Unthinkable (BWWM)

Chapter 5: What Now?

Charles

The temptation rises in me everyday of wanting to go to my sisters' tents just so I could see her. It had been nine days since she had started working as a house slave for my sisters. I familiarized myself with her schedule, she would wake from the slave house that all slaves shared, eat the small breakfast they were offered then she would head straight to my sisters' tent early in the morning to start her duties. She would stay until night time, then she would go back to the slave house together with every other slave owned in this settlement. I would always take a peek at her whenever she was making her way to and from my sisters' tent in the midst of the sun's absence. I've tried stopping myself for this unintentional foolish act, but I knew if I hadn't seen her at those times, I would eventually go to my sisters' tent and make a fool of myself just gazing at her or worse. I paced back and forth running my hands through my hair viciously not knowing where to begin to subside my mind from thinking about her.

"Ok, you need to calm down. What ever that has been on your mind these past couple of days, need to go from your mind," I furrowed my eyebrows not believing how the voices in my head were loud, I turned around noticing my brother sitting on my bed.

"I'm good, nothing is bothering me," I assured him, trying to ignore this subject that he has brought up several times.

"Talk to me! Is it mother you miss? Is it the deaths you've witnessed? Or the house slaves being whipped?" I closed my eyes sighing.

"No Roy, It's nothing. Things are getting serious with us the older we get," I started, knowing well that I have to make a good excuse from what was really on my mind. "I mean look, just a couple of months ago in England, we were young and playing rugby and golf and going to all kinds of parties and balls, now we are here taking over a land all together."

"You miss home," Roy said, firmly searching my face as if he figured out the missing puzzle in his brother's life.

"I'm just saying, I'm realizing how life is changing around us, that's all," I sighed again, that's it. I really need to get her out of my mind.

My actions had been speaking louder than what I would tell myself. She had started appearing in my dreams. I felt a cold sweat run down my back. The unholy thoughts of her that have been creeping up on me lately. I sat up on my bed burying my face in my hands replaying what I was dreaming of. I was dreaming of her and it seems I've been drawn to her and I wasn't sure if it was desire or lust. I ran my hands through my hair then I heard gunshots. My head shot up and my brother was awoken by them as well.

"What is that?" He asked and I just rushed outside. The horrifying scene playing in front of me. Roy was beside me grasping of what was going on. It was dark and all the men got their lamps and horses and began charging to the woods.

"They're escaping! Get them!" Some settlers yelled as they hopped on their horses. Roy looked at me then joined the chaos ready to fight for whatever was in the woods. I could hear the unfamiliar foreign yelling coming from the woods combined with fast paced footsteps of the horses. I froze. I went to the slave house to search for her, but I couldn't see in the darkness. I didn't ask around other slaves, It would become suspicious. The adrenaline in my system surfaced to my veins immensely and in that moment I was determined to proceed to the woods. I didn't bring a horse, again not wanting to draw attention to myself. My legs' speed increased as I took a different route from where the rest of the settlers took. I was going to find her but I didn't know why.

Naomi

Everyone had gathered at our property. Everyone was talking. Everyone was preparing for the worst. It had been nine days since I was captured. I guess the idea triggered everyone's attention quickly, anger settling in the atmosphere. There were no children around as it was still night time and they needed their sleep. My face grew hot as people parted ways for Tafari and the others to bring me to my anxious family. A sense of weakness rushed in me as I realized that I was in Tafari's arms from the forest and I remembered how my father hated the expression of weakness. I quickly squeezed Tafari's arm letting him know to put me down.