Kenna POV


The light shining through the dust covered curtain woke me. The first morning here…I stretched like I always did. The tile floor was harsh on my bear feet. I walked to the door and turned the handle. Still locked. I put my ear to the door to hear nothing outside. I stood away from the door and looked into the room I had been placed in. I didn’t want to be a slave. Owing a debt to sociopaths. It made me laugh.

They had taken away my whole life from me. I was supposed to do stuff for them? I sat back on the bed and stared at the wall. I wanted to go home. I rested my arm under my head laying back down on the bed. The events from last night were finally getting to me.

I started to cry hard. This was all my fault. If I had never gone into this stupid forest to begin with Borden would have never gone after me. This was all my fault. Like everything else in my life. I slowed my tears when I heard footsteps come to my door. I sat up and wiped my face.

I heard keys jingle then the door opened. Andy entered with a stern face. “Come on.” He said standing in the door way.

“Can I just lay here for a bit longer?” I asked, choking on the last of my tears.

He took a deep breath and looked to me then away again. “No, get your shoes on let’s go.”

“No! I deserve to be treated like a human.” I pouted. Wrong time to stick up for yourself, Kenna.

Andy lunged toward me fast. He grabbed my upper arm hard, a flash back flooded my mind. “You will do as you owe.” He spit.

“Mark stop!” It just slipped out.

I looked to him apologetically. He let go and backed away. Looking me up and down. “That’s not my name.”

I shied away and kept my head low and held onto my arms. “I’m so sorry…”

I refused to meet his gaze. Out of the corner of my eye I could see him raise his hand and place it on my shoulder. I barely felt he was there. “Can you please follow me?”

I looked to him with tear soaked eyes. His face was sad. His eyes almost begging to know my past. I nodded and looked at my feet. Still bare.

He let me put my boots on and led me to the back of the castle. To a room filled with couches, shredded curtains, and two fire places. The four other men were standing in a circle, waiting for me obviously.

“You will start in here.” The one I remembered being Jake said.

“Curtains off, dust gone, floors swept and cleaned.” CC was still shirtless.

“The couches and rugs have to be padded off outside as well.” Ashley said with a full wine glass in his hand.

“By sunset.” Andy added beside me.

He looked down at me with sorrow still in his eyes. The one who refused to tell me his name threw a bucket and rags at me. “Get to work.”

With that I was left alone. I turned to them as they left me. Wanting more instruction. But they had left already. I stuttered on words I wasn’t going to say looking into the room. It was the size of the food court. I dropped the bucket and sighed. I opened the windows knowing that all the dust I was going to be freeing had to go somewhere. And up my nose or in my eyes was not an option.

I ripped the curtains off of their hangers and tossed them into a pile. When they were down I picked the pile up in my arms and threw them outside into a wood pile. I filled the bucket with water from a well I could see just feet away. I found soap inside the bucket and washed the windows. Thankfully they were the size of normal windows so I could reach the very top. The light shown through like it was already a new room. I picked up the rugs next, and moved every single 500 pound couch with struggle out of the door that led outside. I patted at everything and dust billowed up. I coughed for hours after.

While the furniture was still outside I swept and mopped the floors with a broom I had found against the wall and a rag from the bucket. I realized my down fall when I realized that the door leading outside had a lip on it that was going to make it impossible for me to get them back in the room.

I sighed with regret and pushed and shoved at the first couch. First facing forward, then backward, then sideways, then facing half way down. It was not working. While I tried again to push the couch in facing backwards I felt it go over the door way. I giggled with joy until I saw Andy on the inside of the doorway.

I rounded my shoulders back and straightened myself. “I had it.”

“Okay.” He grinned pulling the couch the rest of the way inside along with the others. When the job was done he smiled to me. “Clean yourself off. I’ll get the rugs too.”

I didn’t say anything. I scratched my head and did as he asked. I took a clean rag and went out to the well. I pulled up a bucket of water and washed of my face and arms. It was almost sunset. And I had only gotten to one room. It was going to take the rest of my life to do the others while cleaning the ones I had already done too.

“Dinner will always he served at sunset. But since tonight is your first night we’ll give you an exception.” Jake said walking into the room I had just cleaned like it had always been this clean.

“Where the fuck are my curtains?” Ashley looked like he was about to faint.

“They were dirty and torn and…” I started.

“We’ll get you new ones Ash.” Andy said.

“Anyways,” Jake glared at both of them. “Each afternoon we will give you the ingredients to cook our food. Again, tonight is another exception. We also call this room the party room.”

“Why?” I dared ask any question toward them.

“Because people used to have parties in it, big enough to fit the whole castle. None of the other rooms are this big.” CC said.

I nodded, “curfew is sunset to sunrise.” Jake said.

“What does that mean?” I knew what curfew meant but wasn’t I already in the house?

“It means…” He got close to me and talked to me like I was 2. “You get to be in your room from sunset to sunrise.” He gave me a fake smile.

“That’s not fair!” I whined.

They all kept calm faces. I looked to Andy and he was the most serious of them all. “That’s the rules.” Andy said.

I looked down and back up stuttering on empty words. “Fine.” I was escorted by Ashley this time.

“Don’t let the wolves get you.” He smirked closing and locking the door behind him.

How did his wish of luck not make me feel any better?

Notes