Once Upon a Slave...

Prologue

Ezra's P.O.V

My body aches and covered in scratches and bruises. This was from hard labor as a slave. Me and my parents were slaves our whole lives and let me just say, it's horrible. I'm always tired and hurt so much and covered in so much dirt that I might as well be under ground. If we don't follow the rules then we go to the punishment room.

I guess it wasn't all to bad, I have my parents with me while some were separated from their families. I felt bad for them, I couldn't imagine being separated from my mom and dad. They are my only family that I have and I would be devastated if I even lose one of them.

I laid my tired head on my father's shoulder from another long day of hard work. "Someone's tired?" Mom said and I lifted my head and crossed my arms. "No, I'm not tired," I said and accidentally let out a yawn. "Lothrats," I muttered under my breath and my parents laughed at me. I smiled and laid my head back on my dad's shoulder.

   When we made it back to our cell, I was half asleep, half awake. My dad laid me down on the pile of pillows then I felt something run through my hair. I felt something next to my ear and before I fully went to sleep and closed my eyes, I saw both blurry forms of my parents lingering over me. I heard my mother whisper into my ear, "Goodnight Ezzy and happy birthday."

I woke up a little and felt mom kiss my cheek. I smiled and held out my hand. "Do you think we will ever be free?" I asked my daddy. My dad held my hand with a little squeeze. "I'm not sure but don't give up on hope and maybe someday, not just us but the whole galaxy will be free, you just have to have patience," he said and I nodded.

I let go and got as comfy as possible on the pillows. Mom and dad laid on the cold floor and I felt bad for hogging all the pillows. Every time I try to give one to them, they insisted that I keep them. I sighed and closed my eyes. "Goodnight mommy and daddy," I said, "I love you." "Goodnight Ezra, we love you too," they said and I closed my eyes and fell asleep.

*the next day*

I woke up with a yawn and sat up rubbing my eyes. We had a broken piece of glass that we use as a mirror and when I looked in it, I saw that I had some bed head. I spit on my hand and did my best to push down the lump of hair sticking up. When it wasn't working, I put the glass down carefully so I wouldn't cut myself. I groaned and looked to see if mom would fix it. She always says that it bugs her if she didn't fix it.

I laughed at the thought but when I looked around the cell, it was empty. I was confused, my parents would always tell me if they had to leave but they were no where in sight. "Mom? Dad?" I called and looked between the bars of the depressing cells that line the hall, each filled with slaves. I saw a guard walk down the hall and so I did what any rational seven year old would do if he can't find his parents.

"Have you seen my mom and dad?" I asked. "Shut up you lothscum or do you need a new scar on your back?" He asked and I shook my head no quickly. I knew not to mess with them or else I would be whipped. Hey, even though I'm young, they still treat me like all the other slaves. A tool of work. That's how they see us. To get jobs done or for ridiculous ways to entertain them.

"That's what I thought," the guard said and walked off grumbling. I forced myself not to roll my eyes or anything really. "Hey, kid," I heard the guy that was in the cell across from mine. I think his name was Cam? Casey? I don't remember. "I know where your parents are," he said. "Where?" I asked worried. My parents have been known to speak out to their master's here and it never ends well.

He gave me a look of sorrow and sighed. "W-Where are my p-parents?" I asked with my voice cracking and hands squeezing the bars. I felt my eyes water too, I was really worried. For all I knew, they were being punished or killed. "I'm sorry, kid, " he said, "but your family is being moved to a different slave camp." Everything in me dropped and my hands squeezed the bars so hard that they are probably white.

"S-Sent away?" I asked with tears filling my eyes more. "They were talking back to their master's and disobeying them to much," he said, "they said that if your parents could not listen then they would have to move them and did just that while you were sleeping." "How come I didn't hear any of it?" I asked. "They shot them with sleeping darts," he answered.

I let go of the bars and walked backwards into the wall. I slid down it and pulled my knees to my chest and silently cried. Everything felt cold and unsettling, I'm on my own now.

Crack.

   I'm broken. After I was done crying, I couldn't speak. No words could form, like I can't remember how to say or form a letter or word. What was the point of talking anymore if there was no one felt to talk too? Now I'm silent expect for my ragged breathing from crying. My throat hurts and my eyes burned from tears that haven't fallen.

   What was I supposed to do now? Keep being a mute slave until my parents return? If they ever return? That last thought sent chills down my spine.

  No, I have hope that they will return. They will be back and get me from the prison of nightmares. "Kid," the boy said, "Look, I'm sorry about what happened to your parents but you need to let them go and forget about them." I nodded my head and swallowed the lump in my throat. Maybe I should just think that they are dead or else I may never go on with life.

   I never saw that boy that was across from my cell again, after we all came back from a hard day of labor. He just disappeared and no one has seen him, not even his master.

That won't stop me though. I will survive this place as a mute slave and live knowing that my parents are dead. Yet, their was still a little childish hope that wanted to believe that my parents were coming back alive. I ignored that small hope even if it was locked away deep in me doesn't mean it won't return.

   I am Ezra Bridger. The youngest, smallest and loneliest, mute slave in this small horrid camp. Nothing was going to change that. I will escape this place and find my parents. That's my goal.

But things can always change and time can only tell what will happen to me.

////////////////////////////////////////////

Stay tuned and adios!!!!😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁😁