Esmeralda
Once upon a time, I was a slave. I was used, abused, tossed around, shackled, beaten, starved, almost raped and bullied.
Once upon a time, I knew what physical pain was. I was familiar with hostility and suffering, so familiar that it began the day with me and ended when I retired to bed late in the dead of the night.
Once upon a time, I craved death daily, like an addict craved his addiction, but death failed me.
Once upon a time, I hated myself, the hatred was so strong that I inflicted myself with pain.
Once upon a time I was like the girl shut up in the North wing, left to rot alone in the darkness.
Unloved. Uncared for.
I used to be like her, scared, vulnerable, helpless.
She had no one by her side. None that loved her, none that was willing to save her from the evil claws of her predator.
She was misjudged.
Her struggles for freedom were misjudged as being harmful. Her whispers for help were misjudged as annoying screams.
She was not dangerous, she was just scared. She needed love, warmth, freedom and protection.
She was the girl I used to be. She was the former version of me.
Jade didn’t know what being a slave was like.
She wouldn’t be able to understand the poor girl’s feelings since she was only a housekeeper, not a slave. She didn’t know the pain, that comes with it, the agony, the screams of torture, the mockery, the inferiority complex.
She was free to move, free to do things at her will, while the prisoner was bound to a spot like an animal waiting for slaughter.
The girl was only dangerous because they made her so. She was the monster they made.
She was dangerous because they put her through hell.
She was dangerous because no one would help her.
She needed help. She needed me.
And I will do all that was within my power to free her from the shackles of her captive.
“Don’t even think of it, Esmeralda,” Jade’s stern voice disconnected me from my line of thoughts and I glanced at her in shock.
Was she reading my mind?
“I wasn’t thinking about anything,” I said when I found my voice, struggling to conceal my feelings.
“It is written all over your face, baby girl,”
My hand found my face that was already red with embarrassment, “Oh,”
Jade took weary steps to me, heaving a sigh before holding out my hands, “I know you feel for her, but let her be. She does not need your help. Leave her alone if you love your life and never go to the North wing again. Ever,” She gritted her canines, emphasizing on the ‘ever’
“She may communicate with you, but she is not even in this world anymore. She doesn’t see you. She is trapped in her head. She is not normal. She has been like that for years and that is how she will be, I’m afraid… forever. There is nothing you can do to change that. She is like a ghost, like a living dead, empty, useless. Leave her alone,”
So much pain for the poor girl.
But what could have caused it?
Who made her that way?
Defeatedly, I heaved a sigh, nodding my head at Jade’s warnings, “I won’t go, I have heard you,”
But would I?
I could stomach the thought that someone was locked in the North wing while we walked around freely forgetting her existence because of some lame excuses of her being dangerous.
“I won’t go, I promise,” I assured Jade as I was tired of the look she shot at me.
I lied.
I wouldn’t listen to Jade and I wouldn’t listen to the scared voice ringing in my head.
I would look for her and help her.
She needed a saviour, I would save her!
“From the way you talk, you seem to know her well. Who is she and why is she trapped in there?” I asked, unable to contain my curiosity.
I needed to know about her. What offence did she commit? And who she was.
“That is one hell of a secret that won’t be slipping off my mouth,” Jade stated with an air of finality.
She was done spilling secrets. She wouldn’t say a word.
Silence hung in the air. Uncomfortable silence and so were unanswered questions.
“Okay,” Jade announced, “Since you know the rules now, I guess I should be on my way. I have an assignment to finish with Madam Dora. I don’t want to keep her waiting. See you later, girls,” She waved, flashing sad smiles before shutting the door.
“That was…”
“Selene. We have to escape,” I cut in, impatiently, “We have to leave this place,”
“What the hell? Have you gone crazy?”
“I am serious. Dead serious. We need to leave. Very soon,” I said, urgency evident in my voice.
This house was suffocating, and so was Alpha Kade. His aloofness filled my heart with sadness.
He wouldn’t even look at me.
“How will you escape when this house is surrounded by heavy security?” Selene stared at me in disbelief, amused by my decision, “I think that is a bad idea,”
“No. It is not. We have to leave because…” My voice trailed off not knowing the excuse to give.
Selene shifted impatiently on the couch, with wide ears that itches to hear me speak, “Because?” She repeated, demanding an answer.
“It is too dangerous here. Alpha Kade is not who he is. He is a monster. He has too many secrets and he is the one holding that girl captive,” I replied, hoping my little explanation would convince Selene.
“Are you running away from your mate?” She said in a whisper, gritting her teeth.
“He is not my mate?” I half-yelled, “He doesn’t love me so what is the point of remaining with him?”
“Fine then, how will you get me? You know I will be in my room,”
A growl escaped my lips after realizing I didn’t even have an escape plan. Let alone a plan of how I will carry the girl with me.
Great!
Releasing a sigh, I rubbed my temple, racking my brain for a plan, but none was forthcoming.
Who escapes without having a fucking plan?!
Fuck!
Maybe it was the girl that would be delaying the process, Selene wasn’t a problem.
One was okay. Two was more than enough. Three was a burden.
Taking the girl along was trouble, I might get caught considering how weak she was.
Who knows if she hadn’t eaten in days? Who knows if her body was already numb from the position she was tied to that would stop her from walking or running?
Fuck!
Didn’t I think of all of this before?
Helping her was stressful.
But at the same time, I couldn’t leave her behind.
Or should I? She wasn’t my business after all.
“Help me,” Her voice drifted into my head, erasing my doubts and fuelling me with courage.
I have to do this. I will do this. I repeated, preparing myself for the journey ahead.
“So how will we meet?” Selene asked boredly.
“After I’ve picked the girl, I will meet you in your room in the dead of the night then, we can escape,”
“Which girl? The girl Jade warned you about? No way!” Selene flared, her hands hanging wildly in the air.
“Come on. She is just a harmless sweet girl. I have met her. We can’t leave her behind. What if she dies? Remember, we were once like her before. You know how that feels, don’t you?” I said, hoping I had convinced her.
“What if you get caught? I’m sure you don’t want to be on Alpha Kade’s bad list,”
“I don’t care!”
“Jade said she is dangerous. You could get yourself,” Selene insisted, not buying my idea.
“She is not dangerous, she just needs help. Please, Selene,” I pleaded, giving her a puppy face.
I knew she couldn’t resist it.
“Fine,” She said in surrender, “So when will we leave?”
“Tomorrow night!”
“But it’s too soon,”
“It’s not. Who knows if we will be the ones behind the door of the wing? I don’t trust Alpha Kade,”