“I can’t believe you haven’t seen a single human until I came,” Beth said to Sonya.
“Oh, I’ve seen humans. I haven’t really interacted with them, but I used to go to the fair with my mate, and I saw them there, selling various goods. It’s not humans that I miss. It’s their world. My world. The busy streets, the fast-food restaurants, the malls, the movies...” She smiled nostalgically. “I’d really like to see a movie.”
“I don’t get it. Every house and apartment in town has a TV.”
“Well, yes. But there’s no cable. It’s a miracle we have electricity, and no one has cut us off.”
“Maybe we can do something with the TVs.”
Sonya waved her hand in dismissal. “Orcs don’t watch TV. What would they watch? The news? It’s all about humans and their world. And I’m sure that when they talk about orcs, they aren’t very open minded. Not even after all this time we’ve lived in peace.”
“Movies...”
“Movies made by humans, about humans, for humans? I’d be surprised if they wanted to see that.”
“You’re right. I’m being silly. But yes, I miss seeing a movie, too. I’m glad I have phone signal, and I watch short videos from time to time.”
“I don’t have a phone anymore.”
“Oh. You didn’t want to keep in touch with your family?” The second she asked the question, Beth silently cursed herself. What right did she have to ask Sonya such personal questions? She herself felt uncomfortable every time someone asked her about her parents. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to pry. You don’t have to tell me.”
“It’s okay. My family and I are estranged. We never got along. I had to make it on my own from an early age, and I managed for a while. But then things got hard. Especially during the war. And then after, it wasn’t much better. So, I decided to become a tribute, thinking it couldn’t be worse than what I’d already experienced. It was the right choice.” She smiled. “I had some wonderful years with Goran, and now the horde takes care of me. I’m happy where I am, and I’m happy I have you now.”
Beth smiled back. “I’m happy I have you, too.”
It was a long trip. Beth and Sonya dozed off. Uthar had to wake Beth when he entered her city and didn’t know how to find the address. Beth climbed with him in the front. It was a tight fit, and she had to almost sit in his lap. She opened the maps app on her phone and guided him to the best of her ability.
The streets were narrow. Uthar maneuvered the car with care, doing his best not to hit anything. When they finally reached Beth’s and Abby’s apartment, he let out a breath of relief. Everyone was looking at the orc car and at them. The tarp didn’t cover the front, and they were exposed to the world. People stopped in the street to gape at the redheaded woman sitting in the orc captain’s lap.
Beth blushed and scrambled to climb out of the car. It was so big that she had to place one foot on one of the massive wheels. Uthar tried to help her, but it was too late. She jumped out and almost fell on her face. Almost. She hissed in pain. She’d managed to sprain an ankle.
“Are you all right?” Uthar was by her side in a second. “Why did you jump like that?”
“They’re looking at us, and I hate it,” she whispered. “This is not the circus.” She was terribly tempted to yell at them to fuck off, but her ankle hurt, and she also wasn’t that kind of person. “Let’s just... get inside.”
Sonya climbed out of the orc car with expert ease. She’d done it many times before. She followed Beth and Uthar into the apartment building while she took in the street, the people, the supermarket down the block. A smile played on her lips. She’d missed all this, but not enough that she wanted to move back and live in the heart of civilization. Last time she’d been here, life hadn’t exactly treated her well.
Thanks to how big Uthar was, the three of them didn’t fit in the elevator at once. Sonya asked about the floor and said she was going to take the stairs. Uthar wanted to take the stairs too, but Beth laughed at the paleness of his face and pushed him inside the elevator.
“It’s perfectly safe. And fun.”
“It’s a matchbox,” he said sternly. He was trying to hide how nervous the elevator made him. “These things can break at any moment. My orcs and I never use them.”
There were buildings in their town that had elevators. Beth hadn’t used them either, thinking they probably weren’t safe since they hadn’t been used or repaired in forever.
“This one is fine, trust me.”
He didn’t say anything. She pushed the button for the seventh floor, and he held his breath and stared straight ahead. He’d had to fold his body a bit, keep his arms close to his sides, and curl his back to fit. Next to him, Beth didn’t mind that she was being cramped in with him.
“Fun! Right?”
He kept silent. The elevator stopped, and the second the doors opened, he leaped out. Beth laughed and followed him. They waited for Sonya, who took her sweet time enjoying the trip up the stairs, then finally knocked on the door.
Abby answered.
When Beth saw her, she didn’t know what to do. Tears welled up in her eyes, and her heart beat faster and ached at the sight of her sister, who was paler and thinner than when she’d left.
“Hey,” Abby whispered.