Keep Me Safe

Chapter Eight, Pt. 1

It didn't take long for Lottie to get settled in Agnes' room that night. Franny helped her unload her small trunk's worth of clothes and put them safely away.

Agnes laid on the bed the entire time, her eyes carefully studying their every move. She had agreed to sleep in her sisters' room, but Mama scolded her for making Lottie feel uncomfortable. Agnes didn't have the heart to tell her that if she slept in the same room as Lottie, she'd be the uncomfortable one.

Most of the clothes in the trunk were simple, unassuming dresses with faint patterns and fraying hems. There were also a few floor-length nightgowns and an extra pair of shoes. All together, the clothes barely took up any space in the dresser.

"Is that all of your stuff, doll?" Franny asked, setting the extra shoes down by the door.

"Yes, Ma'am. I know it's not a lot, but I prefer to travel light."

"Alright then. I think I'll be heading home for the night. If you two need anything else, you'll have to go bother Mama. Goodnight."

Both girls bid the black woman goodbye as she exited the room.

Lottie fondly watched her disappear before sighing wistfully. "Franny is so nice. How long has she been working for y'all?"

Agnes rolled onto her back and danged her head over the side of bed. "She and her mama, Ms. Sybil, came to town long before Mama was born, when Franny was just a kid. She doesn't really like to talk about it, but they were running away from Ms. Sybil's husband. Grandma Miller took them in and let them stay here until they could get back on their feet. Ms. Sybil started working here, and Franny took over when she passed, God rest her soul. Franny's family, and if she didn't have a family of her own living across town, she'd probably be staying here. She raised me just as much as Mama did."

"Ah, I see." Lottie's small smile dropped ever so slightly and she began to take an interest in the floorboards. Her shoulders had drooped as soon as Agnes mentioned why they were running.

Had she not been made aware of the situation at hand, Agnes likely wouldn't have even noticed the shift in Lottie's attitude. She wanted to comfort her, to tell her everything would be alright, but she couldn't without hinting at what she knew.

"If you don't mind," Lottie mumbled, "I'd like to get my nightgown on. I'm absolutely exhausted." She plastered on a smile as she pulled out her clothes from the dresser, but Agnes could see that it masked pain.

Agnes rolled out of bed and landed on the ground with a resounding thud. "You have fun with that," she said, getting to her feet. "I'm going downstairs to talk to Mama and Papa." 

"When you come back, do me a favor and be quiet. I fall asleep quickly, but sleep really lightly. Do you, by any chance, have another pillow I could use?" She pointed to the singular, ratty pillow that was shoved between the bed and the wall.

"You can use that one. I don't care."

"Are you sure? What will you use?"

"I don't really like pillows. I just normally use my arm."

"Thank you so much."

Agnes inched her way towards the door, her heart starting to beat violently against her ribs. She could feel the heat rising to her cheeks as she watched Lottie grab the hem of her dress, ready to pull it off. Before she saw anything, she slipped out of the room.

Ethyl and Meredith passed her on the steps. Both were frowning, and Ethyl had her arms crossed.

"What's wrong?"

"Mama wouldn't let us have the rest of the cookies from the party," Ethyl huffed.

Meredith pushed her long hair out of her face and frowned. "Even though Papa told us earlier that we could have whatever was left over!"