A long wait

Jessica cried herself to sleep, and it was a very fitful sleep. She had nightmares about torture. In one dream she had her feet amputated for trying to run away. In another, she lost a hand for trying to steal a key card. Finally she'd had enough of the nightmares. She got up and started pacing around her cell. For hours, it seemed, she did nothing but pace. Then she heard footsteps and the sound of a cart being pushed. Both would stop at regular intervals. The sound of them grew closer and closer, and finally stopped. She watched as the bottom of her door slid open and a tin bowl was pushed through it. Her first instinct was to run for the door to see if it would open, but the sensible part of her that knew it wouldn't open won out. The noise continued on down the hall until it totally faded away.

She went over to the bowl and picked it up. It was a greyish white substance that kind of looked like a cross between oatmeal and sand. It didn't look very appetizing, but to someone who was hungry it meant all the difference in the world. She just had to figure out how the best way was to eat it. She decided to eat it like poi. You ate poi with your fingers and hands, so why not try that route? She dipped her fingers into the bowl and pulled out a tiny bit of the gruel to try. It was horrible! She gagged and choked on it at first, but managed to swallow it down. She tried a little bit more, and found it a little bit easier to digest. She ate as much as she could withstand, then sat the bowl in the floor beside her cot.

Jessica paced around her cell some more. She began to feel tired, so she decided to go back to sleep. This time it was easier for her to sleep for some reason, and everything faded quickly. When she awoke, the bowl of gruel was gone. From this Jessica surmised they must have laced the gruel with something to make her sleep. She also surmised that she was being fed once a day, perhaps toward evening. She began to count the days by this as they went by.

As best as Jessica could guess, five days must have gone by since they brought her here. It was the morning of that day Jessica Alba was to meet her final fate, the Princess Fatima Al Durah of Dornakistan.

Jessica heard the echo of many footsteps out in the hall, and they were growing closer. The sound came to a stop right outside her door. She heard a low hum, and the door to her cell silent swung open. There before her eyes stood Master Sven, Master Olaf, and a very beautiful woman with dark hair and coal black eyes. She couldn't believe how beautiful this woman was! The three of them walked into her cell, and the door closed behind them.

The tall, fierce beauty smiled at Jessica. "You may speak freely, slave" she said to her.

"You must be the Princess I have heard so much about" said Jessica. "You're more beautiful than I had ever imagined." It was as if Jessica were bewitched by her beauty. A sudden urge hit Jessica, and she got down on her knees before the Princess and kissed her feet.

The Princess smiled. "This one is a charmer, and she knows her place. She is also very beautiful. So you are the one who played Dark Angel, and also that poor Invisible Woman who kept losing her clothes?"

"Yes, your Highness" Jessica answered.

"Your new name shall be Hanna, for you have found both favor and grace with me, and I am sure you will also bring me great joy. You will come with me to Dornakistan. I will train you personally."