[Pup]

  She hated the intruder even more.

  His words had even managed to strip away the comfort of Moose’s warmth. The thoughts making her uncomfortable enough to not notice it.

  ‘I want to make Moose happy. According to Kitty, Moose doesn’t care about small things. Does that mean to make Moose happy I need to not care about small things, or does it mean I need to care about small things so Moose doesn’t have to?’

  That question had sent her mind into a swirling circle she hadn’t managed to get out of.

  What did Moose want?

  That was all that really mattered. The problem was that she couldn't ask Moose. She needed to ask Kitty to ask Moose and then try and figure out what Moose said and what Kitty didn’t care to add. And what she did care to add that Moose didn’t say. All of that while trying to work around Kitty’s unique way of speaking.

  It tormented her so much she even got off of Moose. She needed to do something. She needed to be useful. The thoughts forcing her to move so she could feel like she wasn’t just in an endless spiral.

  She scrubbed determinedly at the imperceptible mess that likely bothered no one but her. The rain room was the only real place that she had found needed cleaning. This ship didn’t seem to have dust and the robots did most everywhere else.

  They cleaned here too, but she didn’t let that dissuade her.

  ‘I don’t like them either. I could clean so much more if they just stopped.’

  Moose only really went to the kitchen and the rain room when he wasn’t in the bedroom or the bridge. Listening to the rare times Kitty rambled in trade, he seemed to go to more places and be more active, but she had never witnessed it personally. The only time he seemed to live at more than a slow plod was when they sprinted down the long central corridor. Almost as if time slowed down around him, only to speed up to normal when the three of them were exhausting the energy that had built up from going slow. The practice was confusing at first, but she craved it now.

  She slept so much better when she was too tired to dream.

  ‘Theres too little to clean here as well. Cleaning our bodies leaves the room itself pretty clean.’

  Maybe she could do the laundry next. They didn’t need more bed sheets yet, she had already cleaned several sets, but she was sure something had piled up. Anything that would get her thoughts to settle.

  ‘Maybe if I had learned how to read. Moose can read right? He always has that book.’

  Did it matter even if she could ask Moose? How could she hope to understand what he wanted when he could do things that hurt her brain to even try. Even Kitty had dismissed everything Moose did as magic. It was too complicated for the woman to attempt trying to explain.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  All she could hear in her head were the words ‘what does Moose want?’ repeating over and over. That intruder’s words breaking her from a pleasant dream and throwing her into a repeating nightmare.

  She had hated every word.

  “Alright. Why don’t you leave this to us. You brought us for contracts, right? Part of that is talking. The two of us will take the shuttle to the station and find the best deals. Get some contracts lined up. Once we have done all the leg work, you can dock the same way as you did last time and everything will be faster. No need to worry about messing anything up. How does that sound?”

  His initial question about responsibility had broken her guard. Every word after that had pierced her chest. It was like she had been replaced. That she wasn’t useful anymore. Even worse, she had found her own replacement. She had done her best. That best was finding a person good at what they do. Only now that person was better than her, so the best for Moose would be for her to disappear.

  Because he had someone better.

  She shook her head, her ears pined back.

  ‘That’s not true. I can still help Moose! I just need to know how.’

  She couldn’t let the intruders she brought here take her home away.

  It was hers.

  She passed by the bedroom, noticing Kitty sprawled out on the bed.

  ‘Why doesn’t it bother her! She doesn’t do anything for Moose. Always sleeping or taking up his time. She seems capable of a lot. I bet if she really wanted, she could be better than the intruders. Better at everything.’

  She had felt envy before. Most slaves did. Who didn’t fantasize about being in charge? But the combination of emotions she felt about Kitty was hard to understand. Kitty didn’t have any shame, she got to sit on Moose’s lap all she wanted, she could help Moose with anything if she tried, she even got Moose to rub her with his hands!

  ‘Why can’t I have some of that as well!?’

  The desire for anything more than a painless day and a full night’s sleep was a foreign thing, but she embraced it. Coveted it.

  ‘Kitty is better at everything, so why did we need intruders in the first place!?’

  …

  She stopped.

  ‘Is… Is that really the answer?’

  It was such an outlandish thought, she never would have had it if she hadn’t been jealous of Kitty.

  Why did it matter what Moose wanted?

  She wanted to please Moose. She didn’t need to know what he wanted, he had always found a way to make her aware. Trying to guess or find out had always been a dead end. She had spent all that effort trying to find out before now, how had she forgotten that lesson? No, the best way to please Moose wasn’t to find out what he wanted, it was to be able to do anything!

  ‘If I can do everything that Moose wants, then I don’t need to worry about what that is! Moose will just come to me because I am the best choice!’

  It was brilliant!

  She could even forget the circling thoughts because they didn’t matter. Who cares who is responsible, Moose would tell her what he wanted and she would do it. There would be no need for responsible because she would be the best! Maybe even better than Kitty!

  That meant there was only one problem left.

  ‘Uh, how do I learn to be the best?’

  ***

  She walked up to the door to the double bunk after the intruders had returned and pressed the button.

  Glancing at the male and crouching, she scratched the fabric on her arm and flicked her ear. She always felt safer when she crouched.

  “I don’t like you.”

  “Whah—”

  Her glance shot to the female and quickly returned to her target, at least he was paying attention. The Crova and her words didn’t matter right now.

  “Teach me to be better.”

  He couldn’t make her the best, she would need to take that step herself…

  … But he could get her a lot closer.