- Emmalina's Point of View -

"KEEP IT MOVING, KEEP IT MOVING!" Grumpy shouted from his spot on the wagon.

The rest of us were carrying stones this way and that for something or other. I wasn't quite sure, to be completely honest. We were just picking the stones up and placing them in another spot. I was working with Abeni but Katrina had been moved to a different part of the mansion and I was starting to get worried. She was small and in other words, defenseless. A six year old is not exactly what I'd call a fighting machine but she had even been ill fed probably her entire life and you could tell just by looking at her. Katrina was, in fact, petite.

"STOP DAYDREAMING! GET GOING!" Grumpy yelled at me when I had slowed my pace.

I obeyed reluctantly  but inside my head I was practically screaming at him. 

"I'd like to see you come down here and work," I mumbled to myself.

Grumpy was too far away to have heard me but Abeni was right next to me.

"So would I," she whispered back.

I turned my head to look at the dark girl and she flashed me a pretty smile, even though she was probably more tired than I was. Abeni had been working since dawn. I had only just got here. 

"He'd probably collapse with the first stone," I chuckled.

"HEY! YOU TWO! STOP YOUR CHATTING AND GET MOVING!" Grumpy yelled.

He hadn't heard what we said, thankfully, but he could see we were saying something. We picked up our pace a bit more and finally came to the large mound of rocks that had slowly grown over the afternoon and threw ours in. 

"What do they want this for anyway?" I asked Abeni, wiping my hands off on my pants.

"I've asked myself that question many times. I honestly think they just have us do it for their own amusement. But hey, it could be for a very good reason."

"That we'll probably never know," I mumbled to myself.

"ALRIGHT EVERYONE! LUNCH BREAK!" Grumpy called from his wagon.

We all trudged off to the eating area, which was in truth just a bunch of tables and benches in a secluded part of the grounds, and sat down at our own spots to have a bite to eat. Abeni sat next to me and for a while we ate our meger helpings of bread and beans in silence. A lot of the other slaves did the same and the area was virtually wiped clean of talking. However after a while a few people started to talk among themselves about random things and it began to feel more like an ordinary eating area. 

"Emma? Emma there you are!" a sweet little voice came from behind me.

I quickly turned around and gave Katrina a big hug before I lifted her onto my lap and asked, "Where have you been? Are they treating you alright?"

"Actually I'm fine. The Mistress here saw them bring me in and decided I was too young to be working outside, so she had me come to her room and she gave me the job as her personal assistant in the bedroom!" Katrina giggled.

"Really? That's amazing Kat!"

I was happy for her. Katrina was so small she wouldn't be able to take the same work I did...Obviously the mistress had also seen that. Maybe not everyone here is so bad, I thought.

"Emma...Where's Liam?" she suddenly asked me.

I looked down at her cute little face and suddenly felt that nagging doubt in my stomach once more. I couldn't lie to her. Not now.

"I don't know Kat. He could be anywhere right now...I just hope that he's alright."

"Me too," Katrina sighed.

Abeni had watched us intently during our whole exchange and finally spoke up.

"There are only two people rich enough to buy foreign slaves Emma. The one who bot us and Baron Jerald. If your friend isn't here, he'll be over there."

I pondered what she had said for several minutes. If I could somehow make it over to this Baron's place just maybe I could find Liam. It would mean a whole lot to Kat and would probably do a world of good for Liam himself.

"Is there any way of getting over there?" I asked Abeni.

She frowned and shook her head before I had even finished the question.

"Not a chance. At night there are guards every three feet all around the bunker buildings. During the daytime they watch us like hawks...I'm sorry Emma, if you wanted to see your friend there's no chance of that."

I sighed and glanced around at the guards who were watching us now. Grumpy was there, of course, and the rest were more or less just like him...Except for one. He was very tall, like the rest of them, but less bulky and more lean. His face was more gentle, like he hadn't grown up the same way as the rest. Emma saw a chance with him...Just maybe.

"Hey you! Where do you think you're going?" Grumpy shouted at a skinny 12 year old girl who had been wandering around the fence.

"My legs were getting sore. I needed to walk around a bit."

"Why?"

"I told you. I've been sitting on them all day!" the girl told him stoutly.

"Oh no," Abeni whispered to herself.

Suddenly Grumpy grabbed the girl by her arm and threw her against the wall. The girl let out a sharp cry before sinking to the ground. I immediately shot to my feet but Abeni put one had on my shoulder.

"Don't. You'll only get hurt yourself...Trust me, I know," she told me quietly.

I looked back to the girl and was pleasantly surprised to see the nicer looking guard standing between Grumpy and the girl.

"Get out of my way Daniel," Grumpy hissed.

"You have no quarrel with this girl. Its not a crime to take a walk in the eating area."

For a minute I thought the two were going to get into a brawl...but I was wrong. Something about the steely look in Daniel's eyes made Grumpy back down.

Well Daniel, I thought. You're definitely our man.

- Alright, here's the next chapter. What do you think'll happen? Do you think Daniel is the right man? I'd love to hear your thoughts and, as always, votes are appreciated. Thanks :D - Anna