Hope

Hope Chapter 5

I woke to the sound of the masters screeching orders outside the tiny window in the dorm. I lifted my head up and glanced round the room, it was still quite dark and many of the girls were still asleep, I recon we have about half an hour until were up working for the day. Then I relised sale day. I reach up stroking my hair, feeling the rags still tight and in place, my heads sore from sleeping with them in, but Maria will be here to take them out soon. I lay back downs, thoughts rushing through my mind. Is this it, I’m leaving for good. I hate it here, I’ve been beaten till I bleed many times and forced into the dark pit once, and they put me in there for a week, along with a dead corpse they had forgotten to clear out. But this has to beat it all, like torcher, I scared, this place here is all I know. I’ve always wanted to be free, to leave this hell hole but now it’s happening and I’m scared. My mind wonders to Mitch, is this what he went through, a night of hell, thinking about what going to happen, about whether or not you’re going to make it. And I don’t even know if he’s alive. I’d always said we were both going to leave this place, but I meant together, like running away, not getting sold separately, because we oversized for the work house to cater for us.

“Sarah, Sarah” a young voice echoed as I slowly drifted back, It was Ella. She's only six but I took her on the day she started, I showed her round, gave her a prep talk on how to survive here, she was my little shadow. “What” I replied curiously. “I was helping Edweana out, and I told her you were going on sale, she said you are lucky, and to take the first person that wants you. She said not many people get out of here, even when there 21” her voice soothed me, I knew what she was telling me was the truth. Many children or orphans come here, they sign up till there 21 and still many don’t get out then. I’m14 and they’re getting rid of me. In one way in great full, I’m very tall for my age and I’m not too thin ether, considering we get next to no food, and the gruel we eat is to make us small and skinny, many of the older girls age 19-21 are still the same size as when they were nine. I nodded I agreement, and before I have time to say anything, the masters enter and start barking orders again. All the loafs of bread stay, while the rest of the girls in the dorm leave for a mush of a breakfast.

Maria signals me to sit down and I do, she walks up behind me and starts removing the rags form my hair. A couple of minutes pasted and they were out, I ripped my night gown off and pull up the lovely white dress,  but it’s about 3 sizes too big, I stare hard at it and it starts to shrink until it fits comfortable around my body. The dress had a white band around the waist and then flowed out at the bottom. I walked over the dorm hidden collection of items, I glanced round making sure Maria wasn’t looking, but she was facing the other way. I rummaged through the box of our goodies many of which me and Mitch had collected our self’s in the forest. I saw a glimpse of the mirror and pulled it out, one of the older girls came to the workhouse with only a mirror but we kept it hidden or the masters would take it away. I looked into it I looked beautiful, will compered to normal, I was all scrubbed and polished with long curls and a lovely dress, I did a twirl and then slipped the mirror back. I glanced over my shoulder to see the other girls in there dresses and hair done. “Follow me” Maria said, I always found her quiet, and it was as if she didn’t fit here, but there she is. We all followed Maria out the room and into the dining hall, which was a lot different than usual, with individual chairs and a table, we were made to sit at a desk and a small fabric bag sat next to us with our name on it.

After about ½ hour a couple other master looking people came in the hall bringing there train of girls and boys each kitted with a name tag and took seats among us.      I glanced around the room seeing I was still the tallest but not the oldest. After we were all seated many people entered looking around finding the best bread for them. People of all wealth’s came and left, some of them had a number of children trailing some in the finest dresses that dragged in a train behind them, somewhere in working torn clothes.  Most of the other children have been sold I’m the tallest girl and one of the few left and the day is drawing to a close. My mind begins to wonder what happens if I don’t get sold, will I get beaten for not been good enough, will they chop my hair off or make me shatter stone of the rest of my days.  When I realized a lady was looking at me, she grasped my arm and squeezed it hard, before I knew it I was standing up and been measured. I felt a sharp push on my back as I was walking towards a master and a hand was holding out money. And the next thing I knew I was shoved into a cart and it started to drive away.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Thanks for reading nearly 200 reads whooh

Comment, Vote, Fan !  ;)