I watch Gabriel in silent awe, as if looking upon some sort of heroic prince. His words about freedom make me dreamy. I suddenly wonder what it would be like to stand beside Gabriel, speaking softly with him, holding his hand. I pause for a moment, becoming embarrassed with myself. Even when daydreaming, I must always remember my place. No master would ever fall in love with a lowly servant. But then I think what the heck? Why can’t I imagine whatever I want? I’m free in my mind and can think whatever I please as long as nobody else is aware of my thoughts. So I allow myself to envision placing a kiss smack on Gabriel’s lips. The image makes me frown, it’s so ridiculous. I wonder how many other silly servant girls here have a crush on him.
As I’m daydreaming, Gabriel slowly unholsters his gun and thumbs the safety off. He smiles slightly, walking the line and eyeing each servant. He has a cold, unblinking gaze like a snake.
“My family has had to pay a high price for each of you,” he says. “But that won’t prevent me from getting rid of any lazy slaves. Laziness is one thing I won’t tolerate. So you’ll have to work very hard to prove to me your worth keeping alive.”
Gabriel stops short in front of a young guy standing only four servants away. He raises his gun and presses the barrel into the guy’s forehead. I hold my breath.
“To be honest,” Gabriel continues, “I’ve never cared too much about the price to obtain a slave. At the moment, I believe none of you really deserve to be living. And perhaps it would be merciful to go ahead and put some of you out of your misery. I doubt any of you have any thoughts to speak of in your heads, let alone the will to live.”
I feel suffocated. I don’t understand what Gabriel is doing. Is he just going to kill us? It doesn’t make any sense.
“Look at you,” Gabriel says, holding the gun to the guy’s head. “I could take your life right now. And nobody would even attempt to stop me. There are a few dozen of you here and I’m outnumbered. But I’m still stronger. All because none of you have anything to live for.”
I hear a click as he thumbs back the hammer of his pistol. Joan stands tensed with her whip several feet away, warily watching us. Guards hold their rifles ready in case any of us choose to resist.
“Do you want to live?” Gabriel asks the guy. “Or shall I kill you now?”
It doesn’t really sound like the type of question you should answer. The servant shuts his eyes, remaining silent. I want to go back home.
Gabriel fires a shot just a few inches above the guy’s head.
“Welcome to Central Settlement,” he says softly, smirking. “Work very hard, please. Perhaps some of you will prove me wrong. Maybe some will even manage to earn their freedom.”
He holsters his gun, turns and walks away. Everybody stands frozen in shock, a deathly silence hanging over the yard like a smothering blanket.
CHAPTER 5
Once Gabriel leaves, Joan leads us into the servant’s section of the residence. We wind up in a large dining room with several tables, set with various dishes of delicious-looking food. There are chicken legs and steak, different salads and rolls, vegetables and other dishes I’ve never tried before. My stomach growls in anticipation. Back in the Recycling village our diet mostly consisted of sweet corn, potatoes and stale bread. I grab a plate and rush toward the nearest table, excited to try the new food.
After filling my plate, I plop down in a chair next to Trent.
“Are you still happy you left home?” he asks. “Does all this still seem like a good idea?”
It actually doesn’t. I shrug, looking down at my plate. I’m still weak and shaken after Gabriel’s welcoming.
“Damn it,” Trent mutters quietly. “Our new master is a psychopath and that lady with the whip doesn’t seem much better.” He turns to me and adds spitefully, “I truly hope you enjoy your stay in Central Settlement, Kora.”
I know what he’s doing. He’s deflecting his own disappointment and anger toward me, which is totally unfair.
“If we work hard we can earn our freedom within a year,” I remind him.
“And what then? What are you going to do once you’re free?”
I don’t answer. Swimming in the ocean and living in a huge house would probably seem like nothing more than a shallow dream to Trent.
“Don’t you want to be free?” I ask.
“I don’t know for sure, Kora. I’ve been a servant all my life. I don’t have a clue what I’d do after earning my freedom.”
Under the table, I press my fingernails into my hand. Talking to Trent makes me anxious.
“Well, we’ll see.” He suddenly smiles. “Maybe you’re right and life here will be better than back in our village.”
I know he’s prone to sudden mood swings. One moment Trent may be all brooding and blue, then laughing and joking the next.
“It’s so delicious!” the blonde with the stunning green eyes exclaims. “It’s such a relief to finally eat something besides fish. Back in my village we ate nothing but fish every waking day. I was getting sick of it!”
A dozen guys simultaneously smile at her comments. The two most desperate refill her glass of water and add more food to her plate. I glance cautiously at Trent. He’s concentrating on eating his meal. I pick up a fork and begin stuffing my mouth as well. My hand now has deep purple imprints left from my fingernails.
***
After supper, Joan leads us into another
