After Humanity

Chapter Twenty-Three

So here is Rachel again. Let's see how she is adjusting to her new home after these first few days.

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Rachel

    As her first week on Magnus's estate passed, Rachel found herself falling into the routine of her new life. Every morning she would wake to find Alice already gone. It seemed the woman arose well before dawn every day to complete her tasks and Rachel began to wonder she ever truly slept at all. In the quiet of Alice's home Rachel would rise and dress on her own before walking to the main house to join the others in the kitchen

    Sometimes she would find Alice there waiting for her, working with Kathryn and whoever else had been assigned to the kitchens for the day. Other times, Kathryn was running the kitchen on her own. But regardless of who was giving direction, Kathryn made certain Rachel found a hearty breakfast awaiting her, with fresh bread and eggs and sausage. Whenever she could, the older girl would even stop her work and join Rachel as she ate, inquiring after her sleep and offering cheerful smiles to brighten her mood.

    When Rachel had finished her meal she would be given small tasks to help around the kitchen. She would peel potatoes, shell hard boiled eggs, cut up vegetables, knead dough for bread, whatever Alice or Kathryn found to keep her occupied.

After their mid-day meal, she would be allowed the chance to go outside and wander the grounds on her own, though sometimes Kathryn would join her if she could escape her work for a bit. As long as Rachel was back in time for help with the final dinner preparations, no one seemed to mind how long she disappeared for.

    Though most of the others continued to eye her with a bit more hostility than was comfortable, Rachel knew that with Alice and Kathryn's protection she was safe. Even the errant sibla workers she passed as she walked through the fields, exploring Magnus's lands no longer seemed so threatening. Though their presence occasionally reminded her of the reality she lived in, they left her alone and, for the most part, she could almost ignore their existence.

    This morning in particular had been exceptionally pleasant. Alice was in an uncharacteristically cheerful mood, encouraging all of the kitchen staff to be the same. Even Cynthia, typically the most sour of the other girls she'd spent time with, had given her a broad smile and offered her the chance to lick the spoon from the cookie batter bowl before they'd slid the cookies they'd made into the oven and washed the dishes.

    Though Kathryn was too busy to escape her other chores, the day was beautiful. The summer weather was finally overtaking any remnants of winter that had still lingered in her first few days there and already Rachel had abandoned her coat, leaving her bare arms exposed to the sun's gentle warmth as it kissed her skin.

She'd even forgone her shoes, carrying them with her in hand as she tread barefoot through the bright green grass all around her, savoring the soft squish of the ground beneath her toes. She'd learned her way to the lake after Kathryn had walked her there a few more times, and it seemed the perfect place to spend the afternoon.

    Rachel marveled at the beauty around her as she walked. The fresh budding wildflowers, the tall rows of corn, there was so much bounty in Magnus's farm. She'd loved her home in Demin of course, but the rocky terrain there had never been very good for growing. Here the world seemed so alive. She breathed in deep and inhaled the pleasant farm smells of dirt and grass, and grain.

    It was strange, but in spite of her captivity Rachel couldn't help but feel more free than she ever had before in her eight years. Mamma and Papa had always been so worried, she was hardly ever granted time on her own. Certainly not the freedom to roam wherever she wished. There were too many dangers, too many potential threats. But somehow on Magnus's farm, there seemed to be only peace. She loved the ability to go where she pleased without fear.