My Way to Freedom

Chapter 8: Rebellion

It was my eighth sleepless night in a row. My only sleep was in Onica's room when she made me. Her father did not like the idea of me leaving early as this whole job was after all, a punishment. 

Every night I went out and talked to the other slaves about the Rebellion. It was 6 days until the announcement ball and I had to get the word out of the Rebellion. We already had 168 slaves on board so we had 79 more to go. Top on my priority list, though, was Ashley.

Every night the Rebellion grew. We were getting stronger and stronger with every slave that joined. We would meet in abandoned cattle fields and such, in groups of 50 or larger. I and two others- Katharina and Fox- would preach to the slaves this idea and every night at least 20 pledged to go through with the Rebellion and lay down their lives for this movement. 

Some brought food to the table. The people who worked in the cattle fields, went by night and stole 50 cattle off of various pastures in Mr. Rockshot's estate and stored them in a far pasture close to the edge of the estate. The plantation workers had been hiding vegetables in their shirts and storing them in a nearby mill. Every groom in every stable made sure the strongest and most usable horses were toward the front of the stables and had hoof pads in every stall in preparation for the night. All this for the Rebellion. I was pleased.

The night had been set. We would go the night before the wedding announcement ball. 7 days. 7 days until the night we would find our freedom. 

We had laid out the battle plan. First the people farthest from the gate-on the south border-at 12:00 pm would put out every light house on the border and start raiding the groves for supplies. In return every section of the estate would do the same all leading up to the part closest to the gate- where the house was- then we would all meet-on horses or in carts (for the food and supplies)up in the moonlit orchard 5 miles east of the Rockshot estate. From there we would get to the docks where we wo9uld part ways and find a place to settle, for example Greece!(you can see that I am very intent on this Greece thing.)

…………………………………………………..

The next morning I woke up and found Ashley was not there beside me. I started to freak out like I had last time, but I remembered that after I started the Rebellion Ashley moved in with a friend of hers. This news does not make it any easier to deal with the fact that Ashley may not come with me to Greece. That Ashley might actually stay here, as a slave. Because I had vowed to myself after Ashley's thirteenth birthday that I would not force her against her will to do anything. But, surely, you say, that this is an exception. That since this involves life or death on her behalf, surely I would find reason to break that vow. But, obviously you do not know me. I am not one to break a vow I made on my word. Because, my word is the only thing I have. If you strip me of that I have and am nothing but a couple of lost Greek traditions and gods.

There was 5 days until the Rebellion. We had to make the 5 days count. 

I had woken up early, so I got dressed in my work clothes-my new ones-and went to Fox's house. Fox was one of my buddies. I don't have many friends. I am not a people person, but neither was Fox, which, I guess makes us compatible. We share the same views, which is why he's my right hand man in the Rebellion.

I slowed once I got near his little shack. His shack was much like my own, just a little bigger. Just big enough for four people to live in- him and his three brothers. I knocked on the door, and-like I'd expected- Fox answered right away. He was always up this time in the morning. He hunts.

I greeted by a smile that could've lit up a room. I wished he did that more, smiling I mean. It's a rare thing that you have to time perfectly to see.

“Your just in time, come hunting with me.” He said.

I crinkled my eyes and laughed halfheartedly “Have you seen what I'm where, or even what I've been doing?”

“I've seen what you've been doing. You've been laying around and taking orders from some nasty slave driver,”

“Ah, but not too nasty you must remember. He did let me have a day to rest-” I started to said speedily, but he cut off the rest of what I was going to say.

“I wasn't talking about that one, and you know it.”

“Fox, Ash isn't with me anymore. She never was in the Rebellion. Fox, I'm scared. She won't even talk to me anymore. Fox, she moved out. I don't think she's coming. Unless, somehow we can-or rather you can change her mind about the situation, she won't talk to me Fox. You have to do it.”

It looked as if he weren’t quite sure about where this conversation was going. “I, uh…um” he stammered out “well… uh… why can't you do it?”

“Fox,” I said very flatly, “She won't talk to me. She has already told me ‘No’. The first time she did it she broke my heart. There is no telling what will happen to me if she does it again. Please,” I said pleadingly “Fox your my only hope-her only hope of getting away from this evil place.”

“Hmm, fine. You owe me though. Come inside, will you? It's freezing out there.”

I checked the sky. It was nearing five '0 clock. “Sure. You have any tea?” I didn't wait for his answer. I stepped inside, found the kitchen, and took out some brew.

“Kinzie?”

“Mmhmm” I answered, swaying side to side while I made up the tea.

“What did he do to you? That night. Out there I mean. What happened? Nobody has told me and I need to know?” he said it quietly, but I heard him-and almost dropped the quivering tea cups in my hands when I did.

“Well,” I began “as you probably know, I basically broke a lot of rules that no one bothered to tell me about.”  I set down the cups on the wooden table and sat down. “I was assigned 50 lashings. I calmly walked over to the whipping post and sank to my knees. Then the lashings came. Hard. Fox, every one sank into my flesh as though it were jelly. The ground was wet with my blood. I slid down the post at the fifteenth. I tried-” I stopped in shudders as I cried in remembrance of the pain.

“Hey, hey it's OK everything's OK.” Fox, said with me in his arms. He rocked me back and forth like a baby until I stopped crying.

“Fox, don't leave me. Ever. I want to be with you. Fox, whether I like it or not, Fox I-”

“Oooo” Fox's little brother exclaimed “Kinzie and Fox, sitting in a tree,  K-I-S-S-I-N-G. The other siblings barreled out of the rooms and joined him “First comes love then comes marriage, then comes the baby in the baby carriage!” they shouted.

Fox stood up, “Shut up! Or I'll tell the slave driver what you did to him last summer when he was sleeping.” He sat back down looking pretty pleased with his threat. I knew Fox would never actually do what he had threatened, but I had to say, whatever he did, it worked. They shut up and walked out with mock frowns of disappointment. 

“Hey, you know…um…I…I have to go.” I started heading toward Fox's door.

“Wait! Kinzie, what were you saying before my little brothers interrupted you?”

I gave him a playful jab in the gut and half smiled. “What's it to you?” I didn't let him answer. I just shook my head “You know, it doesn't matter. It was just some silly, unimportant thought. Look, I have to go or I'm going to be late. Bye.” And without looking back, I left him right there staring holes into my back(as if it wasn't already torn up enough) and left him wondering ‘what in the world was she going to say.