Any other show of defiance would have been dealt with sharply. He’d come close
to reminding her, but her youth stilled his hand. Instead, he tilted his head a little and
left, staying long enough to tell the female Kree to make sure the child did not starve
herself. It became clear that his very presence was unwelcome, and he would not con-
tinue to force himself on a child who was as hard-headed as the one the Supreme In-
telligence had chosen. It was only his superior’s orders that kept him from shipping the
little girl off to her home, but he was getting TIRED. He would much rather deal with an
entire squadron of Kree soldiers than an unreasonable child, and that was what he had
planned.
Weeks would pass without him seeing the girl, but he did keep tabs on what she was
doing. But for the most part, he kept well away from her, only showing himself now and
then as a reminder that her impossible nature would be tolerated, but not necessarily
earn her what she wanted. While he continued to provide for her, the only thing that he
didn’t give was his time or attention.
He could have regretted his actions if she had been more personable, but he considered
that her youth kept her from being as open-minded. Still, if that was to be their life from
now on, he wasn’t one to fully dwell on it, but instead deal with it as best as he could.
The time passed all too slowly, in her opinion. But now that she was being left alone, for the most part, Marti found a way to cope, one that didn’t involve destroying trinkets or gifts. Her attendant, who turned out not to be as horrible as she’d first thought, brought her art supplies. Paints and canvas that she was surprised existed in such an advanced place. Not that she minded in the slightest. Her days were spent painting on white canvases, even going so far as to decorate her walls and floor with her artwork. She still longed for home, but this was a distraction she sorely needed.
With her grief assuaged, the girl began to adapt to her new home. Every morning she woke and waited to be dressed for the day, though she never left the confines of her room. Not that she thought Ronan would allow her to leave. Though she griped about how foreign it all was to her, she was usually persuaded by her attendant to eat, sometimes bribed with the promise of a sweet after. The rest of her day was spent painting, or in recent weeks, learning to read and write, something she’d been learning when she’d been taken from home. And each night, she slept in the bed she’d tried to ruin her first night, curling up for yet another night of dreamless sleep.
Yet tonight was different. She’d been feeling dizzy throughout the day, yet laying down did nothing but make it worse. Her pillow was soaked with sweat, even though she shivered every time she went uncovered. Marti coughed into her teddy bear, gazing through blurred vision at the door. It would be hours before her attendant came back, and she was scared that this would get worse if she waited too long. In her feverish haze, she remembered bits and pieces of conversations before, stumbling to open the door when she remembered Ronan’s words from the first night she’d spent here.
His room was next to hers.
Leaning against the wall for support, she coughed loudly, feet dragging as she moved down the dark hallway. It felt like it took ages before she reached another door, and she raised a fist to knock. Her knuckles rapped weakly on the door, and she slid down to the floor, her legs not strong enough to support her in her weakened state.
Please open the door... Please.
