American Poet.

- 9 -

•

The hard feel of a fist stung my left cheekbone. She tried hitting me again but I kicked then pushed her away. And she fell on the sleeping bodies. Before she jumped up and charged at me as we fought against the wall.

"Will y'all 2 stoppit already!"

Scarfs were pulled off along with chunks of hair, dresses were ripped even more, and scratches were made.

My nails dug into her dark brown skin causing blood to seep from each of the wounds. She took my head and tried to beat it against the wall. But I reversed her move on her.

"Quit it now!"

To conclude, we were pulled apart and another one of them ran up on me and received a slap across the face.

The man who held me snatched me off of my feet before flinging me out of the slave quarter.

"You have caused enough trouble for tonight."

"Where is I's sposed to go?" I cried.

"Figure something out." The girl I struck said.

Wrapping my arms tightly around myself I wandered the grounds of the plantation until I got near the lake and fell asleep.

I woke up to big brown eyes looking through me and a warm smile followed.

"You aight there, Polly?" Mike questioned. I only blinked in response before sitting up looking around. Bits of the events that occurred last night came back to me. "It's a good thing you weren't in the quarter last night."

"Why? What happened??" My voice was a raspy mess.

"They were snatching slave girls up out of their sleep and took them inside for the night while their women are away." He detailed "they make them do terrible stuff that ain't right while in there so you just be glad they ain't get you."

"Get me? What?!" I pestered as he sat beside me.

"What the hell wrong with your face?" He switched the topic of discussion.

"I's got in a fight last night in the quarters with some slaves, and they kicked me out." I admitted, "told me that I's was too much trouble for 'em."

I stood proudly as he stared up at me. "You can come to our quarter at least we got some beds there they ain't much but they better than the floor."

We got to their quarter, and he was right the beds weren't much. The mattresses were old, tattered, and stained. But boy was my body satisfied to lay against one after resting all night outside.

"Thank you, Mike."

"No problem, I'll be back with something to eat before I go to town for the day." He said then left as I tried making myself comfortable.

The door flew opened and a girl stomped in moving like she had a pile of bricks chained to her feet. She got to the middle of the room before fainting as blood dripped from the corner of her mouth.

I mentally debated rather or not to check on her.

She was moaning something that sounded like gibberish before she started yelling and crying. When it got to be too much I eventually went over to check on her.

"T-tthey r-rraped meee!" She mumbled.

I didn't know what to say or do "who?" I asked already having a clue as I tried getting her up, but she only cried for me to stop "you have to get up if they find you here they'l—"

"Pp-please just leave me."

"I—" I gulped as a dark figure stood in the doorframe. Eyes glowering like blue portals to hell.