Imprisoned

Chapter 2

Away down the lonely road, Alex sprinted. As soon as her parents' house was out of sight, she willed herself away to her office.

The office was a calm refuge compared to where she was before. And also her house.

As she got into her bed, there was a knock on the door. Annoyed, she moved toward it.

Margaret walked in obviously shaken and asked, "Miss, please. A warm room for the night?" 

"What happened to you?" Alex asked. Margaret was wearing very torn and wet clothes, and her body wasn't much better. "Never mind that, why are you here at this ungodly hour?" Alex was furious. It was true that she severly disliked being called 'Miss;' she hated it even more when she was thoroughly spent physically.

Alex moved to strip her bed of the blankets and lay them on the ground. No energy to make a new bed.

"Miss," Margaret spoke in a soft voice, as if afraid. "I think the Queen is angry. My village and all those nearby are destroyed. Only the big cities in Ory seem standing." Margaret collapsed onto her cot.

"No." Alex's voice cut through the air.

Margaret opened her eyes. "Did you visit and argue again, Miss? I've warned you against both of those."

"It's Thanksgiving."

"Was Miss Melanie home?"

"Of course she was." Alex sat up on her bed and began braiding her hair.

"What about Sam?" Margaret asked curiously.

Alex's breath hitched slightly. "He's supposed to come here tomorrow."

"Is he hurt?" Lots of worry in Margaret's voice now.

"I hope not." Alex was not feeling well now. Mixed with all the weariness of the day was the growing fear that Sam and Melanie might somehow gotten hurt.

Alex was quiet.

"What did you do?" Melanie asked, concerned by the silence.

"Go to sleep, Margaret," Alex said sharply.

"How many times did Mam whip you?"

Alex turned away from Margaret, heart racing. "Good night, Margaret," she said, and turned down the fire.

---

Sam was hurting. Horribly. His body felt like noodles.

Aditri was shaking him, rattling his bones every time she jerked him.

"Leave me, Adi. I need to sleep."

"What?" Aditri's tight voice asked. "Sam, you stupid idiot, wake up. We have to work. " And then a whisper, "Miss Alexandra is waiting for you."

That last sentence had him sitting upright in a matter of milliseconds.

Sam groaned and fell back into bed.

"What happened?" Aditri asked.

"Sticks and stones," Sam muttered. "What all of you did to me yesterday."

A shadow passed over Aditri's face. "You don't mean..."

"Yes. It actually hurt. Those things you threw at me yesterday were not sponges."

"Oh, I'm so sorry. I thought she had that wall up like she usually does-scare only, you know?-Oh, Sam, let me help you..." Aditri spoke all of this very fast.

Sam was amused.

"Oh, stop giving me that look." She moved Sam into a sitting position.

"What look?"