Murderville Page 0,9

saw the dirtied laundry there would be serious repercussions. Soaking wet, she fell to her knees and picked up the clothes.

A’shai could see the terror fill her as she scrambled nervously. As much as he hated chores he knew that he owed her one. He wouldn’t be reprimanded if Ezekiel found out but she would, and the last thing he wanted to do was get her into trouble. He bent down and helped her out.

“Just go away,” she mumbled as she put the clothes into the basin and grabbed water buckets to go retrieve more water from the river.

“Sorry!” he screamed after her. “I was only playing. Hey, wait up!” A’shai said as he ran after Liberty. “Where are you going? Hey! I want to help.”

“You’ve helped plenty!” she shot back as she stomped away.

A’shai knew that if she tried to bring the water to the well it would take all day. A’shai scooped up the dirty clothes and ran after her. He was a thinker and would rather let his brain do the hard work than his body.

“What are you doing?” she asked in annoyance.

“You can wash and dry the clothes by the river. Trust me. It’ll be done before my dad even knows we’re missing,” A’shai stated. He ran past her. “Come on!”

Reluctantly Liberty ran after him until she was out of breath. By the time she caught up to him, A’shai had the clothes in a fishing net that he threw into the flowing water. She stopped and looked at him in amazement while thinking, Why didn’t I think of that?

He sat on the shore and then patted the space beside him. “So what’s your name anyway?” he asked.

She sat down a few spaces down from him and replied, “Liberty.”

It was all they said to one another the entire day but the ice had finally been broken, and Liberty appreciated A’shai’s offer to help. Hours later as the sun began to set, A’shai helped her remove the clothes from the tree branches they had dried on and then they raced one another back to the village. Ezekiel hadn’t arrived home yet causing Liberty to breathe a sigh of relief. As Liberty prepared for bed, A’shai approached the makeshift cot that she slept on. Without warning he leaned forward and kissed her on the lips. The peck was so quick that Liberty wasn’t even sure that it even happened and without saying anything, A’shai nervously retreated to his own room. His confident swagger hid the nervous butterflies that danced in his stomach. A small smile spread across Liberty’s young face as she touched her lips gently. She had never kissed a boy before, and it made her blush in flattery. It was the first time that Liberty hadn’t been afraid in her new surroundings. Although she did not let him know, A’shai made her feel comfortable. She didn’t think about the rebels, the war, her family, the blood-stained hands of his father. In his presence, Liberty felt safe . . . as if the little boy could protect her from the big bad world.

THREE

LIBERTY AND A’SHAI BECAME INSEPARABLE. SHE DISTRACTED him from his duties as an up-and-coming rebel because he wanted to spend all of his days with her. They never spoke about the raid of her village, but just looking Liberty in the eyes made A’shai realize how wrong the rebel campaign truly was. If girls like Liberty were hurt in the process then A’shai wanted no part of it. He was smitten by her infectious laugh. Taken aback by her flawless skin. Enthralled by her remarkably kind heart. They were best friends, and as each day passed she opened up to him more and more.

Ezekiel was pleased with the way his son had cracked Liberty’s hard exterior and as he watched the two playing behind his home he cleared his throat, announcing his presence.

Liberty stopped dead in her tracks as her eyes grew large. She was terrified of Ezekiel, and she avoided him whenever she could. She had seen him carry out the most lethal of threats and although they had not interacted much, he intimidated her.

“Shai, we need wood. Stop all this playing and go retrieve a few bundles,” Ezekiel stated sternly.

A’shai nodded and tapped Liberty’s arm. “Come on, let’s go!” he shouted.

“Go alone. She has chores to do,” Ezekiel said.

“But I’m going to need help carrying . . .”

Before A’shai could get the sentence out of his mouth Ezekiel shot him a cold stare