Eighty-three: One step at a time

"No, it's not," Dr Eisor said cheerfully, striding in with Whistlor. Together with Whistlor, he plunged into showing Aylissa how to punish a slave and cause pain just by touching certain points of the body or drawing certain shapes on my shoulder, thighs, back or abdomen. They even gave her a free lesson on how a slave is stimulated to be prepared for sex and gave her pointers on what she could do when her first time with Kiran came. Whistlor and Dr Eisor touched her and she enjoyed it.
I gritted my teeth and rode through the disgusting shame and pain of it all. The idea that I'd been demoted to an 'it' and no longer had full control over my body grated on my nerves. If they hadn't taken my family, I'd be planning my escape for when I could walk again.
Now that they had my family, I would need far more elaborate and multiple plans for how to teach these people a lesson they wouldn't forget one day.
Whistler grinned the moment he saw how wet I became with use of the slave controls. He seemed to enjoy my anger and frustration and stripping me of what little dignity I'd been trying to hold onto. He and Dr Eisor used their fingers and even taught Aylissa how to use her fingers to humiliate me while my body did whatever they commanded it. They punished me with a crippling pain by making certain symbols for no reason or when I was orgasming.
Aylissa seemed to find it amusing and used a tool they gave her to penetrate me, heightening my sensations to the point I passed out. Once she got the hang of things, she tortured me until I thought I might die. Whistler and Dr Eisor watched from the side with fond smiles, enjoying the show.
Forcing me to obey her and watching me struggle to obey until I was too exhausted, Aylissa smiled like a child who had found a new toy. She could turn my consciousness on and off and laughed when she saw the expression I made at waking up to find Whistler using me to jerk off, while she used her tool to stimulate me. She seemed to like causing me pain. The more pain I was in, the happier she was.
It was only when they saw how much time had passed did Dr Eisor bring me to the shower to clean up, while Aylissa and Whistlor cleaned up all evidence of what had been done.
"How was it, darling?" Dr Eisor asked me, while he cleaned me in the shower. "That's just a hint of the life you can look forward to."
"Just kill me now," I rasped back at him, making him laugh.
"Good girl," Dr Eisor patted a breast and drew some signs. "Behave."
I closed my eyes and didn't know anything for the next few days. Kiran was too busy to notice. He thought that Aylissa and Dr Eisor were just visiting to help take care of me. That is until Aylissa grew bored of playing with me. After that, I was largely left alone once more.
When I was more awake, I made handfuls of origami animals and creatures with the scrap paper that had been given me. Just about every soldier had one and some of them had even started calling me and the things I had done so far, this war, the Jean Factor. I didn't understand what that meant. I didn't want to. I was infamous enough as it was in both camps. If I ever went back to my own country people, I'd probably be arrested and shot. It was a depressing thought.
While the Chief and Aylissa were around with many of the other Bosky Chiefs, Kiran didn't go out so often. He spent most of his time with Aylissa, and short breaks helping me learn to walk again or going to boring meetings that he didn't want to attend. Aylissa was excited and bubbly and sometimes I saw him turn his face from her to roll his eyes or to sigh.
"He doesn't like me," Aylissa wailed to me. "How do I make him like me?"
"You can never make someone like you," I told her. "You can try being less excited and quieter."
"I tried that already," she pouted. "He asked if I was feeling sick."
"Then, I don't know. Let him have pauses and silences. Offer him tea, but don't force him to have it. Stop trying to hog all his time and attention. Stop dragging him around by the sleeves."
"Now you're being mean."
"Or not," I shrugged, concentrating on walking to the door where a chair awaited. Aylissa took the chair with her when she flounced out and I gritted my teeth.
Endure. Breathe in. Breathe out. Live. Survive. Focus on one thing at a time. One step. The next step.
I didn't know where she moved the chair to. The other side of the apartment in all likelihood. That was a long distance to walk, but I wasn't about to let her win this. I could take anything she threw at me.
The front door opened and I heard Kiran's step.
"Jean. Aylissa."
"Good afternoon, Kiran," Aylissa bounded up to the front door behind me. "You're back early."
I heard his footsteps head toward the bedroom and then hurry back out.
"Where's Jean?"
"Practising walking," their voices came toward me and I finally spotted the chair hidden in a corner. As far away from my bed as it could have gotten.

"But she's never walked out of the room before without help."

"Well, she obviously can. She's probably been pretending to be weaker than she is."

"Jean doesn't pretend," was the distracted reply.

My head pounded and seesawed. My pelvis and legs were on fire, the ache reaching up my back. The crutches dug into my sore ribs with every step and my short gasps of breath made the old rib fractures stab with pain again. I could feel sweat making my grip on the crutches slippery and sweat dripping off the end of my chin.

The end of one crutch slipped on the slippery floor and I lost my balance. Whatshisname came around the corner just in time to soften my fall to the ground.

"Jean, what are you doing over here?"

I weakly gestured the chair and closed my eyes, trying to catch my breath and swallow the sticky saliva that kept getting in the way of my breathing.

"Aylissa."

The girl was biting her lip and looking defiant. It was better for me to stay on as good terms with her as possible. I tugged on Kiran's shirt.

"Don't. I asked. She did. That's all."

"Jean," Kiran frowned at me. "I know you too well to know you wouldn't push yourself beyond your abilities. You know what could happen if you have another bad fall. It could set you back months and then you might never walk again. You're not that stupid."

"Don't. Blame. Her," I gave a weak smile. "I said. Something. Mean."

"Sure you did," he snorted under his breath.

Kiran growled in his throat and carried me back to the room, where he had Aylissa help him strip my sweat soaked clothes and sponge wash me down. I'd fallen asleep long before they were done.