Chapter 7
Jack
Every part of my body throbs. It feels like the very skin has been peeled from my bones. It hurts too much to sleep. I don’t dare put on any of the clothes the man brought earlier in the evening.
Sophia managed to put on a light dress. She’s currently sitting on the side of the bed, staring at me. She tilts her head, thinking hard on something.
Growing up with Sophia, I know everything about her. I know she’s lost much more of herself over the years than I have, and that’s saying a lot, seeing as there’s nothing left of me.
I wait, knowing she’s about to speak her mind.
She brings her feet up onto the mattress and folds her arms around her shins, resting her chin on her knees. She keeps her eyes on something outside the window, when she says, “It feels different here. Master and Mistress Ryland seem nice.”
Her voice is raw, and even though she’s been beaten just as badly as me, she smiles. I don’t know how she manages to still find something to smile about.
“I think we can be happy here,” she whispers.
I turn my back to her and growl, “In order to be happy I actually have to give a fuck.”
I’m done caring. I cared about David and it turned out to be a weakness that kept me a prisoner in that hell hole. Caring for someone only makes you vulnerable. I’ll never place myself in such a position again.
Someone comes into the room, but I don’t bother to see who it is. Something is placed on the table between the two beds, and then an elderly voice says, “What’s this I hear of you wasting my soup, Son?”
I glance over my shoulder, but the movement only causes me pain. I watch as an old woman pulls a chair closer to the bed.
“My momma always said; waste not, want not,” she goes on talking.
Her eyes are a vibrant blue, and her hair grey with a purple tinge to it.
“Now, I’ve brought you another bowl of soup and you’ll eat every last drop. I’ve also brought you some pills for the pain.”
The painkillers get my attention. I struggle into a sitting position, my eyes never leaving the woman. I trust no one and expect the worst of everyone.
“I’m Miss Ella, and that’s what you’ll call me. Don’t even try to call me Miss E. I’m nobody’s missy. My momma gave me the name Ella, and I expect you to use it.”
She scoops up a bit of soup, and blows on the broth before bringing the spoon to my mouth. The action reminds me of my own mother. She used to do that, as well.
I just stare at her, until she widens her eyes at me in warning.
“Open your mouth. How do you expect to get any better if you don’t eat? Stubbornness won’t heal you.”
I hate that she’s right. I take a few bites before Miss Ella asks, “What’s your name, Son?”
I don’t bother answering her. It’s not as if they’re going to call me by my fucking name.
Sophia clears her throat and then whispers, “His name is Jack.”
Miss Ella smiles at Sophia. “Thank you, dear, and you are?”
“Sophia.”
I only take a few more bites and then I turn my head away. She sighs heavily as she places the bowl on the table. When she holds out the painkillers to me, I make eye contact with her.
I swallow them down with some water, never taking my eyes away from hers.
“I’m sorry for the life you’ve been forced to live up until now, Jack,” she says, taking the glass from me. “I’ll never understand how some people can be so cruel.”
She gets up and looks from Sophia to me. She doesn’t seem to be bothered by my angry glares.
“My room is the one right by the stairs. If the pain becomes unbearable come wake me.”
She gathers the dishes and then gives us each a pointed look.
“You need to eat all your food so your bodies can heal. There’s a lot of work to be done. Everyone works here to earn their keep.”
An icy ripple spreads down my spine.
Miss Ella looks at Sophia. “As soon as you’re up to it you can help me in the kitchen.”
When she looks at me, I growl. I’ll tear her apart if she tries anything with me.
“River says you’ve been born with a green thumb,” she says, ignoring my threatening growl. “That’s a good thing. No one around here likes to garden, and I’m too old to be playing with flowers. We can do with some color around here, so as soon as you’re better, you can fix the gardens up nicely. Now, get a good night’s rest and I’ll see you in the morning.”
I can go on gardening here? Miss Ella said nothing about sex. Come to think of it neither did the man and woman that brought us here. Not that it means anything. As soon as we’re better they’ll put us to work. After all, Miss Ella said we have to earn our keep.
The old familiar anger and disgust well up in my chest. Thankfully, the painkillers start to work, easing the harsh bite of pain.
I wake up in the dead of the night. My body and the sheets are soaked with sweat. The pain burns through me like a raging fire, threatening to devour every inch of me.
I try to fight it, but after a while I can’t hold out anymore.
“Sophia,” I whisper, my voice drenched with pain.
The light flashes on and I blink so my eyes can adjust to the sudden brightness. The younger woman comes to the bed, a look of concern clouding her face. She’s still dressed in the same clothes from earlier. She looks disheveled, like she hasn’t slept in days. There’s not an ounce of make-up on her face, and it makes her look even younger than when we first met.
“Do you need something, Jack?” she whispers. Her cool hand rests on my forehead for a few seconds.
“Painkillers,” I whisper.
She takes two pills out of a box. Slipping her hand gently under my head, she helps me to hold my head up. She places the pills in my mouth and then holds the glass to my lips so I can drink. I take a few sips.
When I’m done, she places the glass back on the table. I watch as she rinses a cloth. She comes to sit on the bed, right next to me and starts to wipe over my face. The cloth is cool and I close my eyes, hoping the painkillers will start to work soon.
I hear her rinse the cloth again and then she wipes my neck.
When she rinses the cloth for a third time, I whisper, “Thank you.” I don’t know what to call her, and I refuse to call her mistress.
“My name is River,” she says, as she starts to wipe the cool cloth over my chest.
“River.” My voice slurs as the painkillers kick in.