Chapter 27

Chapter 27Chapter Twenty-Seven
Daphne's Point of View
As I was getting out of the shower, I could hear Hannah's bubbly voice calling my name. I poked my
head out of the bathroom and let her know that I was only going to be a moment. I hurried and dried off
and threw my clothes on before tying my hair up ina ponytail. Today I was finally leaving, and
surprisingly I had mixed emotions about it. I was happy to be leaving here, that I was no longer a slave.
On the other hand, this place is all I have ever known. I am a little anxious about going to a place that is
completely brand new. I truly wonder what my future holds.
“Are you ready to see your new home?” Hannah is already bouncing around the room, a wide smile
capturing her face. Her energy is contagious, and I find myself getting excited about it as well. “ I can
not wait for you to see the house; I think you are going to love it. Oh, and I can show you around our
little town, and my favorite café and coffee shop.” Hannah is very excited, and I laugha little at how fast
she is rattling off places she wants to go. “Alright well let's go get you all packed up, because I am
ready to get there.”
I lead Hannah out of Caleb’s room and take her to the back stairs. There is a comfortable silence
between us. I start getting a little nervous as we get closer to my room. I know that it is not much, but
for so long it has been my sanctuary.“I do not have much so it wont take long to get it together. I mainly just want to grab the few books that I
have hidden away.” I naturally look at the floor as I tell Hannah this.
“I understand I only had a few clothes to bring with me too when Theo and Caleb bought me. Daphne I
was a slave too, so
I know what it is like.” Hannah puts her hand on my back in comfort. I open the door slowly, revealing
my home for the first time to someone else. Looking at my bedroom after spending the night in the
green room with Caleb I can finally see how low I have really lived. My makeshift bed is barely an inch
above the actual floor. There is no art, or color really in my room.
“Alright well let us get started. Where are your books?” Hannah's bubbly personality is shining through
again, she is trying to put me at ease, and it is working. I walk in and lead Hannah over to where there
is a loose floorboard near the corner. In this little hole is the only treasure I own, my books. The
floorboard is being stubborn today and does not come up as easily as I would have liked. Finally, it
breaks free and I can move it to the side. As I am pulling my first book out Caleb surprises us both by
showing up. Hannah and I had been so focused on the floorboard we did not hear him approach, and
his voice startled us a little.
I am embarrassed that Caleb is seeing my room. I know that it is not much, but it was mine. Having him
here raises my anxiety. I do not know what he is thinking as he looks around the room. He does not say
much but walks over and grabs my clothes. That is all Iown, and I am ready to go now. Caleb, Hannah,
and I walk back to the green room andCaleb grabs his bags, throwing my possessions into his bags. He then calls Theo and too soon we are
ready to go to my new home. '
Caleb holds my hand as we walk through the house. It is a bittersweet moment walking through the
halls one last time. I spotted the corner where I got my first broken nose, the place by the steps where
my mother whipped me with a belt. The coffee table that had split my head open above my eye.
Looking around I realized quickly that I did not have a lot of happy memories here. There were
moments that I shared with Scarlet that were good, secret hugs and small moments in time. Overall
though I realize now that I lived through basically hell on earth. Caleb's thumb is massaging the back of
my hand as if he knows what is going through my head.
What surprises me most though is the lack of activity throughout the manor house. I did not expect my
mother and father to come see me off as they had Scarlet, but I did think that they would show up to
say goodbye to Alpha Caleb.
The hallways were empty through, I did not even see Beta Noah, or Heather. It was eerie to not hear
the bustle that is common. I wonder if it has anything to do with Caleb meeting with my father this
morning. I almost want to ask him what happened, but perhaps it is better if I do not know. °
Finally, we are outside, and I inhale deeply. Just being outside brings some peace to my soul. Looking
around I can see that a lot of people are gathered.
Hannah is close to Theo, and I see some faces that I recognize from last night. '
“Let's go home pack.” Caleb’s voice is booming, and I can hear the excitement in his voice. With his
words I see their faces light up and everyone starts moving towards the woods. I notice that the
younger girls, and some children that I did not notice before are ushered towards the middle of the
group. The men stay along the outer perimeter of the gaggle of people moving.
“Do you want me to carry one of the bags?” I look over at Caleb as I ask him. I do not think that it is fair
that he is carrying everything, and I want him to see that Iam useful. He has given mea new life, and I
want to prove that Iam helpful. Plus, Ido not know how long we will be walking for and I do not want him
to get tired.
“No, I got it for right now hun.” My face flushes a slight pink as he uses a pet name. In truth it makes
me happy, and I am hopeful for my future. As we reach the tree line, I cannot resist looking back at the
manor house one last time. My eyes float to the second story window where I know that my parents’
room is and I swear that I can see my mother staring at us. I donot knowif l am feeling braver because
Caleb is holding my hand, or because I know that I am finally free but I tun slightly and raise my middle
finger to her. Caleb chuckles slightly at my act of defiance, and then we continue with the pack. This is
it, the start of my new life, and I could not be happier.