Episode 10.1 - Poisonous Green Eyes

Mak is a pig; I realized that after last night. That seemingly harmless drink he gave me certainly did not miss its effect. How am I supposed to survive this day?

***

Just like the previous morning, I am woken up today by a blond man.

"Good morning, my dear," he greets me, a smile on his lips and a cheerful tone in his voice.

God, how can anyone be so happy on a morning like this?, I wonder. While he seems to be doing great, I feel utterly miserable. Not only did I spend most of the night lying next to the toilet in my cell rather than on my bed due to an indescribable nausea, but I'm also plagued by monstrous headaches. On top of that, I barely got any sleep last night.

I keep my eyes closed, and to be honest, I don't even want to open them. Instead, I let out a grumble that somewhat resembles an 'I don't want to!'

"I'll check on you later," he says with a sigh. He seems puzzled by my reaction, but apparently hasn't realized that it's not due to a lack of enthusiasm, as he probably thinks, but more because of this damn hangover, courtesy of Mak.

He didn't hear my grumbled 'Please don't!'

The only thing I manage to do this morning is bury my head under my pillow.

That lousy guy had let me believe the stuff was juice. I remember he and Musator whispering about something. But what was it about?

Ah yes, the slap I gave him and making him look like a peeping Tom in front of the men. But did I really deserve something like this for that? Especially since it was all justified.

However, I don't know what happened after that.

The men played some harmless drinking games and chatted with me. The next thing I remember is hanging over the toilet.

What happened in between? I wonder. I just can't remember.

"Awake now?" As he said, Otscharsan has come back, but this time his voice sounds different. There's concern in it, especially after my clear response. He stands in the doorway to my cell, watching me.

"No!" I reply, the sound muffled by the pillow but clearly in a bad mood.

"Just leave the girl here," Musator chimes in now, standing with the other men outside my cell. "Trust me, it's better if you don't take her with you today."

"Is she sick?" Otscharsan asks the big man, without taking his worried gaze off me.

"She may feel like it right now, but she's not really sick," Musator replies. There's no concern in his eyes, only regret over my situation. "She just had a few too many drinks."

"How do you get alcohol?" Otscharsan turns to the men, his voice and expression confused.

"Mak!" they all chorus.

"He's getting crazier by the day," Otscharsan sighs.

I hear my cell door close and the men stomp away. Each of their steps feels like a thunderclap in my skull.

If I get my hands on Mak, he'll be sorry!

"Did you sleep well, little one?" A very familiar and unfortunately loud voice echoes, sounding very amused.

Just thinking about him, and here he is.

Mak opens the door to my cell and steps in.

I would love to jump up and slap him hard, but in my current state, that's not possible. Instead, I just grumble at him. "Leave me alone!"

"No way, little one!" Mak shouts. He yanks the pillow off my head. "Time to get up!"

"But I want to sleep!" I keep grumbling.

"Hmm, maybe yesterday was a bit too much," he says, pausing as if to think. "Looks like I'll have to use other methods," he continues.

Before I know it, Mak picks me up and holds me in his muscular arms. I don't have the strength to fight back at the moment. My hands rest on my aching head.

"Hey, what are you doing?" I snap at him, immediately regretting it as a wave of nausea hits me. I place my hands on my stomach, trying to stave off the urge to vomit. I even manage to succeed.

"Are you okay?" Nora stands beside him, her worried gaze fixed on me.

"Not thanks to this idiot!" I reply sharply, glaring at Mak.

"Can I help it if you overreact?" he demands. His brown eyes show clear anger at my words.

"You didn't tell me what that stuff was!" I grumble.

I glance briefly at Moriphos. He's awake too, standing at the bars with clenched teeth. He glares at Mak, as if wishing to finish what he started the day before.

"And you didn't ask," Mak says with a broad grin.

"As if you would have told me," I retort with a yawn. I rub my eyes with my hands. "At least be nice now and let me sleep."

Another yawn escapes my throat as my eyes slowly close.

Mak starts moving. But instead of putting me back on the bed, he carries me out of the cell toward the shower. But I only half notice. My eyes close, my head rests on his muscular chest, and I fall lightly asleep.

"So, I have to resort to the more radical wake-up method."

Mak's voice wakes me up again, just in time to catch his amused tone, even though I have no idea what's coming next.

I slowly open my eyes and see his handsome, grinning face. What is he planning? I wonder sleepily. I rub my eyes as he suddenly sets me on the floor.

And now what?

I stand there groggily, barely paying attention to what's happening beside me.

Mak's hand touches one of the tiles, and it becomes clear what he intends when a cold shower pours over me.

Shocked and shivering with cold, I leap out from under the shower. I whirl around to face Mak, immediately regretting it. This time it's not my stomach that rebels, but my head.

"Awake?" he asks with a grin.

But I only shake my head. "Just wet."

When I look at Mak again, a kind smile is on his lips. "Sorry, it really wasn't very nice of me to do what I did yesterday," he says, patting my head. "I'll go get you some dry clothes." Mak turns to the other girl. "Nora, do you want some clean clothes too?" he asks, eyeing the dress she's been wearing for days. "It won't be anything fancy. But with some of the men here, that's for the best."

While Nora beams at him, I just glare at him sulkily. Why does he call her by her name and completely refuse to do so with me?

"Yes, please!" Nora replies, and Mak smiles at her before leaving the shower. She turns to me now, her gaze worried as she asks me a question. "What's going on?"

"Mak hosted a drinking night with some of the prisoners," I explain, yawning. I shiver and begin to tremble slightly from the cold water soaking my clothes. "Mak is an idiot!" My words are swallowed by another yawn. I'm not even sure if Nora understood me.

A smile flits across her face. "That's been mentioned."

"What's that?" I look at her questioningly."

That Mak is known for smuggling in a bit of alcohol here and there," she explains to me. After a brief pause, she sighs. It's obvious that she envies me. "That must have been nice."

I shrug. "If Mak hadn't gotten me so drunk, it surely would have been nice," I admit. It was fun, if I'm being honest. "I'll tell him to take you along next time."

"Didn't you enjoy it?" she asks me curiously.

I want to respond, but someone beats me to it.

"She can't claim the night was so terrible!" Mak steps into the shower with a grin on his face, holding a few pieces of clothing in his hands. "As cheerful as she was."