The Moonstone Girls: Book One

Chapter One: Sisterly Love

Pakistan 

When my dad told me that I was going to be married to Ben, the most awful man in our village, I was terrified. Since he'd sold my mother two years ago, he no longer cared about my Hyperacusis. He made me go to the drumming circle every week. Even when I told him that it was painful, he dragged me there and told me to get over it. The only person who really cares about me is Saskia. She is my father's slave. She is 15 years old like me, and has a stutter. She understands me when I tell her that I get pain from sound. When I cover my ears, all of the villagers say that I'm possessed by evil spirits since I can hear thinks that they can't. They think I'm a witch. At the same time, all of them want me as their wife because my hearing is so amazing that I can help them hunt and catch animals. They tell my dad that I will make them rich and that I will be treated as a princess. My father finally accepted an offer from Ben for $100.

"It's in a week and I've heard Ben's wives talking." said Saskia. "They say that he can be very cruel and he won't care about your Hyperacusis. He will expose you to the loudest sound of gunfire." Just then dad walked into the hut.

"Saskia, will you please iron my daughters dress for the drumming circle?"

"Yes sir." She replied.

"Please dad, don't make me go!"

"Shut up!" He barked at me. "You are going and that's that." When he left the hut I started to cry. Saskia wrapped her arms around me. "I know, I know."

She said. "We have to do something."

"But what are we going to do?" I asked.

"I have an idea! We could run away!"

"Where would we go?"

"We could go to Europe. Cross the desert and travel through the mountains. When we cross the border of Afghanistan into Pakistan and we'll ride a boat across the ocean to Europe."

"I would never be able to make such a journey with my hyperacusis!"

" We would work that out as we go along." Saskia said. "Do you have a better option?"

"I guess not."

"So it's decided."

"What will we do about food and water?"

"When I prepare meals I can sneak some food and water up until it's time for the wedding. By then we should have enough until we make it to a new source of food and water."

"Okay." I told her. "Be careful. Make sure no one catches you otherwise you'll get A whipping." Saskia went to go get the hot stones to iron my dress. When she was finished dad came into the hut. "Are you ready to go girls?"
"I'm not going" I told him. He took three quick strides across the hut and struck me in the face. Then he dragged me outside and beat me.
"Learn to do as you're told you little worthless girl." I started crying and I was holding my ears because the drumming, his shouting, and a villager singing was too loud. I felt a throbbing pain in my forehead. I couldn't take it and I started running. I didn't care where I was going, I just needed to get away from the noise- away from the pain. "Come back here!" My father yelled after me but I wasn't listening. I took a running start and jumped into a tree. By the time dad made it with his ball whip I was already high up, but not high enough. "If you don't come down this instant I will whip you until you bleed!" He threatened. I climbed down still covering my ears. He dragged me by my arm to the dance circle. All of a sudden, the villagers started whispering "She is possessed by evil spirits!" They always thought this because I could hear things that they couldn't and because I cringed at noise. Some villagers even started laughing and pointing and jarring at me. I started crying again. Saskia rushed to my side. Ben came up to me, roughly grabbed me, pulled my hands down from my ears, and made me dance. Finally, when it was all over, I ran into the hut. Dad told me that I couldn't stay for the food. "You have been disrespectful." He said. I didn't care. The sooner I could get away the better. Saskia had to stay out to clean up, but when she came back she snuck me some food. 
"I have a week to collect food and water. We will have to sneak out the night before the wedding."