“It’s okay,” A’shai said as he kneeled beside her. “You don’t got to hide. I’m not going to hurt you. You hungry?”
He held out the bread for her, but she didn’t take it. She wouldn’t even look at him. She kept her eyes on the floor. A’shai placed his hand on her arm causing her to tense up.
“I’m not going to do anything bad to you,” he said. “I’m Shai. What’s your name?”
Again she was unresponsive.
“Okay. Well I’ll leave this food for you just in case you get hungry,” he said. He stood and left her alone, hoping that she would eventually warm up to him.
Ezekiel made it clear that she was to tend to the duties of his house and to avoid the brutal punishments she saw other women and kids endure, she obliged. A week had passed, and Liberty still had not spoken a word. Untrusting of everyone and too afraid to open up, she did what was expected and nothing more.
A’shai watched her from the side of the house as she washed clothes in the wooden basin out back. He couldn’t figure her out and the more he tried to get her to interact, the more she withdrew. He felt badly about her family and knew that she was hurting, but his youthful ego took a blow each time that she snubbed him. A youngin’ with a schoolboy crush, he was determined to make her pay attention to him. As she washed diligently under the blazing sun, A’shai snuck up behind her. The clothes that hung on the makeshift clothesline hid his approach.
“Arghhhh!” he screamed obnoxiously, startling Liberty. Her first reaction was to flee but as she stepped backwards she tripped over a metal bucket, causing her to fall into the large washing basin and soaking her to the bone.
Enraged she screamed at the top of her lungs as she lunged for A’shai and pulled him into the water.
He fell face first into the basin and came up spitting out sudsy water. The two wrestled and grunted as they fought one another, pushing and shoving and cursing. They tipped over the basin causing clean clothes along with themselves to spill out into the dirt.
“Look what you made me do!” Liberty shouted in frustration, knowing that if Ezekiel saw the dirtied laundry there would be serious repercussions. Soaking wet, she fell to her knees and picked up the clothes.
A’shai could see the terror fill her as she scrambled nervously. As much as he hated chores he knew that he owed her one. He wouldn’t be reprimanded if Ezekiel found out but she would, and the last thing he wanted to do was get her into trouble. He bent down and helped her out.
“Just go away,” she mumbled as she put the clothes into the basin and grabbed water buckets to go retrieve more water from the river.
“Sorry!” he screamed after her. “I was only playing. Hey, wait up!” A’shai said as he ran after Liberty. “Where are you going? Hey! I want to help.”
“You’ve helped plenty!” she shot back as she stomped away.
A’shai knew that if she tried to bring the water to the well it would take all day. A’shai scooped up the dirty clothes and ran after her. He was a thinker and would rather let his brain do the hard work than his body.
“What are you doing?” she asked in annoyance.
“You can wash and dry the clothes by the river. Trust me. It’ll be done before my dad even knows we’re missing,” A’shai stated. He ran past her. “Come on!”
Reluctantly Liberty ran after him until she was out of breath. By the time she caught up to him, A’shai had the clothes in a fishing net that he threw into the flowing water. She stopped and looked at him in amazement while thinking,
He sat on the shore and then patted the space beside him. “So what’s your name anyway?” he asked.
She sat down a few spaces down from him and replied, “Liberty.”
It was all they said to one another the entire day but the ice had finally been broken, and Liberty appreciated A’shai’s offer to help. Hours later as the sun began to set, A’shai helped her remove the clothes from the tree branches they had dried on and then they raced one another back to the village. Ezekiel hadn’t arrived home yet causing Liberty to breathe a sigh of relief. As Liberty prepared for bed, A’shai approached the makeshift cot that she slept on. Without warning he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. The peck was so quick that Liberty wasn’t even sure that it even happened and without saying anything, A’shai nervously retreated to his own room. His confident swagger hid the nervous butterflies that danced in his stomach. A small smile spread across Liberty’s young face as she touched her lips gently. She had never kissed a boy before, and it made her blush in flattery. It was the first time that Liberty hadn’t been afraid in her new surroundings. Although she did not let him know, A’shai made her feel comfortable. She didn’t think about the rebels, the war, her family, the blood-stained hands of his father. In his presence, Liberty felt safe… as if the little boy could protect her from the big bad world.
THREE
LIBERTY AND A’SHAI BECAME INSEPARABLE. SHE DISTRACTED him from his duties as an up-and-coming rebel because he wanted to spend all of his days with her. They never spoke about the raid of her village, but just looking Liberty in the eyes made A’shai realize how wrong the rebel campaign truly was. If girls like Liberty were hurt in the process then A’shai wanted no part of it. He was smitten by her infectious laugh. Taken aback by her flawless skin. Enthralled by her remarkably kind heart. They were best friends, and as each day passed she opened up to him more and more.
Ezekiel was pleased with the way his son had cracked Liberty’s hard exterior and as he watched the two playing behind his home he cleared his throat, announcing his presence.
Liberty stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes grew large. She was terrified of Ezekiel, and she avoided him whenever she could. She had seen him carry out the most lethal of threats and although they had not interacted much, he intimidated her.
“Shai, we need wood. Stop all this playing and go retrieve a few bundles,” Ezekiel stated sternly.
A’shai nodded and tapped Liberty’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!” he shouted.
“Go alone. She has chores to do,” Ezekiel said.
“But I’m going to need help carrying…”
Before A’shai could get the sentence out of his mouth Ezekiel shot him a cold stare that silenced him instantly.
“Go get the wood,” Ezekiel demanded. He walked over to Liberty and placed a heavy hand on her shoulder and then led her back into the hut.
Liberty craned her neck as she watched A’shai kick a rock in frustration as he headed out to the woods. She wanted to call out to him or to even run after him, but the hold Ezekiel had on her fragile neck was so strong that she was afraid he might snap it if she disobeyed.
Ezekiel had waited long enough for Liberty to become accustomed to her new life. He hadn’t needed her to cook or to clean or to wash or to sweep. She was one of the spoils of war, a sexual conquest. She was too beautiful to kill like the others of her village. He wanted her, and as he closed the door, he unbuckled his army fatigue pants as his manhood grew in sickening anticipation. Ezekiel approached Liberty. Shirtless, his hairy chest trapped the scent of his funk as he grabbed her wrists and pulled her down onto the floor forcefully.
His hands roamed her body, and she pushed them off repeatedly. “No, stop,” she cried as his fingers penetrated her, hurting the space between her legs. “Stop!” she screamed.
A’shai got halfway into the woods when he realized that he had forgotten to take an axe. Knowing that this was going to set him back and keep him away from Liberty even longer he took off as his youthful speed brought him back to the village in less than ten minutes. A’shai trudged to the back of the hut to retrieve his axe when Liberty’s shrill screams cut through the air and pierced his young heart. A’shai ran into the house and when he saw his father struggling to subdue Liberty on the ground he snapped. He had seen his father do horrendous acts, but the sight before him made his stomach hollow in utter disappointment.
“Get off her!” A’shai barked as he lunged at his father’s back, swinging with all the might that he could muster. His fists did not faze Ezekiel, they only incited his anger. Ezekiel stood, sweating and heaving like a crazed bull.
Liberty’s eyes met A’shai’s as she wiped the blood from her nose. Like a deer in headlights, A’shai froze as Ezekiel approached him menacingly. A’shai stood his ground as he looked his father in the eyes. Inside he was
