The Tattoo (formerly Unbreakable)

A Runaway

The phone buzzed relentlessly on the lonely table, as it had been for the past 20 minutes. Even after almost ten months Arnold was still persistent.

Meriddion hadn't answered his calls all day.  She usually at least called him back and yelled at him for being a prick or texted a response. Now, he didn't know if she was dead or alive; and he was really beginning to worry. His home seemed so empty without her in it.  Even the slaves noticed her absence.

He missed her smile. He had really come to love his daughter over the past months, they had bonded.  He was angry with her for defying his rules and running away, but she could certainly be punished, and after that forgiven.

"Hi, you've reached Meriddion VanShay.  I can't get to my phone right now so leave a message and I'll get back to you as soon as I can. Thanks!"

"Mary, it's dad...again.  Please call me back, I'm very worried about you.  Please, just come home. I promise the punishment won't be that bad, and I'll forgive you once it's over.  Please Meriddion, just let me know that you're safe."

He hung up the phone and held it in his hand that was dangling over the arm of the couch. He had been here since early that morning when he had first called her. At first, he didn't try to contact her for almost two months. Then he realized what she meant to him, he called and called her, but she never called back.  Only texted and said:

'I'm alive but never coming back.'

Then he didn't contact her for a while. Usually days or weeks would go between contact, then he would break and call her again; but this time seemed different. This time felt more urgent.  He called her again; for the seventh time today.

"Mary. Pick up your phone. I can't take this. I don't even know if you're alive.  At least tell me that you're alive, then we can talk about you coming home later. Meriddion, call me back."

He snapped his phone shut and looked up in anger as Henry entered the room.  He had been promoted to head overseer once Gerald taken a sabbatical in search of Mary.

"We have a runaway sir."

Arnold cursed, it must be that bloody boy of Meriddions.  He had closed back up when she left, reverted back to his old ways again, though Arnold never would have believed that he would run.

"Meriddion's?"

"Not the boy sir, the girl."

"I'm sorry?"

"Ellie, she had been working down at the bookstore until a month or so ago.  She's been missing since line up this morning."

"Find her Henry."

"I will, sir."

Henry made his way into the town bookshop, and was greeted happily when he walked in.

"Hello sir can I help you?"

"Yes, I'm looking for Peter."

"I'm Peter sir, what can I do for you?"

"You know this girl?"

Henry held a photo of Ellie, Peter's face went white.  A second man entered the room.

"Is there a problem?"

"Sir I believe this boy has assisted a runaway.  I'll need to take him in for questioning."

Peter's master had no objections, letting Henry take his young assistant back to the VanShay plantation. There, questioning wasn't exactly what Henry had in mind.  Though of course he did ask questions, he didn't give the boy any time to answer them before he punched again.

"I'll never say," Peter finally gasped out between blows. He was bloody, bruised, and Henry was even angrier.  He left Peter in the small basement room and walked upstairs.  He had already interrogated all of her friends, but none of them knew anything, and he still hadn't heard from the men he had sent out hours ago.