Hold True

Chapter 8

I’ve added and taken away things from this chapter.  I haven’t go back to proofread it so if something doesn’t make sense I’m sorry.  And Please let me know if you see anything that needs fixed.

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“With the swords?” I asked.

“Fencing? Yep. Niles has been teaching me.”  He stuck his chest out proudly.

I leaned in closer to him, and he leaned in too understanding I didn’t want anyone else to hear.  “Will you teach me?” I pleaded.

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It’s been a whole week since I asked Elliot to teach  me to fight, I've been begging him every day and his answer is still no.  He’s has been up to see me every day. In fact he’s the first person I see in the morning and each time he scares the crap out of me.

I’ve had a week of watching the men fight.  The more I watch them the more I want to fight... to be down there with them learning.  I watched them from the moment I woke up until the last of the men left the field, which was at sunset.  They don’t have clocks here.  I asked Elliot where a clock was.   He didn’t know and asked me if I was crazy again.  I’m sure they have some way to tell the time here.  

Elliot’s found a different way to deny me every time I ask him to teach me. His answers have always hit close to home.  I’m a girl, too small, fragile, wrong body type,  and the one that hurt the most, “You’re too weak.”

When Elliot said that it hit close to home.  I have always been to weak.  I had the scars to prove it. Sir always told me that if I were stronger his punishments wouldn’t hurt so much.  He also told me that I could withstand so much more pain than normal human being can.  Wouldn’t that mean I was strong?  I guess not, since Elliot told me I was weak too.

The designs carved into my side are already healed.  They’ve turned to a bright shade of blue, almost the same blue as the substance when it first touched the cuts. The only difference is the dark and light blue spider web like lines that seemed to move within wounds. The deep cuts on my back from the whips are still there, but are healing faster then I thought they would. I still have other scrapes and bruises spread across my body that aren’t healed yet.  I don’t know why they didn’t heal as fast a Sir’s designs.

I always let Sir get away with what he did.  I should have fought back, maybe if I did he would’ve let my brother live.  Or maybe I could’ve gotten away.  I did try to escape once and that didn’t turn out well, so I quit trying.  I’m ashamed at how weak I was, my life could’ve been so much  different.  

That’s one of the reason I want to learn how to fight. The men were so powerful it looked like they had no room for weakness. They look like they can take care of their own.  I want to be able to  protect all that I love.  I’m tired of losing everything.  I want to fight for what’s mine. I know I have nothing, but I've come to love Elliot and Adeline. It’s only been a week, but they have already found a place in my shattered heart.

Adeline has grown more comfortable with me.  She still blushes when she talks and I still have to be the one to start up a conversation,  but it’s a start.  She insists on doing everything for me and when I say everything, I mean everything.  She brings me food, draws my bath, does my laundry, and helps me get dressed.  I won’t let her do anything else.

Elliot is still the brave boy who loves to comfort me,  He’s here every morning to wake me up from my nightmares and holds me until I calm back down.  Once I’m finished freaking out he’s back to happy and energetic.  I don't understand how one small boy could have so much energy,  he practically bounces when he walks.