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Disclaimer: I don't own anything, really. Just this pack of gum I bought the other day. And there's only four pieces left. That's about it.
FLASHBACK TO THE LAST CHAPTER
"What did he do to her, Mom?" He asked as the dread curled deep in his gut. She slowly brought her gaze back up to his, her pale eyes suddenly dry.
"He took her. He put her where we could never get her again."
"You don't mean-"
"Mason, he took her to the other side of the Wall."
-Year 844-
"Orianna," he called gently, leaving the back door open as his eyes searched the room.
"Yes, Daddy?" I answered immediately, swallowing my mouthful of breakfast before turning around in my seat to look at him. I picked up my Big Girl cup and sipped from it, blinking at him over the clear glass as I drank my fill.
He looked happy to see me as he came a few steps closer, a smile beginning to grow on his bushy face. My heart gave a little flutter as I looked up higher, into his dark, dark eyes, a sinking feeling filling me as I cast my gaze elsewhere. It was the smile that didn't match his eyes again. That's the only smile I ever got from him anymore.
"There you are. How's my special girl?" He chuckled as he walked over to me. I made sure to be extra careful putting my cup down next to my cereal, not needing a repeat of the last time I set it down without looking, my tongue poking out a bit as I set it down with a soft thud. Proud of my accomplishment, I turned back and beamed up at him, holding my arms out wide in hopes that he would hug me.
"I'm okay! Mama let me use a Big Girl glass again today!" I giggled as he lifted me up out of my chair, his hug lacking the usual warmth. Again. I closed my eyes and held on tight anyway, just thankful he was holding me at all.
"She did? How nice," he mumbled, causing me to giggle again as his beard tickled my neck.
"Mmm-Hmm! And Macy said he would take me into the market today if I ate allllll my breakfast!" I explained with excitement, putting my small hands against his chest and wriggling back so I could see his face.
"He's a good boy, too. Hey, where exactly are Mama and Macy?" He asked politely, his voice getting all grumbly when he said their names. I put a finger to my chin and thought about it hard.
"Mama said she had to...go help a lady with her baby down the road...and Macy went to go get some stuff from the nice doctor man...I think," I replied slowly, nodding along with what I was saying by the end of it. Daddy smiled again, and my toes curled in my shoes with joy when his eyes sparkled.
"I have something I have to show you, Ori. Something really big. Do you wanna come see it with me?" He inquired excitedly, his eyes lighting up along with my own. My face fell though as I thought about the promise I had made to my big brother. I'd pinky swore. I couldn't go back on a pinky swear.
"I promised Macy though," I pouted, my eyebrows pinching together as I looked down.
"Macy won't mind, and besides, I'll bring you back in time to finish breakfast," he said with a light chuckle, his chest rumbling with the comforting sound.
"Do you pinky swear?"
With all the seriousness I could muster, I held up my hand, extended pinky waiting to be sweared with. He nodded hurriedly, already reaching his big hand to curl his thick pinky with mine. I quickly dodged his hand and held my own behind my back, my eyes narrowing as I frowned.
"Don't swear unless you mean it."
Daddy didn't always keep his promises, but that didn't stop him from promising anyway. I didn't want to be told a pretty lie only to be really disappointed when the ugly truth came out. And it always did. Sometimes it made me cry. Sometimes it made Mama cry. I didn't like being sad, and I really wanted to go to market today. I hadn't been there in so long I couldn't count it on my fingers anymore. So I gave my daddy the fiercest look I could as I slowly brought my hand back out, watching his hand warily in case I had to hide my own again. He blinked, looking into my determined eyes in surprise. I didn't budge, stubborn in my plea to come back in time so that I could go play with Macy in town.
"Okay, honey, I swear," he replied solemnly, and I got in real close to his face to tell if he was lying or not. Satisfied to see he wasn't lying, my face split into a large grin as I curled my pinky around his bigger one. I practically bubbled with anticipation as I clapped loudly, letting out a little giggle as he began walking towards the back door.
"Where are we going, Daddy? Huh? Huh?" I wriggled, wrapping my arms securely around his neck as he closed the door behind him.
"It's a surprise, Ori. If you're quiet, we might even get out there faster," he grumbled, and I immediately shut my mouth.
Daddy wasn't nice when he grumbled. When Daddy started grumbling, Macy would tell me to go in his room and count all the dust bunnies hiding under his bed. I usually made friends with the fluffy devils, giving them names and lives and telling their stories. I was always told that I had to stay under there until Macy came in and got me out. Sometimes he would come under there with me and listen to my stories quietly. His lips always looked bigger when he came under there with me, and so did his eyes. He would tell me that he was allergic to the little bunny people, but it was hard to believe him. Especially those times when he would hold me close like I used to do with my old teddy bear, his body shaking while he got my shirt sleeve all wet. I never asked him about any of it, just appreciating his closeness as I retold the bunnies' tales until he stopped shaking.
We did this every time Daddy grumbled. The small space underneath his bed became our little hideout, where nothing could hurt us except the wooden boards holding his bed up. Only now I couldn't go to the bunny people. And Macy wasn't here to take me.
"Can I ride on your shoulders, Daddy? Like I used to do?" I whispered softly. My fingers played with the frayed edges of my shirt, scared to look in his eyes. He had dark, scary eyes when he grumbled. He stopped walking, his breath leaving him in a long whoosh as he sighed.
"I suppose so...this last time..." He murmured, causing me to perk up and beam at him once more.
After situating myself so that I was comfortable on his shoulders, I threaded my little fingers into his thick hair, getting a gentle grip so I wouldn't fall off like that one time. He continued walking, his steady pace relaxing me. This was the first time he had willingly held me, or even touched me, in a long time. It was just like old times, back when Daddy loved me.
I must've had myself a lil' nap, because when I opened my eyes again we were in the bustling streets of town, far away from our little farm. My eyes got huge as I oooed and ahhed over the colorful everything. No one ever took me into town other than Macy nowadays. Mama was always helping out other people near our farm, and Daddy was never home at all. Macy and I practically ran the house. Macy was my bestest friend.
"Can we go to the candy shoppe? Pleeassee, Daddy?" I begged loudly, my eyes latched onto the building in question. Mama took me there for my birthday one time, and I got to pick out some candy all by myself. She even let me pay for it.
"No. Now be quiet!" He growled from below me, and I felt the happiness I had held dear just fall away to nothing. I bit my lip and stayed silent, hoping he wouldn't get any angrier.
People passed by of all different shapes and sizes, some of them even looking up and smiling at me. I always smiled back, or waved, or mouthed a hello. This was why I loved being in the city. So many people to see, so many places to go. It was so exciting when usually all I had were some cows and a sheep or two to keep me company.
The crowd began to thin out after a while, and the buildings didn't look so nice anymore. I hunkered down closer to Daddy's head, my eyes huge as I looked down all the dark alleyways and trash on the ground. A small scream had to be held back when I saw a rat the size of a small dog scurry across the old cobblestone.
"Are we almost there, Daddy?" I whispered loudly, holding his head tighter. He huffed in annoyance, making me regret asking in the first place.
"Yes, Orianna, we are," he replied shortly, his big hands clenching into fists at his sides. I didn't question him again.
Daddy finally came to a stop near a big, riding horse and the cart it pulled behind it, easily grabbing me and yanking me off of his shoulders. I blinked owlishly and looked around, suddenly feeling like I wasn't safe anymore. Dread curled in my chest, and I was tempted to grab Daddy's shirt for comfort, but thought against it.
"Jorran!" He shouted, making me flinch from the loud sound.
"Geez, quiet it down, will ya? Not that big of an alleyway," a low voice grumbled, it's owner gradually emerging from the shadows. My face lit up in a grin and I took a quick step forward towards him.
"Uncle Jorran!" I cried, making to take off towards him again when a large hand clamped down on my arm.
"Shut up, Ori," Daddy snarled, glaring harshly at me. Uncle Jorran's forehead crinkled as he looked between the two of us, realization dawning in his dark eyes.
"You want me to take her?" He choked out, eyes wide as his hands gripped his short beige jacket. "Jonah, have you lost it?"
"I don't need you to lecture me, Jorran," the big man holding me back howled, his bushy eyebrows turning downwards in anger. "I told you why this needs to be done, and you agreed. I thought you were a man who never went back on his word?"
My uncle's eyes narrowed in resentment, and he took a step away from us, his knife-thingys and their box glinting in the dim lighting.
"You regretted to tell me who exactly I would be taking," he hissed, eyes flashing to my concerned face and back to the stranger next to me. "I am not taking my niece."
"Oh really now, Jorran," his hand clenched tighter around my shoulder, "Do you really want to cross me?"
"Daddy, what are you two talking about?" I asked quietly, cringing when his fingers dug into my skin. His face was bright red and his eyes were murderous, and it was all I could do to stand there and look back at him. My nails began to dig into the skin of my palms as I held back whimpers of pain.
"Shut your little trap, or so help me I will shut it for you!" The man once known as my father screamed at me, the tears falling without my meaning to. Jorran leapt forward when he raised his hand, my eyes widening as he tried to smack me.
"Jonah! What the hell is the matter with you?!" Uncle Jorran exclaimed, gripping his wrist before it made impact.
"Let me go!" He shouted, thrashing his arm wildly to get out of my uncle's grasp.
"Jorran! Listen to me! She is a monster! She's not a little girl anymore. She's one of them!"
They both froze, my uncle's eyes slowly sliding to look over at me. My body trembled with the silent sobs that I was trying my hardest to hold back, but I couldn't anymore. My daddy's hand had slipped from my shoulder when Uncle Jorran grabbed him, so I was able to take a few steps back. I wanted to run away, to go hide under Macy's bed like always, but I didn't know the city well enough to go anywhere. I was trapped.
"Orianna?" The taller of the two man whispered, his dark eyes wide with horror. Daddy looked smug, like he had finally won a game he knew from the start he was going to win. My eyebrows pinched together and I brought my small hands to my chest, lightly biting down on a finger to quiet my crying.
"Take her with you, Jorran. We don't need things like her here," Daddy persuaded, watching my uncle's face closely. Uncle Jorran nodded and closed his eyes, his face tight as he let go of my daddy's arm.
"What are you talking about, Daddy?" I sobbed, momentarily forgetting his threat to hit me.
"Ori, I need you to come with me, darlin'," Uncle Jorran said quietly, letting go of Daddy as he came closer to me.
"Where ar-are we g-going?" I blubbered, taking his outstretched hand in my little one.
"We are going to go on a little trip for awhile, okay? Okay?" He repeated, his eyes shiny as he led me to the cart.
"But Daddy said-"
"It's only for a little while, Ori. You'll be back home before you know it," he whispered, lifting the green tarp covering the cart up.
"I pinky promised Macy-!"
"Just be a Big Girl and climb in the cart, okay, darlin'?"
I looked back over at Daddy, my lip sticking out a little as big, fat, alligator tears rolled down my cheeks. When Uncle Jorran picked me up and sat me down under the tarp, I still didn't look away. I stared. He stared back. He wasn't Daddy. He stopped being my daddy the day I started hiding under the bed. The day he stopped loving me.
I felt hurt. Deep inside my heart, I hurt. He knew it. He could see it in my eyes. He could see it on my face. The anger, the sadness, the hurt. He knew. And despite that, he smiled as we pulled away. A great, big smile.
And for once, it reached his eyes.
The wood planks felt rough on my tender skin as I curled into a ball, letting the jerky motions of the cart rock me into some sort of fitful sleep. Why would Daddy do this? I cried in my head, the tears not having paused in the slightest. The steady beat of the horse's hooves gave me something to listen to as the cart moved along. Where is Uncle Jorran taking me?
Cheers, clapping, whoops, and shouts. The sudden roar of a crowd startled me into being awake. Peeking out from under the green tarp, my large eyes grew even bigger as I took in the sight of it all.
There were people lining the streets, some looking serious and angry, others wearing bright smiles as they cheered away. I blinked and looked around, seeing a whole line of other carts with a lotta older people steering the horses. They all were so serious, like Macy was some of the time now. And they were all dressed like Uncle Jorran, which was weird. I always thought Gramma just didn't give him the right clothes to wear, making the pants too tight in some places and the coats too short. Well, maybe all their Mama's dressed them like that. Old people were pretty weird, too, so it would make sense, right?
In the crowd I was able to spot a bunch of my classmates standing with their parents, but none of them could see me. My bestest friend other than Macy was there with her mommy, her little sister hanging off her arm as she pointed at the horses with awe. Sharrol smiled at Little Lucie, ooo-ing and ahh-ing right along with her as we moved along.
Sharrol was the best sister Lucie could ask for, always looking after the tiny girl just like she looked after me. And she was always so nice to me, even when the older kids tried to tease me for being so much smaller than them. I was just short for my age, that was all.
One of the cart's wheels fell into a pothole, the sudden lurch causing me to jump in surprise. The green tarp lifted half a foot higher for a brief moment, my view of the crowd getting bigger because of it. Fear clenched in my little heart at the sight of all the people, my breathing coming in short pants as I looked in between them all. None of them paid any attention to me and my panicked heart, except for one.
Towards the back, standing on boxes, were the doctor man's son and his friend that lived with him, the quiet girl. His big, bright eyes were locked on mine, his happiness in seeing the parade of carts fading away into confusion the longer he looked at me. His friend hadn't even noticed me, her scarf holding most of her attention. Our eyes stayed locked onto each other until the tarp flapped back down, my world going dark as the light was blocked out.
He saw me.
He saw me.
Hope brought a small smile to my face as I thought about what it could mean. He could tell Mama where I was, and then she could come and get me, and we could go away with Macy and live happily ever after- without Daddy. Or, or maybe he could tell his Daddy, and then he could come help me, just like he did for the scarf girl.
The cart came to a stop, jerking my body and making me roll across the wooden floor. I curled back up into a ball, my arms doing their best to keep my head safe from any sudden hits. We were moving faster than before, at least it felt like we were by the jerky, bumpy motion of the cart. Was the horse running? Where were we going?
It felt like I was in there, under that tarp for hours, the rough floor of the cart leaving splinters in my fragile skin that caused me to bleed. I winced every time one dug itself in, letting the soft steam that came from the tiny wound calm my heartbeat as the small shard of wood was pushed back out.
I didn't even notice when the cart came to a stop a second time, my skin still feeling as though we were moving even though we weren't. The tarp was thrown back, the blinding light of the afternoon sun hurting my pale eyes. I was gently picked up out from the cart, Uncle Jorran taking care not to bump me up against anything before he set me down.
Once my eyes adjusted to the light is when I looked around and saw the humongous trees surrounding us, their large branches reaching for the sky I could barely see through their tops. Fear of the unknown had me backing up into my uncle, my hands curling into his shirt as I hid my face.
"Darlin', I need you to listen to me, it's very important that you pay attention," Uncle Jorran whispered hastily, cupping my face with his big hands. I looked up at him with a quivering lip, the hair on the back of my neck standing on end as the trees groamed in the distance, like something was using them to move itself along.
"Down through that wooded copse over there and a little to the East, there should be a small house. It has some food, water, and other things you'll need. You are gonna need to dig up enough to keep you going for a few days until you can go back. Use the backpack that's under the cupboard near the front door-"
"Uncle Jorran, what are you trying to say?" I interrupted, my young mind struggling to keep up with his many instructions. He paused, blinking a few times as he looked at me. His shoulders sagged and he hung his head when he realized something.
"She's only nine, remember that, Jorran," he whispered to himself, rubbing his stubbly face as he sighed.
"Okay, darlin', how about this. Are you any good at climbing trees?" I hesitated, examining his face closely before nodding.
"That's good. You'll need to be if you're out here," he said quickly, almost like he was talking to himself again. "Now, I want you to stay high up in the trees during the day, alright? When the sun goes down is when you can come back down, but you need to be extra careful at all times. Can you do that for me?"
"Yes," I mouthed, my throat not allowing me to speak through the lump in it.
"At night you can go to that little house I told you about earlier. There should be some food and a blanket or two for you to use if it's gets nippy. I'll try to be back in a day or two to help you, so just sit tight and pay attention to any little noise you hear.
"Darlin', I love ya to pieces, and I'm praying to whatever god is out there that you'll be okay," he sighed, pulling me in for a hug. Tears welt up in my eyes as I returned it, clutching him as tightly as I could to myself to remember what it was like to be held with love.
"Why did Daddy do this, Uncle Jorran?" I murmured into his shirt, not willing to let go just yet. He was quiet for a moment as he lovingly stroked my hair, the groaning noises having faded away in another direction.
"I don't know the answer to that, darlin'."
"He pinky promised me I'd be back to finish my breakfast. He pinky promised!" I cried into his shirt, gripping the bottom edge of his jacket in a sudden bout of anger.
"I was supposed to go into town with Macy today, he told me he wanted to show me something he was gonna get me as soon as we had the money for it. He said it was a present, just for me." I sobbed, falling limp against him.
"Daddy promised..."
"I'm so sorry, Ori," Uncle Jorran mouthed into my hair, holding me tighter like he was never gonna let me go.
"Uncle Jorran, why did Daddy call me a monster? Did he mean that I-" I hiccuped, eyes widening in horror, "Did he mean I was like a Titan?"
"Ori, darlin', don't you dare believe a word that man says," he said lowly, his face turning serious as he tried to calm me down. "He doesn't know what he's talking about."
I wrapped my arms around his neck, nestling my face in my arms so only my eyes could peek out. He sighed like Mama did when Macy or I trailed mud all over the kitchen after playing in the fields. Well, it was mostly mud. It was hard to tell once it dried.
Giving myself a moment to just be there, for once being comforted instead of running away to Macy's room to hide. Taking a deep breath, I sniffled and wiped my eyes, tired of crying. A sudden flash of color in the sky drew my puffy eyes, and I was immediately curious about it.
"Uncle Jorran? What does the purple smoke mean?" I asked quietly, following the pretty color as it traveled higher and higher in the sky. My uncle tensed up against me, his eyes shooting open as he turned to look at the sky.
"An emergency?" He whispered in disbelief, his thick eyebrows drawing together as he watched a second flare go up, this one a dangerous black.
"An Aberrant...I have to go now, darlin'," he said lowly, eyes on the sky as he stood up.
"Are you coming back?" I murmured, picking on the edges of my shirt again. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath, curling his big hands into fists while he did so.
"Soon. I'll come back soon, darlin'."
"Do you promise?" I asked in a small voice, unable to look away from him.
"I promise."
"Okay," I nodded, watching quietly as he got back on his horse.
"Ori, I love you just like you were my own. Please, be safe. I know you'll be okay."
"Goodbye, Uncle Jorran," I called softly, my eyes following him until he turned around a bend in the slim path.
"I love you, too."
He didn't hear me.
"Remember your promise," I whispered, falling to the ground as I thought about everything I had just lost.
A/N: Chapter Two= complete.
I hope this shed a little light on how everything went down. If you are confused, leave a review. I read all of them and will willingly answer your question via PM or in the next chapter.
Thank you to all the fresh faces in the crowd tonight, you are the reason I do this.
Until next time.
Okay.
Bye.