clean as the bedroom had been, without an ounce of dust or clutter. At least the walls in the sitting area were not entirely bare. A few paintings and weavings adorned the otherwise white walls, making the space a bit more inviting. There was even a brightly painted vase on a table to decorate the space between the two arm chairs set by the fire. Rachel took a closer look at one of the beautiful weavings hanging on the wall and was impressed with the intricacy of the design. She wondered if Alice had made it herself. But the what about the vase? It looked like an expensive gift.

Still fearing to touch anything, Rachel took her glass of milk and went to sit by the fire. She was surprised to see a book lying on the floor. She couldn't imagine that Alice would ever leave something so out of place. She picked up the book and marveled at the beautiful cover, the letters etched in gold. "Grim's Tales" it read.