Bonus Chapter - I've reached Chapter 10, so here is an early release

“Why did we come here?” Coral turned and stared at her, but hadn’t removed her hand from her thigh. Connie had to take several slow deep breaths to maintain her calm demeanor.

“You need clothes. Badly. I could just give you your allowance and let you go buy them yourself, which would be more convenient for me. However, I don’t know if someone else will come around to hurt you before you’ve learned how to protect yourself. Therefore, I’m buying you a few things to wear.” Coral put her hands back on her own lap, and blushed.

“Thank you.”

‘Oh come on! That is not playing fair! Now you look like a maiden who just received a gift from their lover!’ She could feel Talia’s heart beat harder from that look alone, so she wondered just how she could handle this period until Coral finds her feet, and her balance.

*****

“Wow.” Coral was beyond excited as they got back to Talia’s house. “New sneakers, jeans, shirts, and underwear! I can’t believe you bought all this for me!” She looked ready to cry, so Connie sighed deep within her heart. When she looked at her, she could see that Coral was on the verge of tears, and hero worship.

“Coral. Listen carefully.” Connie said firmly, but not unkindly.

“Okay.” Coral nodded, but felt her heart grow cold. Now came the strings. She was sure of it. She had been sure there would be strings when the clothes were purchased, and now she would see what those strings were.

“These are not gifts. This is part of your allowance.” Coral frowned at Connie’s words.

“I don’t understand.” She was sure that this was a gift.

“Gifts and presents are different then these. You get a monthly allowance for the work you will do. This is less then two hundred dollars worth of clothing. The receipt will go in a file. Ten percent of your monthly allowance will go to that purchase. As I said, it’s not a gift. These are clothes that you will earn yourself.” Connie said firmly.

“Earn?”

“Cooking, and cleaning. Maybe even some paperwork.” Connie smiled. “Don’t ever degrade yourself for such a small amount. You’re worth much more than that.”

*****

The night wasn’t awkward, but Coral wasn’t sure how she fit in. She had a perpetual blush on her cheeks, as every time she looked at Connie, she felt something she had never before encountered. She didn’t know what the emotion was, as she had many horrible things happen to her, so real physical attraction was completely new to the girl.

Connie helped her to settle in her new room, changed her bedding, and guided her to the kitchen.

“I never asked if you knew how to cook.” Connie said with a small smile.

“I do, but it’s basic. My father was particular, and mom didn’t really teach me.” Coral said, but as she spoke, her voice got lower, and softer.

“I understand. So I will teach you a bit at a time. First things first, simple foods.” Connie went to the cupboard, pulled out dry spaghetti noodles, some canned sauce, and fresh tomatoes.

“In the bottom of the fridge, you’ll find some onions. Pick out one that isn’t too soft. Don’t worry if it has a green sprout. We’ll just cut that off, and dice up the rest.” Coral nodded, and picked out a medium sized onion, which made Connie smile.

“What?”

“A small one would be too small, and a large one is for a larger family meal. It would have to be cut in half, and wrapped up in the fridge. The medium one is the right size.” Coral blushed a bit. “It was a good choice.” Coral smiled. It wasn’t a straight up compliment, but it did feel like a bit of praise. She really needed to hear something that said she wasn’t a failure.

“Now I’ll teach you how to cut it up properly. Don’t worry if the pieces are small, or large. We just want an average.” Connie pulled a knife out of the block, set up the cutting board, and trimmed off the ends. “Now that I have the ends off, slice down the side. You don’t need to cut deep. Just through the dried skin.” She used her nails to pull at the edge. “See?” Coral nodded. “Now, I’ll cut it in half, then peel that dried part off. You can peel the second half, and watch how I cut the onion up.”

This was how Connie’s mother taught her. By example, and replication. Once she peeled it, she cut it into slices, put them on their side, in two piles, and cut them into smaller slices.

“Since the onion is layered, by cutting it this way, you get many small pieces. Don’t worry about exact sizes. They will fry up nice and tender, and be easy to eat.” Connie stood back and let her try. Coral was timid, and it took her a lot longer to get the same results, but Connie was pleased.

“Good. That’s exactly what we need. Now, under the counter, you’ll find the pans. Just open the doors until you find the place I store the medium sized frying pan.” Connie continued to monitor the young woman, and watched how she behaved.

‘Poor child is scared of everything, and starved of what she should have been given as a child. I will have to train her in some martial arts, so she can defend herself, and not worry about being hurt.’ Connie said to Talia inside her mind. She felt Talia’s tension rise as the girl looked like an abused cat or dog that was afraid of every noise.

Coral jumped when she put the pan on the stove and it was loud. She turned and looked at Connie.

“Coral.” She said firmly.

“Y-yes?” She bit her bottom lip.

“Are you alright? Did you hurt yourself when you dropped the pan?” Connie came over and looked at her hands. “I think you’ve been hungry for too long. Your fingers don’t have a lot of strength. As long as you didn’t hurt yourself, then it’s good.” Coral’s mouth fell open.

“Really?” She asked, tears quickly shimmered in her eyes.

‘Dear god, this girl is merciless! Now I know why you are so attracted to her! Those eyes are lethal!’

*****

“It’s simple, but good.” Connie said as she put the plates on the table. She pulled out Coral’s chair and had her sit at one plate, while she sat down at the other.

When Coral took her first mouthful, she watched for Connie’s reaction. She didn’t stop her from eating, or yell at her, so she took a second bite, and a third. Soon, she couldn’t stop herself from eating, but she also couldn’t stop the tears from rolling down her cheeks.

Connie smiled sadly, and let her cry quietly. It was all she could do to prevent herself from asking where Coral used to live, and hunting the true villain of Coral’s life down.

However, there was a promise inside Connie’s heart. One day, she would bury the one who hurt this precious woman, and make it as painful as possible.

‘One day, he will beg for his miserable life.’