get it perfect.”
Mark nods. “Yes, Papa.”
“Were either of you boys hanging out in the woods the past few days? Out by your mama?” Papa chews his cereal.
“No, Papa,” I answer directly. He’s in a lighter mood, but the tension still shows in his eyes. It’s a tight rope he’s teetering on.
“No, Papa. I went out that way to give Nicolette the rake the other day, but that’s it,” Mark answers.
He gives a curt nod. “Okay.”
Mark and I exchange a quick glance, but we keep quiet and eat our dinner. We’ll have to clean up the kitchen when we’re done and get settled for the night. With Nicolette put away, we’ll have to pick up her slack so Papa doesn’t go without.
“Finish up, boys.” Papa gets up from the table, leaving his bowl behind. “I’m hitting the shower.”
He walks out of the kitchen, leaving us to eat without him. It’s a rare night that he doesn’t end our meal with his own, but we don’t ask questions. We shovel the sugary cereal into our mouths before he decides to change his mind.
“I’ll do the dishes. You put the shit away.” Mark takes my bowl from me when we’re done.
“Deal.” I grab the first bag and unload the few cans of fruit and vegetables along with the bags of rice and cornmeal.
“Breakfast tomorrow?” Mark asks while he rinses a bowl.
“He didn’t get bacon. Is there any in the smokehouse?”
Mark shrugs. “I haven’t been in there, but I think he was smoking bear.”
“Then we have eggs and toast.” I pull a loaf of bread from the bag.
“It will have to do,” Mark agrees. He finishes the last dish, then grabs a towel to start drying them. “You settle her tight?” He asks the question casually, but I understand his real meaning: did I puss out and leave her with enough slack to get too comfortable on the ground?
“She’s tucked in,” I say, heat rising in my chest. If he hadn’t been so single-minded about learning how to suck Papa’s cock better, she wouldn’t be in that shed. He shouldn’t have taken so long with the lesson. Or allowed her to nap. Or let her grab a shower. He made all the wrong decisions, and now she’s alone and cold in the dark shed with her own piss puddled at her feet.
“I know it’s my fault.” He surprises me, putting a hand on my arm to keep me by him. “But she should have told me she didn’t finish her chores. That’s what I mean, Elijah. You have to watch her. She’s sneaky.”
My jaw tightens. I tug my arm away from his grip and grab the cloth bags to bring them to the front closet.
“It’s a good thing she has us to teach her lessons,” I say, forcing my tone to stay light.
“It is. She’s lucky we care so much about her. She’ll remember this lesson.” Mark picks up the bowls and places them in the cabinet.
“Yes, she will,” I agree.
So will I.
I leave Mark to finish putting the dishes away and make my way up to my bedroom. My window overlooks the backyard. Is she shivering? Will she get any sleep tonight? It’s hours before I climb into bed. My eyes focus on the shed until my eyelids are too heavy to stay open.
My feet ache. Every muscle in my body hurts, but I have chores to do. I can’t miss any of them or I’ll be put away again.
I was lucky. Papa let Elijah bring me inside this morning. I barely slept last night. It’s hard to sleep standing up, but the chain attached to the collar must have kinked up at the top. I couldn’t reach the ground or stretch far enough over my head to fix it.
When I got in the house, Papa gave me a curt nod and told me to get breakfast ready. I washed my hands, but the rest of me was filthy. Mark’s gaze was soft when I met his eyes for the first time. Elijah reached over and squeezed my hand when Papa was too busy shoveling his eggs into his mouth to notice.
Papa let me have a piece of toast, then sent me to clean myself up and get dressed. You’d think I’d be used to being naked in front of them by now. It happens more often than not these days. Especially since Papa said the boys are training me to be their wife. If they want to look at me, it’s their