Secret Place

I was startled when my father came up to me that day and said that from then on, I would be working. But I was more surprised when he gave me a grey t-shirt and blue jean shorts and told me that they were only to be used for work and they only thing I was allowed to wear to work. The rest of the day I was stupified with all the things that my parents informed me about how to act in my new job. I was not yet thirteen and I was to work on a railroad field with the workers from then on out. Of course I wasn’t old enough to work the railroad but to bring things to the workers and supply them with food and water. As stressful and new as this was to my parents, I was to start the next day. And I had to be strong…for their sake.
Hand-in-hand with my mother and father, siblings trailing behind, I was on my way to the site. Earlier I had been crying. Completely out of site from my parents, I had to keep up a strong, adult front. But somehow I knew they weren’t fooled by my performance, I still had to keep trying…
Father led us to the largest, most deserted place in town. The place no one ever came because of stories of what it did to the mind. But he walked right up the stone path, leaving us a good distance behind, and knocked on the dark stone. The door was huge. Beyond anything I had ever seen before. It had chains around the corners and the stone was so old, I felt that if I had touched it, that it would wither under my skin.
When the door opened a tall man stepped right around my father. He was enormouse in height and his skin was pale. Tucked deep into his face he had two topaz gold eyes. When he looked down he looked only at me. His eyes scrutinizing my every move. The deepness in his eyes scared me. I cringed back into my mothers side, trying to hide my face from view. Since the doors’ opening, I could hear my brothers and sister trailing backwards away from the door. But now I could see them in my peripheral sites. They were so far back, I could tell they were near the beloved home I had grown up in and would know anywhere.
They were the lucky ones. I peeked up to see my father. He was staring wide-eyed at the stranger with a stupid look on his face. But deep in his eyes I could see a familiararity that he had seen this being before. Like maybe in a dream or a by-passer in the street.
Strangely enough, instead of saying anything to the man, my father came near me, pried my hand from my mothers grasp and handed me over to the man. I was struck with fear by his touch. My heart wa pounding in my chest so loud it was aching my ears to hear it. When I glared back at my father I felt nothing. He handed me away to this stranger and didn’t even say a word. But when I glanced at my mother and saw the tears streaming down her face, I bursted out crying and yelling for the man to let me go. Seeing my struggle, the man dropped my hand and waited. Facing my parents so he could witness what I was to do.
The moment he released me from his grasp I sprang into action. I ran down the large stone steps and wrapped my arms around my mother. I squeezed her so hard my arms ached with the effort. She slid down on her knees and hugged my back. But she whispered in my ears the one thing I will never forget.
“ I will miss you, I love you sweety, I hope I see you soon.” Her voice was muffle by my hair and her own sobs. But I understood what she meant.
“Tonight right?? I’ll see you tonight??” I pulled back and stared into her eyes. My own eyes still blurry from crying.
“No baby, not for a while. But soon. I swear I’ll see you again…I love you.” Her voice cracked and she started crying again.
I didn’t understand what she meant when she said ‘soon’ but I just hugged her and cried harder.
The few moments I had left with my mother were ruined by the mans deep booming voice.
“we must go. It is getting late.”
Mom pulled back slowly, nodded and gave me another tight hug.
Then she let me go. I was still grasping mid-air when she turned around. I took a step back and glanced at my father. His face was still hard but he did speak.
“It’s for the best, you’ll know this one day.” He never looked at me once. Never letting his eyes stray from the man behind me. Then he turned, head hanging, and followed my mother. I was planted to the ground by my feet. Until my mother fell to the ground crying and screeming at my father. That’s when I bolted. I jumped forward and started running. But I wasn’t fast enough. I was screaming for my mother, screaming for her to come back. But she never turned around. She just sat there, facing the road. Screaming at my father and crying. I wasn’t fast enough to beat the man to my parents. Before I knew it he had grabbed my arms and pulled me backwards into the door. The last time I saw my mother she glanced back at me, her hands on her face, and fell to the floor.
He held onto my arm until the door was completely closed. The he dropped me to the floor. The look he had in his eyes scared me. But when all the sudden his eyes and facial went soft, I sat up and watched him.
“ I want you to be good. Don’t be like the rest, please. I don’t think I could do that again.”
I had just enough guts to ask what he meant.
“What do you mean? Like the rest? What happened to them?” It was all scrambled up and barely more than a whisper but somehow he heard me.
His face scrunched for a second but it went smooth in less time then I would have imagimed. “Nothing.” He said. “If your like the rest you will find out.” Then he turned around on his heel and gracefully left the room.
I was left on the floor for about two minutes before a woman came in the room and examined me. She was beautiful of course. But I couldn’t understand why she was grabbing my arm and turning me around. She wa watching me. Summing me up. But throughout all this I couldn't keep my eyes off her. She was georgous. The most beautiful woman I had ever seen.
When she was finished with her examination she stood back and looked straight into my eyes. Hers were a beautiful aquamarine color, perfect blue, but they were deep. There were centuries of pain in her eyes.
When she spoke her voice sounded like chimes. "Hello Lelani. It's nice to have you here. You can call me Amelia. Or Emm for short. Follow me."
'H-how do you know my name?" I asked quivering.
"Lea, we know a lot more about you then just your name.