18. A Future
I don’t know why the Madam hasn’t come for me inside Marina’s room. She doesn’t wonder about me or the punishment she doled out, but I don’t question it. I couldn’t even if I wanted to, the pain-wracked my body and took me high into my fever. Marina, sweet Marina, tends to me even after her shift. Sneaks most of the mealtime to check on me and to make sure that I eat, the circle under her eyes doesn’t escape my vision, but the visions…they are different.
I hiss. My back aching from my taut skin around the wounds, but I still push myself to open the windows.
The sun is still high and there is the sound of the usual foot traffic outside of the walls of the brothel. It’ll be a slow day. Mornings aren’t known to be filled with the usual number of customers. There are straggl
