Starlight (Book 1)

Chapter Eight

Ro's body was on fire. She had spent the night in a cold damp cell, but she hadn't noticed. All she could do was think about her throbbing body. Vardon had beaten her past her breaking point. She had whimpered and begged and cried. It was exactly what he had wanted. She had felt so pathetic and weak as she laid on the stone floor watching her own blood streak across it as he struck her with what looked like a small leather bat. During the night she had relived every hit and every cruel word that he had said to her. Her eyes were nearly swollen shut, but it wasn't from crying. He had struck her in the face multiple times because she refused to smile at him. She couldn't. She tried so hard, but there wasn't any kind of magic in the world that could make her smile after what he had done to her.

The cell was in the back of the room that she had been beaten in. It had a solid door. The only light creeped in through the crack at the bottom. That was the only way she knew that it was morning. She spent the whole night in total darkness with Vardon's evil laugh echoing through her mind. She had slept curled in a ball on the floor and woke up in the same position. She had been afraid to move. There was no way of knowing what condition her body was in. She knew she had whelps and bruises and lashes across her skin because she had witnessed every single one of them as Vardon placed them on her. But she hadn't seen her face. She didn't want to see it. She knew she probably wouldn't even recognize herself.

Ro's body tensed up when she heard footsteps walking towards her cell. She closed her eyes because she knew she wouldn't be able to handle seeing Vardon again. She wouldn't be able to for a while. When the cell door opened, she sensed the light in the room pouring over her body. She held her hands up in an instinctive protective position. She wanted to beg whoever stood in front of her not to hurt her, but she didn't need to. Rosa had been the one staring down at Ro's beaten body. Her eyes scanned over the girl's fresh bruises and cuts and relived her own times of being in the same position. Rosa didn't feel sorry for anyone. She knew from the moment Nicole reported Ro missing what her fate would be. It was a hard lesson to learn, but she knew that Ro had to learn it none the less.

"Get up." Rosa said to her.

The relief that rushed through Ro when she heard Rosa's voice was enough to take some of her pain away for a moment. She opened her eyes and looked at the raven-haired woman. She stood over her with her hands on her hips. Ro struggled to stand, but somehow she managed to. She knew that she was going to have to work, but she honestly didn't know how she was going to get anything done. Rosa knew that her body was weak from the beating and she didn't expect Ro to be able to do all the chores that needed to be done.

"You will attend the birds today." Rosa turned and began to leave the room expecting Ro to follow, which she did. Slowly and not without pain.

Eventually the two made it to the aviary. There were several people already working inside. Ro kept her head down ashamed of her swollen face. Rosa looked at her. Really looked at her. Then she did something out of character. She told everyone inside to get out and assist with the other chores. When they were alone Rosa instructed Ro to clean the three empty cages. She told Ro that she could take her time because the birds were out for the day. Ro wanted to thank Rosa for her kindness, but she didn't. She just let it be. She would clean the cages as best she could and as fast as her body would able her to. That would be how she would thank Rosa.

Ro started to clean as soon as Rosa left her to it. She moved cautiously, paying close attention to the movements that brought out more pain than others. It would take her a couple days to move without wanting to tear up. Each step was a reminder of what Vardon had done to her. Bastard, she thought. Vardon was a monster that took pleasure in her pain. A sadist. He enjoyed every minute of the torture he had put her through. She cursed him under her breath with every random jolt of pain that shot through her. She was a believer in karma and hoped that he received what was coming to him tenfold.