His Collection

EIGHT

My heart sank. How can I be hopeful when the person who has been here two years longer had none to give either. Her stomach growled, and I looked away. She must have been in there without food for some time. I began walking towards the house, and right behind it was what I was looking for.

Yes, a vegetable garden. They had to have one since I'm sure Lance didn't go into town much. I leaned on the house, the back of it had grape vines entwined to the boards.

Using my bandaged arm as a basket, I picked a few dozen grapes for Marina. I wasn't going to let her starve because Lance blamed her for my fall. That asshole. My brows furrowed while recalling what he had said.

"My, you finally found your voice."

Ha, he did not want it. Because if he did, then I sure as hell was going to make sure he got all of it.

I snorted out fumes, "I am caught like a fish, but I'll slap that darn smirk out his face before he cooks me alive."

Once I was back to Marina, I knocked gently and peeked through the door.

"Here, put your hands up to this," I said, and she obeyed. I passed in the grapes, then rolled them onto her palms. Marina hummed out a thank you then sat back down saying I was thoughtful for a kid.

"I am seventeen," I correct her, then make the math in my head; she had been taken two years ago, age sixteen, making her eighteen now. "We're a year apart."

"Hmm. You look a lot younger."

"I get that a lot."

"Maybe we could help each other out." She perks up. "Like sisters."

Now I was sure she had to be a bit off, though I didn't consider her dangerous. I nodded, "All right. Like sisters."

"Okay, so then, little sister, I should tell you to stay away from his room, and especially the barn."

"Why?" I hunch over to get a better look at her, inside she was practically laid out on the dirt while eating and talking.

"Mm-hmm. That's where his mom is. In the barn. We're not allowed there, unless it's her birthday."

Please don't say she's dead. Her body better not be in there just rotting away.

"Lance can be a jerk." Marina says to herself, then faces me, "Not even on my birthday does he buy a cake."

"Oh.. how unfair," I nervously say, trying not to seem as if she was getting off topic. "What else?"

"There's bear traps all over the woods, so try not to go there. I doubt you'll reach it before he can notice you are gone. I used to always get caught midway in the fields, then Lance would lock me up in here for being bad." She sighed out, as if the memory was fresh. "I did make it out all the way to a dirt road once, the one leading back to town."

At that, I quickly took the opportunity to ask in which direction she had walked, where was the road, and where it lead.

Marina chuckled at my questions, and sat up with her back rested on the wall. "You really are a little sister; you don't listen. What did I just say? You'll get locked up."

"Please, I need to know." I pleaded till she finished the remaining grapes. Finally, she walked up to the small opening, and lowered her own shadowed face till we were staring at one another through the gap.

"Fine. Only cause' ya fed me. Plus I like you already," she said, then whispered in which direction to start walking, then warned, "If you get caught -and you will, don't tell him it was me who told ya."

Tapping my fingers, I took in consideration what she had said about the traps, also the journey to the woods was a long one since there were miles of open space, and even if I made it to the long, yellow stalks of wheat, who knew if there were wolves lurking in there.

Plus, I'm a weakling right now.

You'll die for sure.

I mentally groaned at the voices in my head. Today wasn't a good day to go, and my instincts were telling me Lance had been keeping an eye on me the entire time. I could feel his honey eyes spread through his lands, focusing mainly on the raggedy excuse of a girl I was at the moment.

Tomorrow. By tommorow I should be able to run.