Once I got a hold of myself, I simply watched the water flow for another minute and then quietly shut it off.
The running water made me realize how much I needed to empty my bladder, so I used the toilet and then pushed down on the small silver handle. Water swirled and washed down the drain and then re-filled as I stood there staring down at it like some caveman who was seeing the modern world for the first time. Which, in actuality, was probably pretty accurate. I flushed it again, marveling once more as the water swirled and drained.
As I stood there, it hit me what stepping out into the big community was going to be like for me. If I was rendered incredulous by the workings of a toilet and sink, what was it going to be like for me to take in the many new and overwhelming things all at one time? It wouldn't be the same for Eden—she'd lived with running water and electricity, at the very least, her whole life. And it was going to be my job to take care of her, protect her. I was probably going to look like a bumbling fool. Anger coursed through me when I realized how unprepared Hector had left us to make any choice for our life other than to live here, in Acadia, for the rest of our days.
I leaned against the sink, picturing Eden's trusting eyes. Purpose filled me. It'd be overwhelming, yes, but I wouldn't let Hector decide the course of my life anymore. If the great floods really did come, I'd be washed away, but at least I'd be washed away in possession of my own freedom, and Eden would be washed away with hers, too. And wherever we ended up—in Elysium or in hell—we'd end up together.
I used the soap to wash my hands, rubbing the silky liquid between my palms and watching the bubbles form. The only soap I had ever used was a homemade concoction of herbs and oils, and it never lathered like this. I dried my hands slowly as I studied myself in the mirror. We didn't have mirrors in our home—vanity was sinful—so I had rarely seen my own reflection. I studied myself now, turning my face in different angles, touching the dark stubble on my jaw, and moving closer to examine my teeth. I took good care of my teeth, always cleaning them well with a rough cloth and salt, and chewing on mint leaves. I was lucky they were white and straight like Eden's. Not everyone here in Acadia was as lucky in the teeth department.
I opened the door quietly and then closed it behind me. As I was turning, a male voice said, "Breaking the rules already? How disappointing."
I whirled around and Clive Richter, one of the council members, was standing there, a smug look on his seedy little face. I didn't particularly like any of the council members, although I'd had little personal interaction with any of them, but Clive seemed to be the most unlikable of them all. He sat up in front at Temple week after week, trying to hide his yawns and checking something in his pocket repeatedly, while looking disdainfully at the workers. I didn't know if anyone else noticed, but I did. Clearly Clive Richter had a very high opinion of himself and a pretty low opinion of the rest of us.
I took a deep, calming breath. "It was an emergency."
Clive laughed mockingly. "You can return to your own . . . lodgings and take care of your emergencies there."
"In the future, I will," I said tightly, and went to move around him.
Clive grabbed my arm and I stopped suddenly, moving my head slowly to look at his small hand holding tightly to my forearm. I looked down at him, about six inches shorter than me, and hot anger filled me. This man, who probably in any other arena on the face of the earth would never dare to touch me, thought he could overpower me here.
I grabbed his arm and whirled him around, bending it behind his back the way Xander and I play fought when we were kids—only I wasn't playing this time. He choked out a sound of pain and I leaned in to speak right against his ear. "Don't. Ever. Touch. Me." I leaned in even closer. "Ever. Again."
Clive let out a small pained laugh, so I bent his arm up just a little more and he cried out, "Okay, okay, let me go."
I pushed him roughly away from me and when he turned around, his face was red with rage. "You'll be sorry for trying to make me look like a fool," he gritted out.
"Probably," I said. "But even if I'm punished, it was worth it. And you were a fool long before I came along anyway." I pushed him aside as I passed him and returned to "my" room where I waited for Hector to summon me like the dog he apparently thought me to be.
**********
The rain started falling a few minutes after I'd returned to the laundry room, large drops that spattered against the windowpane next to my bed. I put my hands in my pockets and looked out the window, wondering how I'd protect Eden from the rain once we left this place.