Post by Deleted on Nov 9, 2016 16:53:20 GMT -5
Heather had been lucky….no….she had been blessed by Claira’s kindness. Instead of waking in the sickening embrace of a man she despised, she had awoken in a soft bed. Alone. She was given clean clothing and allowed to pick out a house already stocked with food. It was all still almost too much for her to handle. She kept expecting to wake up and realize that it had all been a dream. When she was taken to see the houses she settled on the smallest one. Rather overgrown and somewhat away from the others. But it was perfect for her. With the busy and charitable Claira and her guards gone to attend other business Hua was left to stand before the small house with an almost fearful look on her face. The teeth of the silver key bit into her palm as she squeezed it tight. She had a house…..
Slowly a smile curved her lips and Heather opened the small gate and walked up to her front door. She slid the key inside and felt the door give way. Her walnut toned eyes peering around with a sense of wonder. When she saw the tiny wood stove she knew that she would need to gather some wood lest she get chilled. She could still feel the cold water in her bones as if it had sunk there as a constant reminder not to get too comfortable in a place that appeared to be a paradise. She had been given a simple white dress kissed with lace accents. It was beautiful, and yet another gift from the kind Claira. She only wished it had sleeves to hide the bruises from the men’s fingertips that still covered her arms like tiny purple pearls.
After giving her house a walkthrough she stepped out to the backyard. She was immediately attracted to the small pond and was thrilled to see that a few tiny fish swam about inside. Their whiskered faces jutting above the water to gasp at a grasshopper that underestimated a leap. She crouched down beside it and let her pale finger tips dip into the cool water. One of the fish, braver than the others started to nibble at her flesh.”Hello there…” She smiled and pulled her hand back while giving her hand a quick shake to partially dry it.
Hua had never been alone….there was always someone with her. She had felt alone since her youth…but that physical proximity had always been there. Now that she was looking at a house she was to live in alone she felt tendrils of anxiety starting to tug at her happiness. To her mother and father she had been nothing but an unwanted result. To the men who had their way with her she was little more than a source of pleasure. But now….now maybe she could finally find who she really was…and not just who everyone forced her to be.
With a feeling of determination she stepped into the wooded area behind her house. Her thin fingers grabbing small twigs and pieces of tree bark that littered the ground. She found a few pieces of a broken tree branch that she just managed to carry. She wasn’t a strong woman. Not physically at least. She was slight to the point of it being an inconvenience. She was walking back to her house and decided to go around the front way to keep from carrying the flaking branches through as many rooms. Unfortunately as soon as she reached the unused driveway her arms started to tremble and just as suddenly they gave out. The bits of wood and bark fell to the bricks with a loud clattering sound. She quickly started to look around as if checking to see if she had drawn the attention of walkers before she stopped herself. No….she was safe here….she didn’t have to check for them…
With a shaky sigh she knelt down and began piling the wood into her arms once more.