In Chains Page 5

  “I might have a job,” I say, smiling at him.

  “What, here? I expect a free lunch if I come in here when you’re working.”

  Simon is already home by the time Ben drops me off. Now we’re playing a game of chess. I know how to play but I’ve never been good at it. I can never think more than a couple of moves ahead and I’m useless at attacking. Funny, I play chess the same way I play life. Simon is currently ahead. I pluck up the courage to ask him a question that’s been bugging me. “Why don’t you want me to be alone with Kayden? If he can’t have sex then you don’t have to worry about him raping me.”

  He moves his knight to threaten my bishop. “If it raped you Savannah, I’d have it killed. And I don’t like the way you keep referring to it as Kayden.”

  I move my bishop back out of the firing line. “But that’s his name.”

  “Slaves don’t have names. They have numbers. Its number is F523GH. I’ve got its birth records, it doesn’t have a name. If it’s manipulated you into calling it by a name, it made it up itself.” He moves his bishop, which now threatens my queen. Manipulated me? I don’t care if Kayden did make his name up, it’s still his name and there’s no way I’m calling him slave, or even worse by a number.

  Moving my queen along a square, I ask, “What is the pound?”

  Simon’s next move puts my king in check. “The pound? No idea, never heard of it.”

  I move my king along one space. “So how does someone become a slave? Are they all born slaves? Can someone capture me as a slave?” I know I sound clueless and I’m throwing fifty questions at Simon but I have no experience of slavery. We grew up on a council housing estate and no one there owned slaves. Me and Dan lived in a poor area as well.

  “Of course not, you’re human,” he says as he takes my queen.

  Damn it, I need my queen. “Slaves are human,” I say, moving one of my pawns forward.

  He moves his bishop across the board and takes my knight. “No, they’re not human. They’re Neanderthal.”

  I give up trying to play and just move a random pawn forward. “Neanderthals have been extinct for years.”

  “They found out that’s not the case. They’ve evolved like we have, so they don’t look like you imagine. You can tell because they all have brown and blue eyes, black hair and their hands and feet are bigger than ours.” He takes my castle.

  “So if someone has the misfortune to have black hair and big feet they’re captured as a slave?” This conversation is so ridiculous I can’t even play this game anymore. I knock over my king.

  “No one’s captured Savannah. They don’t do midnight raids.” He laughs at his own joke. “They test the DNA of all new-borns; have been doing it for years. If it has Neanderthal DNA, it’s put into slavery.” He puts the chess pieces and board back into its box.

  “Babies are taken away from their parents? Oh Simon, that’s awful.”

  “It doesn’t happen like that, don’t worry Savannah.” He sits on the arm of my chair and puts his arm around me. “You always were emotional. It probably happened like that to begin with. Nowadays all slaves are bred. They’re born into it.”

  He gets up and heads to the kitchen. I follow him. He boils the kettle and gets out two mugs. “They’re still taken from their parents though; the slave parent still loses a child,” I say.

  He pours milk into the mugs and puts teabags into them. “They’re not like us. There are slaves used for breeding. They have one kid after another. They don’t love their kids and they don’t expect to keep them.”

  “How do you know they don’t love their children?” I ask, frowning at him.

  He rolls his eyes. “This has been going on for years Savannah. I’m sure if they didn’t want to give up their kids they’d have done something about it by now.”

  “Do they have a choice? What can they do?” I ask, folding my arms across my chest.

  He slams the mugs on to the table. “I’ve had enough of this discussion. They’re slaves; they’re not like us so stop deluding yourself that they feel the same things you do. End of.” He picks up his mug and storms into the living room. I’m depressed, so I don’t ask him any more questions. He switches on the television and I continue reading my book. I had planned to write some more of my novel but I’m not in the mood to write anything romantic right now.

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  Savannah

  Around seven o’ clock the doorbell rings. Simon gets up to answer it and I hear Christina’s voice. Ugh, please tell me I’m not going to be stuck with her all evening. I’ll say hello and go up to my room. She struts in, wearing a tight red dress, throws her arms around Simon’s neck and they play kissy face. It’s okay for his girlfriend to snog the face off him but the guy I like isn’t allowed anywhere near me, because he’s not human apparently. Neither is Christina if you ask me. I’m saved from further torture when Simon takes her up to his room, telling me they’ll be back down in a couple of hours.

  I turn on my laptop and check my emails. My heart sinks when I see one from Dan. I hope he’s accepted my decision, but I have a bad feeling, he’s not the kind of man that gives up easily. Taking a deep breath I open it.

  BITCH! You think you can just walk away from me. You wanted to fuck another man, is that it? You’re nothing but a whore. I’m through being nice to you. You think you can make a fool of me, you just made a big mistake. I’m gonna find you and when I do I’ll make sure no other man will ever want to touch you again. I’ve got a bottle of acid with your name on it. I WILL FIND YOU WHORE.

  I stare at the screen, my heart thumping. I take slow, deep breaths to try to calm myself down. My head is crowded with thoughts. Could he have found Simon’s address? It’s possible. Would he risk coming here knowing that Simon is with me? Yes, he would. He doesn’t think clearly when he’s angry and I don’t think he’ll see Simon as a threat. I wipe my clammy palms against my jeans. Is he just trying to scare me into going back to him? Maybe, but he is unstable and he’s been violent before. Would he go as far as to throw acid in my face? I don’t know, I just don’t know. I hear the floorboards upstairs creak and I jump. I close my eyes and breathe. I need to be rational, this is an old house and things creak in old houses. It’s probably just Simon and Christina having sex. Signing out of my email I turn off my laptop. I’m not going to reply; maybe he just needs to rant. I pour myself a glass of wine and gaze at the television. I try to relax but the fear keeps building in my mind until I’m convinced that Dan is going to come banging on the door any second. I consider asking Simon and Christina to sit down here with me but then I would have to explain why, and I couldn’t take Christina sneering at me right now. And anyway, what if I get them both to sit with me and Dan doesn’t come, they’ll be mad that I ruined their evening over nothing.

  I put on my jacket and turn on the switch for the outside light. Opening the door a crack I peek out. It’s too dark to see anything, so I listen but I can’t hear anything. I step outside, quickly close the door and run as fast as I can towards Kayden’s caravan. Dried twigs snap under my feet and I hear rustling coming from the bushes. It’s hard to run when it’s too dark to see anything, I keep stumbling. I’m breathless and my heart is pounding when I finally see the dimly lit windows of Kayden’s caravan.

  Bursting through his door I’m about to tell him what happened when the words die in my throat. He’s kneeling on the floor, poised over a bucket full of water, his shirt in his hand. But what stops me dead in my tracks is the state of his back. It’s criss-crossed with thick, vivid, red welts from his shoulders to the waistband of his jeans. It looks painful and sore and I just want to give him a hug.

  He stands up, frowning at me. “Savannah, what’s wrong?”

  My worries seem so trivial to me now. I manage to croak out, “Did my brother do that to you?”

  He slips his shirt back on. “Yeah. He told me to stay away from you.” I’m putting him in danger by being here; I can’t do this to him. I turn to run
back out of the door. “Please don’t go,” he says, grabbing my arm. I flinch and he lets go as if he’s just been stung. He stares at me, wide eyed. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to touch…” sighing, he hangs his head. “I’m sorry for touching you. I know I’m not allowed to without permission and I know I disgust you.”

  What! “No,” I say, frowning. “Why would you think that?”

  He’s gazing down at his hands, picking at his fingernails. “The blond guy told me. He said you think I’m dirty and disgusting.”

  I reach out and gently stroke my hand along his arm. “He lied to you.”

  Slowly he raises his eyes to meet mine. “Then why did you flinch when I touched you?”

  “It wasn’t your fault. My arm’s bruised and it hurt when you grabbed it.”

  Frowning, he gently takes my arm and rolls up the sleeve of my top. He gasps as he sees the bruising. His eyes turn dark and he scowls. “Did he do that to you?”

  I pull my arm away and shake my head. “No. It was my ex-boyfriend. He hit me, so I left him and came here. I knew he wouldn’t like me leaving, he can be crazy but I didn’t think he’d…” Swallowing hard I gaze down at Kayden’s feet. “I just got an e-mail from him. He threatened me and I’m scared. My brother’s busy with his girlfriend so I came to see you. I don’t want to be alone.” He’s staring at me; his soft eyes are filled with care and concern.

  “Does he know where you are?” he asks.

  “I don’t know. I just don’t know.”

  He flinches as I throw my arms around his waist and bury my head in his shoulder. I quickly pull away. “I’m sorry…your back…I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

  He wraps his arms around me and tugs me back towards him. I’m careful to avoid his back, resting my head on his shoulder and my hands against his chest. I can feel his body trembling against mine and his heart beating beneath my palms. He smells wonderful, woody and earthy. His breath is tickling my neck. His hand is gently stroking the back of my head. I feel soothed and safe but then I remember that he got hurt because of me. If Simon finds me here with him he’ll hurt him again. Lifting my head I look into his eyes. “Kayden, thank you. I have to go, I can’t be here. I won’t let you get hurt because of me.”

  I attempt to pull away but his strong arms crush me tightly against him. “Don’t go Savannah,” he whispers. “I’ll be okay. It’s not the first time I’ve been beaten and it won’t be the last. I’ll live and anyway, I thought you were scared to be on your own,” he says, gazing down at me.

  My muscles relax and I rest my head back against him. “I am,” I mumble into his shoulder.

  “Then stay with me,” he says.

  For several minutes we stand there, wrapped together, finding comfort in each other. Glancing around, my eyes fall to the bucket of water on the floor. Nodding my head towards it I ask, “Were you trying to bathe your back?”

  He shakes his head. “No, I was trying to wash my shirt but it’s kinda hard when all I got is cold water and a tiny piece of soap.” I see his Adam’s apple bob as he swallows hard. “I was trying to clean myself up. I don’t want you to think I’m disgusting. I want you to…” He doesn’t finish his sentence, just shakes his head.

  I smile up at him, running my hand along his bristled jawline. “Nothing about you could ever disgust me. Shall I clean your back for you?”

  “It’s okay,” he says, “I don’t think it’s cut.”

  “Let me clean it. You don’t want to get an infection.”

  He reluctantly tugs his t-shirt off over his head and I can see there are several small cuts. Cool water may help take some heat out of his welts too. He kneels down beside the bucket. I can’t see a cloth anywhere so I decide to use the corner of his towel. Dipping it into the cold water I gently wipe it across his wrecked back. I can feel his hard, solid muscles. Why are some people so vicious and cruel? Both Dan and Simon think it’s okay to hit someone. I blink back tears and pat his back with the dry section of his towel. “There, all done.” I get up and hang his towel back on the nail.

  “Thank you Savannah,” he smiles at me.

  “Now I’ve got to go. I want to be back before my brother notices I’m gone.” He’s pouting at me and he looks so damn cute, I want to kiss him but I don’t feel comfortable making the first move. I flick my finger across his bottom lip, which makes him laugh. His laugh is deep and throaty and beautiful.

  “I’ll walk you back,” he says.

  “No. My brother might see you.”

  “I’ll walk past the orchard with you then. If he comes out I’ll hide in a tree,” he says, laughing. I roll my eyes at him but I’m glad he’s walking some of the way with me; I don’t want to leave him. He holds my hand in his rough, calloused one and my fears over Dan have vanished for now. I feel safe with Kayden.

  Luckily they are both still upstairs when I get back to the house. As I’m heading up to bed, Simon comes out of his room. “Savannah. We’re going to the movies tomorrow evening. Maybe we can all go for a pizza as well if you’d like that?” Eating pizza and seeing a movie sounds good but if they’re going out it means I could spend some time with Kayden and that’s way more appealing to me.

  “I may have got a job as a waitress. She’s trialling me tomorrow. I’ll probably be too tired to go out by the time I get back.”

  “Okay. If you change your mind, let me know,” he says.

  CHAPTER NINE

  Savannah

  As usual I wake up before everyone else. I’m assuming Christina stayed over as she was still here when I went to bed. I need to be at the cafe in an hour and a half. I’m looking forward to it. I hope I impress Jenny enough for her to hire me.

  I realise I over reacted about Dan yesterday. He’s not going to bother looking for me, or travelling all this way. He’s just mad that I left but he’ll get over it. He’s probably already found someone else. I know for a fact that the woman who lives in the flat opposite fancies him.

  Grabbing my cigarettes I head over to Kayden’s caravan. I knock at his door but there’s no answer so I go in. He’s not here but there’s a sheet of paper on his bed. I pick it up. It’s a drawing of a rose covered in dewdrops. It’s so lifelike I can almost smell it and he’s even signed his name, he remembered how to do it. I can’t help smiling; he must have drawn this for me.

  I go in search of him and spot him at the far end of the vegetable field, digging over some soil. I call out to him. He spins round. Throwing his spade to the ground, he runs towards me. He leaps over the vegetable plants and his sneakers kick up dirt behind him. I hold my breath, anticipating him crashing into me. He comes to a skidding halt inches from my face and grins down at me, his eyes shining. “Hey beautiful.” Wow, I could get used to being greeted like this every morning.

  We’re now sitting side by side on his bed. I thank him for my beautiful drawing. “I can give you a real rose in the summer,” he says. I wonder if I’ll still be here in the summer. I don’t know what the rents are like in this part of the country. I won’t earn that much working at the cafe, if she hires me at all. I’ll need to stay with Simon until I get some savings together to be able to afford my own place. Wherever I am, I’ll keep in touch with Kayden.

  “I may have a job,” I smile up at him, “at a local cafe. The lady who owns it is giving me a trial run today. I’ve got to be there at eight.”

  “That’s cool I guess but I don’t know why your brother can’t look after you.”

  I reach across to hold his hand. “I’d rather have my own money.”

  “I go to that cafe sometimes to deliver potatoes. Jenny’s really nice. I think she’ll like you.”

  “You know her?” I ask.

  He nods. “I peel the potatoes for her and cut them into chips. She pays me with food.” It sounds like he knows her well and I feel jealous. Jenny is older but maybe he likes older women. It sounds like she’s friendly with him. She feeds him too; she’s probably a better cook than me. I assumed he didn’t know
any women.

  “My brother’s going out this evening. He’ll be out for about five hours. If you’re not doing anything, maybe I can see you.”

  He beams at me, his eyes gleaming. “Yeah, that’ll be great. I’m not doing anything.” He brushes my fringe out of my eyes. “You can meet my friends. They’ll probably have some hooch.” I was hoping it would just be the two of us but I guess it could be fun to meet his friends. I hope they’re friendly. I wonder if they’re slaves too.

  I glance at my watch. I need to go to get ready for work. “Okay I’ll meet your friends. I’ll come and find you when my brother has gone out. I have to go, I’ll see you later.”

  “We don’t get too busy this morning so it’s a good day for you to learn the ropes,” says Jenny. “You can start by making me and James a cup of tea.” James is the current waiter, the one I’m hopefully going to be replacing.

  “Okay,” I say, tying my apron. “Have you owned this long?”

  “About five years love. James is my son, he’s been helping me out but he’s been offered a better job.”

  I make the tea. The cafe is empty but most people like a lie in on Sunday morning. James is reading the paper and Jenny is starting up the hob. “Are you married?” She asks me.

  “No, I’ve recently split up with my boyfriend. That’s why I came here. I’m staying with my brother. I was living in London.”

  “I used to live in London.” She takes a sip of her tea. “Well, you make a good cup of tea love,” she says, smiling at me. “I’m from south east London originally.”

  “Me too,” I say.

  “Small world,” she laughs.

  “So what made you move here?” I ask.

  “We wanted to buy a house and couldn’t afford one in the city. They were a lot cheaper, and larger out here.” I glance over as the cafe door opens. “They can be your first two customers,” she says.