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My family rested the remainder of the night until the sun rose. They tried to be quiet, but despite being less than a day old, Kennedy woke curious about what they were doing. She didn’t want to stay in the quiet bedroom with me, she wanted to see what was going on.
The men were left to tend to me today. Food was delivered to us by Basin’s family. While I nibbled, Christof held our daughter. She dozed in his arms as he talked to her. It was different than it had been with Hannah, so unbelievably different.
Where Hannah had been all fire and venom, Kennedy was my sweet girl and I started calling her that. She loved her family and wanted to be with us constantly. Her eyes constantly swayed between herfatherand his Brothers when they were around.
Kennedy would have preferred Christof stay with us all day every day and she made that very clear. The day he went back to work, she wailed all morning. He had to gently, but firmly, reprimanded her at lunch. She just couldn’t have everything she wanted. It was not his choice to follow Nu-reeh’s commands or not. While staying with his daughter would make him happy, Nu-reeh’s wishes always came first.
It was the first time I saw the look of determination on Kennedy’s young face. She didn’t like that her father was owned and controlled. The resolve I’d gotten used to seeing in Hannah settled over Kennedy. I suddenly realized what I was doing.Exclusive content from NôvelDrama.Org.
I was breeding the resistance
Most of the time, Kennedy was calm and content. She rarely cried and screamed. My second girl liked to be held and rocked. She was passed between all of us, enjoying the attention of the whole family. She liked to be awake and interacting with us.
Unlike Hannah, I soon found I had to remind her to feed regularly. Nursing made her sleepy and she liked to be awake and part of the conversation. Evan remembered how often Hannah had fed and he made a schedule for me. We did our best to make sure she’d grow strong and powerful.
Rose and Fuji helped me some with her care. They would play with her in the morning while I cleaned our rooms. She and Rose shared a special bond once Rose understood her name. Evidently the Kennedy Rose had been named after she left Earth.
My instructions with Kennedy were much the same as they had been before. The only difference was that I was to read to her every morning. My afternoons were always spent walking in the mountain’s tunnels and giving Kennedy fresh air.
Damien and his Brothers no longer feared my walks. They understood the control Nu-reeh had on the men. No one would touch me. Much like before I was ignored like a piece of rock. No one ever saw me as I moved around.
Hannah showed up when Kennedy was twenty two days old. Kennedy and I were walking and talking. I had taken us to a winding cave that eventually led to an opening out of the mountain.
The opening was small, barely enough for me to squeeze out of. I liked the wide ledge that was just outside, though. The sun beat down on it and kept it nice and warm. We had a lovely view of the surrounding mountains and the sky above. Kennedy and I had found it on her fifth day.
Kennedy rode with me the same way I’d carried Hannah. A long sash could be used to tie her to my back or to my front. Today the sash was tied like a sling and Kennedy lay in thehammockshaped cradle on my chest.
I liked this position. Kennedy could talk with me or look up at the sky. It also allowed me to bundle her and keep her close to me for warmth.
We found a spot and settled down. Kennedy liked to be out here under the open sky. She’d just drowse in the sun listening to me talk to her. Quite early on I’d found she had a fascination with the sun, she hated the dark.
Talons hitting the ground startled me badly and I jerked Kennedy to my chest. Without looking, I ran for the opening but Hannah’s voice stopped me.
“Mama, it’s just us,” she said sounding exasperated.
I took a moment to glance at the new arrivals and realized it was just my older daughter and her Sister.
“You cut your hair,” I said trying not to sound like they’d scared me half to death.
Hannah gave a snort and pirouetted. “It grows really fast, Mama,” she said. “I got it cut right before my… initiation.”
I cocked my head and looked at her quizzically. “Initiation into what?”
“Bunch of hippies that believe slavery is wrong and are willing to fight for their beliefs,”she said inEnglish. “You’ll know them when you see them. They’ve started to wear beads in their hair. You have to earn your beads and we aren’t old enough to go through the trials, yet.”
Kennedy poked up and looked at her Sister.”How old?”she asked struggling to sit up in the sling.
Hannah smiled wide seeing her little Sister for the first time and stepped closer.”Much older, kid, but we still have our uses.”
“I named her Kennedy. Would you like to hold her?” I asked Hannah while propping Kennedy up.
“Not a chance,” Ra warned in a low voice. “I know it’s customary on Earth, but here no one touches a talonless female other than the female breeder. It would be an insult for us to touch her.”
That was surprising and I felt silly for offering, but Hannah soothed me quickly. “You know I’d love toMama. I’d hold her andkissher silly, but I don’t want any extra attention today. We need to not be noticed.”
The girls looked at one another and then at me uneasily. Ra cleared her throat and then spoke quietly.
“We need a favor, Mama, a big favor,” she said.
“We’ll understand if you can’t,” Hannah said hesitantly.
When Ra spoke next it was inEnglish, perfectly accented. Evidently Hannah had been teaching her.
“There are free men held in the mountain now. The women caught them. We know these men, they are stubborn,”Ra said.
Hannah continued the story,”They are like Daddy, Warriors, Mama. They will not be broken. We have to save them or the women will kill them, because they will not tame them.”
I gasped and shook my head. Free men being killed set my stomach on edge. That was horrible.
“They would see us enter, Mama, and not let us near the men,” Hannah said, “but we know you could get to them. The men guarding them would never see you and you could avoid the cameras.”
“We would give you something to release their restraints,” Ra said, “and food to make them strong for the escape. Once you’re done with that, you leave, they will take care of the rest themselves.”
I looked down at Kennedy and knew I could not do this. It would put her life in jeopardy. She had other ideas.
“We will do it,”Kennedy said decisively.”Mama is scared, but she can do it.”
“Nu-reeh will not harm you or the babe,”Hannah pleaded.”You are their only chance.”