Every Rose Has It's Thorns : Intro

Before the age I ten I couldn't remember anything.  

One day I woke up being bounced around in the back of a wagon wearing a dirty but well-made dress with my curled hair a mess and a layer of dirty coating my face.  I had been told later it made the unnatural bright green of my eyes stand out even more.  The first emotions I remember were fear and pain.  My body ached but my wrists hurt the worse, I remember seeing the red swollenness of the tattoos banded around each wrist.  I knew they should mean something important but I couldn't remember what.  The tattoos still had some blood on them, they were new.

"Hey," The voice was tender and low as it spoke to me, I looked over into the dark brown eyes of a twelve year old boy.  He had a crooked smile and an angelic face with a mess of short dark brown hair.  He was dirty as well and his clothing looked ready to fall off his body it was in such a state of disrepair.  He had no shoes and looked cold.  I looked around to try and piece together where I was, it was cold in the covered wagon, wrapping my arms weakly around myself.  My eyes found their way to the tattoos on the boy's wrists.  I was confused as they looked almost identical to mine.  Did that mean we knew each other?

"Where am I?" my voice sounded strange even to myself.  Was that really me talking?  I did not remember if my voice always sounded like that or if it was different.  That seemed wrong to me.

"We're in a wagon, heading on our way to our new home."

"Where is my old home?"

"I don't know.  Your old owner probably sold you as soon as you were old enough."

"Sold me?  Owner?  I…I do not remember such things.  Why am I not able to remember?"

"I don't know little miss," He looked nervous.  "My name is Kai."

I searched my mind, for an answer.  After several seconds I began to cry, "I do not recall what my name is."

"It's alright.  We'll pick a new name for you.  I'm sure our owner will have one ready anyway."

"Should I not be able to remember a name that belongs to me before I am told a new one?"

"You talk really fancy for a slave."

"Is that what I am?  A slave?"

"That's what these bands are for," He pointed to the ones on his wrist.  "Each new owner marks us with his brand.  That way we can't run away without being caught."

"Do we want to run away?"

He gave me a look like I was crazy.  Putting a finger over his lips to shush me, I did not understand what was so secretive about the situation.  I hardly understood the situation.  What was a slave?  And why did we have owners?  What was an owner?  I wish I could remember.  It was like I should know these things.  The way he looked at me said I should know so much more than I did.  "I am sorry I do not know what a slave is.  Nor an owner.  I am confused as to what is going on and what has happened to me."

He chuckled, it was a nice full sound.  For such a scrawny young boy he had a good laugh.  "I still say you talk awful fancy for just another slave.  A slave is…well property, we do whatever our owners tell us to do.  Owners, well they own us.  Owners are the people who tell us what to do, where to go, how to act.  All that stuff.  If we're lucky and behave, our owners won't hit us.  If we're bad we get punished, simple as that.  I was born into this, so I can teach you the ropes new girl."

For some reason the idea of a human owning another horrified me.  The idea that I was to be told what to do and how to act made my stomach turn.  Something was wrong with this situation.   I could not even begin to figure out how it was wrong but I knew it was.  Something deep within told me that.  I hugged myself more fiercely to try to keep warm and to try and offer myself comfort.  I do not think I wanted to learn these "ropes" I wanted to go home.  The problem is I did not remember where home was anymore.  I barely remembered what home meant.

Kai moved and pulled me close to his skinny frame, "It's okay.  I'll keep you safe."

And for a time he had.