~Sorry for the last chapter.
It was super depressing, and I wasn't feeling the best when I wrote it, so I kinda poured out my misery in it...
Anywho, I'll get back to the story...
~
A week passed.
Then two.
Lewis was constantly worried about Bill, almost to the point of where he couldn't eat or sleep. He had nightmares about what was happening to his brother.
The same went for Bill. He didn't know that slavery wasn't always like this and he thought about what could be happening to his little brother.
Havart had drunk himself unconscious, so Bill was free for the morning. He'd slept in later then normal and stole breakfast for himself. Something had happened to his right eye, which was swollen and almost impossible to see through. In desperation, Bill had tied a black cloth around it in a makeshift eyepatch. Harvat didn't say anything about it, but he knew it was infected. His eye would never be the same. Since Harvat was still out cold, he decided to take a chance and take a walk around town.
The same day, Marsha sent Lewis on an errand to the market. He'd paid the lady for the flour and eggs, when he'd turned to see Bill, limping away from him. He shouted his name and Bill glanced behind him. When he saw Lewis, his face lit up. Lewis ran over and grabbed his brother in a hug. Bill stroked Lewis' hair. "You're alive," he whispered.
Lewis leaned his head back. "What happened to your eye?"
Bill shook his head. "It's nothing."
Lewis ignored him and pushed the cloth up and gasped. "Who did this to you?"
Bill shook his head again. "There's nothing you can do about it." He looked over his little brother. "You look terrible," he said. Lewis' clothes hung off his small frame and there were deep circles under his eyes.
"I'm fine," Lewis said. "I was worried about you."
Bill let his shoulders sag, showing his fatigue. "I was worried about you too. What's your owner like?"
"She's nice," Lewis said. "I'm guessing yours isn't."
Bill shrugged. "Just stay alive and get some sleep."
"You're leaving?" Lewis said. His lip quivered.
Tears gleamed in Bill's good eye. "I have to."
Lewis hugged Bill again. "Please don't leave me again! Take me with you!"
"I can't," Bill said softly.
"Please!" Lewis cried into his shirt. "You're the only family I have!"
Bill clutched onto his brother like a lifeline. He opened his mouth, but nothing came out, so he closed it again. Then, he buried his face in his brother's hair and was shaking with silent sobs, muttering his apologies over and over again, not wanting to let go any more than his brother.
E
eventually, he pried Lewis' fingers off him. "I'll make a deal with you," Bill said, his voice hoarse from crying.
"A deal?" Lewis asked with a hiccup.
Bill nodded. "I'll find a way to escape and I'll come for you too and we can both get out of here. All you have to do is eat and get some rest. I promise you that I'll be fine. Just give me a week or two."
Lewis looked his older brother up and down then swallowed. Bill didn't look like he could last more then two days, but he nodded. "You really promise?"
Bill forced a smile on his face. "Have I ever lied to you?"
In answer, Lewis grabbed Bill's waist. "Please don't die. Not like mom and dad."
"Don't worry," Bill whispered. "I won't."
~
Harvat was awake when Bill got back. He was holding the whip and had a hard expression on his face. Bill wiped away the tears that wouldn't stop flowing. He glanced at that whip and his gut twisted.
"Were we ya?" Harvat yelled at him, stomping over and smacked Bill over the head with the handle of the whip. Bill had tried to avoid it, but it still caught the side of his head. "In town, sir." Bill answered, head ringing.
"Why were ya there?" Harvat yelled, trying to hit Bill again, but missing because he was so drunk. Bill put his arms over his head and ran to the shelter of the barn, locking the door behind him. Harvat couldn't stop himself and ran right into the barn door. Bill winced, crawling back to find a safe place to hide if he got in. He could hear Harvat start to whip the door, yelling curses, at both Bill and the door.
Eventually, Harvat gave up, but Bill didn't dare go out there. He'd wait until morning, when Harvat would have drank so heavily, that he'd forget what Bill did.
~
Marsha had her arm around the sobbing boy. He'd come back from town with cracked eggs and spilled flour all over him and tears running down his face. He'd immediately ran up to her and clutched to her sobbing.
Marsha tried to ask Lewis what was wrong, but he wouldn't answer her. She brought him inside and cleaned him up as he cried. He eventually told her it was about his brother. They'd run into each other and he didn't look too good. Marsha was surprised when she heard that older boy was still alive. He'd looked so small when Harvat had bought him.
She held Lewis until she heard him softly snoring. Her heart had always been too soft for having slaves, so she picked the boy up and set him in his bed of straw and blankets because there were no extra beds. Many of her slaves lived in this room because she couldn't afford beds. She lightly kissed Lewis' forehead. "You'll see him soon, lad," she whispered. "Even if I have to steal him from Harvat myself."
~theshipper101~
Hopefully this wasn't too heart wrenching.
Sorry.
I am actually really descriptive with this fanfic and feelsy. This wasn't suppose to happen!!! How?!?
So, yeah, I'm going to camp for a week without wifi or electronics so I really had to hurry up this ending because its almost 11pm and I need to get up at 7 tomorrow, so, yeah...
Last update for a while. Hope y'all liked it!
Night!
Btw, I'll try to make a drawing of Lewis one of these days so you can see how I imagine him. Thanks!
