Running Away From One Thing, and Into Another.

Chapter 2: Safe, but not Sound.

  

The girl in the picture is Niam. ^_^

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I can't breath.  I can't think. All I can do is listen as foot falls make their way towards me.

Dantem just gave me away. 

Panic fills my being.  I can't do anything but look at Dantem in horror.  How could he do this?  How could he betray me?  After all we have been through, he gave me up like Mart would have. 

Dantem is tries to stand, but falls back on his knees and holds his head with a dirty hand.  He must be pretty bad hurt.  Slowly, he lifts his head so that our gazes meet.  His eyes aren't filled with regret or sorrow.  No, they are filled with courage and strength.  He doesn't have the eyes of a trator.  No, he has the eyes of someone who is about to do something heroic and stupid.

Before Quaden reaches me, Dantem suddenly leaps to his feet.  "You giant idiot! A child could fool you!"  He hollars loudly as he sprints away.  Quaden immediately halts and turns around to realize that he had been "tricked" into thinking there was someone in the wood pile.   Quickly, Quaden rushes after him. 

NO! He'll kill him!  I try to move, but I can't. I'm too numb.  All I can do is sit and cry silently.

I probably sat there for many sunless years. I can no longer take the ache in my rear and the horrible odor of the rotting wood. I squeeze out of my slightly warm shelter and into the cold night. The wind bites my skin as I hobble my way back to the girls' cabin.

Tears stream down my cheeks. Where's Dantem? I don't know whether to take the silence as a good thing or a horrible thing. I catch movement at the right corner of my eyes, and I glance that way to be scared out of my wits.

The sight of the girl with dirty brown hair and pale skin walking beside me makes me jump. I stop and stare at her only a second before continuing my small trek back to the cabin knowing the girl in the mirror is doing the same thing.

I don't stare at the mirror as most girls do seeing that I have no reason to. I know what I look like, and I don't have to be reminded how ordinary I am. The only thing considered lovely about me is my eyes. Purple. Such a rare color on eyes, and it is indeed lovely. Not only that, but there are golden rings at the rims of my pupils.  The rings aren't that noticeable since they are incredibly thin, but I like them alright. 

Eventually, the hut comes into veiw.  Instead of rallying everyone to help me find Dantem like I want to, I instead climb wearily into bed and await the sun.

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I didn't sleep at all for the rest of the night. Dantem is either dead, wishes he was dead, or safe.  I can only hope for the latter.

 I force myself up, pushing exhaustion away. Just as I'm on my feet, the morning bell sounds. I neatly make my bed before I take a dark brown dress out of a broken wooden box and leave to the wash up room.

I slip it on and toss my dark grey dress aside. We don't have the best master in the world, but he give us clean clothes. They are rags, but they are clean rags.

"Tacia, hury up!" Yells another girl. I keep from rolling my eyes and I take my sweet time to splash the cold water on my face.  Finally, after my face is dry, I leave. A slave whose name I don't know waits outside and glares at me. I glare back at her.