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Rolling my eyes hurt. “I’ve been a cat for two years. I didn’t have any migraines.”
“Do you want some paracetamol? I can go get some from Boots?”
“What is that?” Zaide asked.
“It’s a painkiller.”
“No, I’ll be fine.” I sat up reluctantly. “I need to go to the bathroom, though.”
Charlie looked at my face, assessing me quickly before nodding. “I’ll walk you there and go to the shops. You guys order some food for us all.”
He heaved me up out of the chair and walked me, with a little more wobbling, to the ladies’ bathroom. When he let me go outside the door, I shuffled my way to the first open stall and collapsed on the closed seat. I took a few calming breaths before my stomach lurched and my breakfast did a somersault. I dropped from the seat to the floor and slammed opened the lid. When my stomach rolled again, this time like a storm making chaotic waves that crashed against the beach, I lost my breakfast in the bowl, and tears squeezed from my eyes.
I heard Charlie’s voice from a distance but couldn’t make out what he said since I heaved. My stomach tried to empty again, only to have nothing left.
There was a knock on my stall door, and a female voice said, “Clawdia, is that you? There’s a man called Charlie outside waiting for you. Do you … Is he … If you’re in trouble, I can help you, just let me know.”
I turned my head in the door's direction, the storm in my stomach quieting but leaving a steady ache. The lady confused me.
In trouble how? With what?
And then I saw a poster on the door giving numbers to help women that were being trafficked. A word I had only heard on TV and didn’t think was real. I certainly didn’t expect someone to think I was in that kind of trouble.
“Clawdia, are you all right? Did you hear me?”
My voice cracked as I answered, “I’m all right, thank you. Can you please let him in? I think I need help.”
“Of course.” I heard her footsteps and then the creak of the door. “She’s asking for you.”
“Clawdia, you okay, baby?” Charlie’s voice boomed.
Baby?I thought in confusion but warmed at the term of endearment. I blamed it on my stomach bug.
“I’m … I’m sick. Charlie, I can't go. I can’t even move.” It was all too much. Tears started pouring from me, and I sobbed. “I hate this.” And I did. I hated feeling overwhelmed and ill. I hated being sick. I hated looking at my body and being reminded of how weak and pathetic I was. I wanted to be strong. I wanted to be helpful and save Savida and Winnie, but it was so hard.
“Aw, Clawdia, baby, please don’t cry. Open the door. I’ve got some water and some pills that should make you feel better.” I unlocked the door, and he crouched when he saw I was on the floor. My lips were trembling as I bit back sobs and blinked tears away. His eyes were soft as he stared at me. “Come on. Let’s get back to the others and get you some medicine.”
I crawled toward him and threw my arms around his neck. “I want to go home.”
“You don’t want to go home, Clawdicat. There’s nothing there for you now. Home is with us, and I promise we’re going to keep you safe,” he whispered to me.
I felt safe in his arms, hearing him call me Clawdicat again and promise that my new home was with him. Tears filled my eyes again, and I trembled with the emotion.
I moaned softly as he lifted me up and helped me walk to the sink. He washed my hands like I was a child, and I didn’t even mind because everything ached too much to be independent. I could feel the stares of other women in the bathroom, but I didn’t acknowledge them.
Zaide stood up when we approached the table. “Little Cat, you look awful. Are you okay?”
Daithi didn’t glance up from his meal. I sighed as I sat down. “I’m okay.”
“Nibble on this and then take these tablets with some water,” Charlie instructed as he handed me some toast and some tablets.
I nibbled my toast obediently, and Daithi finally looked up. “When will we be traveling? We’ve been waiting in this port for a long time,” he asked Charlie in his usual calm manner. But I saw a flash of something in his eyes and knew it was a facade.
“That’s what this part is about, Daithi. We have to wait until they call us for boarding. We won’t miss the flight, so don’t worry about that.”
“We are a day behind the witches. They could have done anything with Savida’s fire by now.” His fist clenched, but his face remained emotionless. I wished I could be emotionless. Stronger. Daithi had lost his loved one, and he was coping. He wasn’t sobbing and throwing up.
“They could have, but we won’t know until we get there. I know being patient is hard right now, but things are out of our control until we are there, so take a deep breath and keep your cool.”
