A/N- Ok, are you in shock? Please don't have a heart attack and die on me because then I'll never know what you guys think of the chap. I know I said I would upload this eve, but I'm able to update now, so why not? You better love me extra for this! lol I'm sure I missed some edits so sorry about that, and I'll love you extra if you overlook them. This chapter still needs revisions..it's not exactly where I want it but I hope its ok. I'll shut up now...sorry, I always do this...lil' disclaimers before the story. lol Ok im gone! Seriously!! Enjoy! Wait...I lied...Thanks to everyone who has fanned voted and commented!! You guys are the bomb diggity!!! Ok...now Im gone! :)

Ch. 14 “Tears are words the heart can’t express.”-Unknown

Alla didn’t wake up until late the next day. Sunlight penetrated through her eyelids, prompting her to turn over and adjust to the morning slowly. After opening her eyes, she rubbed a hand over her face, and stretched. Realizing that she was sore from the night before, she left her bed, and walked over to the mirror.

Stretching her neck in an attempt to view the damage, she noticed that ugly blue and purple bruises decorated her neck, and an angry red jagged line from the knife was clearly visible. Though she had bathed the night before, she could still see dried blood in certain spots. Grabbing a cloth, she dipped it into the water basin on the vanity, and slowly, gently, wiped away the traces of blood. After inspecting the rest of her body for any spots she might have neglected, she dressed, and began pinning her hair up.

As she stuck the pins into place, her mind turned to Brandon. Her fingers paused in their administrations as she thought about the night before; wondering how he’d found out where they were. He must have sent for Torrington after he found out about their escapade.

A knock at the door turned her attention away from the mirror; she opened the door to see Godfrey on the other side of it. He looked up, ready to speak to her, but then suddenly stopped. His bored expression slowly filtered away and his mouth twisted a couple of times until, to Alla’s astonishment, a small smile made an appearance. It disappeared as quickly as it had come.

“You are wanted in the downstairs study, miss,” he stated.

“Thank you, Godfrey. I’ll be there shortly.”

After closing the door, Alla returned to the mirror, and saw what Godfrey found amusing. One side of her hair was in a great heap atop her head, while the other half was down. She rushed to pin the rest of her hair up, and braced herself to go downstairs, her mind racing.

The debt she owed to Brandon was great; and she would always be thankful that he stepped in, aiding her and Breanne, despite how she’d acted towards him. Oh, she was still quite angry with him, but somehow, she’d softened towards him again. Was it because he had saved her? She instantly dismissed the idea. One act of bravery did not wipe away the effects his actions had on people he did not take the time to consider. So, why had things changed, then?

Though dreading the upcoming meeting with Brandon and Torrington, Alla walked to the bedroom door, but paused, with her hand on the doorknob. Turning around, she walked to her desk, and slowly opened the drawer. The sunlight showered its rays on the chain necklace and pendant that her mama had given her. She hadn’t worn it because it would cause questions to arise. But it was special. It was special to her mama, and her family, and to her. Picking up the necklace, she walked over to the mirror.

Once it was around her neck, she ran her fingers over the pendant, thinking of her family, and resolved that she would no longer refrain from wearing it. Taking a deep breath, she headed downstairs and found Torrington, Breanne, and Brandon waiting for her.

“Where have you been?” Breanne’s light voice broke the thick silence in the room. “You could not have been sleeping this whole time.”

Alla timidly smiled in response. “Well, it was a long night, Brea—“. She stopped mid-sentence, noticing the demeanor of the two men in the room.

Breanne noticed as well, and instantly adopted a neutral expression, though her eyes were still twinkling.

Brandon was seated behind his desk. Alla avoided looking at him; but when he spoke; her eyes were forced to meet his. Leaning forward, he folded his hands on the desk in front of him. “Would you ladies be so kind as to explain the events leading up to the altercation in the alley?”

“We are waiting,” Torrington said after silence had dominated the room.

Breanne and Alla both looked at each other. Alla finally decided to speak; the excursion was her idea after all.

“I convinced Breanne to go to a tavern with me.”

“What?” Brandon leaned forward even more, displeasure evident in his whole posture. “You. Did. What?”

Alla paused. Did she really have to repeat what she had just said?

“I went of my own will,” Breanne chimed in. Two male heads swiveled to impale her with their gaze. At her announcement, Torrington slowly leaned back in his chair, and simply observed her. Alla thought, at that moment; he was just as intimidating as Brandon.

“Whose idea was it to go to this tavern?” Brandon’s voice rung out with authority.

“Mine!” Both women insisted at the same time. They looked at each other and chuckled. Torrington stood up and Breanne instantly sobered, her large blue eyes trained upon him.

“Do you think this is some sort of joke?” he asked, quietly. “You could have been seriously hurt. You both could have,” he added, glancing at Alla, then turned back to Breanne. “Have you even thought about what would happen if the ton gets wind of this?”

Breanne lowered her head and Alla knew exactly what she was thinking. She would have to correct her negative thoughts as soon as possible.

“Katrina.”

Alla’s gaze snapped to Brandon’s.

“Tell me what happened.” Brandon turned to Breanne. “You keep silent.”

Breanne nodded, and Torrington reclaimed his chair. Concerned, Alla watched Breanne’s dejected expression until Brandon snapped his fingers at her. Her head swiveled and she stared at him. She really wanted to kill him when he did things like that.

Finally, she explained; “I convinced Breanne to go to a tavern with me. I wanted to see what there was to see of the world. It was only one tiny tavern.” She looked up at Brandon who stared back impassively and motioned for her to continue.

“We…we had a couple of drinks.” A couple few. “And we danced a bit;” atop a table, she mentally added. “After that we left and sought out the carriage. Breanne had the driver park in the alley so that no one would see the carriage… so that no one of the ton would know,” she added, looking at Torrington earnestly.

His eyes flickered to Breanne, whose gaze remained downcast, and then looked back to her, expressionless. She sighed in defeat, and continued her story. “So, after that, Breanne walked down the alley to fetch the carriage—“

“Alone?” Torrington interrupted, staring at Breanne.

Breanne’s eyes darted to Alla, and flickered back to her lap. Guilt flooded through Alla. Now, Torrington would discover her embarrassing secret as well.

“Why would you do something so foolish as to—“

“Then, what happened?” Brandon interrupted.

Alla glanced up from her hands and into his eyes. Faintly nodding, he encouraged her to continue. He had just done her a favor; he saved her from humiliation.

Clearing her throat, Alla continued. “When she did not emerge with the carriage, I went in after her. It was then that I met up with our assailants. Breanne was injured and on the ground. I was held captive by one man, while the other carried Breanne and followed us to an adjacent alley. But, I escaped. I wanted to save Brea, so I ran to find her, and the man. It turned out that she had escaped as well, so we were able to get the upper hand for a little while. We lost our advantage right before you appeared.”

“I would like to hear your side of things.” Torrington put the statement to Breanne, forcing her to meet his eyes, “What did they do to injure you?”

Breanne answered him quietly. “When I was mid-way down the alley, I heard a peculiar noise. I stopped walking and listened, but I didn’t hear anything. So, I continued on. I didn’t’…I didn’t hear him when he came up from behind me. His hand slapped over my mouth. I screamed, and I….” she peeked at Torrington. He only stared back. “I bit him,” she continued. Amusement shone in Torrington’s eyes, which encouraged Breanne to continue relating the story. “He became upset at that and he hit me. The next thing I remember was laying on the ground and hearing a man threaten Katrina. He said that she would pray for him to kill her, or something to that effect.”

“I thought that you were insensate, Breanne…” Alla interjected.

“Well, I believe that I was part of the time. After that I was feigning,” she confessed, before turning back to Torrington. “When Katrina and her captor rounded the corner, I kicked the man that carried me, and that is what felled him for the time being. It gave me enough time to find a board and wallop him with it, as he cradled his…injury.”

“Did you hear them say anything else to me?”

“No, why do you ask? What did they say?”

All attention centered in on Alla. “They…they just spewed more insignificant threats,” she lied.

Brandon stared at her for what seemed like forever. His gaze was unsettling, and the silence was uncomfortable, until he finally spoke. “Torrington and I have spoken, and this is the point. What you ladies have done was foolish. Not only could you have been killed, but the driver could have as well. I hope that you realize that the actions you take have an effect on others. From henceforth on, your actions shall be monitored closely. You can expect no less.”

Alla and Katrina looked into their laps, guilt-ridden at the reminder of what happened to the driver. He was still abed. He wasn’t dead, but he had not yet awoken since his altercation.

“I believe that we have received sufficient enough information from Miss Crabtree and Bates, for the time being, do you agree Torrington?

At Torrington’s nod, Brandon continued. “Well, then if you don’t mind I would like a word with Miss Bates; in private.”

“Of course.” Torrington said. “I assume that you still want to have the discussion with me that you mentioned earlier.

“Yes, I will be with you shortly.”

Torrington nodded again, leading Breanne out of the room.

After making her squirm under his contemplative gaze, Brandon asked; “Are you sure that there is nothing else you have to tell me?”

“What do you mean?”

“Just what I asked.”

Alla swallowed. “There is nothing else to tell. I told you of the events transpiring up to the bout in the alley.”

He faintly nodded as he regarded her. “You have been upset with me for a while.”

“Yes.”

“I would like to know why.”

“I cannot tell you that.”

He straightened. “You cannot tell me why you have been treating me so very different from the way you did before? You cannot divulge why you turn hot and cold on me in an instant?” Annoyance radiated in his tone.

“You said that you would tell me how you knew of our outing.”

His features were unreadable as he examined her and kept silent. She could see that he was not happy with her deviating from their conversation. “Yes, I did,” he said, finally. “Brawna made me aware that you had left.”

“Brawna?”

“Yes,” he returned, a little abruptly.

“How did she—“

“Apparently, you two were overheard conversing about your plans to sneak out.”

“Oh. I see.”

Silence reigned throughout the room.

“What happened to our assailants?” she couldn’t help but ask.

“They are not dead, I assure you. They were taken care of; that is all you need know.”

“Are you planning on reporting the incident?”

His silence prompted her to divert her subject. “I haven’t seen Miss Taylor lately.”

Brandon raised a brow, amusement was written in his features. “That is probably because I haven’t invited her to visit, or joined her at a party.”

Alla waited for him to say more, and when he didn’t, sighed.

Brandon chuckled.

“What is so amusing?”

“You are. You still cannot do it, can you?”

“Do what?”

“You cannot ask me whatever it is that is on your mind.”

She remained quiet, and when she met his eyes again, he slowly smiled at her. The flutter’s returned in full force.

“Alright, this time I’ll not force you to ask. I will tell you. I became tired of her games, and cruelty.”

“Cruelty?” Alla asked, befuddled.

“Yes, cruelty. I never told you…The day I came across you when you had gotten stuck in the mud, do you remember it?”

“With perfect clarity.”

He smiled at her tone. “Almost as soon as I had arrived, I got called away on urgent business. I wasn’t aware as to how long it would be before I would be able to return to the manor. This is where Miss Taylor comes in; she was here when the missive came and volunteered to send her carriage after you. I realize, of course, that I should have advised my footman to go and collect you, yet when she stated the time, and mentioned that I was already late…,” he trailed off, sighing.

Running a hand through his hair, he continued. “After she’d done that, I couldn’t very well maintain my association with her. There was no kindness in her heart, and I had begun to see that more and more. This incident was the last I could handle, or excuse.”

Alla was astounded, and didn’t bother hiding the fact, staring at him wide-eyed. He had cut off his relationship with Miss Taylor…because of her? Here, she thought that he did not care a whit for her feelings.

“There is something else I must tell you,” he stated.

“Yes?” she asked, still reeling from shock.

“I believed you.” Observing her puzzlement, he explained. “I believed that you did not get the message I sent to you. Only absolute proof prevented me from acting upon the matter. But…despite your lying to me about your trip to the port, I believed you.”

“You did?” she asked, awed. Why did the man not tell her that at the time?!

He nodded.

She smiled softly at him. “Thank you, for that. Thank you for believing in me.”

He returned her smile, looked down, and then his stark blue eyes met hers. “I only wish that you would believe in me in return,” he admitted, quietly.

Alla’s smile faded, and her heart suddenly felt heavy. “What do you mean?”

“I believe that you know what I mean, but I will simply say this; I can see that something is on your mind. If you have anything to tell me, anything at all, I urge you……I want you, need you, to do so now. Trust me as I have trusted you.”

It was killing her. He was more sincere than she had ever seen him before. His expression was serious but his posture was welcoming. Confiding in him couldn’t possibly be a good idea, but the way he looked at her now…she wondered if…if she should take a chance. The idea of it caused her heart to pound hard in her chest. She still harbored some anger and resentment towards him, but it was not a significant amount of it. More than anything else, she wanted the secret of her identity off of her chest. It weighed heavily on her. At first, it was not too much of a difficulty to keep it concealed. But, as she came to know Breanne, and more importantly, Brandon, she’d begun to feel extreme guilt at keeping such a big part of herself a secret.

He sat silent behind his desk, and appeared patient. He simply…waited. Though he tried to hide his annoyance and appear approachable; she could still see a little irritation in a few of his mannerisms. The slight fold and twitch of his hands, quick fleeting flickers of impatience in his eyes, and a small twist in his mouth would appear as nothing to anyone else, but to her they were sure indicators of hidden vexation. How could she feel so in tuned to such a stubborn; and demanding man? Out of all people, she cared what he thought of her the most.

As she silently observed him, the truth of the matter hit her full force. She didn’t simply care for him. She loved him! It wasn’t the kind of love that she had for her mama and brother, no, this was different. They had fought almost constantly, right from the beginning. She was startled to realize that no matter how many times he infuriated her, she loved him. Her heart ached, and a lump formed in her throat at the revelation. How had this happened? She thought that she had been so careful—

“Katrina?” His soft voice brought her out of her thoughts, and her misty eyes looked up at his steady blue ones.

“What is the matter?” He gently prodded. “You do know that you can talk to me; you can trust me, don’t you?”

Alla looked down. What should she say? Yes, I know that I can trust you. For that reason I shall tell you that you have it all wrong. My name is not Katrina, it is Alla, and I am not white. I am only a slave, pretending to be so. I am what you would like to call ‘black cargo.’ She sighed again. If she loved him, then she should tell him. Almost as quickly as the thought came into her mind, she froze. What if he did not feel the same? What if he were simply showing an interest in a person of his household? She straightened. I should tell him anyway. She decided that she would do so…perhaps after she told Breanne. Maybe, if Breanne took the news well, she could give Alla assistance as to how to explain her situation to Brandon.

“Would it be alright if we talked…later today?” she asked, quietly.

He paused for only a fraction of a second. “Yes, of course,” he answered. “I shall be here. I am to speak with Torrington about a matter and then you and I shall talk. Would that suit you?”

Alla quickly nodded.

Brandon smiled at her again. “Good.” He rose to his feet as she did, and walked to the door with her. When she reached for the door knob, he stayed her hand with his own. It was amazing that now she had admitted to herself that she loved him, his effect on her senses was even more profound than before, and he had only placed one hand on her own. She composed herself, looking at him in inquiry. He searched her eyes before he spoke. “When you return to me, I have something of my own to speak with you about.”

Alla paused a moment, and then nodded. His hand slid over hers as he retracted it, causing her to look up at him and her breathing to quicken. Time suspended as the two gazed at each other. When Alla finally tore her gaze away from him, he reached in front of her, opening the door.

Torrington and Breanne sat outside the study. Their discussion abruptly ended when the door opened, and Torrington excused himself, stepping into Brandon’s study.

When the door closed, Alla took Breanne’s hand and led her upstairs to her room. Once inside, Alla stared at Breanne.

“What is it? What is the matter?” Breanne quickly asked. “Is everything alright? He did not terminate your employment, did he?”

Alla shook her head. “Though he did not terminate my employment, everything is not alright.” She looked down to their hands and back to Breanne’s face. “I have realized something, Brea. Brace yourself; you shall be very surprised. Truly, I did not realize it myself, before now. Yet, now I know that —“

“You love him?”

Alla dropped her hands. “How did you know what I was going to say?” she demanded to know.

Breanne laughed at Alla’s outrage and astonishment. “I know you, Katrina. It was evident in the way you acted, and the things you said. You were so determined that you would not like him. You were so set on hating him that I was sure your feelings were quite the opposite.”

“But I did hate him,” Alla complained. “I did! He was horrible.”

“Is he still insufferable?”

“Well, yes but, he’s not as extreme as he was before.”

“Perhaps you have changed as well, Katrina.”

Alla opened her mouth to object, and then paused. “Perhaps,” she conceded. Now was the time to tell Breanne the full truth. She took a deep breath.

“Breanne, do you remember the day we met?”

Breanne instantly smiled. “Of course I do. I am not that old.”

Alla grinned but quickly became serious again, determined to follow through. “The day I met you, I had just—“

“Katrina, wait.” Breanne paused, listening. “Do you hear that?”

Alla listened. Angry voices could be heard below stairs. Curious, both women walked over to the door, cracking it open. They put their ears up to the crack in the door, and listened in on the conversation.

“She belongs to me, and I want her back!” A hissing, angry voice echoed throughout the manor.

Alla’s blood ran cold and she began trembling; recognizing the voice just as surely as she would recognize her mama’s face. Her heart furiously slammed against her ribcage. It was her. She found her. Tears began streaming down Alla’s face, and fear seeped in, filtering through her bones.

A calm rumbling voice responded. Alla knew instantly that Brandon had spoken, but she had not known what he said.

“I am NOT mistaken,” the Misses sneered. “Here is your Katrina. The girl you sent for to come and work for you. The girl you have in this place is a nigger-slave!”

Breanne gasped and jerked back from the door, before slowly turning to look at Alla; and when she saw that tears were racing down her cheeks, she froze. “Is this true?” she whispered, shocked. Her eyes searched Alla’s face, and her answer was confirmed. “Why did you not tell me?” she asked, breathlessly.

Alla’s face crumpled. “I was going to Breanne. I swear that I was. I was just about to—“

“A slave?” Breanne repeated in disbelief.

“You are wanted downstairs, mum.” Godfrey’s deep voice traveled quickly to Alla through the cracked door, causing her to jerk in response.

Slowly opening the door, she saw Godfrey head back downstairs, and then returned her fearful gaze to Breanne, who still beheld her in wide-eyed shock.

“I understand if you no longer wish to be acquainted with me,” she said quietly, wiping the steady stream of tears from her cheeks.

“If Katrina is downstairs…what is your name?” Breanne asked, still adjusting to the shock.

“Alla. My name is Alla.” How many times she’d wanted to scream out her real name, and now that she had the opportunity to do so, she only felt despair, not relief.

“Alla,” Breanne whispered the repeated word.

Taking a deep breath, Alla turned away from Breanne and stepped over the threshold. By the time she had reached the top of the staircase, Breanne had linked arms with her. Surprised, she looked at a grim-faced Breanne, who only gave her a small nod. Although Breanne was upset with her for lying, the show of support she extended was more than Alla could ever hope for.

Eyes downcast, she walked down the stairs, waiting on the bottom floor. Silence ensued for a full minute. She stared at her feet, not wanting to see the look on Brandon’s face, or even Torrington’s, as she stood like a sacrificial lamb in the foyer.

“So, you thought you could run off, did you? You do know what’s going to happen to you once I have you shipped back to the colonies; don’t you nigger?!” Misses asked, disdainfully.

Humiliation seeped through Alla. If she were alone, it might not have been so bad. But here, in front of Brandon, Torrington, and Breanne, she felt like an utter nothing, especially after pretending to be someone worthy of their acquaintance. Fighting against her embarrassment; she lifted her chin an inch higher in defiance.

Pure rage contorted the Misses’ face. “Answer me, nigger!” she screamed.

Though some unbidden tears escaped her eyes, Alla did not move or respond. When the Misses raised her hand high above her head, Alla braced for the impact, turning away and flinching, as the misses’ hand came down.

The blow never came. Alla opened her eyes, turning to look at the Misses, and saw that Brandon had caught her arm.

“Let go of me!” she screamed, trying to yank her arm out of his grasp. He held fast, his fingers biting into her pale arm.

“You will not touch her,” he demanded, in a steely voice. Fury embodied his every movement.

When the misses’ faltered, fully intimidated, he released her arm.

“I want my slave back! That’s the only reason I came here. As I said before, this,” she said, pushing another girl forward, “is Katrina, the woman you sent for. The nigger you have there is called Alla, though I doubt she told you that!”

Brandon turned, fully facing Alla. Torrington stood by his side, while a gasping Breanne still held fast to her arm.

Brandon barely shook his head, and then finally met Alla’s eyes. “Is this true?”

Alla finally allowed her eyes to meet his; what she saw in them made her want to cry. “Yes, it’s true,” she answered, returning her eyes to the floor. Breanne squeezed her arm tighter.

Just then, a small shaky voice called down from above stairs. “Miss Bates, will you read to me?” All heads looked up to the little boy who grasped the railing. Curiously, he looked around at all of the faces in the room, only to flinch back at the hostility he saw in the misses’ face.

The true Katrina looked up at him, and stepped forward. “My name is Katrina, William,” she said, casting a nervous glance at the duke, and then back to the little boy. “I would love to read to you.”

William shook his head, and slowly made his way down the stairs, still grasping the rail. “I don’t want you to do it.” Pointing at Alla, he said; “I want her.”

The misses huffed impatiently at the boy and turned back to the subject. “There you have it; you heard her yourself,” she said, a gleeful smirk highlighting her features. “Turn over my property at once!”

“I think we should investigate the situation,” Torrington announced, filling the brief silence that prevailed within the manor after her outburst. He looked at the misses. “We need more proof that she really belongs to this woman, wouldn’t you agree Brandon?”

Alla’s eyes met Brandon’s again. When he only stared at her, saying nothing, she looked down.

William timidly walked over to her, and yanked on her gown twice. “Come with me,” he pleaded.

Alla shook her head at him. “I can’t right now, William.”

“Why not?” he demanded.

Shaking her head again, she placed her hand upon his head, ruffling his hair. “Not now,” she choked out.

William sensed that something was wrong, for his eyes began to well up with large tears, and he would not let go of her gown.

“I prepared myself in case something like this happened,” Misses said, addressing Torrington and Brandon. “I took the liberty of bringing the law into the matter.” She walked to the door, opened it, and motioned outside. Four officers came in. Brandon greeted all of them by name, causing the misses to, once again, become intimidated.

“Well,” she began with outrage towards the officers. “Tell him what you told me that you could do, were he to fight me.”

All of the officers kept silent, looking to each other to see who would talk first. Finally, one officer coughed and stepped forward. “Beggin’ your pardon, your grace, but we would have to put the girl into a holding cell…until a final decision could be made on the matter.”

Torrington stepped forward again. “Isn’t this slightly out of your jurisdiction?” A few of the men cracked small smiles at the lighthearted jest.

Another officer spoke up. “That is why we have to put ‘er in a holdin’ cell, milord,” he told Torrington. “If she be a slave, like the woman here says she is; there is a chance of her running away again.”

With that, the officers slowly moved in to arrest Alla.

“No,” Breanne cried, grasping tighter onto her arm. Unable to hold back her own tears, Alla watched as the officers started prying Breanne from her arm. William still clung onto her gown with all of his might, crying as well.

“Do not touch them!” Torrington ordered.

When the officers froze, Torrington’s steady gaze held her own. “I am sure if you simply ask her to step inside your carriage, she will do so.”

“She doesn’t need to be asked anything. She needs to be told!”

William forgot his fear; and sniffling, walked over to Misses, angrily spitting on her shoes, before running to hide behind Alla after the deed was done. The misses’ face twisted in wrath towards the boy, but before she could utter a word, Brandon silenced her.

“Get out.” The words, though spoken quietly throughout the room, could be heard by everyone.

“Y-your grace?”

“Get. Out,” he slowly repeated.

“What about my slave?! With all due respect,” she spat, “I came to get her and I won’t leave until I have her.”

Brandon took a threatening step forward at that, prompting Misses to quickly inform the officers that she would wait outside with her men.

Alla snapped to attention at that. Her men? Suspecting that they were the same men from the night before, she could only hope that they were too injured from Torrington and Brandon’s altercation to do any real harm to her.

“Excuse me,” an officer addressed Alla. “Would you load up in the carriage, miss?”

Alla slowly nodded and looked at Brandon. Besides the words that he’d uttered to the misses, he said nothing at all. Fury blasted from his eyes; she flinched in response, quickly averting her gaze.

After the officers agreed to her request to speak with William, she lowered herself to his level, gently grasping his tiny shoulders. “Will, I have to leave now.”

“Why?” his little voice trembled as he asked the question.

“I did something that I shouldn’t have done.”

“What did you do?” he asked, tears emerging from his brown eyes.

“I pretended to be someone I wasn’t,” she explained. “I lied. I pretended to be your governess, and I am in trouble for that.”

“But you are my governess,” he objected.

“No, she is, William,”Alla corrected, nodding her head towards Katrina.

He looked at the woman, and then back to Alla. “Did you…did you…?” his voice trailed off, and cracked.

“Did I what bug?” she asked, quietly.

“Did you pretend to be my friend, too?”

Alla grabbed William, enveloping him in a tight hug. “I love you, Will. I could never pretend that. I shall always be your friend. It’s only…now I have to face the consequences of what I have done.”

“It’s time, miss,” one of the officers said.

“Don’t go,” William pleaded tearfully as the officers came forward.

Crying, Breanne held onto William as they escorted Alla out of the manor. It wasn’t until she was in the middle of the hallway that she suddenly swung around, unsettling them, and facing Brandon.

“Why won’t you speak to me? Do you hate me now? Is that it?”

He stared back at her impassively. “I cannot hate someone that I do not even know.”

Alla flinched at his words; crying as the officers’ grabbed hold of her again. “The only unreal thing about me was my name,” she defended. “Please don’t do this! Don’t let them do this! Please!”

“Come miss,” an officer said as they led her to the door. “Brandon!” she screamed, looking back at him. Desperation at the fore, she only hesitated for a second before brokenly appealing to him; “I love you, please! Don’t. Don’t do this!”

An unnamed emotion flickered in his eyes, but was just as quickly extinguished. Turning away from her, he walked into the study, closing the door behind him.

Closing her eyes at the definite click the door made when it closed, she exhaled in defeat, and silent tears streamed down her face.

A tearful Breanne ran; following Alla out to the carriage, and prompting Torrington to trail her. Edith quickly caught William as he tried to run outside as well. No one saw the boy kick and scream in his efforts to go outside, and no one saw when he was hauled upstairs by several servants, his cries echoing throughout the manor.

Not sparing a glance to Misses and her men, whose own carriage was behind the officer’s, she numbly entered inside and once seated, looked out of the barred window. Torrington stood by the door, and looked ready to do violence to the men who waited with the misses; his hands clenching and unclenching. Breanne ran up to the carriage that she had been put into, grasping her fingers through the bars.

“I will come visit you if I can!” she called out, still crying.

Alla said nothing; only nodded, as tears continued to fall down her face. Once the carriage was off, she thought of Brandon. How foolish she was to trust him; to believe that he cared enough about her to step in. Laughing through her tears, she shook her head, unable to believe that she actually told him she loved him. He must have felt quite disgusted by that little revelation.

The carriage arrived at its destination minutes later. The misses and her men stood outside, watching her procession inside the place, and called one of the holding officers over to her, dropping something into his hand. Alla’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion as the officer returned to his comrades, speaking to them in hushed tones.

She was escorted inside the facility, and down a hallway of cells. The sunlight filtered through the windows, lighting the interior of the building. Alla became confused when she was not led to any of them. Instead, she was led down some narrow stairs and then to a large rusted door. An officer came forward and unlocked it; the hinges protested loudly as the heavy metal door was cracked open. Looking inside the room, she only saw one cell, and no windows. Darkness. Hastily, she turned to the officers, “Please… can you put me above, with a window?”

Three of them shook their heads, while one spoke up. “Sorry, we need to put you in isolation. Besides, all of the other cells are full.”

Alla shook her head. “No,” she said frantically. “All of them aren’t. I saw an empty one. I saw dozens of empty ones above us!”

The moment the officers had opened the door, the icy dark presence of the room began to encompass her body, almost as if it were determined to control her. It’s death! This room is death! her mind screamed. I can’t be here. I can’t survive it; not again!

“Come along, miss,” he insisted.

She dug her heels in, shaking her head. “Please,” she began crying again, biting her bottom lip in efforts to contain herself. “Don’t!” she yelled, as all of them began pushing her in.

Two men stepped before her, taking hold of her feet, whilst the other two hefted her by her shoulders.

“No!!” she screamed. “Not the dark, not the dark!” Her body jerked hard enough to catch all of the men by surprise; and she paid no heed to the pain as her body hit the floor. Once on hands and knees, she quickly tried to crawl away, before coming to her feet but the officers grabbed her legs, dragging her back towards the dark room.

“No, not again!” she sobbed. “Please! No!” Her fingers clawed the pavement, and the door slammed as she was dragged the rest of the way inside the room. To Alla, it was as if the lid of a coffin had been slammed shut. The icy confines of the room laughed back at her, taunted her, as her tortured cries rang out. “Mama!”

Her sobs continued on after they’d thrown her into the cell and left the room. Four officers walked down the hallway; but one of them paused and turned around when he heard the broken cries coming from the isolated cell. He stepped towards the door, uncertain, and stared worriedly at it. The screams were of a person tormented. It was unnatural, and it was the most disturbing thing that he had ever heard.

“Come on.”

The officer turned towards his fellows. “This doesn’t seem right. Why can’t the girl be put into a regular cell?” he yelled out, over the screams.

“We’ve been paid dearly for where we’ve put ‘er. If ye’ want the food on yer’ table to feed yer’ youngins’; keep yer’ mouth shut. Come on!”

The officer slowly followed the others out of the room, but couldn’t help but spare one last sympathetic glance at the door. Those agonizing sounds would disturb him for the rest of the day, he thought, and then sighed. Who was he fooling? He would never forget those sounds. He finally, slowly, walked out.

A/N =Another Disclaimer....The next chapter needs more work too so Idk when it will be up but I'll try not to take too long. And Shaterikablanton, Your email might get blown up! The next chap will be the last one, and then theres the epilogue and preview into the next. Im not sure if I'll be posting it all togther or not, decisions decisions...let me know what you think! Thanks for reading!