A loud clap of thunder woke Santana from the light sleep she had drifted into. For a moment, she lied in the bed, staring at the ceiling. It was then that she remembered Claire was outside. She sprung up from the bed and hurried to the window. Rain was coming down hard. She squinted, wishing she could see, when lightening lit up the sky and for a brief second, she could see the girl in the middle of the field. She had situated herself so that she was lying down, arms stretched behind her back, and legs curled up into her side.
Uncertainty washed over Santana. That pole was the only thing in the middle of the open field, and the storm was right overhead. Santana shook the worry from her mind, or, tried to, and broke her gaze away from the window. She turned and crawled back into her bed.
Santana was unable to sleep for the rest of the night. As soon as she heard her servants start to work downstairs, she got up and started getting ready. Santana was careful to avoid looking out the window and she dressed and did her morning routine. Finally, she was ready and started downstairs.
When Santana had finally finished her breakfast and had given the in-house servants their orders, she started outside. There was still the smell of rain in the air, and the rising sun was making the air around her humid. As the Latina woman approached the slave cabin, they all came filing out. She stiffly gave them their orders for the day. Santana watched as they all gave sideway glances at Claire's still figure, which had remained in the same position since Santana had looked outside in the middle of the night.
After the slaves went their separate ways to begin their day's work, Santana walked to the edge of the field. The heavy rain had turned the field into an ankle deep ocean of mud, and Santana would be damned if she was going to trudge through it to bring her slave a glass of water. She'd just have to wait until the sun dried out the land enough.
Several hours later, the sun had been in the sky long enough to once again bake the earth. It was hotter than the day before, and heat waves were visible as they rose from the land. Santana filled a small glass with water and started making her way out into the field.
When Santana finally came to where her slave was, Santana cleared her throat and waited. The girl, who was still lying on her side, didn't move. Sighing, Santana reached down and pulled the girl up by her tattered shirt. Claire seemed to jump a little, and it occurred to Santana that she had probably drifted off from heat exhaustion.
Santana watched in amusement as Claire sipped at the water, determined not to seem thankful or eager. She avoided eye contact with her, though she probably wouldn't have been able to lift her head if she wanted to. It was then that the Latina noticed the dark shade of red that Claire's skin had turned. Hiding her concern, Santana smirked, turned, and walked away.
Santana spent the rest of her day pacing anxiously around the house, yelling at servants for no apparent reason, and staring out her window. One more day, Santana told herself. She had felt certain feelings arising that she had sworn she'd never feel again. So, she shoved them away.
Santana sent for one of her guards to take out a glass of water, knowing the more she distanced herself the better. She watched the man carefully, and despite swearing she would keep her emotions at bay, felt anger rise in her stomach when the man gripped Claire under her chin and forced the water into her mouth.
Santana decided that she would release Claire from her post at three in the afternoon the next day. She would give her a day at the most to recover, and then send her right back to work. The Latina wouldn't show her mercy. This was a punishment. She didn't have anything to be sorry for. Claire had attempted to escape, and her actions had come with repercussions.
Santana fell asleep, and was once again plagued by nightmares. At first, she thought she was just reliving the night of the fire. But when she looked up to where Brittany had been standing, it was Claire who was crushed by the burning inferno of the collapsing ceiling. Santana woke up in a cold sweat several times, but was finally able to drift into a heavy sleep.
Santana slept in later than normal, and woke up just before 11. She made the decision to not bother bringing Claire out water. She could get it when she was released. A few hours shouldn't make a difference. The Latina managed to not even look out the window. She busied herself with managing the mail that had come in, sending out business letters, as well as answering a few personal ones. She counted the chimes on the clock that rang from the hallway, and when it struck three, she started outside.
Santana made her way into the field for the last time and approached Claire without saying a word. She bent down and hurried to untie the bonds on her wrist. She bit the inside of her cheek when she noticed that the slave's wrists had been rubbed raw. When the girl made no attempts to get up, Santana took her by the arm and pulled her up. To the Latina's surprise, Claire omitted a tiny groan of pain and nearly fell back down. She was forced to lean against the pole for support.
"Walk." Santana ordered. The Latina caught a flash of uncertainty in the girl's eyes before she released her grip on the pole. Claire took her first shaky step, her legs unsteady from not being used. She stumbled a bit, trying to fight off the lightheadedness from not eating for three days, combined with the stiffness of her limbs. The girl half expected a rough shove from behind when she was forced to stop for a few seconds, but surprisingly, her "mistress" walked beside her patiently.
Claire eventually made it out of the field, and knew she was going to pass out soon. Her eyes were clouded with darkness and her breaths were more labored. Her skin was on fire as well, having been scorched in the skin for three days. Blisters had formed on her skin in places.
"Wash yourself. You'll have a day to recover. I hope you've learned something from this." Santana said curtly, turning and walking away from the girl.
Santana felt as though a large weight had been lifted off of her shoulders. Although, she was a bit concerned about the girl's state of health. But, now that she was out of the sun and the field, she'd probably be fine. Santana went back to her desk to finish her letters. She rang for Tina and instructed her to bring dinner into the study and then go check on Claire. The small Asian girl did as she was told, arriving with the Latina's dinner 45 minutes later, and then going out to the slave cabin. Santana had just finished her work when she heard a knock at the study's door. "Come in." She called, putting her stationary into the desk's drawer. Tina stepped in, her face etched with concern.
"Claire is unconscious. We tried dumping water on her, but she's not responding-" Tina's voice cut off as Santana stood up abruptly, shoving past her towards the door. "Send a carriage for Dr. Schuester, now." The Latina ordered, starting out towards the cabin.
Hey guys, I'm really sorry I haven't updated recently. School's been crazy, along with cheer and a musical I'm in. So please please please review! I'd be more than happy to take suggestions!