Tammy studied the New Species women who exited the helicopter. They were all tall, sturdy women. They were muscled and in excellent physical shape. Their clothes were off-white and their pants were exactly like the ones 927 had worn. She even spotted the same thick side seams of their clothing as one of the woman walked past. The woman glanced at her and Breeze but no one objected to her being there.
“What is up with the clothes? Why are they all dressed that way?” Tammy kept her voice low, her gaze on Breeze.
The taller woman showed signs of anger when her nostrils flared. “We were restrained with chains on all our limbs. It was easier for our captors to strip us and change our clothing with seams that pull apart. They have Velcro that sticks when pressed back together. It kept them from having to pull the pants down our legs or shirts over our heads.”
The answer sickened Tammy and she felt a whole new appreciation for the kind of hell the survivors had endured. The ugly clothing had a purpose and it wasn’t a good one, in her mind. She pushed those grim observations back and tried to appear friendly to the freed women.
Everyone fit in the van. Tammy smiled at the women but none of them returned the friendly gesture. Five out of the six New Species women openly stared at her though. A few of them looked baffled while one of them appeared frightened. Two of them completely hid their emotions. Tammy focused on the frightened woman sitting on the seat behind hers.
“I’m Tammy. It’s safe here. Everything is going to be fine.”
“They are in shock,” Jessie explained softly. “It will take a few days for everything to sink in. Their entire lives have drastically changed forever in a matter of hours.”
Tammy smiled sadly at the woman still staring at her with fear on her face. “It really will be okay. This is a great place to live. I live here now and I love it.”
The woman licked her lips. “What are you?”
Tammy blinked. “Human.”
The woman shook her head. “You’re more.”
“Oh.” Tammy moved slowly and extended her arm. “You smell Valiant. I’m wearing his sweater. He’s New Species and we live together.”
The woman gave her a blank stare.
Jessie spoke. “New Species is what you all are called. It is the name your kind came up with since you are all different mixes of different species.”
The woman behind Tammy nodded. She hesitated. “You live with one of our kind?”
Tammy nodded. “We are…” She faulted on how to explain.
“Mates. They exclusively breed together,” Breeze explained, coming to the rescue. “They have decided to stay with each other until death.”
The woman appeared shocked. “But she’s human.”
Breeze smiled. “She’s a good one who would never hurt our kind. She loves Valiant and he loves her.”
The women kept staring at Tammy as if she were something they couldn’t figure out. She tried not to allow it to bother her. She was something they didn’t expect.
“Do you feel as if you are an occupant of a zoo?” Breeze asked and chuckled.
Tammy grinned. “Just a little.”
The rest of the ride to the hotel was silent.
* * * * *
The lobby of the hotel had been cleared. Tammy was relieved that the males were gone, not wanting to risk another confrontation. Jessie and Breeze talked softly about the accommodations the newly arriving women were given. Tammy noticed the six women were still watching her. In the elevator they all pressed together and they sniffed at her. She tried not to let it bother her. She was a little more than relieved though when the elevator doors opened on the fourth floor.
Tammy, Breeze and Jessie showed the women to their separate rooms and demonstrated how to use everything inside. They had no idea how to turn on the shower or run a bath. They didn’t know how to use a phone, how to open the windows or how to lock a door. Hours later Tammy, Breeze and Jessie left the fourth floor, tired but satisfied that everyone was settled.
“Wow,” Breeze sighed. “I didn’t realize how little I knew when I was first released.”
Jessie nodded. “At least they all can read and write. Some of the Gift females were never taught. I’d say only about half of them were. It depended on how old they were when they were given away.”
“That’s so horrible,” Tammy sighed, remembering what she’d learned about those poor women.
“Yes,” Jessie agreed. “It is. I’m the one who goes in every time. There are two Special Forces teams that make up the task force that was put together solely to work with the New Species Organization. They are all men. At first they didn’t realize they really needed a woman to go in with them when they recover New Species females. The first two times they went in without a woman they highly traumatized the recovered females more than necessary. Think about it. It was just stupid. They just didn’t think about how that would affect a female who has been abused, locked up for years, and suddenly she’s surrounded by two-dozen men dressed in full assault uniforms who are armed to the teeth.” Jessie clenched her teeth and shook her head. “They brought me in finally. The guys kick ass and I handle the females.”