Shattered

When I woke up, I found myself locked in solitude. The time read eight at night. Oh man, I had really fallen into a deep sleep! It couldn’t be possible that I was asleep that long and no one had awoken me.

Switching from my black shirt to a plain sky blue one dangling from a hanger in the closet and walked stiffly out to the door. It was unlocked. Touching the metal knob, I pulled the door open.

For the first time in the four days I was here, I didn’t feel so tired or hungry. The tea had really helped. I gained a little confidence back as I took each step one at a time. My skin was still healing, but traces of pain continued to linger.

Aaron was sitting on the couch, a phone pressed against his ear. His eyes lit up when he saw me tread down the stairs. I fiddled nervously with the silver chain collar around my neck. No one had remembered to take it off. It’s not like I could ask them to take it off. No, they wouldn’t be that kind.

Aaron signaled me to come closer. I obeyed without hesitation and stood in front of him.

“Hey, hold on a sec. I got someone on the other end.” Aaron chuckled. The first thought that ran through my head: Shoot, I screwed up and interrupted him!

It had happened multiple times, all on accident, with Miles. They all followed with a harsh lashing.

Aaron put the end of the phone against this shoulder, muffling it. His eyes stared back at mine in the fading light. The sun was just starting to set. Holding my hands behind my back, I waited patiently to see what he needed.

“Kynder, you’re up!” He raised an eyebrow, but smiled. I nodded slowly.

“Yes, sir.” I responded on cue. He put the phone back to his ear and motioned for me to sit down next to him. I put a good foot of space between us as I carefully sat against the edge of the leather couch. Alan passed by in the hall while holding a glass of water. I wanted to melt into the shadows and not be noticed.

“Yeah, you heard right! Kynder just got up. Look, I’ll explain in a minute. Tell Jack to hold on to his pants, I can hear him in the background!” Aaron laughed. At the name, I perked up. Was it the same Jack?

When he had touched my cheek and I flinched, that earned another three burns on my side after the trio left.

The two boys, Jack Barakat and Alex Gaskarth, seemed nice enough. It was an almost a surreal kindness that radiated off those two.

“Yeah, she’s doing better. Um, sure.” I couldn’t hear the words on the other end of the line on Aaron’s smartphone. Without warning, Aaron held the phone out to me, mouthing that the boys wanted to talk to me. I took it with a second, terrified glance. Was he lying? Was it Miles on the other end? It could easily be a trick.

But that was just my stupid, paranoid brain.

Taking the phone, I pressed the warm screen to my face, unsure of what to say.

“Hello?” I asked faintly. Two voices exploded off the other end at one time, making me flinch.

“KYNDER!” They exclaimed. I almost smiled. Almost.

“How are you?” Alex asked sweetly from the other end. In the background, Jack could be heard whining for him to talk to me.

“Good, sir.” I responded softly. Alex laughed. His happiness, even from at the other end of the line, was starting to infect me.

“But how are you, really?” He questioned. Taking a breath, I hesitated in thought. Could I really answer this question truthfully? Just from the tone of his voice, I could tell he wouldn’t stop until I told him something other than ‘good’.

“A lot better than before, sir.” I answered with only a hint of truth. My being was better in the sense that I hadn’t been burned every day, or I hadn’t been choked or held underwater. I was still in this market, this lonesome area I was force into.

In all honestly, I really wasn’t all that good.

“Kynder, have you been behaving?” Alex’s voice asked gently on the other end. A long silence followed between us. My voice longed to say that I was being a good little slave, doing everything I could right. That wouldn’t be the answer that the Masters would accept. They would beat me for lying.

All I had done was run outside.

“No.” I whispered after a moment of silence. Aaron looked at me suspiciously from the corner of the couch. My free hand clutched the fabric of my shirt on a nervous habit.

“No?” Alex voice was shocked.

“No, sir. I ran outside yesterday. I am worthless. I deserve to be punished.” These words, the ones that Miles drove in my head day after day after terrible day echoed empty in the air.

“Say it! Say it!” The whip in his hand flared in the fire’s light. One struck across my neck. A grunt escaped my lips.

“I am worthless.” I answered feebly. Miles screamed louder for me to finish it. Each word was punctuated by a kick, slap, or lashing.

“I am worthless. I deserve to be punished.” I repeated time after time. This was the daily ritual that I must recite ten times until either the fire iron was driven into my side, or the words were locked in my head.

As I broke from my flashback, the phone was silent on the other end. A slight confusion crossed my face, curious to if they were still on the other side. Aaron stared at me as I looked at the floor.

The first conversation with someone outside of the house I lived in, and it might be gone.

“Hello?” I asked them again. A small sniffle escaped.

“Jack, sir?” I asked. It didn’t sound like Alex. There was a faint rustling as the phone switched hands. There was another moment of quietness until he spoke up.

“So what are you guys doing for the Fourth of July? It’s only a week away.” Jack asked, changing the subject. It was good that he reminded me. I had completely forgotten what week it was!

“Um, I don’t know, sir. I had forgotten the date.” I responded. Alex murmured something in the background that I couldn’t make out.

“Oh, well out here in Utah, we’re not doing too much.” Oh, so that’s where they were.

“Well it was good talking to you, Kyn. Can we speak to Aaron now?” Alex asked on the other line.

“Okay, sirs. Goodbye.” I replied softly and respectfully before handing the device to Aaron. With a quick motion, he released me from sitting on the couch. Jack, Alex, and I’s conversation had raised my spirits by a little bit.

Notes

So here's the honest truth, no sugar coating to please you or anything!

Every time I see another person subscribe or leave a rating or comment, I always think, "Hey, that guy/girl is pretty chill. Let me write a chapter to say a thank you for rating/commenting/subscribing!"

Seriously, I like to see you guys subscribe, rate, and comment and I just want to thank you guys by trying to write an extra chapter when I see this happen! You're all amazing so don't stop!