Edie

Edie

SasatheShy

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Chapter Twenty-Three: Past Revealed

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‘CAIN RAPED ME!’

Turning her body, Tonisha slowly looked over at Edie, finding the girl hugging herself tight while fresh, warm tears drizzled down her cheeks. “W -- what did you say?”

Sniffing, Edie focused her moist eyes on Tonisha as she shook in place. She was stunned by what she had just blurted out, but now that it was out, she felt relieved.

“C -- Cain raped me,” she repeated.

The words had left Edie with such power. At first, Tonisha assumed the girl was faking, but the moment she faced Edie, and saw how badly the dear cook was quivering, Tonisha knew that she was being dead serious.

Very slowly, Tonisha closed the door. She faced Edie, showing that she was quite shocked, and she almost appeared angry by this news. “What?”

“He -- raped me,” Edie whimpered. She shook her head, trying hard not to cry as Tonisha walked over to her cautiously. “He -- did.”

“Uh --” Tonisha was flabbergasted. “W -- when? W --” She could not think of much else to say. All she could do was hope that Edie wouldn’t stop there.

Thankfully, Edie was in no mood to slow down. She told Tonisha her story.

“S -- seven years ago,” Edie cried. “W -- when I was Amana’s age. The only person that knew I was r -- raped was Kelli, but even she didn’t know by who. I -- I never told anyone.” She paused to take a deep breath. Her tears had started cutting at her voice, making it difficult to breath. She welcomingly accepted Tonisha’s sudden arms draping over her shoulders.

The two sat down. Tonisha rubbed Edie’s back in a motherly manner. She kept quiet, though. She’d not say anything yet. Not until she heard more.

Taking deep breaths, Edie continued. “It -- happened so fast. I was -- in my village, when -- when he came with some others. Mark was there -- And -- he killed my parents.” She looked down and shook her head. “He killed them, and everyone else besides me. He took me inside, and he -- he raped me. It hurt so bad. I hated him. I -- hated him!”

Tonisha could hardly believe what she was hearing. She never thought that Cain had the ability to rape a young girl. Sure, he was a murderer. He’s pillaged and set things ablaze. He’s hurt many, many lives -- but rape? Shee stared down at Edie. And what was it about her that made Cain do just that?

“Edie…” she began, but stopped. She saw that Edie wasn’t finished talking yet.

“I wanted him to kill me,” Edie cried. “I begged him to. But he didn’t. He left me alive, and he told me that -- that he wanted me to remember.” She hugged Tonisha as she told her story for the first time. “I didn’t think that I’d be able to move on, but -- somehow I did. And when he came back into my life, I felt so torn!”

“If I had known,” Tonisha said, deciding she needed to talk now. “I -- I would never have gone on like I did, Edie.”

“You didn’t know,” Edie sniffed. “No one did. I’ve kept it to myself for this long. I never expected it to -- go this far, and I -- I never even tried to stop it.” She looked down at her feet. She wiggled her bare toes as she sighed. “I guess I was hoping it’d all go away or -- that it was nothing more but a dream.”

“But you’ve been with Cain,” Tonisha whispered. She put a hand to her cheek, feeling bad for what she was about to ask. “You joined him for dinner and you -- see him all the time, now. Why, Edie…?”

Quickly, Edie turned her head away. She rubbed at her knees. “I -- I d -- don’t know…”

Tonisha raised a brow. She thought about it, for a moment. She looked up at the carnations and daisies and wildflowers. She cocked her head to the side. “Edie? Do you -- like Cain?”

“I d -- don’t know,” Edie bellowed. She looked up at Tonisha, showing the woman that she was frightened and unsure. “I don’t know. I -- he is -- it’s all his fault!”

“Maybe I should talk to him,” Tonisha suggested.

“No! Please, Tonisha, don’t -- don’t tell him that I told you. Please?” Her sad eyes sparkled. She took Tonisha’s hand in hers, squeezing it with hope.

“How come?”

Blinking, Edie stared at Tonisha with uncertainty. How come? Well -- why not?

“Because…” Edie began, but she had to pause. She looked down, thinking about it. She wiped at her cheek. “Because this doesn’t need to get out. It’s in the past.”

Scooting a bit closer to Edie, Tonisha hugged her gently. “And now?”

“Now?” Edie questioned. She held Tonisha close as she lowered her head.

What now? Edie didn’t know. Currently, the only thing she could think of was that kiss she had shared with Cain only some hours ago. The kiss had been what she hadn’t expected it to be. It had made her feel placid during Amana’s dire anguish. Cain’s words had stayed plastered into her mind, and she really did believe that they had been wisdom words.

It had not been her fault. She should not feel guilty for being happy that it didn’t happen to her.

Right?

Pulling away from Tonisha, Edie slowly peered over at the flowers. She got to her feet and wobbled over to them. She leaned down, sniffing them. The scent of them made a small smile form over her lips.

“Now --” she whispered. “Now, I -- I think…”

Tonisha stood. She walked up behind Edie. She eyed the flowers.

‘Cain,’ she thought. ‘You -- sick bastard. You’ve corrupted this innocent young woman. Do you really love her, Cain? I hope you do because for your sake, if you don’t -- it may very well break her heart.’ She kept still as Edie faced her.

“Edie?”

“I’m not sure what to do now,” Edie said honestly. “For now -- I just want to take a bath.”

For a brief second, Tonisha was sure she had caught a glimpse of a tiny smile gracing Edie’s lips. But she wasn’t sure. She watched Edie face the bed and pick up the green dress.

“Alright,” Tonisha whispered. “I need to check on Amana anyway.”

Unfolding her arms, Tonisha went over to the door. She opened the door again.

“Tonisha?”

Turning her head, Tonisha eyed Edie. “Yes?”

“Remember…” Edie said. “Please -- don’t tell Cain that I told you.”

With fingers crossed in her mind, Tonisha gave Edie her warm, famous smile. “I won’t.” And she closed the door on her way out.

Edie moved like a doll back over to her bed; emotionless. She sat down and smoothed her hands across her bed sheets. She stared over at the flowers as she managed to lie on her side, resting her head against her pillow.

While she glanced up at her dresser, she thought back to that kiss. She touched her lips gently, no longer tasting Cain. However, she remembered. It stuck in her mind like tar, burning and sticking in place.

“W -- why?” she whispered as she closed her eyes. “God -- what is wrong with me?”

--

The sudden, cacophonous stomping caused fear in the home of Captain Cain. Such a strong, deep pounding made servers and Cretchens alike fear that a stampede had broken out throughout the hallways. But to their behold, it was only their captain in heated rage. They all stood back against the walls as he passed them. All eyes showed wonder.

Cain was headed for Verity’s bedroom.

Mark, having spotted him, chased after him. Soon, Mark caught up behind him, following him through hallway after hallway.

“C -- Captain Cain?” he called, but was clearly ignored. Mark could see that the captain was on fire, and that someone was in deep, deep shit.

As they came up to Verity’s bedroom door, Cain forced the door open without even knocking first. He halted when he saw Verity standing, talking with her sister.

Turning her head, Verity put a hand to her heart as she stared up at Cain’s smoking face. “W -- why Cain? What ever is wrong?”

Pushing forward, Cain stepped straight up to Verity. His hand moved around towards his front, taking aim. In seconds, before anyone knew what had happened, Cain’s backhand met with Verity’s left cheek. The slap had been so clean and brutal, it had taken Verity off guard. It made her trip and fall to the floor. Both Mark and Aleah gasped loudly as Cain hovered over Verity’s pathetic self.

Grasping her burning cheek, Verity turned and glared up at Cain. “You…!”

“Don’t talk!” Cain shouted. He removed his gloves, and handed them to a completely flabbergasted Mark. Cain put his hands behind his back as he kept his eyes on Verity, ready to show her his power. “This is it, Verity. I’ve warned you, but you wouldn’t listen. We’re through.”

Through? Through!? Gaping, Verity stumbled to her feet. She pushed back her braid as she kept her glare perfected. “What do you mean, ‘Through?’”

“I mean through!” Cain glared. “The wedding is off! I want you and your sister out of my house!”

Aleah covered her mouth. She slowly looked at Mark, feeling as if her world was crashing. She turned her head, watching Verity laugh.

“Y -- you can’t mean that,” Verity snorted.

“Believe me, I do,” Cain said sternly. “I know what you tried doing.”

“Oh?” teased Verity. “And what might that be? Oh, no -- wait, I know. Edie, right?”

Mark’s eyes widened. He eyed his captain out of concern. “Captain?”

“Vile bitch tried having Edie raped,” Cain said, not caring that Mark was hearing this. He had the assumption that Aleah already knew, even though she had not.

“Tried?” Verity asked. “Hah! I succeeded! You see Cain? You see my power? You shouldn’t mess with me -- you shouldn’t have gone and fucked with another woman behind my back!”

Straightening himself, Cain became calm. “So that’s it, then? You were nothing more but jealous. Well Verity, you know something? You should have been. Edie is ten times the woman you’ll ever be. She’s no slut and she’s no hag.”

“What!” Verity growled.

“And sorry to disappoint you,” Cain continued. “But my Edie is still safe. That’s right, Verity, you got the wrong girl raped and -- quite possibly -- impregnated.”

Cain’s never seen a woman so ugly in all his life. Steam was sure to pass through Verity’s nostrils at any given second as she wobbled in place.

“W -- wrong girl?” she squeaked. “Wrong -- girl?”

“That’s right,” Cain said. “You kidnapped Edie’s friend, instead. You should feel a bit lucky, though. If it had been Edie, then you‘d already be dead.”

Quickly, Cain’s sword pulled out from its sheath. Cain had it aimed at Verity’s neck in only seconds. Mark and Aleah each took a step back as Verity became petrified.

“W -- wait…” Verity pleaded.

Chuckling, Cain shook his head as he lowered his sword. “You’re pathetic, Verity. Completely pathetic.” He slowly walked around her, sensing her fear. “You thought you could outsmart me, and you assumed by doing so, that you’d win over my heart. Well, you were dead wrong.”

He grabbed at her braid, causing Verity to hiss. “L -- let go of me, you -- bastard!”

Giving the braid a yank, Cain took one swift motion with his sword. He could hear Verity stuttering from shock. Her neck slowly peered down at the floor. She shook in place.

There, resting at her feet, was her braid.

“Y -- you…” Verity stuttered.

Her hair was gone. Her dignity was gone.

She fell to the floor. She cuddled her braid in her arms. She put one hand behind her back, now feeling her short, uneven hair. “You -- son of a bitch…” She cried. “I worked so hard on it! So hard! Do you know how many years it took to make my hair perfection!”

“This is your punishment,” Cain simply said. “You are no longer royalty, Verity. You are now trash. And I want you out of my house by tomorrow morning. And I want you away from Edie. If I discover that you’ve gone near her again, then I will take your life.”

Turning on his heels, Cain marched out of the room, leaving Verity to cry. Mark slowly started to follow. He turned his head briefly, however, landing his attention on Aleah. The poor thing was rattling like crazy, staring down at her sister as if Verity had been murdered. Mark went over to her, then, and he took her hand in his. He had startled her.

“Come on,” he whispered to her.

Aleah allowed Mark to lead her out of the room. They closed the door, leaving Verity to whimper alone.

--

Aleah walked with Mark silently down the hallway. The two had lost track of Cain, but Mark knew the man did not want to be bothered at this time. Still, Mark knew he’d have a word with his captain later. Aleah kept her head bowed. Her hand was still in Mark’s. She knew she was sweating, and she could feel heat coming into her cheeks. Taking a chance, she glanced up at him. He was staring straight ahead. He wasn’t showing her any interest, which made Aleah frown.

She looked to the ground, watching her feet move to keep up with Mark’s. She wanted to say something, but what?

Suddenly, her feet came to a halt as Mark’s did. Aleah looked up at him, wondering why they had stopped in the middle of the hallway.

Mark sighed. He turned and stared down at Aleah. He took his hand out of hers. Aleah already missed his touch. She folded her hands, keeping still as he spoke.

“Aleah,” he began. “I am sorry that you had to be there when Cain -- did that to your sister.”

Lowering her head, Aleah shook it gently. She almost smiled. Mark was really a caring man. “It’s fine. I mean -- I wasn’t expecting Cain to find out.” Gaping, Aleah quickly closed her mouth shut. She guiltily looked back up at Mark.

“You knew?” he asked.

Knowing she had made a mistake, Aleah did not hold back. “I -- wanted to help her. She needed my help. I wanted to help save her. But I didn’t know she planned to have Edie -- hurt in that way…”

“Hmm…” Mark took Aleah’s hands. He bent his knees to lean down to her level. He stared straight into her beautiful blue eyes. “What do you mean by ‘save her’, Aleah?”

“Sister’s not been the same since we got here, Mark. She’s -- been completely obsessed with Cain and with his money. She didn’t always used to be bad. She used to be so nice. That feels like so long ago.”

“I see,” Mark whispered. He rubbed his thumbs along the soft, lubricated skin on Aleah’s hands. He was sure he could almost hear a whimpered moan clog in her throat. “Aleah?”

“Mm…” Aleah sobbed. “I -- I don’t want to go with her. I don’t want to leave this place.”

“Why not?”

“Because…” Aleah almost shouted. She pulled her hands away, and turned her back on Mark. She shook her head swiftly as she kept herself from pulling on her hair. “Because I just don’t!”

Mark sighed. Aleah was a confusing girl, and Mark knew that she had many strange qualities. He had to admit that he was worried about her. “Maybe I can -- arrange something with Cain.”

Gaping, Aleah faced him. “What? You -- you’d do that for me? Why?”

That was a question even Mark wished to know. He did not know, nor understand why. He just had this deep feeling that Aleah needed to be far from Verity, and closer to -- well, to him. “You might be safer here.”

“Safer?” Aleah squeaked. It came close to a squeal, but she covered it. She took a step forward, inching close to him. She gazed up at him, and she gave him an adorable smile. She was crying, but the tears were happy ones. “T -- thank you, Mark. Thank you.”

Reaching her hands out, Aleah hugged him. She cared not of what he thought. She only wanted to touch him and thank him. He was warm as a fire, and he smelled rich and wonderful.

“Thank you…” she repeated.

“I -- it’s fine,” Mark said. He gently pushed her off of him. “I am glad to do this for you. I know you’ve been suffering by her hands, as of late.”

“You --” she paused. She thought of the scars aligning her back and arms. Did Mark know about them? “Mark?”

“Don’t you worry, okay?” Mark placed a gentle hand on her shoulder. He rubbed it. “Cain owes me, anyway. I’ve been -- secretive for him, just like you have been for your sister.”

Smiling, Aleah watched Mark go down the hallway alone. Turning, Aleah headed for her bedroom. She loved her sister, but a part of her loved Mark even more. She did not want to be forced onto the streets. She did not want to be sold by her sister for money. She could just imagine Verity doing this to her, and Aleah did not want to feel any more pain any longer. She wanted to be free.

Free and with Mark.