Liberty kids: Henri meets Jolene

Chapter twelve

Henri and Lafayette were out in the woods looking for Jolene, who had ran into the woods after being frightened by Sarah.

"Jolene! Jolene where are you?", Lafayette called out.
"We know you're hiding out here!"
"Please, Jolene! Come out from where you're hiding! Sarah won't hurt you!"
Suddenly they heard a girl crying. They look around to find where the crying came from and finally found Jolene tucked in a tree, whimpering.
"Te voila, Jolene. I'm coming up." Henri went over to the tree and climbed up to where Jolene was perched and sat beside her. Lafayette stood by the base of the tree.

"What was she doing there? Richard had to have sent her!"
"You mean one of those redcoats that killed your parents. Jolene, what did you mean?"
"I forgot to tell you this."
"Tell me what?"
"About the two British men. One of them, Richard Kingston, took me in as his servant."

"Vraiment? That's exactly what happened after my parents died. I know what that feels like. To pay off the agreement for coming to America, he made me work as his cabin boy. He made me work nonstop, and treated me very poorly. Even when I made the smallest mistakes he would lock me up in a cell for hours. It was torture."

Jolene felt bad for Henri.
"That's awful to hear you go through, Henri. But I bet you've been thorough the least worst than I have."

"You see, the reason Richard and his friend killed my parents was for revenge. My father was part of a group of fifty five men that attacked and burned a British ship called the Gaspee, in a port in providence, Rhode Island colony. Richard happened to be on that ship that night. Papa joined the attack because he wanted what was best for his new home, though he always loved his homeland. Me and mamma stayed home that night.
Richard was capture along with the other British men but he escaped. He wanting revenge on anyone who was part of the raid. He chose papa as that target and managed to find out where we lived. So along with a friend, Richard came and torched our house, killing my parents."

"The several days later, he found me wondering in the woods. He knew I was his fallen enemy's daughter, so he captured me and took me in as his servant, though I'd actually call myself a salve, as i felt like I was treated that way. Richard would make me work day and night, barely fed me, and especially treated me very badly.

He abused me constantly, for when I made the smallest mistakes, when I did didn't answer him right away, or even for no reason at all. He's beat black and blue, breaking my nose or a bone now and then, and would throw food, dishes, and glass bottles at me. He even slashed a deep gash into my shoulders once. I still have the scar. Afterwords, he would look me in the dirt filled shed for up to nine hours."

"All those three years I've been there I was nothing but miserable. I would cry almost every night, wishing I died in that fire with mama and papa instead of staying in this world suffering. Yet I can hear their voices in my mind, comforting me and giving me the Courage to push forward, so I kept holding my head up high, just for their sakes. Richard would never completely break my spirits."

"After three years of torture, I finally had the courage to run away. I carefully planned my escape, and that night, adorned with my mama's shawl and papa's hat, I got on a wild horse I found and took care of secretly. I named him sport. I got in him, along with a sack of provisions and Mignon, speeding away from Richard's house. I didn't stop riding until I was out of Rhode Island Colony."

"I entered in Pennsylvanian colony and sought out a place where I could settle down, which was a wooded area. That was the most safest space to live in, because I seldom wanted to be seen out in town just in case a British person was lurking around, also because I feel much more comfortable here. As I travel further into these woods I found a abandoned cabin that was broke down. All it needs was a bit of patching up, which I learned how to do from papa. So I fixed the cabin and settled there, and that's where me, Mignon, and Sport have been since."