Author's Note: Quick reminder: Pip's actual name is Rebecca Finch.
"Pip, it's time to go," I call from the front door.
"Coming!" She runs down the hallway.
I close the door, and we head down the stairs. I follow the sidewalk leading to the train station.
Pip skips behind me, making little taps as her bare feet hit the concrete. She needs a pair of shoes and proper clothes her size. All she's got is the t-shirt-dress and hoodie that I made her.
Her footsteps fade away, and I look back. "Pip?"
She's far behind me, staring at a flower on the sidewalk. "Can I have it?" she asks with big eyes.
"Yes, but hurry up. We're going to be late."
She picks the flower and runs to me, stopping just a foot away with a big smile on her face. A real smile, not like the fake one she put on when she was in the cage at the pet shop. She's gleaming with joy. I only got glimpses at first, but now I see it all the time.
I put my hand on her shoulder, and she looks up at me with sparkling eyes. I'm glad that she's happy, and I hope that Sarah's right about this. Seeing her mother could crush the fantasy world she lives in, but her longing for the last piece of her family could be eating away inside her. I believe this is the right thing to do, and I want to do right by her.
"Master, what's that?" she asks, pointing to the station. The shining white building reflects sunlight off its rounded corners and dome roof. It looks like a spaceship compared to the old houses surrounding it.
"It's the train station."
Her enthusiasm disappears, and she lowers her head.
"You don't like trains?" I ask as we step inside.
"They're cold and crowded and smell and... and they take you to bad places."
My heart aches as I picture her crying in a crowded train cart as she was shipped away from her home.
"Don't worry," I squeeze her shoulder, "It'll be different this time. I'm by your side."
We step on the train and shuffle down the aisle to find our seats. We're in a nice private cabin with our own door. I nudge Pip onto the brown leather seat, then sit opposite her, across a small table.
She gives me a sad look.
I sigh. "Fine."
She scrambles around the table and sits beside me. She leans in unnecessarily close and puts her hand on my arm.
She just wants to be near me, and it warms my heart. All those people who rejected her really missed out.
* * * * * * * *
It's late afternoon when I spot the mountains of grey dust in the distance. I scramble to close the blinds before Pip sees.
She gives me a puzzled look. I've been dodging her questions all day. I don't know how she'll react when she learns that we're in her hometown, and I want to put that difficult conversation off for as long as possible.
The train stops, and we make our way through the station. She's completely silent, and it concerns me.
We step outside, and the burning smell of mining dust is impossible to ignore. I cover my nose and begin down the stairs. The grey roads and buildings only add to the overwhelmingly grim aura.
I'm halfway down when I realise that Pip is frozen by the door.
"Pip?" I call.
"This is-"
YOU ARE READING
From Chains
FantasyI'm working every waking hour. You'd think that smuggling would pay better, but nothing has been easy since the war. I can't go on like this. I need someone to take the load off my shoulders. I need a slave. --- Robert has had nothing handed to him...
