What If?

Chapter 12

***

As Joyce blended in with the Essence, they were talking loudly to each other. And of course, she eavesdropped. 

"Can you believe this place??" A red haired young woman said.

"No I can't, Tamaya. This place is a dump!" A dark brunette girl said in reply.

"It's almost like Jeana wants us to suffer here." A another woman chipped in.

"What do you think Blondie?" The red haired girl, Tamaya, asked Joyce.

Joyce was caught off guard. They obviously accepted her appearance. "I think it's a mess." She blurted out. The women laughed. 

"You're not used to seeing a place like this are you?" Another brunette girl said.

"Well, no. I haven't been in the deep forest much." Joyce replied.

"Hey, what's your name? I don't think we've met you before. Are you new?" A black haired girl asked. 

"Uh," Joyce stammered, "Gwen... I'm pretty new. Joined a few weeks ago."

The girls nodded in understanding. 

"What do you think of the Essence so far?" The dark brunette girl asked.

"I thoroughly enjoy it. Jeana has the right idea," Joyce started, "We need to get everyone in this kingdom on board."

"Here here!" One of them agreed. 

"So true, Gwen." The red haired girl said. "I'm Tamaya, this is Benita," She said pointing to the dark brunette girl. "Malai," Tamaya gestured to the black haired girl, "Natalie," She pointed to the other brunette girl, "And Laurel." To the last girl.

Joyce waved and smiled. But she felt incredibly awkward. She needed to put her game face on!

"So why did Jeana want us to come to Breecrest?" Joyce asked.

"She thinks the woman in red might be hiding here." Benita said.

"Oh?" Joyce questioned.

"Yes!" Natalie said, "She thinks it's the perfect place for her to blend in and hide."

Joyce gulped.

"Come on! Let's check out the Big House. It's where all the crazies are housed." Laurel suggested.

The women walked for what seemed to be a good while before there was a rundown, old, swampy building. It looked like it had once been a nice house for an average sized family, but Joyce could tell that there was way too many women living there. There were many women walking in and out of the front door and she could hear many different voices. 

The Essence moved closer to the door. The outcasts just stared at them in disgust and hate. One old woman with no teeth spit at Malai. 

"Hey! Watch it!" She snarled at the old woman.

The group pushed their way through the door. Tamaya spoke to the group of women.

"Ladies," She began, "As you are aware, the Essence is looking for the woman in red. If anyone has seen, heard, or knows anything detail about her. Speak it now!"

Joyce looked around. The outcasts looked scared. Some looked mad. Others looked at the floor. There were deformed, blind, sick, women. Most were covered in dirt and very thin.

Joyce was in shock! How could people live this way? It was so sad. And Jeana had exiled them to the worst swamp patch in the forest! How could she do this to people?

One of the outcasts said, "If we had seen the woman in red, then we would worship at her feet!"

"Get out of our village!" Another yelled.

A few other outcasts agreed. 

"Ladies," Tamaya said again, "There is a reward for--"

But she was cut off by booing and someone threw a piece of bread at her. The bread just missed Tamaya, and she was fuming.

"I tried to be civil about this matter," She said, "But obviously you ladies are hiding something!"

"Praise the woman in red!" A blind woman yelled.

"Let her bring back our husbands and children!" Another said.

And then the room went into chaos.