Saraphine

Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Saraphine stood still as stone and chewed furiously on her lip. Her mama? What could Missus possibly have to tell her about her mama?

"I know you were under the assumption that your mama had been sold at auction...."

"It was no assumption," Saraphine quickly countered. She saw Missus' eyes narrow and lowered her head. "I apologize, Missus. I merely meant that I saw her loaded into the wagon bound for auction."

Missus shook her head. "She never made it to auction, Saraphine. She was never intended for auction."

Saraphine's blood froze in her veins.

Please no....

"What did you do to my mother?" she hissed.

Missus' eyes widened and she blinked several times, clearly shocked by Saraphine's sharp tone. "I did nothing that was not required of me. She was broken, Saraphine and a broken slave serves no purpose. I could not have attempted to sell her. Would you buy a broke watch or a shattered lantern? Of course you wouldn't."

Saraphine's blood went from frozen to boiling. "What did you do to my mama?"

Missus' breathing became more labored as she attempted to raise herself on her bed. "I only want you to know so you aren't holding out some false hope... Your mother was put down, Saraphine. Just as any broken farm animal would be."

Saraphine saw red. "Farm animal?" she snapped, careful to keep her voice low so no one else would be alerted to her temper.

"Calm... yourself..." Missus gasped, fumbling for the bell on her nightstand.

Saraphine beat her to it and moved it out of her reach. "You murdered my mother?"

Saraphine stared down at the frail, dying woman upon the bed. She had never had a truly violent nature—but just now Saraphine wanted to kill Missus.

She grabbed an extra pillow from beside Missus and stood over the bed. Missus' mouth worked rapidly up and down but no sound came from her lips except a desperate gasping for air.

"You used my mother as a slave to do your bidding, treating her no better than a piece of farm equipment. You allowed her to be raped by your foreman and instead of helping her recover, you murdered her?"

Missus' blue eyes were full of fear and Saraphine felt a power she had never known flow through her.

"We are not farm equipment. We are not somehow less than you simply because of the color of our skin. We are flesh and blood. We have thoughts, feelings and souls. We need kindness, warmth and love just the same as you or any other human being."

Saraphine was lost in her anger. She could tell wrong from right through the rage and sorrow roaring in her veins. Her mother. Mary. Cecil. All the slaves currently dying in the quarters and every slave who had been senselessly murdered simply because of the color skin they'd been born with. They all needed avenged.

Daniel had once said he couldn't see why colored folks put up with being treated the way they were and Saraphine finally saw that he was right.

She was done putting up with it.

Saraphine stepped to the edge of the bed and held that pillow tight. "Please...." Missus' voice was nothing more than a breathless whimper. "I'm sorry..."