Dark bags were under my eyes like I hadn’t slept in days. A light bruising along my neck that I couldn’t remember seeing the day before. Even my clothes were filthy, but they hadn’t been all that clean to begin with. My hair was no longer soft, but a tangled mess of blond locks.
Stripping where I stood, I left the pile of used rags near the sink to be taken care of later, before turning to the shower. I kept the water on the hotter side, slipping in under the spray.
So used to having another boy popping in, it felt odd to not have someone using another showerhead in the same space.
How long had it been since I had time to truly be alone? Heck, I couldn’t even remember the last time I used the bathroom without sharing the same space.
There was no crying or laughing of others under the spray. How boys could still laugh and try to have fun while being slaves would always be something I’d never grasp. But there had been times when Will’s fake laughter floated through the room.
Once I was as clean as I could be, I got out of the shower, quickly drying off with one of the fluffiest towels I’d ever felt.
Could I just wear this and nothing else ever again? I’d be okay with that option. Holding the white material to my nose, I sniffed the smell of laundry soap and something else I couldn’t name. I wanted to bask in it. Instead, I let out a deep breath and rehung the towel on the rack.
Not bothering with clothes, I walked through the room, finding it empty just as I had left it. I wasn’t sure what I was expecting. Nothing so far here had been the same as anywhere else.
My skin itched in such a way that lotion wasn’t going to be able to soothe. It was deep in my veins.
I barely made it out of the room, right on the threshold of where the door met the hallway when a low voice spoke across the silent space.
“If you come out, you better have clothes on. No one walks around here naked.”
A blush filled my cheeks, and I silently stepped backward into the room. I wasn’t sure why all of a sudden I was embarrassed, but I pushed it to the back of my mind.
“Clothes are in the dresser.” The voice was a bit more muffled, but I heard all the same.
I didn’t pay attention to the items my hands grabbed. Soft pants and a shirt had to at least be considered as clothes. I had to roll the pants up a bit so I wouldn’t happen to trip over the ends before I left the room once more.
Hesitantly, I walked towards where the voice had come from minutes before. Before I entered the room, I stood frozen in the doorway, hands clasping one another.
A lone light, like it had been in the room I woke up in, was beside the bed. But this light was brighter, letting me see all too well the boy – no man, maybe – who was lying on his back. His eyes were closed, his chest rising and falling with each breath.
“Asher, right?”
I nodded, dropping my eyes to the floor as a man who had to be at least twice, if not more, my size came from what appeared to be another bathroom. “Good. You found clothes.”
I held my breath, waiting.
“Some ground rules.” I nodded again as he stepped closer to me, keeping a good distance between us still. “Clothes are a must. At all times unless you are in your room with your door shut. You are a minor, and I can’t see you naked for many reasons. The same rules apply to Dakota here.”
“I’m...but...”
“You are sixteen. No being naked.”
I dipped my head, closing my mouth with a snap at the tone he used.
“Second, show me respect, and you’ll get it in return. You’re free and safe now. So if you need to eat or get a drink of water, or sleep, then do so. Let me know if your needs aren’t met, and I’ll make sure everything is taken care of.”
I opened and closed my mouth a couple of times, knowing I should have something to say but there were no words to be spoken.
Was I really free?
Chapter 11
After everything, I would have thought that sleep would have been found easily. But there was no such luck. My mind danced with too many thoughts, too many ideas, and nothing all at once. I wasn’t sure where one thing ended, and the next began.
I yawned, eyes watering, and shifted enough to touch Dakota’s clammy forehead once more. He had no fever, but he looked extremely pale, and that was saying something against my own skin tone. My skin hadn’t seen or felt the real sun in so long, I had to look like a piece of white paper by now.
My skin had been a bit on the darker side, though. Some would have said sun kissed. I had to disagree. I was just...me. Whatever the heck I was now.
