I watch Zeke disappear behind the thick divider screen. A throat clears from behind me. Kalypso folds her arms across her chest, her eyebrow raised. "And how long do you plan to say?"

"Hopefully not long." I turn away from her and pick up the blankets and pillows, arranging them into sleeping pallets. Kalypso's footsteps move up behind me. The floorboards squeak as she leans back on her heels.

"So, you've been out in the woods alone with Zeke. That must have been thrilling for someone like you."

My hands still for a moment. "What is that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing. It means nothing, I'm sure." I can hear the smirk in her voice. "Stress and fear are known to breed attraction in some men. But I doubt that came up around you."

Heat floods my face. "What? Are you being serious?"

Her voice is too low for Zeke to be able to hear, but distinct enough for me to clearly hear her thinly laced venom. "I don't know what kind of hold you have over Zeke. Or why he believes he owes you something, but I doubt it'll last much longer."

I push my fist into the sheet of the lightly stuffed pillow, keeping my back to her. I will my temper into submission.

"And another thing," the blonde rants on. "I'm not accustomed to blacks speaking to me without respect. You will remember your place while I am providing food and shelter for you, do you understand, girl?"

I stand from resting my knees on the wooden floor. The bones make an audible popping noise as I balance my weight on my feet. I squeeze the blankets to my chest, the soft fabric tickling my arms. I turn on the back of my bare heel to face her, as I do I toss one of the blankets in my arms at her chest.

Her arms come up half in defense, half in surprise. She stares at me, her blue eyes cold with fury.

"My name is Lyric," I tell her with the kind of calmness I don't I feel in my burning chest. "And Zeke can't use that blanket. It has a hole in it."

"Excuse me?" she sputters angrily, her once pretty face a mask of rage. It makes me feel better.

Zeke emerges from behind the screen as I cross to the other side of the room. "Thanks for the clothes, Kaly."

Kalypso's anger disappears in an instant and her voice becomes sugary sweet again. "They're my father's. I know they're a little big."

"They're fine." But the checkered shirt hangs on his shoulders and the pants barely stay up on his slim hips. Kalypso's father must be a large man.

I drop the blankets on the floor, kicking them into a haphazard pile. I'm too upset to care about making myself comfortable.

Zeke and Kalypso talk to one another in low voices for a few minutes until Zeke's yawn reaches my ears.

"You should get some sleep," Kalypso says. She reaches out and takes his hand again. "We'll talk more in the morning." She steps up closer to him and their gazes lock. "I'm so glad to see you, Zeke. I know I've said that a thousand times, but I really mean it. There's something...I need to tell you. I've been thinking about it since I heard about you."

"What is it?" Zeke's voice is dry and raspy. He's probably about to faint with misguided love for his she devil.

"Tell you tomorrow." She leans forward and presses her lips to his cheek. She pulls back, giving him a sweet smile before turning away and slipping out the mahogany door.

Zeke backs up, puppy eyes never leaving the closed door she disappeared through. I concentrate hard on not throwing up and roll onto my back. Zeke glances over at me as he sits down on top of the blankets. "You okay?"

"Why wouldn't I be?" The words come out rough and unkind.

Zeke raises his left eyebrow at me. "Okay...that's an obvious 'no'. Are you ever happy? What's wrong?"

"Your sweetheart is a piece of work."

"Kaly? She can come off strong, but she's nice. Especially once you get to know her. She's blunt and says what's on her mind, but she reminds me of you."

"Are you trying to make me sick?"

He chuckles, moving his feet out from under him and laying his head on the pillow. "Yep, you're just alike. What did she say to you before I came from behind the screen? You both looked pretty fired up."

Heat races up my back as her insinuating and demeaning words came back to me. I roll over to my side, putting my back to Zeke. "Nothing. I don't remember. Stop chattering and let me get some sleep. I haven't used a pillow in months."

Zeke chuckles again and I hear him roll over onto his side. "Good night."

I shut my eyes and relax in the darkness behind my lids.

The peace doesn't last long. I dream that Zeke and I are standing in Kalypso's garden. He takes me by the hand and pulls me close to him. He strokes my hair, putting his mouth to my ear whispering that he thinks I'm beautiful.

I wake up in a cold sweat.

Gray sunlight fills the space through the only window in the room. Sitting up, I wipe away the perspiration and look around. Everything is quiet. Looking over at the pallet on the other side of the room, I notice Zeke is gone.

I untangle the blankets from around my ankles. I stand and stretch my arms out, feeling the bones ache inside my frame. When was the last time I had real sleep and for so long? Kalypso may be a witch, but her fascination for Zeke is coming in handy.

Moving over to the water basin I dip my hands into the chilly water and bring them to my face and neck. I dry off and walk to the door. Turning the door handle I hear a pocket of air pop in the crack between the mahogany door and the frame.

The hallway is dark as well, but there's two larger windows so the weak sunlight can shine through more than in the other room. The floorboards creak underneath my weight. No other sound moves through the hall. I walk to the window and peer out into the garden Kalypso stood in the night before. Two figures move under the canopy of trees. So, he did leave me to be with her.

I tap my fingers against the glass, sucking on my bottom lip. Looks like I have a lot of free time on my hands. I turn around, pressing my back to the wall and stare down the hall. It's long and quiet, at the end a closed door leads to other parts of the house.

I'm at the door before I realize I walked across the corridor. Placing my palm against it, it creaks open sending the sound down the flight of stairs below. I pause, listening for anyone ascending the stairs. When I hear nothing I descend. The stairs go on and on until they finally stop at the bottom in front of another wooden door.

I twist the doorknob and it opens more quietly than the first. Beyond it reveals a clutterd storeroom, with a dust laden window allowing in only smudges of sunlight.

Voices and footsteps can be heard from outside the room. I wait until they pass and the outside goes still before venturing out into the main hallway of the great house.

I've been inside a real house maybe once. I was little, maybe five or six. The mistress of the house was deciding whether or not to take me on as a helper to the maid. She decided she didn't want me and I've been out in the fields ever since.

The shining floor boards don't shift under my feet. Ornate pictures hang from the walls. One of a beautiful blonde woman in a frill choked, pink dress catches my attention. At first I think it's of Kalypso, but when I draw closer I see the woman is too old to be her, and her eyes were green instead of blue.

I walk to the bannister leading to the stairs that lead to the first floor. I clutch the spokes between my fingers and drop to my knees, pressing my face against them. The wood feels cool against my skin. My eyes close and a sigh escapes my nose.

What would it be like to live in a place like this? A beautiful place with food and water. Clean clothes, a soft bed to sleep in, people who loved you.

Does that blonde girl know how lucky she is? No. How could she?

"I need to take these upstairs."

My eyes fly open, and I jerk to my feet. Down below Kalypso's slave girl, Anna, appears before she begins to climb the stairs. She knows about me being in the house, but I'm not supposed to be wandering around where I can be spotted by others.

I back away quickly, turning on my heel to rush into the room at the of the hall. It's unlocked and I stumble through the door. I keep it open slightly, watching through the crack. Anna, carrying a pitcher of water and a vase of freshly cut sunflowers, walks in the opposite direction.

Relaxing, I glance over my shoulder. It's a grand bedroom, massively large. But largely unfurnished outside of the four poster bed, a mahogany desk and chair, a bureau, a old grandfather clock, and a stuffed bookshelf.

And one more thing. A giant painting of a man in Confederate uniform hangs over the fireplace. The colors are bright and vibrant, probably a sign the painting was done recently. The man in the picture is in his early fifties, dark hair graying at the sides. His militia uniform is decorated with tassels and metals of gold.

Kalypso's father I guess.

I shut the door and move toward the bookshelf. I grab a thick, gold spine book, pulling it out into my hands. It's a book detailing the family lineage of the Cutlen family.

My fingers trace the first page of the book. A man named Aaron Cutlen signed his name across the middle. On the next page is a drawing of a tree with names hovering over the sketched branches. Farther down the tree trunk more branches and more names. Turning the page there's even more.

It's amazing all this history someone can have and yet I don't even know the names of my parents.

I put the book back, but I knock another to the ground. It thuds, making a brief shiver of panic run up my spine. My breath stills and I listen for investigating footsteps. None come and I return the book to its shelf.

I move to walk away from the shelf, but stop when I see a open letter laying on the rugged floor. Bending down, I scoop it up. It must have fallen loose from the pages of the second book.

The words at the top of the paper catch my eye.

Confidential Military Information from the Confederate American Army. For General Richard Cutlen only. In regards to the upcoming attack on the rebel slave target positioned in the northeast Iowa. Attack design enclosed.
~

For the people who didn't read my shout out, I've been thinking about doing a modern version of this story. It's actually how this story originally started out so don't be surprised if you see that!

Give me a vote and comment, means a lot. See you next chapter ;)