Blank

CHAPTER 2

I woke up with a start as the light pierced my eyes and the noise of the morning drummed in my ears. A typical morning... except for the noise, which was new. I stood up quickly and stretched as I wondered why a huge crowd had formed in the street. My father was late though and that meant I couldn't enter the old rickety shack of a house we had. I huffed and sat down again, forcing my curiosity down to the depths of my mind. I was not going to push my nose into other's business. What people hated the most were nosy gossiping beggars. However, as time passed the crowd grew and the shared whispers became coupled with glances in my direction. I furrowed my brows as a few quips of "poor child" were thrown in my direction. I could barely hold back my curiosity any more and moved towards the crowd. They gave me way as I advanced, each step a little lighter than the first. There were a few gasps of shock but I ignored them as the crowd's attraction came into view. The body of a thin man lay on the street and as my eyes fell on it they lit up with joy. I was finally free of that accursed old man. I bent down and placed a hand on his chest then felt around his body for the key. Once I found it, I went straight to the door, unlocked it and entered the house, closing the door behind me. I wanted to scream as I took in deep breaths of fresh fatherless house air, the stench of aged mead no longer sticking to everything and everywhere.
A few neighbours talked openly about how shocked I was and how distraught I looked. Some even pitched a few coins to have the corpse buried on holy ground with a simple headstone. I snorted at their blatant waste of money as I made my way to the bath. I needed to get the grime of the last three days off. I stripped out of my clothes, a little bit confused at it's state. The blood soaked into the rough fabric was an astonishing amount...and I was not injured. Did the old man cling to me in his last moments before choosing a more befitting resting place for himself or was there another reason? My mind went back to the man from the bar and I shook my head. He was just a scamming brat who had been scared away after noting how impossible it was to scam me. I cleaned myself up, shivering as the cold water touched my skin, I could never get used to it.

Getting some old rags, i cleaned the puddles of water on the floor boards and got myself a change of clothes before heading out. I stepped onto the cobblestone road and winced as the noise assaulted my ears ... but the streets were quite empty and the body was gone. i shook my head, quelling the humming in my mind before taking a tentative step forward.

"Oh hello, dear." a voice called out to me from my right and i turned my head to gaze upon the kind likeness of the round old woman who went by the name of Kammie. She smiled as she walked towards me, her eyes filled with empty sympathy, the likes of which you would give to a starving child on its mother's death bed. I gave her a smile of my own, praying in my heart that she would make it brief... I was yet to have my breakfast.

 "My condolences, dear. A poor child like you shouldn't have been left alone in this world... Your father was a good man... in his own way."

"And i shall miss him terribly.", I said with a nod of my head as my stomach rumbled and my smile seemed to slip.

"Oh dear...you must be famished. Let me get you a piece of bread, fresh from the oven. There's no way i could leave you to fend for yourself, dear."

With that she waddled away as fast as her little legs could take her, walking into the house; followed by a pale man with large eyes and huge feet. i furrowed my brows as i watched him enter. Was he a stranger? Her husband, perhaps? i shrugged and chose to leave it as none of my business. If large eyed men were her type, who was i to judge?

She walked out of the house and quickly made her way over to me, a large smile on her face. i smiled and took the bundle from her hands,  my thanks lighting up her eyes and appealing to her self righteousness. I raised my head, my eyes meeting that of the pale man as he stood on the porch, watching me. A shiver ran down my spine as the noise resurfaced and my vision seemed to blur. i shook my head and rushed off, trying to get rid of the noise and the old man's gaze. Kammie had called out to me and so had many others, the noise in my head turning into people screaming out my name. I closed my eyes and...

I woke up, breathing heavily as i sat up in my bed. My head was pounding...or was it the door? The pounding came again and i shot out of bed and rushed down. My mind was surprisingly empty as i made my way to the door. I should have asked more questions, been more suspicious, before opening the door. I didn't though and found myself coming face to face with a scarred, burly man. He grinned widely as he devoured me with his eyes. I felt phantom hands rolling over me, touching me, pulling my dress apart... I felt sick. 

Before i knew it, we were sitting at the table, my hands on my lap to prevent him from reaching out and touching me again. He laughed and barked, throughout the whole conversation...yet my mind could register nothing. Did I beg and plead or was I aloof when answering his questions? My mind was a blur as the sound of my beating heart filled my ears. 

When I came to, they were gone and the house had been trashed. i took myself off the floor and sat in the corner, my head in between my legs. Then it hit me... I had a debt to pay.