I was afraid of what they'd do when they realized we had no way of  understanding orders. We got lucky and they simply threw us back in the hut- for now. But not before I got a swift punch to the face because I could f hold in my anger about Odette.

I can only imagine where they'll decide to send us next...

They gave us a small canteen of water each. We both only took a swallow or two, trying to preserve it. Who knows when our next oh so generous gift of water will come.

I try not to think about what might yet be ahead of us. However it's hard not to do anything but about that as Ayana and I sit for hours on end in silence in the dark loneliness of our personal prison.

As night finally begins to fall, I think about trying to get some sleep. Just as I'm trying to find a nice patch of... dirt to lay down on, a thud resounds outside followed by another- thunk.

I, being stupid, look at Ayana wondering if she heard it too and forgetting for a moment that she can't hear at all.

Then my head flings back in the direction of the hut entrance. I swear I heard a series of grunts and mumbles. I jump a little suddenly because... The boulder-door moved!

"Chris?" a voice softly calls. "Oh please, tell me Chris is in here."

My eyes go wide and I feel glued to the ground for a moment.

"Odette???"

"Ha ha!" Odette quietly cheers. She continues to push the rock and manages to get it open. "Guys we have to get out of he-"

Suddenly she's whisked out of view of us and a high pitched squeal fills the air. My heart stops as I hear men talking in rough voices. Then, slap. A series of blows is heard and with each one Odete groans and my heart sinks.

Ayana is wide eyed and terrified. She flinches with each sound of a beating.

The groans turn into screams and suddenly the blows sound... different. As if...

My throat seems to close on me. They've brought out a whip on her again.

Ayana shakes her head and backs herself into the wall, crying and shaking violently as if she's the one being attacked.

I want to jump out there and fight them off... But I'm not capable of winning. And if I even tried, I'd probably make it worse for the both of us.

I cover my ears against the shrill screams and squeeze my eyes shut. This must be a dream. This isn't real, this isn't real, this isn't real.

But it is.

One last crack sounds and Odette lands on her front right at the entrance of the hut. Two men stand behind her and start kicking her so she'll get inside.

I rush over to her, beyond angry at them for ever laying hands on her at all.

They smirk at me and close the entrance once more.

My anger quickly turns to fear again as I look down at Odette.

"Oh God, please no," I whisper-pray as I pull Odette's unconscious form up onto my lap.

"What're you doing?" I say between clenched teeth. "I told you you'd get yourself killed."

I breathe in sharply and the tears start before I knew they were coming. I anxiously check for any sort of pulse. I find one but it seems so slow. Her shirt is bathed in blood. Her lips are cracked and bleeding and her hair seems to be all but made out of dirt. It all scares the living daylights out of me.

For a while I just sit there and cry. The most painful thing about it, is that I want to help so bad. I don't want to just sit here and bawl like a baby. But I can't. I'm not a miracle worker and no one around here is going to be willing to help us.

Suddenly I feel a tiny hand on my shoulder. I let out a light gasp and whip my head around. Ayana is there. She stares at me with those big, beautiful hazel eyes. She catches my gaze then looks at Odette. I sniff and scrunch up my eyebrows.

Ayana hold out her arms. I look at her funny. She thrusts out her arms again. I gently start moving Odette so I can give her to Ayana. But Ayana moves away and pats the ground between us.

I look at her skeptically but lie Odette between us anyway. Then Ayana slowly and gently pushes Odette up so she's lying on her side, her hair fling our every which way. Then she goes to lift up her shirt, just a little. She appears to be examining her back, which got the worst of the beatings I'm sure.

She glances across the room, then at me, then back across the room. I try to follow her gaze and find the two water canteens. I crawl over and grab the canteens. Then I walk back and set them next to Ayana.

She immediately opens one and pours it out onto the ground.

"Wha-?" I stutter helplessly as she does the exact same thing with the second canteen. I'm starting to get really mad that she just dumped what little water we were allowed out onto the ground but then, why she did it becomes clearer. Where she dumped the water, the dirt was of course, becoming mud.

She gently gathers a scoop of mud in her hands and applies it to some of the cuts on Odette's back. Odette moans out of nowhere and my head snaps down to see if she's waking up.

And she is.

Her eyelids slowly open has if it's painful to move them.

"Odette! Oh good gracious what on earth-"

"Hey Chris-to-fer," she teases, a small smile playing at her lips.

Ayana is still busy trying to help in whatever way she can. I look up at her again to find her tearing her little sack dress. She pushes it onto another spot of Odette's back, to try and stop the bleeding where it's the worst.

Odette tries to look at what's happening behind her but I tell her not to move.

"Ayana's trying to clean you up a bit," I inform her.

"What?" she hisses. "I'll be fine, get me up so we can find a way out of here."

"Why were they... soooo mad at you?" I ask, ignoring her question.

"I'm a slave out and about what'd you think they were mad at me for?" she mumbles.

"You were just outside the hut they didn't have to beat you senseless," I mutter.

Odette licks her lips and starts picking at the dirt underneath her fingernails.

"I... May have... Kinda... Knocked out the dude that was guarding your hut," she admits.

"Odette!" I scold.

"What?" she protests. She's trying to sound like her feisty self but truth is, she still sounds really weak.

I shake my head slowly. "Why?" I ask.

"Cause we're getting out of here. All of us," she croaks.

"Odette, you just need to rest right now," I insist.

She rolls her eyes. "Yes, mother."

She doesn't want to let her pride down, but I know her. She's in pain, and she's trying to hide it. Because she has a goal in mind. And when Odette has a goal, she does not back away from it.

I look back up at Ayana who's trying to get another piece of her dress off. I scurry around until I'm next to her and gently out my hand on hers to stop her.

I grab my shirt and tear at the fabric. Ayana looks at me while I struggle to rip the shirt. Then she shakes her head, and puts her hand on mine before going back and ripping another section of her dress off.

"What's Ayana doing exactly?" Odette asks.

"Just trying to stop some of your bleeding. Do you think you could like, stand up without getting whoozy or anything?"

Odette chuckles lightly. "Whoozy? Really?"

I roll my eyes and a smile plays on my lips despite myself. "Would you just answer the question? How do you feel?"

"Like a million bucks," she shoots sarcastically.

I roll my eyes again. "Look I get that you're not feeling fantastic or anything. In case you haven't notice, none of us are doing so hot," I remind her. "Right now, I'm just hoping you're going to live," I add. I try to sound like I'm not actually concerned that her very life is at stake even though I honestly still am.

Odette just lets out a hearty, "HA!" that makes me jump a little and Ayana seems to feel the vibration of.

"If they want to get rid of me," Odette continues, "They're going to have to try a lot harder than that."

She sits up out of nowhere and spins around on her rear to face us. She looks really dizzy for a few moments. She blinks several times and appears to be ok.

"By the way you have an ugly black eye," she informs me.

I subconsciously start reaching towards my eye as Odette turns to Ayana and signs something that looks like she's blowing her a kiss. Ayana smiles, signs back to Odette, and then climbs into my lap.

Hey guys!!! So I got a new cover that I absolutely adore!!! It was made for me by Silentsparrow432 You guys should totally check out her awesome books if you haven't already. Hope you're enjoying this book so far! Love you lovlies and God bless!