Unbroken

Chapter 13

"Thank you for helping me back there." I said feeling like I should acknowledge what she had done for me.

"That's what sisters do for each other. They protect each other. Now, why don't you get those wet things off?" Tarra asked as she held out a towel to me.

I thought about her comment about being sisters. For a moment I wondered what was going on inside her twisted head. One day she beats me and brands me. The next day she is offering me a bath and new clothes. I couldn't figure her out. I took the towel from her and wrapped it around my shoulders and waited. She couldn't expect me to run around naked. She would have something else for me to wear.

Tarra gave me a sly smile as though she could read my thoughts. "Oh you'll love it!" She giggled. "It's just like mine." She said sweeping her hand down her frame.

I could only imagine what a gown like that would look like on me. I wasn't nearly as greatly endowed as she was. Her waist was much smaller than mine. Her hips were wide and her legs were long. I was almost the complete opposite of her. I would look even more ridiculous in one of those gowns than she did.

"Oh come on Roslyn don't crush all of my fun!" she said. "You'll look absolutely beautiful. I wouldn't let you down. You're my new sister." She giggled and turned to a wardrobe that was perched in the corner. She flung open the door and started pawing through her many dresses. She didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that she had just killed a man a few moments ago. She had rinsed the blood off of her hands in the pool and the whole incident seemed to be forgotten. I wondered how she did it. How she could turn it off and just move on. "Here we go!" she cheered and turned around with a terrifying gown in her arms.

My underclothes offered more coverage than the poor excuse of a gown she was holding. It would plunge and dip in all of the wrong places. I stared at it in horror. Part of me wondered where she got these gowns. I wondered who in the world would make them for her and if they had any other options in their shop. Tarra might be their only customer and they made the gowns because she threatened to kill them if they didn't.

"It's just lovely." I managed to choke out. She held it out to me with a large smile on her face and I took it from her.

"I'll let you get changed."

I knew that I didn't have a choice. Behavior wasn't an option. I had to do what they said. After a moment of telling myself that I didn't have to worry about impressing a group of slave traders I dropped my towel. I was reluctant to slip the gown on. The neckline plunged like nothing I had ever seen before. Even my mother would have said that this gown wasn't appropriate and that was saying something. There weren't any sleeves just a small strap to keep it up on my shoulder. A large section was missing out of the waist that would expose my brand. I guessed that was the entire point of the gown.

"Are you ready?" Tarra called and I answered that I was. She ran around the corner and her jaw dropped. "Oh Rose, you look absolutely gorgeous." I stiffened when she called me Rose. Grant was the only one who ever called me Rose. She threw her arm around my shoulder and hauled me over in front of a large mirror. "See? Don't you look beautiful?"

"Stunning." I replied and she started buttoning up the back of my new dress. Then she examined the burn on my side and pursed her lips.

"I think this needs some more salve. Wouldn't want it to get infected and have you die on us."

"We definitely wouldn't want that." I replied weakly as she smeared more of the thick foul smelling paste across my brand. It would probably be far less painful to die from an infected burn than from whatever they had planned for me.

"We are going to be the best of friends." Tarra said as she made me sit down in a chair and she started styling my hair. "I've always wanted to have a little sister." She sunk her fingers in my hair and twisted out an elaborate braid. "Ruben wouldn't ever let me have a little sister. I've been asking him for years to get me a sister so we can be best friends."

"When did Ruben take you?" I asked and she jumped around in front of me and her hand collided with my face. I stared in shock at the long finger that was extended right in front of my nose.

"Ruben didn't take me, he saved me." She growled staring me straight in the eye. Then her face broke into a large smile. "And he saved you too." Then she was behind me again with her fingers in my hair like nothing had happened. "There we go!" She said and held out a small mirror for me to look into. My hair was twisted up just like hers. We wore similar dresses. I caught a glance of a white scar on her side. The shapes looked similar to the angry red burn on my side. Tarra had been branded to and from the looks of it the scar was years old. I wondered what had happened to her to make her like this.

"I look so beautiful." I lied as I looked at my reflection. All I wanted to do was wrap myself up in a big blanket to cover myself. "We look just alike." I smiled at her and she answered my smile with one of her own.

"Thanks Rosie." She said. "Let's go see Ruben. He will be so pleased. Maybe he will let Grant out to see you too. Grant will think that you look beautiful."

I paused when I realized that we had given the name Reginald. She shouldn't know Grant's real name. "Who's Grant?" I asked.

She sighed and shook her head as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You know who Grant is. We know his name isn't Reginald."

"How?"

"The same way we knew your name wasn't Julianne. It's alright though. I forgive you for lying to me. You didn't know that we were going to be sisters or you wouldn't have done it. Grant will be excited to see you. And Ruben will be happy too. He will probably reward Grant for bringing you to us."

I felt my blood run cold as I processed what she was saying. I didn't know how to react. Tarra smiled at my expression as I realized what she was saying. She was trying to convince me that Grant had been the reason for our capture. I thought of the expression on his face when we had been captured. I thought about how they had hurt him and all of the pain that they had caused both of us. This had to be some sort of mind game for her. Grant couldn't be one of them. My mind raced for some sort of explanation. I thought back to when Grant and I were in the shack together. I had wrapped his ribs for him. If he were one of them he would have a brand on his torso similar to the one that I had. 

Tarra was just playing a game with me and I would play along with her. 

"What?" I gasped with my eyebrows shooting up. I forced an expression of hurt onto my face and I glared at her. "What are you talking about?!" 

"Grants worked for us for a while now. He always brings in the best slaves who fetch the best price. He brought me my new sister and that's cause for a great reward. Ruben will be really pleased." She tugged on my hand pulling me with her and I realized that we were going outside. "You must feel so betrayed. You didn't expect to be joining us. Grant betrayed you." She said and I played along by nodding. She threw her arm around me and pulled me against her side to comfort me. "It's aright you'll love it here once you become one of us."

I thought of the brand at my side and the new dress that I was wearing and I wondered what else I would have to do to become one of them. I almost didn't want to know what else I would have to do.

"I thought I was one of you."

"Almost." She said sweetly. "There are just a few more tests until you get to the final test. And then you will be one of us and you can be my sister forever."

"What's the test?"

"I'm really not supposed to tell you it's supposed to be a surprise."

"I won't tell Ruben if you tell me. Sisters always keep secrets for each other."

"You're right, we are sisters now." We stopped walking and she cupped her hands over my ear to whisper to me. "You have to kill the one who betrayed you." Then she stood up and with her arm around me tried to keep walking but I didn't move. I stood there as I tried to process what she had just told me.

I would have to kill Grant.