Rebel Ch. 04

"Hah! Of course they liked my milk. I had the tastiest milk back at that stupid farm, too. And be glad, mortal, I've bestowed upon you another bottle Now then, hurry on in Isn't it high time you got dinner started? I'm starving!" Rebel skipped back into the kitchen.

As Tom cooked their dinner, his mind wandered to the market. Virgil's hucows weren't like Rebel. They were tall, mature, and buxom. One look at them and you could tell they could yield liters of milk daily. Tom wondered if Rebel could ever reach an output like theirs. Was he in over his head?

"Hey! What are you spacing out for?" Tom started at her voice.

"Oh, nothing, just got a lot on my mind. Lot of work to get done."

Rebel was quiet for a moment. "Do you... Need any help with it?"

Tom turned away from the stove, a look of surprise on his face. He remembered what the goat woman told him about patience and care. He smiled. "No, I think I've got it under control."

He set the table and laid out their food, warm chicken noodle soup, buttery salmon and rice with a side of veggies. Rebel's eyes sparkled and her mouth watered. "Now this is what I'm talking about! Maybe you're not as useless as I thought!" She started digging in,, a moan of appreciation escaping her. "Tsh ish shoo good!"

Tom grinned as he watched her eating, and ate his own meal calmly. When they were done, they washed the dishes together, before Rebel thanked him for the food and made to go upstairs.

"Wait, Rebel."

She turned at the door. "Hah? What is it now? I'm sleepy."

Tom walked to a nearby chair and sat down. Rebel crossed her arms. "Listen, I've been thinking. I've been thinking a lot. And I've decided..." He hesitated. "I've decided that I'm not going to sell your milk anymore."

Rebel uncrossed her arms. "What do you mean? What about the money? What about my share? I mean, what else am I even doing here?"

"I'll give you an allowance here, and you're free to stay of course."

"Free to stay? What the hell are you talking about? I've got no where else to go! You aren't going to send me back to the farm, are you?"

Tom shook his head quickly. "No no no, its not that, its just-"

"What? What is ti just? You don't think I can make enough? Cause I can! I just haven'e been hooked up to those machines, so I haven't been filling up as fast, I can-"

"Rebel, no. That's not what this is about." Rebel looked at the corner of the floor.

"Then why? What are we even doing here/"

Tom sighed. "You're absolutely right. It would be dumb to give up now. But the way things are, you aren't producing enough. And that isn't either of our faults."

"What do you mean?" She asked quietly.

"What I mean to say is, I'm going to help you. I'm going to help you produce more."

She looked indignant. "Yeah? And hows that? You said you dont wanna hook me up to the machines again. In fact I don't see any milking machines in your house at all. And you don't have any specialty feed either... What, are you just gonna wish it into reality? Well newsflash! Women don't work like that. I'd like to see you try to make some extra milk!" She turned and stormed off.

"Rebel, wait, Rebel! that's not what I meant!" He heard the slam of her door. He punched his forehead. This wasn't at all how he expected this conversation to go.

Upstairs, Rebel threw herself face down onto her pillow and let out a cry of frustration. "What is the point of all this? He bought me from that place just to bring me to this stupid house in the middle of nowhere, and now he says he doesn't need me anymore? He just swapped out one cage for another!"

She turned and saw the breast pump sitting on her dresser. She stormed over and threw it onto the ground with a loud pop. The cup broke off, the bottle rolling under her bed.

Tom rubbed his temples as he walked over to the fridge. Opening it up, he saw another bottle, just as she said.

"Yeah, I never tasted it yet." He opened the top and took a whiff. "Smells fine..." He took a sip. It was watery, but not bad. Still, it was nothing like the rich, creamy stuff you'd get at Virgil's farm, or even the extra sweet milk you'd get at a factory farm.

He put the bottle away and closed the fridge.

"Patience... What I need is patience. I need to trust myself. And I need to trust her."

He went up the stairs and knocked on her door.

"Go away."

He knocked again.

"I said go away!" He rested his head on the door for a moment, then turned and walked into his own room.

"Goodnight, Rebel." He called, before closing his door.

Laying in his bed, watching the ceiling fan spin in the dark, Tom thought about what he was doing here. He brought a young girl with no prospects in life to his isolated home. He may as well have enslaved her. And for what? A chance to make money? Because he thought he would be able to give her a better life than they could have/ How selfish and arrogant.

He turned on his side, looking out the window. It wasn't right. What he was doing.... What he wanted... It wasn't right. And it wasn't fair to Rebel, either. He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.

---

He made breakfast, but she did not come down to eat. He brought a filled plate up the stairs, leaving it just outside her door.

Rebel heard the footsteps recede down the stairs, and the faint sound of the front door closing. She wearily got out of bed and opened her door to find a plate of ham and eggs. She brought it back to her bed and ate quietly.

'At least it tastes better than the stuff back at the farm.' She suddenly stopped eating, resting her fork on the plate. She felt numb. 'How stupid was I to trust him...? That this would be anything different from the farm?? That I could be anything other than a glorified milk tank?"

She set her plate on her dresser, having lost her appetite. She felt the familiar pull of her full breasts, but she didn't drain them. Instead, she curled up on her bed and tried to fall back asleep.

---

A knock at her door startled her awake.

"Rebel? Are you in there?"

She rubbed her eyes and pulled her stuffy head out of bed. "Ugh, what is it?"

"I've got something to show you!"

"Fine, fine! Just gimme a second." She got up on shaky feet and made her way to the door before throwing it open. "What is it?" But then her eyes went wide.

"Here." Inside Tom's hands was a computer.