Greenwood

Chapter four

Minutes turned into hours, hours turned into days and days eventually turned into weeks. Two weeks that how long I was kept into the house. Being inside has made me desperate to feel some sun. I had taken it for granted, but now that it is gone I sure as hell missed it. The sunlight I felt on my skin from behind the window was not enough. Even though I knew it was winter and the sun would not be strong I just longed for feeling it and finally breathing some fresh air. I wondered when I was able to go outside. The first week I was given a certain routine. I had to follow it along with every member of Greenwood. But in the second week I was given rules I was supposed to follow at all times. Not only I was given rules. No, I was practically given new values and standards to live by. It was hard to adapt to them. Miss DiPalma got frustrated regularly. She tried it softly the first two days, but that did not work. The routine on the other hand was solid. I was ready to do my chores at 9 am sharp. She was trying to give a small variety in the chores. Like one day I swept, the next day I mopped or just dusted. It kept me busy until lunch. After lunch I would sleep or just lie down for an hour. I once did not feel like lying down so I sat. I saw a few women walking by with their heads bown. The only male that walked by was holding his head up and even dared to stare inside. We locked eyes. Both of our faces stayed straight, his face even looked angry. After a few minutes miss DiPalma had stormed in and forced me to go to bed. I was crying as a little child and nagging that I did not wanted to go. She hit me hard in the face as a result. It was burning. She even twisted my arm so badly that it was hurting for a few days after. So I would just lie down waiting until she would come back. I figured that the man must have told her that I wasn't lying in bed. But I wasn't sure of it, and I never could be sure that he told her. What I did discover eventually was that miss Dipalma locked the front door when she left. When she got into the house she never did. This could come in handy.

The rest of the afternoon she spends telling stories about how the town was founded and build. She never told me the exact location of Greenwood. She only told me that the fence was only to keep bad people out. Because why would you want to escape this place where you are being kept inside against your will? It appeared to me during her stories that all of these people came here voluntarily. I could not imagine any sane person that would go and live here voluntarily. Putting my life in the hands of an insane man? No thank you.

On the third day she tried it the hard way. I had just got dressed in the new dress that miss DiPalma had hanged into the closet the night before like she did from the second day I had gotten here. Normally I would have gotten my breakfast by now, but a sharp voice commanded me to come and sit on the chair in the living room. Miss DiPalma came standing behind me and stayed silent for a while, then she proceeded to speak.

'state your name and age'.

Is this some sort of interrogation?

With a slight shaking voice I spoke.

'Maryanne Baker, my name is Maryanne Baker and I'm 20 years old'.

'Well miss Baker, from now on you will be following our rules as stated by the founder of this place Nicholas Delannoy. Do you understand?'

I nodded.

She roughly pushed a thin book onto the table which almost fell apart when it landed. The cover said Laws of Greenwood. Well shit, someone is serious about following the rules. I carefully opened the book and started reading.

Rule number one: No man shall be greeted by a woman with words. One is supposed to bow in front of a man and is not allowed to speak if grabbed by the shoulder. A man that allows a woman to speak to him does so by touching her head'.

What is this for weird rule? Why can't I speak to the men when I want?

I didn't want to be here anymore I needed to go outside, I didn't want to know what other weird rules I was supposed to follow. I for sure was not planning on sticking out here any longer to find them out. So I got up. Miss Dipalma allowed it. She even allowed me to walk around towards the window. She did not allow me to go even near the front door. So when I was heading towards it quickly she grabbed my arm.

'where do you think you are going miss Baker?'

'I.... I want to go outside.'

We stared at each other, waiting for the other to give in. that only did not happen. And if it would it was not going to be soon. Her grip was tight. Too tight.

'No.'

No? Just no? No explanation why? I was baffled. In my moment of confusion she took advantage of it and pulled me softly back into the chair. When I realized what she did I was mad at her. Why would she deny me access to go outside? I want to leave. I want to feel the sun. Damnit let me go outside. In a moment of self-pettiness a tear rolled down my cheek. I quickly whipped it off with my sleeve. I was not going to show her that I was weak. It was very much possible that she noticed it, but simply did not choose to pay attention to it.

At this point I got angry. I demand an answer.

'Why can't I go outside?'

She did not answer. I waited for a little bit, maybe she was thinking. But she wasn't she chose not to answer it.

'Answer me. Why can't I go outside?'

Again no answer. I got up again. Miss DiPalma noticed my every movement but decided not to react on it. Not yet. I tried to reach the door. She grabbed my arm. Again. It hurt. I started to breath heavily. Don't give in. Whatever you do you don't give in. Not now. I started to pull my body towards the door, with miss DiPalma as my anchor. Once this would have been funny. Once there was a time when I would have laughed like crazy about this. Not now. Now it was a case of determination. Of freedom. Miss DiPalma quickly put her other had on my arm. It probably compressed a nerve because my whole arm started tingling. Still I was not going to give in. I have gotten a few steps further, but the weight of her body was too much for me. She wasn't that fat, but she was absolutely not giving in. So there you have it. Two women both determined to get what they want. I stopped pulling. I was done pulling I just wanted to go outside. I slapped her. I slapped her in the face. Hard. In an instant she let go of my arm and grabbed her face. I used that moment to speed up to the door. I grabbed the door handle and turned it. At that point everything got black.