Pain of the Whispers

Chapter 27

I woke up to Mother yelling my name. I nearly had a heart attack, but quickly recover from it as I scurry out from my hay bed. I launch out of the hatch but nearly land on Mother, she was standing right beside the hatch. That made Mother give me a mouth full of insults for not paying attention. I just stood there and took it, sighing under my breathe as I knew it was my fault. When Mother finished, she announced. "Get some decent covering clothes on. I'm taking you clothes shopping." Excitement fills my mind; I was so tempted to jump up and down. I have never been clothes shopping before with Mother. This must mean that Mother has noticed how hard I have been training and wants to show me that I deserve new clothes! Mother killed my excited thoughts when she turns her back to me and says as she goes down the corridor. "I'm buying you new clothes because your old ones look so torn and thin. Your body has also made a few changes, all of your clothes have grown short. So have your only shorts and pants. You also have to look decent for when Bill and his father come over later this afternoon." Mother always had a catch when she was giving me something new. I scram to go back up the hatch as I put on the clothes that I wear to go into the village square. Ever since I killed the Box man, a random man has taken over his stand. The random man was hateful and simply hated me, no matter how nice I tried to be. Red kept on telling me to not worry about it, that the man was not worth any thought. He bothered me so badly that I dreaded the days I had to go into the village square. But what I dreaded the most right now was seeing Bill. Bill and his father haven't come for a visit since the climbing wall incident. I was glad, maybe it would scare them away. Sadly, it did not, them coming over today proved that. I undress and slip on my very dark gray pants, which barley comes over my lower stomach and the pant leg's cuffs stop high on my shin. I pull my black long sleeve on, which gets me frustrated. The shirt has gotten shorter, showing my stomach a bit. I turn to the side, looking in the mirror. I didn't understand what was happening to me, why didn't I look like the other little girls in the village? My hands were drawn to my chest which wasn't as flat as it was last year. It was never that flat last year, but I had little bumps. But this year the bumps have grown bigger, making my shirt short and feel a bit tight. I slip on my running boots as I think. I have grown six inches since, and my behind has grown a bit as well. Weirdly, my stomach still was the same size but my feet have grown an inch as well. I took notice that Red was growing as well. Red grew taller, I was under his chin now when we use to be the same height. His facial features turned a bit sharper; his little sticky arms and legs grew a bit wide. Red would randomly joke and flex his arms at me saying he was slowly growing muscle. I just smiled and let him believe that. When I would ask Red questions about how my body was changing, thinking he would know. But he would get all awkward and weird about it saying he didn't know. I knew he was hiding something from me. Lately he has been acting weird around me. When I would be to close by him or try to hug him good night, he wouldn't want to touch me. Like I had some disease! I thought I smelled bad like a skunk but it wasn't that so I didn't know what was up with him. I would also catch him reading books about the human body and other books about magic or the animal body or even books about girls and boy in love? Weird things like that. Red actually learned how to start reading a month after I killed the Box man, ever since then he read all the time, every minute of the day when he could. I flew down the hatch, racing down the corridor. The past year made me learn a few things, how to go down the corridor faster, how not to cry out in pain when Mother upped the punishments for the smallest things, and how to hold my breathe under water for two minutes straight. More things were learned but that was the main things I focused on. I didn't tell Red about Mother punishing me more and more, I didn't want to worry Red even more then he already has been. I got down the flight of stairs as I seen Mother waiting for me. Mother was dressed in a short black Sunday dress; the dress made her soft jade green eyes pop in a way only I could see. Mother was very beautiful; it was another thing I looked up to Mother as a role model as. Aside from all the pain she inflicted on me at times. But I knew she had good reason I assume. Mother mutters with a strained smile as she fixes my hair to the side. "It would look in vain for me to make you wear a black cloak, so you have to go into the village square looking like that." I hang my head; my self-confidence went down to Hell's level. I hated that I was shaming Mother in anyway, but I didn't know what to do about it. Mother sighs as she goes to the front door. "Come on, let's get going before it's six o clock. You need to clean the entire castle before it reaches lunch time." I follow Mother out the castle to the trapped porch, when we were done with the porch, we start down the dirt path. I was so excited to be in the village square but the worries of shaming Mother or the random man at the Box man's stand just drifted off. The worries flowed and drifted in the air away from me like an olive-green tree leaf in the merrily wind. Mother paces to one of the striking beautiful clothes shop I always imagined going in. When we entered the shop, I was awed struck. My eyes scan everywhere, my heart going in loops of excitement. The shop was full of pants, shorts, shirts, skirts, dresses, shoes, boots, high heels, etc. The entire theme of the shop seemed so magical, the shop was huge and had all kinds of different area of designs. One area had fancy dresses that you would wear to balls. One area was all gear and military like style clothes. The other was normal dressing clothes. Another was all dresses for little girls to older girls, even older women. There was just so many different areas that I could've spent the whole day looking at them. In the far back of the store was the checkout where a middle-aged woman merged from behind the counter. The woman wore an enthusiastic bright smile that looks kind of forced. "Oh, how may I help you today ma'am?" Mother gave a bright smile back. "Oh, I hope we won't be a bother by asking where is the military clothes?" The middle-aged woman gave a little frown but corrected herself as she presented an even brighter smile then Mother. "No, it's no bother at all! The military clothes are right over there, right by the big sale sign." Mother gave a presentable smile as she said. "Thank you for help, may the rest of your day be blessed." Mother snatches my arm in a tight grip as she pulls me over to the military clothes section. While she was pulling me, I wanted to finish looking at the black clothing behind us so I took a glance behind us. I see the middle-aged woman frowning at us, especially at me. Mother stops dragging me when we are far from the check-out counter and deep in the military clothes section. Mother grabs a random thing off a clothes rack which was a black FRC T-shirt, she leans over acting like she's showing me it as she whispers in my ear. "This is a test of your recent training. You have to at least take one thing from here without getting caught. If you get caught, you will get the bathroom." A chill went down my spine as flashes of moments from the bathroom punishment floods my mind. Mother adds another thing. "It could be anything. I'll even let you keep it. Do not get caught, don't shame me again today." I nod and give a small smile as I pretend to like the thing, she showed me as I take notice to the middle-aged woman glancing at us, smiling as well. Mother says out loud as she puts the shirt up. "You can look at other clothes while I pick yours." I nod and wander off, going far away from the middle-aged woman at the counter. I didn't want nothing for me I already was getting clothes, that was more than enough already. I look around for something Red would like. That's when I found something Red would be amazed by. The book he was reading about the girl and the boy was a series of books I guess, because what I found was the last book of the series. Red has been complaining that he could never snatch the last book because he could never find it. I grin with pride; Red would absolutely love this! But the book was big, how was I going to snatch this? The voices were all laughing at me, saying that I would get caught and beat badly by Mother. Snickers and chuckles roared throughout my mind, making it hard to think about how I could steal it. I open the book right in the middle of the story as I lift my shirt open a bit and stuff it in my shirt. I move it around, making it look like its my stomach. But the shortness of my shirt was making me struggle to keep the book hidden. I fold my arms around me, trying to seal away any sight of it as much as I can. I put on a sick act, making my expression look ill, sickly, pained. I wander back to Mother, finding her at the checkout counter. I pray in my mind that I don't get caught, but I knew my plan must work it was the only one I could come up with. The voices joked and teased about the pain I would feel tonight. I try to hide behind Mother but Mother steps aside, giving a beaming smile to the counter lady. Couldn't hide behind Mother so I guess I would really have to go through with the rest of my plan. The middle-aged woman gave a glance to me with suspicious sparking in her eyes. "Oh, child are you okay?" In return for a response, I hunch over a bit making gagging noise. Mother plays along as she says. "My dear you must have fallen ill! Go outside before you ruin this poor woman's dear shop." I rush out of there as fast as I can go, making a clear shot to the door before I dearly drop the book out my shirt. I make it outside, tempting to hop up and down that I made it out alive and well. A couple of minutes pass before Mother comes out with four bags full of clothes. Mother gives an amused smile as she says. "I must say the sick act was very believable." Mother drops all the bags as she starts walking away from the shop. My excitement could have reached to the sky, that must mean Mother was proud of me!! I race to pick up all the bags while I run after Mother.