Free The Unwanted (Black Water Tales Book 2) by Jean Nicole Rivers Page B

throat, so that words could pass. An insincere “Thank you.” came out.
    “I am not eating this,” Travis said, leaning in to whisper.
    “Just put some in your bowl, because you don’t want to be rude,” Blaire instructed in a hushed tone.
    “Rude? It’s rude of them to serve us this rotten cream of wheat. I’ve seen more appetizing meals on Fear Factor .”
    “Maybe it just looks bad. What if it tastes really good?” Blaire said.
    “No way! Someone played that trick on me with fruitcake one year, and I will not let it happen again,” Travis answered, sighing, but allowing a portion of the mush to be poured into his bowl against his better judgment. The two found an empty table in the corner and sat down. Blaire looked around and saw the children consuming the sparse meal ravenously. She wanted to make small talk for the hour and not even look into her bowl, but coming into one’s home and not eating food offered was an insult of epic proportion. Expecting the flavor to be awful, Blaire was pleased at the realization that it was absolutely tasteless.
    “I don’t even know what to put in this stuff —sugar, salt, butter, or what?” Travis said, sincere frustration flooding him.
    Blaire took another spoonful and struggled to swallow.
    “…and the mystery of why all of the children are so severely malnourished is solved.” Travis felt a knot in his stomach from the food and the immense job that lay ahead of them.
    “How is your office coming along?” Blaire asked, changing the subject.
    “Pretty good, I should be able to start examinations soon. I just want to get everything organized and, more importantly, sterilized,” he said. “…but I’m missing some basics.”
    “Like what?”
    “I’m going to need thermometers for sure, a stethoscope, bandages, the basics, you know?”
    Across the room Blaire noticed Danya and Dariya sitting quietly together resembling a circus sideshow act of some sort. Danya’s old camera hung from her neck on its beat -up strap. Blaire’s eyes floated down to the girl’s chest, which was exposed down to just beneath her collar bone. A purplish bruising was apparent, and Blaire was sure it was new and not on the girl before. Travis’ voice was chattering somewhere far in the background as Blaire continued to review what seemed a fresh injury. At that moment, Blaire’s eyes flicked up to meet Danya’s, and Blaire realized that both sisters were now staring right through her. Danya lifted her camera and pointed it at Blaire, who felt it all coming at her. She would be struck by something shooting out of the old camera, capturing her, pulling her in, and destroying her.
    Say cheese, 1…2…

CHAPTER EIGHT
    “H e llo ! ”
    Both Blaire and Travis looked up to find a jovial strawberry -blonde woman standing over them.
    “Hello,” Blaire offered a bewildered greeting. Cheerful people were not something that Blaire had become accustomed to seeing here, and, in only a day, an enthusiastic person seemed peculiar.
    “I’m Anya. I work here,” the plump young woman said, smiling. In one hand she had a bowl of the lunch slop, and, with the other, gave a long wave that glided in front of her chest like a windshield wiper.
    “Hi Anya. I’m Blaire Baker and this is Travis Wells. We’re here with the United Care Organization. We’re volunteers.”
    “I know. You are American, right?” Anya wiggled into one of the chairs at the table without an invitation, though the minor faux pas bothered neither Blaire nor Travis.
    “Right,” Travis confirmed.
    “So how long have you been here at St. Sebastian?” Blaire asked.
    “A couple of years. Are you just caretakers?” Anya spoke, shoveling a spoonful of the weird oatmeal into her small mouth.
    “I’m a teacher and Travis is a nurse,” Blaire answered. Anya seemed amazed by their middle class occupations.
    “I will be teaching down the hall in the classroom and Travis will be working in the old nurse’s