The Oasis by Janette Osemwota Page B

makeshift mat. She opened her own chips and ate them hungrily. They were already ground to almost a powder, but she was so hungry the cheese-flavored chips tasted better than any steak. When she finished, she looked over at the other woman and noticed that she was watching Lena. Her eyes were clear now. Their gray hue seemed darkened by all the suffering she had been put through.
    The woman leaned forward and grabbed the water, gulping it down quietly. As she went to open the chips, the cover fell off her head, revealing what must have once been beautiful red hair. Now, the hue had dimmed to a burnt color that reminded Lena of rust. It was dirty, as was most of the woman’s body, but hung long down her back. She avoided making eye contact with Lena, but Lena was sure the woman watched her when she thought Lena wasn’t looking.
    Lena laughed quietly. “You know, you’re the first woman I’ve seen in a while and I don’t even know if you can understand me.” Sighing, she brought her knees to her chest and watched the light bounce off the glass window. It was no doubt going to be a long day. She resigned herself to rest, thinking that the likelihood of being disturbed further seemed low. She didn’t know a lot about being kidnapped or about survival tactics, but it seemed like a good idea to rest now while she had the chance.
    Her eyelids were already heavy when she lay down. “Please don’t attack me in my sleep,” she whispered to the other woman who was still staring at Lena. Lena laughed a little as she saw the woman’s eyes widen in shock. Lena didn’t know whether she was surprised that she was going to sleep or that she had made such a humane request of her. It didn’t matter. Lena’s thoughts returned to Jasper as she slipped out of consciousness.

 

     
     

     
     
     
     
     
    Chapter Seven
     
     
    The door to Lena’s cell came crashing open. Her eyes opened as more water was thrown into the room along with some other prepackaged food. Her stomach growled as she dove for the food. The other woman ate hers silently, although now she openly stared at Lena.
    Licking her fingers clean, Lena noticed that the sun was already close to setting. She had been asleep most of the day. To her comfort the woman had neither attacked her nor moved from her position. They continued to stare at each other until Lena couldn’t help but break the silence.
    “I’m Lena,” she sighed. She didn’t expect the woman to answer. Most of the others didn’t seem to talk much, if at all.
    The woman looked at her, almost as if she was afraid to answer. After a few moments of silence, she looked behind her, as if checking whether anyone was coming. “My name is Rachel.” Her voice was harsh but clearer than Lena had expected.
    “You’re n-normal,” Lena observed, shaken. Rachel didn’t answer. Her face looked as though she’d expected Lena to have noticed that already. “I’m sorry, I mean you’re not infected.”
    “Neither are you,” Rachel said, attempting a weak smile. Lena thought that under the hideous clothes she wore and the years’ worth of grime that covered her body, Rachel at one time had been a beautiful woman. Now, her face had been battered enough that it seemed she wore a permanent scowl on her face. Her eyes had lost their passion; Lena didn’t need to have known her before she was captured to know that when she was younger she’d had brilliant eyes. Now that Rachel looked directly at her, Lena was able to examine her face. She had scars running across her lips and a deep gash running from her temple down to her neck. Rachel’s ears were covered by her long hair, but Lena saw glimpses of the damage that had been done to them from prolonged beatings. The most damaged thing seemed to be her spirit. Rachel’s candid response to Lena’s observations had shown that at one point Rachel had been a coy and humorous woman, but now her spunk was missing. The laugh lines around her eyes had been traded