Old Version Shatter Pieces

Chapter 17: Dogs

Elinn

I sat there on the couch wondering what I was doing. I shouldn't be here, I should have been back outside trying to get home, but for some reason, I felt compelled to stay. I pulled the blanket tighter against me afraid that the doctor might decide I no longer needed it and take it away.

"It's good to see that you are doing well. We were all very worried about you when you suddenly disappeared. Would you like to tell us why you did that?" Luke's question seemed harmless, though I could be wrong. Not wanting to explain myself quite yet I decided I would ask my own question.

"Why is there water falling from the sky? I thought the water was supposed to stay on the ground?" My question seemed to take everyone in the room by surprise. Luke looked at me in shock, as if I was crazy. Had I done something wrong?

"I'm sorry I shouldn't have," I started to say, but Carter cut me off.

"No, never be afraid to ask questions Elinn, it's how we learn. I appreciate that you were willing to ask. Now to answer your question that is rain, it happens when the clouds that are made of evaporated water get to dense and need to get rid of some weight." Carter explained quickly. This only caused me to have more questions.

"What does evaporated mean? I've never heard that word before. Again the room went silent. I was beginning to think asking questions was a bad idea.

"Elinn you said that those people took you when you were eight right?" The question Carter asked threw me off. What did that have to do with anything? I just nodded so he knew that what he said was right.

"After you were taken did those people ever teach you things? Like send you to school or even have someone teach you the lessons?" At the mention of lessons I immediately flinched. Was Carter saying that everyone was given lessons? I looked at his arms and saw no scars or marks that would indicate he had been through them.

"I would have lessons sometimes," I said so quietly that I could barely hear it myself. Somehow he managed to hear my mumbled words and looked at me curiously.

"What kind of lessons were you taught Elinn?" His words were cautious, as though he thought asking would cause me to run off again. His thoughts weren't entirely wrong in that sense.

"I had lessons whenever I forgot the rules. They were to help me remember how to behave and what my place was. Master was usually the one to teach me although he had help sometimes. One time I tasted some of the food I was preparing for some of Master's guests and I had to go to a lesson right afterward." I didn't want to dwell too long on the consequences of that particular experience.

"Master broke my hand in three different places, that way I couldn't take things that didn't belong to me anymore. Then he sent me to the dungeons for three days and let the guards have some fun. It was a very important lesson," I explained in the same quiet voice.

I heard gasps from everyone in the room. When I looked up I was shocked faces surrounding me. Margene looked like she was about to cry. Luke looked at me like I was an alien, and Carter. Well, Carter looked mad enough to kill someone. What had I done wrong now?

"Elinn what do you mean when you say that he let the guards 'have some fun'?" Carter's voice was low and controlled. He sounded like Master when he was getting ready to punish me.

"Master would send me down to the cells. He would intentionally leave my door unlocked so anyone could get in. People would sneak in and do whatever they wanted." My voice wavered as I tried to stay calm. Carter seemed to become more agitated by my answer.

"Elinn did anyone ever....touch you?" Carter's voice was so quiet I almost didn't hear his question. I wasn't sure I completely understood what he was asking me that.

"People touched me all the time. They would hit me and kick me. Sometimes they would get more creative and tie me upside down on the bars of my cell and leave me like that until I passed out." This only seemed to make Carter more upset. Luke was the next one to ask me a question.

"Elinn what Carter means is did anyone ever touch you inappropriately?" Luke's question confused me more than Carters. I didn't understand why all of this was such a big deal to all of them. Carter had said that they sent people to lessons too, hadn't they?

"What does inappropriately mean? I've never heard of it before," This is what seemed to send Margene over the edge. Tears were now streaming down her face, causing me to be very confused. Why was she crying, was she in pain?

Margene walked over to Carter and he stood up to let her sit next to me. What was going on here? Margene took one of my hands in hers and gave me a weak smile. What was wrong with her?

"Honey what theses men are so politely trying to ask is if anyone has ever touched you here," She said pointing at my chest, "or here," she pointed at the apex of my legs. I slowly nodded my head and Carter ran out of the room. What had I said wrong? I should have lied, whatever I had done I was surely going to be punished.

I looked over at Margene to find her crying even harder than before. Was it my answers that had been upsetting her so much? I looked over at Luke hoping he would be able to explain why everyone seemed so upset. Luke appeared to be visibly upset, but not as much as the other two.

"Elinn has anyone ever done anything besides just touch you in these places?" Luke asked cautiously. I was scared and confused and didn't want to be here anymore. The way everyone was acting made me feel like I had done something wrong. I slowly shook my head and Luke let out a sigh of relief.

"Elinn after Luke here checks you out me and you are going to have a conversation about all of this okay. I know that you won't understand a lot of what I'm going to tell you, but I will answer any questions you may have. Does that sound okay?" Margene asked me and all I could do was nod.

I caught a glimpse of something moving just out of sight. I turned quickly to see what the thing was that had caught my attention so fully. Whatever it was stayed just out of my line of sight, but it was coming toward me. I slowly got to my feet to go and look at the thing despite the protests from the people around me. Then the thing came into view.

It reminded me of a dog, or at least what my memory told me a dog was. The dog like creature was large and had black and grey fur. It looked like it was built to hunt, but the eyes of the creature, they reminded me of someone else. The animal approached me and nudged me backward trying to get me to sit down.

"Carter, why are you a dog?" I asked and the whole room went silent.

I looked around and it seemed as though Luke and Margene were having a conversation without speaking. I ignored them and turned back to the dog thing that was most definitely Carter. I slowly raised my hand and Carter walked closer letting my hand run against his fur. It was so soft, I wanted to just fall asleep in his warmth.

"I think I like you better as a dog. I can trust you when you're like this. You wouldn't hurt me," I say and I lower my forehead to his. He takes a deep breath seeming to inhale my scent. For the first time in a long time, I felt safe.

AN: TWO THOUSAND VIEWS! Thank you all sooooooo much, this means a lot to me. I never thought anyone would like one of my stories. I thought people would think they were lame and not worth reading, I've been proved wrong. I hope you all continue to read and enjoy. Tell me what you guys thought I love hearing from you. Until next time, bye bye!