Author's Note: It looks like some of you need to go back and reread the author's note I left before the first chapter.
Chapter 7
Investigation
Link let out a bored sigh as he lay beneath the apple tree. He knew a visit from Malon that day would likely not occur, but he still lamented her absence, because it meant he had nothing to do for the rest of the day. He couldn't complain, though - he didn't have to deal with Thomas that day, and he didn't have to spend more time than necessary with the jealous slaves he roomed with.
He sighed again, this time, wondering what Malon was doing.
"Sorry again, Dozla." Talon apologized, "I've already explained how important it was for her to get married, but she still refuses to choose!"
"It's alright." Dozla responded, "She did say she didn't want to get married yet. All kids have their rebellious phases. I guess not even your daughter is exempt from it."
Talon sighed, "I'll see if I can talk some sense into 'er tonight. Maybe I can get 'er to reconsider t'morrow morning."
"Alright. Goodnight."
"Goodnight."
As planned, Malon and her parents made the trip to Dozla's estate, where Malon was required to pick the one she most preferred to marry. Of course, the girl refused to choose. With nothing to left to do, Talon sent his daughter to the room the family would be sharing for the night.
"I'm just not interested in any of them." Malon explained to her mother.
Malon's mother, Catria, glanced over at her daughter as the two of them sat next to each other on the bed Malon was given for the night.
"Usually when a girl can't decide which man she wants to marry out of the ones presented to her, it's because there's someone she's already interested in."
Malon froze as an image of him appeared in her mind.
"Is there someone you have your heart set on?" Catria asked.
Malon lowered her head.
"...Yes..."
"Who is it?"
Just then, Talon entered the room.
"I'm very disappointed in you, young lady."
Malon looked up at him, his words digging into a heart not used to hearing them.
He continued, "I told you already, you getting married is important for our ranch. And-"
Talon paused as his eyes met those that may as well have belonged to a guilty puppy.
"Don't give me that face..." he sighed. He sat down next to Malon, "Look...I'm not gonna be around forever... Someday, you're gonna have to choose a man who'll not only take care of the ranch when I'm gone, but-...take care of you, too. So you're gonna have to choose."
"I'm sorry, Daddy. But...I just can't bring myself to choose anyone right now..."
Talon sighed, "Well...you've only just turned sixteen... And I still have a few years before I have to stick a foot in the grave... There's no law saying you have to pick right this second, so...for you...we'll wait. Until you're ready."
Malon gave her first smile of the night, "Thanks, Daddy."
Epha closed the door behind her as she re-entered her room.
"So what did they talk to you about?" she was asked.
As her party winded down, two of James' employees entered the room, and directed Epha to accompany them.
"...They told me I have to leave." she responded.
Silence filled the room.
"...Leave?"
"Yeah..." Epha nodded.
Falla rose to her feet, "But-...why would they kick you out? Especially on your birthday?"
"They're not kicking me out," the blonde explained, "I just have to move to the other side of the house."
"That's it!" Aesha began, "Finally, we'll learn what we're here for! All you have to do is-"
"That's the thing." Epha interrupted, "I'm still allowed to talk to you guys, but I can't tell you anything about what I see or do over there."
The room fell silent again.
"Why not?" a girl asked.
"I don't know... But they told me to pack my stuff, and that I'll be sleeping in my new room starting tonight."
Another glum silence filled the room.
"Well," one girl broke the silence, "if they're gonna make you go, then-..."
The girl ran across the room, and wrapped her arms around her elder. She was followed by another girl, who embraced the two of them. She was then followed by another, and another, and even another. Soon, every girl, aside from Linkle, Falla, Aesha, and Shyla, had rushed Epha, resulting in a misshapen group hug.
Why? Aesha thought to herself, What could Epha be about to do over there that we're not allowed to know about? What could it be?!
Epha sighed, "I've always felt like I had a sort of duty here." she confessed, "To look after all of you, because I was the oldest..." she chuckled, "Sorry I won't be able to keep you guys in line anymore."
"I don't get what you guys are so emotional over." Shyla sighed, "She's just going to another room. We can all still hang out outside like we used to."
Falla watched on silently. Shyla didn't understand...she didn't think any of the girls understood.
She couldn't quite put her finger on it, but there was a feeling she had, deep down inside...a feeling that was never wrong...that Epha was headed into a place neither she, nor any of them, could ever prepare themselves for...
Late that night, Falla lied awake in bed, waiting.
Linkle had just left out of the room. Presumably to use the restroom. Falla remembered the last time Linkle used the toilet late at night, she had been behaving strangely. She hoped that whatever she learned by following Linkle, she could use to bring her out of her shell.
Alright, she decided, enough time had passed for her to be certain Linkle wouldn't see her. Time to see what she was doing.
Linkle turned off the faucet to the sink, and used the nearby paper towels to dry her hands. She looked into the mirror and frowned, her racing mind coming to an abrupt halt.
"I hope you're happy with yourself." she spoke, hostility in her voice, "Look at the bed you sleep in...the food you get to eat, the clean clothes you get to wear. You're living the life your brother should be living. Everytime I look in the mirror, I see someone who took all of that away from him."
Her voice began to tremble, "You took that life from him... You took it from him! How could you?! How can you sleep at night knowing you're the reason he couldn't be free?!"
Falla listened on in shock. Was this what she was doing last time? How long had she been doing it? Should she say something?
"I HATE YOU!" Linkle screamed into the mirror, sobbing in between sentences, "I HATE YOU! I WISH YOU WERE DEAD!"
What do I do? Falla thought to herself as screaming and sobbing seeped through the sides of the door. She backed away. Standing there would do no good, and who knew what Linkle would do if she opened the door and saw that someone was listening. She decided it would be best to aporoach this situation after some thought. But perhaps she should keep a distant eye on Linkle until she returned to her room. Just in case.
The morning came, accompanied by the sun, who gave the shallow promise of a good day for all.
Link rose to sit upwards in the cage he slept in. He looked around his room's darkened interior at the three sleeping slaves he shared said room with: a boy around his age, a girl who was given a Human name after being "tamed" by Thomas, and, of course, the adult slave, the only one out of all of them who didn't have to sleep in a cage. He was the one who acted as a dog when summoned by Thomas. The door leading into the hallway opened.
Speak of the devil...
Thomas walked into the room, and immediately over at Link. The Human met Link's defiant gaze with a smirk. He leaned forward...
...and spat on him.
Link's split second reaction was disbelief, followed quickly, and overshadowed by, immense rage.
Thomas chuckled at him, then turned to leave.
The hours went by, yet none of them, thankfully, brought a second visit from Thomas with them.
Later into the day, Link returned to the apple tree that, for the second day in a row, appeared naked without Malon waiting at its trunk. He let out a relaxed sigh as he took his usual spot, feeling a nice breeze take his worries with it as it passed him by.
Just then, Malon appeared from around the tree. After a quick glance at the boy, she joined him at its trunk. Link looked over at her. She stared out into the field of green as the wind gently pulled at her crimson hair.
"You forgot your basket." Link told her.
"...I guess I didn't feel like tending to the apples today." Malon responded.
"...So how was your party?"
Malon looked over at him, "I need to vent." she told him.
"Sure, go ahead."
The girl moved closer to him. So close that the she was touching him.
"My dad still wants me to get married. He says it's for the good of the ranch...and I'm starting to feel bad for not picking a husband."
"How come?"
"Because I know my parents are doing this more because they want me to be taken care of than it being a requirement. And at every turn, all I do is trample on everything they're trying to do for me."
"But you still don't want to, do you?"
"...No..."
"So you don't want to marry the guy you said you fell in love with?"
Malon blushed instantly, surprised he remembered that discussion.
"W-Well-...uh..."
"You don't have to talk about it."
"...Okay... Well...I can't get married to the one I love...it'd never work. That's why I can't bring myself to choose anyone my parents bring to me..."
Malon grasped two handfuls of her violet skirt.
"And if it wasn't that...there's Thomas."
The mention of Link's owner gave Malon his full attention. "What about him?" he asked.
"He wants me to marry him."
Link froze. Slowly, he turned his head toward Malon to ask the question, "Do you want to?"
"Of course not!"
Malon looked down at her hands, "I've known he was attracted to me for a while now, but he's never addressed it as boldly as he did yesterday...it made me feel so uncomfortable... I just don't know what to do about it. I'm scared of what he might do if I outright turn him down, and if I tell my parents... They already have enough to worry about with the ranch and trying to get me married...I just don't want to put them through more... And if they were to go to Thomas...I'm scared of what might happen... I just don't know what to do..."
Link processed the information given to him very carefully. But before he could formulate a response, Malon spoke up again.
"Thanks for being such a great listener." she told him, "I swear I wouldn't know what I'd do without you."
"No problem." Link told her.
After a deep breath, Malon leaned into him with a sly smirk, "So," she began, looking to change the mood, "did you miss me yesterday?"
Link froze at the question, "...Yeah," he admitted as he looked away.
"Reeaally?"
"Well...I didn't have anyone to talk to, so..."
Malon, nudged him with her shoulder. "Do you like talking to me?"
"Why do you do that?" Link asked through an embarassed frown.
Malon pulled away, "I just like to mess with you." she said, "It fills me with great joy."
"Whatever."
"There!" Falla finalized.
"What did you do to my hair?" Linkle asked her.
"I gave you two braids!"
"Why?"
"Oh, just wanted to experiment."
"Oh..."
Silence filled the air between the two. Falla stared at her peer for a moment as the two faced each other on Linkle's bed.
The second Linkle had woken up that morning, Falla jumped onto her bed without warning. She had been messing with Linkle's hair for the past twenty minutes.
"Sorry," the girl said suddenly, "You look a lot like my friend from before I was brought here. Her name was Nima."
"Nima?" Linkle repeated.
Falla paused for a second, surprised that Linkle responded, "Yeah!" she said, "Have you met her?"
"...Nima was my mom's name..."
"...It was? What was she like?"
A rare smile spread across Linkle's face. "She was amazing. Me and my brot-"
Linkle paused abruptly; her smile vanished instantly, and was slowly being replaced with dread.
"Anyway," Falla spoke, "I was wondering how you'd look with the same hairstyle, but I think you look even better than she did!"
Linkle's face lit up, "I do?"
"Uh-huh! It's so pretty!"
"Pretty..." Linkle said under her breath.
"You'll see next time you look into a mirror." Falla told her, "And when you do... I hope that's what you see. A girl who's quiet...but nice, pretty...and has an awesome best friend!"
"Wow!" Aesha cut in, loud enough for the others in the room to hear. The girl had been staring out of the window a few feet away. She heard the conversation, and had a faint idea of what Falla was doing. "You look so pretty with braids, Linkle!"
"Hey," another girl started as she aproached the growing crowd, "can you do my hair like that, too, Falla?"
"Nope! This hairstyle's exclusive to best friends only!"
Linkle couldn't help but smile as the others continued their conversation on her hair. It truly made her wonder... Would they really hate her if they knew more about her past?
Link and Malon said their farewells, and went their separate ways for the day.
Into the late hours of the afternoon, though, Thomas would finally pay his second visit.
"Get out." he ordered sternly as he opened Link's cage.
The boy obliged, though unhappy to. Thomas cuffed his wrists behind his back before he uttered,
"You piece of shit."
Link turned to look at him with the foulest scowl he could muster. He didn't know, nor did he care, what Thomas's problem was. All he knew was that he wanted whatever Thomas was about to do to go by as fast as possible. He didn't know how much more of this he could take.
Link was taken down the hall near the back door, and then to the right, toward the door labeled "6". Inside was a spacious room with an array of tools of differing shapes and sizes adorning each wall. But what caught Link's attention the most were the two Humans standing in its center.
"This is him?" the older looking one said as Link was brought closer, "He's just a punk kid!"
"Aren't they all?" Thomas responded.
"Yes...until you break them."
"That's the hard part. Watch this."
Thomas pulled Link roughly by the shoulder, spinning him towards him.
"Kiss my feet." Thomas ordered.
Link had no idea what was going on. Surely Thomas knew by now that nothing he could muster would make him do anything approaching following that order. To no one's surprise, the boy refused, answering only with the stubborn glare his face would be stuck in if not for Malon.
"Franklin," Thomas began, "Hand me the whip on the wall behind you. The long one."
Link watched the stranger remove the abnormally long weapon from its place on the wall, and hand it over to Thomas. Link faced forward, his gaze defiantly locked on whatever was straight ahead, even as Thonas vanished from his peripheral when he circled behind him.
He didn't know who these two new Humans were, but he wanted to show them that he would never be broken, that any attempt at such would be a waste of time. He refused to let them get their way.
Thomas swung his arm, lashing Link across the back. The boy flinched, but kept his posture. He glared at the older man as he came closer to observe Link's reaction to the second lash.
"Scary lookin' fella, isn't he?"
Thomas answered with a third lash, this one with all his strength.
Link didn't move at all as he stared down the stranger in front of him.
"See?" Thomas began, "I could keep this up all day, and the bastard refuses to listen."
The older man chuckled, "You went easy on him. Here, let me take a crack at it."
"I see what you did there." Thomas said as he handed over his whip, "Don't say I didn't warn ya."
The old man took several steps back, and then stepped into his first swing, whipping Link across the side of his face.
Link shouted in pain as he took a few steps back. He was whipped again, this one hitting his throat. Instinctively, Link tried to reach for the pain and lost balance, falling onto his back.
Link rose to sit upward, only for the old man to rush him. He gave the boy a boot to the face that sent him back to the floor.
"Stay down, you little shit!"
Refusing to give in, Link rose to a knee, and was whipped again on the side of his face. Thomas looked on nervously as the man continued to beat Link without relent.
"I gotta hand it to you." he panted, ending his assault, "The kid's as stubborn as you said."
He watched as Link rose onto his rear, then onto his feet, blood seeping from a wound from the second lash to his face.
"I must say:" the old man continued, "I'm curious to see how you tame this one. So I'll tell you what:"
The old man handed Franklin the whip before placing a hand on Thomas's shoulder, "You can hold your event any day you choose, within the next ninety days. When you do choose, I'll be waiting for y-"
"Seven."
The old man paused, then took a step backward in disbelief.
"What?"
"Your arena can seat a thousand people, right? You give me seven days, and I'll have two hundred butts in those seats, easy."
The old man stared for a moment. A half-smile spread across his face as he considered Thomas's proposal. "Two hundred people in seven days? All right... If you feel you can accomplish that...go ahead. And if you can draw that many people by next week...I'll refund every expense you paid to put on your event."
Link watched on as the two shook hands, and grimaced. By now, he had come to the obvious conclusion that this "event" Thomas and the old man were talking about had everything to do with him. It absolutely disgusted him to no end that these Humans were looking to parade him around like some side show attraction.
No matter what, he decided, he would do everything in his power to resist them. He'll never give them their way, no matter what happened to him.
Linkle sighed as she watched the suds from the soap fall from her hands, along with the water. After turning the faucet off, she looked into the mirror.
"I'm worthless..."
"I'm a terrible person..."
"A girl who's quiet. But nice, pretty, and has an awesome best friend!"
Linkle felt at the braids that hung on each side of her face as she took them in between her fingers.
"Quiet...nice...and pretty..."
"What's up with you?" Franklin asked Thomas as the latter approached the wagon, "You look like someone died."
"I didn't get much sleep last night." Thomas yawned, "I was up making these fliers."
"So that's what we're gonna do today?" Franklin asked as Thomas placed the stack on papers between them, "Spread fliers around?"
"Yup. We gotta leave early so we can place as many fliers as possible."
Franklin could feel his spirits drop to ground level at the thought of standing on his feet all day. "All right..." he moped.
Link rubbed at the still open cut on his face as he lean back against the apple tree. The reminder it brought about Thomas's plans for him was even more prevalent than the pain.
Malon peeked at him from around the tree, looking to startle him when she paused at the sight of pain on his face.
"What's wrong?" she asked, inadvertently startling him anyway.
"I couldn't sleep last night." Link spoke bitterly, "Some old Human came over, and he and Thomas beat me with a whip."
"...I'll bring some first aid tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah."
Malon watched at Link let out a lengthy yawn. He flinched from the pain moving his jaw caused to his cut.
"You know you can sleep here, right?"
Link looked at her, "No I can't - I have be back by sunset everyday."
"No, I mean right now. You can sleep if you want."
Link pondered the option.
"I won't go anywhere." Malon told him, "Here." The girl set her basket aside, and straightened her legs. "You can rest your head on my lap, and I'll wake you up once it's time for you to go."
Link looked over at her as blood rushed to his face, "I'm not doing that!"
"C'mon! You're tired, aren't you? No one'll see us. Promise!"
After some hesitation, Link inched away as he prepared to lower himself.
"Except me, of course."
"Malon!"
The girl burst into laughter, "Sorry, sorry! Alright, go ahead."
Link layed his head down on Malon's lap. Immediately, he noted how comfortable the fabric of her skirt was. He looked to his left, up at Malon, when the two met eyes. He blushed again at the view of her body from that angle, and looked away, prompting a knowing chuckle from his friend.
The minutes went by, and soon, Link was sound asleep. In the midst of this peaceful silence, Malon looked down at the boy again, staring at his cut with worry in her eyes. Carefully, she rolled him onto his back, to inspect him better. She thought of going back home to gather some supplies to treat his wound, but then thought of the list of flimsy excuses she would have to use on her parents. She would prefer to not outright lie to them.
Her eyes locked onto what appeared to be a dirt smudge on his right cheek. She licked the face of her thumb and scrubbed away, only to find out it was a bruise. She sighed as she continued to rub the swollen area.
Her heart broke for Link. Truly, it did. She wished desperately that there was something she could do to help him. She paused as he began to stir. He inched closer to her stomach, and sighed.
Malon smiled at him. He certainly looked peaceful, despite everything. Her cheeks took a soft shade of pink as she continued to stroke the side of his face affectionately.
If only the world was different...
Sunset look its time to arrive, though Malon couldn't complain. As if on instinct, Link opened his eyes, and rose to sit up.
"Oh!" Malon began, "I was just about to wake you!"
Link stretched and yawned.
"So," Malon continued, "enjoy your rest?"
Link's face flushed as soon as he remembered. "...Yeah..."
Truthfully, that was probably the best sleep he ever had, though it was only for a few hours. He sighed. He should probably thank her for-
"Thanks for today." Malon said suddenly.
Link turned to her, "What? What are you talking about?"
Malon looked away, a smile etched on her face, "Oh, nothing."
"Well..." Link sighed, "I'm gonna head back."
"Okay." Malon said as she placed her basket in her lap.
As her smile widened, she hugged her basket as she watched Link walk away.
She should do something for him...but what?
"Uuuugh," Franklin sighed.
He and Thomas had returned to the village, where the two would be working for the second day in a row after leaving even earlier in the morning than the previous day. The two set up a booth where Thomas was currently selling tickets, while Franklin had been sent deeper into the village to gauge the reactions of the villagers to the upcoming event.
In other words, he was walking around. Which would mean he'd spend the day on his feet. Again.
"I wasn't built for this..." he complained.
"Turn your head." Malon directed.
Link obliged. A split second later, he hissed at a burning sensation as his friend applied a cloth directly to the cut on his face. He pulled away.
"Does it hurt?" she asked.
"Yeah, it hurts!" he shouted, "It burns!"
"If it burns, then it's working! Your cut's still open!"
"So what?! Leave it alone!"
"If I do that, it'll get infected, and your cut'll be worse! Is that what you want?"
Link gave a sigh before he leaned toward Malon again, flinching as she reapplied the wet cloth.
"See?" Malon spoke again, "It's not so bad once you get used to it, right?"
Link ignored her.
After a few minutes, she pulled the cloth away. "All done!" she said, "With that out of the way, I've got a surprise for you!"
"A surprise?"
"M-hm! Here."
Malon turned to her right to go through her basket.
Link could already smell it. What Malon placed on her lap appeared to be some kind of bread in the shape of a circle.
"What's that?" he asked.
"It's a pie; an apple pie. I made it myself!"
Malon looked over at Link and giggled - his eyes may as well have been little stars.
"Here," she said, placing the pie on Link's lap, "for you!"
The boy looked down at the pie, then at Malon, "I can have this?"
"Of course! I wouldn't have shown it to you, otherwise!"
Link looked down at the pie again as Malon returned to her basket.
"Oh, I forgot!"
She grabbed a fork and spoon, "I didn't know which you'd prefer, so-"
She paused. Link had already finished almost half the pie with his hands. He devoured his gift as if he hadn't eaten in years, which would be half-true - the food Thomas fed him was even worse than the food he ate at his previous home.
Link let out a content sigh after he finished eating.
"...Was it good?" Malon asked.
Link froze, realizing how he must have looked while eating, "Uh...yeah."
"...Well, I got you some water, too."
Link took the bottle, "Thanks."
"No problem! I just thought I'd do something nice for you!"
Link paused as he heard his friend's words. The concept seemed foreign to him. "Why?" he asked.
"U-Um... Because that's what friends are for!"
Amidst her nervous chuckling, Malon glanced over at the building Link called his home in the distance. The sight of it sucked the cheer out of her body.
"So how was it today?" she asked suddenly.
"What?"
"I mean-...well...has he hurt you today?"
"No. I haven't seen him all day."
"That's good... If you get hurt, let me know, okay?"
Link sighed, "Okay, mom."
Over a day and a half has passed since Epha was moved to the west wing of James's mansion.
"Have any of you guys seen Epha?" Aesha asked her peers.
The girls in the room all shook their head, or gave the same answer verbally.
"This is the second day..." Aesha mused, "You'd think she'd have at least come outside to see us by now..."
"I'm worried." said Falla, "What if something bad's happening to her?"
"I doubt that. I mean look at us. Why would the Humans treat us so well if they're just going to mistreat or abuse us once we're older?"
"Maybe it has to do with whatever they have her doing over there." one girl proposed, "I mean, she did just get over there. Maybe she's still getting used to everything?"
"Maybe..." Aesha pondered, "But if what she was doing was so strenuous that she wouldn't have time to visit, wouldn't the Humans have prepared her for it while she was still here, instead of throwing everything at her at once?"
"Well until we get someone to tell us," Shyla said, "we aren't gonna get anywhere."
"Maybe it has to do with her age?" Linkle suggested.
Silence fell immediately out of surprise at hearing Linkle offer a suggestion, coupled with the idea itself. The girl froze at the sudden attention her words had given her.
"She's right!" Falla yelled, "If they waited for her sixteenth birthday to take her away, whatever she'll be doing over there must have be something she couldn't do before she reached that age!"
"Did Falla just say something smart?" Shyla asked.
"So," another girl added, "what's something we can't do until we're sixteen?"
The room quited down into a contemplating moment of silence.
"Babies!" Aesha said suddenly.
"Oh, I love babies!" Falla gushed.
"No, I mean having babies! We can't do that until we're sixteen! So that must be what we're doing here!"
"So we're in a breeding farm?" asked Shyla.
"We could be. It's a logical conclusion, but we can't say for sure unless we have proof."
"Well, how do we get some?" a girl asked.
"We should ask the other girls." Shyla proposed.
"That's not going to work." Aesha announced, "Remember what Epha said before she left? The Humans weren't letting her tell us about what she saw or did. If they'd tell her something like that on the first day, we won't be getting anything from any of the other girls."
"That's why we don't ask them directly." Shyla responded.
"...I'm not sure what you mean..."
"We'll trick the information out of them. Start up some random conversation, ask some questions, and we can take what we hear, and work with that."
One girl spoke up, "So does this mean we're relaunching our 'investigation' and try to find out what we're doing here?"
The girls all paused. They had given up on what was supposed to pass as an investigation nearly two years ago. But listening to them now, it definitely sounded like that's where they were going.
"Yeah..." Aesha answered, "I guess we are."
To be Continued!
Bonus Chapter
Backstory; Part 3
Link stood in line for the daily roll call, the news of his father's death the previous day still clouding his mind.
The first thing that caught his attention as Philip approached his line of slaves were the three boys who walked behind him. Two adults, likely Philip's employees, were with them as well. There seemed to be some conversation going on in the midst of the group.
"Since the three of you saw fit to kill one of my slaves," Philip spoke, "you will be taking up his work until he can be properly replaced."
Link watched on as his owner continued, the words he heard slowly bringing him to a horrible realization...
His father was dead because of the three Human boy's being reprimanded. They killed him... They were the reason why his father was never coming back; the reason why he would never see his face again.
Surely Philip was going to punish them, right? Even he knew that leaving the property was a grave offense that earned a harsh punishment. His mother told him so. If those boys were the reason he was gone, then they must be about to receive his father's punishment in his place...right?
"These two men will take you where you need to go." Philip told the boys.
No...they weren't about to be punished... Even the way Philip spoke to the boys was different to the way he spoke to those like Link. He was much...nicer... But why?
"Hey," Link spoke up as he stepped out of the line, "aren't they in trouble? They killed my dad..."
The Humans watched the boy edge closer to them, the rare occurrence of a slave stepping out of line stunning them into a silent stupor.
"What do you think you're doing?!" Philip told Link, "Get back in line!"
Link paused, "But they killed my dad..."
"Get back in line!"
Link looked over at the three boys as they watched him quietly. "Why'd you do it?" he asked them, "My dad's gone because of you... Why?"
Philip came at the boy, malicious intent furrowing his brow.
Link shouted in pain as he was struck across the face, the blow sending him to the dirt ground below. Tears of pain stung his eyes as his previously unblemished face contorted with anger at his father's murderers.
"GIVE HIM BACK!" he screamed at them, "GIVE ME BACK MY DAD!"
He couldn't tell if it was because of his vision blurring with tears, or if it was what he truly saw... But as he shouted and sobbed at the boys a couple of yards away, he could see one of them turn away. A hand flew to his face to cover his reaction to Link's plight.
...He was holding back laughter...
Link climbed his way up to his feet as he charged at the subject of his anger, an unintelligible shout of pure rage announcing what he wished to do. He was intercepted by a boot to the face by one of Philip's employees that sent him back to the ground.
Philip followed the blow up with a few kicks to the boy's supine body. "Who do you think you are, you little shit?!"
As the attacks ceased, Link, now on his stomach, lifted himself to his hands and knees as he looked at his fellow slaves. "Why aren't you doing anything?!" he asked them as blood ran from his nose, "I thought my dad was your friend! I thought you loved him!" He raised a finger to point at the three boys, "They're the ones who killed him!" he cried, "Aren't you angry?!"
To Link's horror, the men and women he was shouting at moved not a single inch from their position in line. Some of them even looked away, or averted eye contact with the boy.
"What are guys doing?!" he continued, "Someone! Do something!" Link's head lowered back down to the ground as he broke into a fit of sobs. "Please..."
"Tommy," Philip directed, "throw this boy down The Hole." He glanced down at Link, who lay crying at his feet, "It's time this boy learned his place in this world."