Through a Slave's Eyes by Alice Arbuthnot (ereader android TXT) 📖

faded as he stood back wiping a tear from his eye and looking at mine and Neomi’s angry expressions, but before it did he walked over and knelt beside me, ruffling my hair he said, “Let’s go home kid.”
I woke up and turned to tell Neomi about the dream but instead all I saw was Steph, rolled up in her covers trying to catch a last couple of minutes of sleep. I was back in the dorm with my roommates when all I wanted was to be back in my room with my roommate, Neomi and to follow her and Jason through the woods, back home.
Our lights turned on automatically, followed by a couple groans, a few minutes later we were all up getting dressed and taking turns bathing. “You okay?” Selein asked as we grabbed our clothes out of the closet. “Had a dream last night” I replied, grabbing my blue dress, every woman on this planet wears dresses. “I wish I had my blue jeans back” I said, wanting to change the subject. Selein accepted it, “Yeah I had these really cute skinnies back home” she said looking at me with a smile and I couldn’t help but laugh even though I wasn’t in the mood to do so.
CHAPTER IX

An hour later I was tying my on apron over my raggedy blue dress as I climbed the stairs to the main level to start my daily routine. I pulled my dark brown hair into a pony as I walked outside to turn on the fountain and water the plants.
I stopped when I came around the corner. Where the pump waited also waited someone else, a guy about six foot and fairly strong, not overly strong like the body builders back home, but firm strong. Like a guy who worked for a living. I couldn’t make out any features about him in the early morning dark. He was humming a song I didn’t recognize, one with a sweet melody like a lullaby, but also had something repetitious about it, like I should know it. I hid behind the fountain as the man hummed as if no one was around to hear, because he thought there wasn’t. I suddenly felt guilty for watching.
I stepped out to say something as the man turned to face me. He about fell in shock of seeing someone in his moment of silence. “I—I’m sorry” I stuttered my apology. “Georgia?” He responded, I was flooded with relief to hear that it was Ky’s voice. “Oh my word, thank goodness.” I sighed, he chuckled in response, “I’ll take that as a yes. So what ya doin out this late?” “You mean early?” I retorted, “I have to start the fountain.” “Oh” he said, turning around to inspect the pump he was leaning on and twisting the knob.
The water arched out of two pots at the base of the fountain to the top tier, slowly filling and cascading to the next until reaching the tile bottom. I loved watching the fountain start, but I’d never watched it with someone else before. I felt Ky’s eyes on me, “Beautiful” he asked. I nodded, “That it is.” He chuckled, “What?” I asked. “I wasn’t talking about the fountain” he replied. I looked at his shaded outline for a second before realization set in, soon followed by my crimson cheeks Was he talking about me!? But before I could dwell on it much he said, “Sun’s rising soon.” He was right the morning stars were already fading, “Wanna watch the sunrise with me?” he added. I liked the way he said “with me” and suddenly became very happy that it was still dark because I could feel my face warming.
We sat on the bench by the fountain watching the stars fade and the sky brighten. “When I was young my mother told me the coldest part of night was right before dawn. I never understood that until now” I said with a shiver and a smile. He took off his coat and draped it around my shoulders, the thoughtfulness of it warmed me more than the coat did.
“Do you have any siblings?” it was a simple question, but it had a lot of significance. “I did” I replied, “Four actually.” “Four!? There were five of you?” he sounded astonished. “Seven counting my parents” I said suspiciously. “Why so many?” “Most families had at least six kids, usually up to eight. Mine was small” I said. “Wow. On my home planet you were lucky if you had three.” Now it was my turn to be astonished, “Dang!” “Yup” he responded with a chuckle.
“What about you?” I asked, “Family? Siblings?” “ Yeah, I had a little sister” he replied. “’Had’?” “Yeah, she killed in the raid” he said. My jaw dropped, “Oh my word! I’m so sorry!” I shrieked throwing my arms around him. I laid his head on my shoulder as rubbed his back. He was freezing, why had he given me his coat? He picked his head up as I started taking the coat off my shoulders. “No keep it” he replied with a smile. “How can you smile?” I asked. “Smiling’s good, helps you accept.” I shook my head, “No, I don’t believe so.” “Why?” he asked, “Can you not smile?” “Sometimes” I admitted, “but when I do it’s like I forget.” He gave me a sympathetic smile I could now see in the rays of the suns first light, “Who’d you lose?” he asked tucking a fallen ringlet behind my ear. I hate simple questions, “During the capture I was hiding out in my room under the bed with a friend of mine and another friend was under my sister’s bed. Well, she made a gasp on accident and it got the Ladoe’s attention. He ransacked my room for a good twenty minutes before something happened. The front door opened. My mother and little brother had come home. The men went down stairs and I heard two gunshots and my mother’s scream. I totally forgot, or actually didn’t care, where I was or what was happening, I got out from under the bed. Conner, my friend, tried to stop me, but I shook him off.” I looked at Ky, “So in answer to your question, I don’t know. They caught me on the stair way. Chase had already been caught, and I found out later Andrew had also, but other than that…”
“I’m sorry” he said quietly, “Who’s Andrew?” he asked. “Actually you know him” I responded, “He works in the kitchen, he’s my little brother.” “The one who came home with your mom?” he asked. “No, that was Alva. He was the youngest. He had gone to work with Mom after school,” I answered softly. “He was my baby brother. I used to watch him all the time.” A tear formed in the corner of my eye and slowly trickled down my cheek like the water in the fountain. Ky placed his thumb on the tear and wiped it away, then put my head on his shoulder and held me like I had him.
“I’ve got to go,” I said, but didn’t pull away. “Yeah,” he said thoughtfully, “Madam Witch will have our heads if she catches us not working.” I couldn’t help but laugh, “I wouldn’t get into the habit of calling her that if I were you.” He smiled calmly, “I call ‘em as I see ‘em.” “I’d hate to know what you call me” I mumble into his chest. He tilted my head up to look at him, his blue eyes were sparkling in the early morning light. “Beautiful,” he said, then tilted his head down slowly until his lips met mine closing off the feeling of the rising sun.

CHAPTER X

I didn’t remember the walk back to the kitchen’s servant’s door, just that I was practically floating the whole time. Selein raised an eyebrow at me when I came in—which was quite a sight considering she didn’t have any. I bit my lower lip, holding a smile. She squinted her eyes and tilted her head, scrutinizing me, Who? she mouthed. Wow, she’s good I thought as I looked at the ground smiling even more. “Jenny!” she called, “Can you come get this for a second, I got to interrogate Georgia.” I rolled my eyes at her. “Interrogate Geor—“ she said coming around the corner, “Oh, I see,” she said with a knowing smile. “On what!?” I squeaked. “Do not be coy,” Selein scolded, “I want details.” “I do not know what you’re talking about,” I lied. She looked at Jenny, “You still have his coat Dearie,” Jenny said kindly. I looked down, it was true. Ky’s coat was still wrapped around me. Busted. I groaned. “Excuse us, Jenny,” Selein said steering by the shoulder’s to the servant’s table.
“So?” she asked sitting across from me. “Ky” I admit trying to sound casual, and failing. She gasped and I laughed. She rambled off from question to question so fast I didn’t have time to answer. “I wasn’t surprised” she said matter-a-factly. “Oh really?” I asked, remembering her reaction. “Yes really!” she said crossing her arms.
“Georgia?” I turned, it was Andrew, “Yeah?” I reply. He waved a envelope in his hand and looked around, “It’s from Chase, addressed to ‘Sophia James’ from ‘Dr. Harrison’. That’s your ‘name’ right?” It was, “Come sit down I’ll read it aloud.” Just then the phone on the wall rang, “Yes?” Jenny answered it, “I’ll send him right up,” she hung up, “That’s you Andrew, apparently the cat smells.” She gave him an apologetic look. “I got to go, tell me what it says later,” with that he was out the door and down the hallway.
I opened the letter,
“Dear Georgia Skay,
Steaven and I have very important news, so important you must burn this letter after reading it. We have found a way out. A way to get to the near planet Selder. That is the nearest planet to us that still follows the human-rights act set up by the Treaty of Wern. Since no one knows what the Ladoes did with