Seven Years of Obedience

After I was taken into the mountains, I became the whole town's slave. If one field remained unharvested or one family's firewood went uncut, they beat my face bloody. They avoided my arms and legs only because they expected twice as much work from me the next day. On New Year's Eve, I finally decided I couldn't survive another day and went to the river to end my life, only to hear two people whispering behind the trees. "Watch yourself. He is still the Hawthornes' biological son. They sent him to Red Willow Hollow to learn discipline, not for you to use however you want." "Biological son? His parents haven't asked about him in years. They already have another boy, the polished young heir who visited last time. The difference between them is night and day. "If anything happens, we'll blame him. Mrs. Hawthorne said that a boy without manners doesn't deserve to be her son. He may as well die out here." I stood frozen above the river, forgetting even why I had come. My mother always boasted that her family came from old money. She said a gentleman's most important quality was proper conduct. So why, after seeing my body, did she abandon every rule of dignity she had ever demanded from me? Chapter 1 I hadn't managed to die. Mara Baines caught my ankle, dragged me across the ground toward the hog pen, and tore at my pants. "Mmmph!" Years earlier, she had burned away most of my tongue with red-hot tongs, leaving me unable even to scream for help. I clawed at her face with all the strength I had left, and Mara drove her fist into my face. White light filled my vision. I fell backward, and the back of my skull struck the edge of a shovel lying on the ground. Pain tore loose every nerve in my body. Mara touched the scratches on her cheek. "Damn little monster. You've behaved like a trained dog for years. What possessed you today?" Still furious, she kicked me hard in the face. The hog pen was too dark for her to see the blood pouring from my head and spreading beneath my hair. She raised her foot to kick me again, but someone outside spoke urgently. "Are you insane? If you damage him too badly, everyone in Red Willow Hollow goes down. Get out here and lock the door." Mara spat on me and walked away. The smell of blood drew the hogs. They crowded around me, snorting and rooting while the stench of manure filled the air. Cold spread through my entire body, but I could no longer lift a hand to drive them away. "You're both here, Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne." Mara's voice outside turned instantly oily. "Is my son finally trained? I don't want to take him home and find him still lazy, careless, and undisciplined." It was my mother. No one else could speak about me with that particular disgust. I wanted to laugh, but the movement in my chest made me cough up mouthful after mouthful of blood. Looking back, this wasn't the first time I had heard my parents' voices in this place. I had been in Red Willow Hollow less than two years then and still thought constantly about escaping. One of those attempts ended with me captured again. A whip struck my back until every lash opened the skin, but I refused to cry. I clenched my teeth and thought that they had better watch me every second, because the next opportunity I found, I would run again. "What are we paying you people for if you can't control one child?" Was that... my mother's voice? My whole body started shaking. I crawled desperately toward the frosted-glass partition until my fingers caught the toe of her shoe. A high heel came down and broke the bones in my hand. A woman's disgusted voice carried through the partition. "Where did this filthy little animal come from? No manners at all." Then I heard the voice I knew better than any other. "How is he still this disobedient after all this time? Don't you know how to use stronger methods?" No. The voices only sounded similar. Those people couldn't be my parents. I held my broken fingers and shook. When I was little, my parents' eyes filled with tears if brushing my hair pulled out even one strand. My mother and father could never knowingly hurt me. After those powerful visitors gave their approval, the beatings became even worse. Now the bloody truth lay before me. Every part of my suffering had come from my own parents. I lay on the ground with nothing left inside me. A new commotion started up outside. I tried to lift my head, but my body suddenly became weightless. I floated up and out of it. Looking down, I saw my own hands turned see-through, and below them my own body twisted on the ground. Was I... dead? I drifted out of the hog pen and saw my parents covering their mouths as they faced a television camera. "Thank you for speaking with us. Seven years ago, our son was involved with a girl, got her pregnant, and ran away. That reckless decision allowed criminals to take advantage of him. We searched for years before finally finding him here. "Although he broke our hearts, we are willing to give him another chance. We hope these difficult years have taught him maturity and that he will no longer behave so selfishly." My heart felt crushed in a fist as the old, familiar humiliation surged through me. Seven years earlier, my mother had done the same thing. Chapter 2 Seven years earlier, my mother burst into my classroom in the middle of a lesson, grabbed my hair, and dragged me into the hall. "You shameless little animal. You're barely a teenager, and you're already sleeping with girls? Have you been sleeping around this whole time?" Every face in the classroom turned toward me. My parents' adopted son, Elliot Hawthorne, remained at his desk with the corner of his mouth lifted. Him again. My eyes widened. Elliot had already told my parents that I was dating someone. No matter how I explained, they refused to listen and demanded that I promise never to go near a girl again. "I didn't do anything. Elliot locked me in the school restroom, and I had to sleep there overnight..." "You're still making excuses?" An oversized lace bra reeking of cheap perfume landed on my head. "We found this in your room, and you still accuse your brother? Is this how I raised you?" Rage filled my mother's eyes. "It isn't mine. He planted it. Go check the security cameras." I screamed myself hoarse. I couldn't understand why the two people whose son I was refused to believe me. My mother slapped me so hard that my ears rang. Her eyes were bloodshot. "Are you that desperate for girls? Caleb Hawthorne, how can you be this disgusting? You have humiliated this entire family." Students crowded every classroom doorway, corridor, and window, pointing and whispering. In that moment, I wanted to die where I stood. I ran from school with my face burning, telling myself that if my parents followed me, I would explain everything one more time. They never came. That night, when I finally forced myself to walk home, someone covered my mouth outside our gated community and dragged me into a vehicle. After that, my world went dark for good. I escaped again and again, and each attempt ended in another beating. Whenever I lost consciousness from the pain, I told myself to survive a little longer. My parents would find me. They would come and take me home. Floating above Red Willow Hollow, I watched Elliot sit in the back of a luxury SUV, covering his nose with a look of disgust. The gathered residents stared at him with envy. "That's the Hawthornes' other son. I've never seen a real heir from a family like that." "Everything he's wearing is designer. Did you see the world's most expensive watch on television last week? Mr. Hawthorne bought it for him. They worship that boy." My throat tightened. I looked down at the filthy clothes whose smell could never be washed away, and I couldn't stop shaking. Chapter 3 Dana Whitfield and her camera operator, Russ Kemper, were outside filming the carefully constructed image of an impoverished mountain town. I floated beside my parents and watched them rehearse lines with Elliot in a corner. "When Caleb comes out, we must make it seem as though Elliot searched desperately and finally found him. Then Caleb will feel indebted and grateful to his brother for the rest of his life." Elliot nodded with an obedient expression. I couldn't stand another second of it. I clenched both fists and lunged for his collar. "Why? Why would you do all this to me? Was I never kind enough to you?" No one knew Elliot wasn't my biological brother. He had been an orphan assigned to our home through a one-on-one kindergarten mentoring program. He was supposed to leave when the program ended, but I felt sorry for him and begged my parents to let him stay. Elliot worked hard. Within a month, he had become the son my mother always wanted. "This is wonderful. We can be brothers forever." I had been that happy for him back then. Now I wanted to tear off the false face he showed everyone just as badly. But my voice couldn't cross the air, and my hands passed through every living person. Elliot lowered his eyes. "I'm still afraid. What if Caleb comes home, bullies me again, and tries to throw me out of the family?" My mother immediately embraced him with tenderness. "Caleb should be hauling manure at this hour. Before he returns, we'll make sure the public knows exactly what kind of person he is. Even if he comes home, he'll be too ashamed to compete with you." My throat closed up. Mom, you always did know how to solve a problem. Dana began questioning my parents. "Will you pursue charges against the people who kept your son here?" My mother arranged her face into grief. "Caleb created this situation through his own behavior. We can't blame everyone else. We investigated and learned that he has been treated well." My father pointed toward the only large room in the courtyard that received direct sunlight. "Look. The largest and best room belongs to our son. Red Willow Hollow is a close-knit place. Everyone here has cared for him." Dana's eyes welled up. "There's still good in this world. Caleb may have been rebellious and irresponsible, yet so many people still loved him. You must thank everyone who protected him." I screamed in fury. "They're lying. Every one of them is lying." My fingers shook as I pointed toward the whip scars on my back, the brand across my chest, and the right leg that would never work properly again. "Look at me. These people are monsters." "Look at this, Ms. Whitfield. Elliot got it while searching for his younger brother. Whenever he heard even the smallest lead, he risked everything to find Caleb." The tiny red mark had been made only moments earlier, when my mother closed her eyes and struck him with a trembling hand. I laughed until tears streamed down my face. If only Mara had shown half that much reluctance each time she hurt me. "That's beautiful. If Caleb knew how deeply his brother loved him, he'd break down crying." Dana asked Russ for a close shot of Elliot so the footage could support his nomination for Everden Citizen of the Year. Rage tightened my chest. Then, without warning, I felt the faintest trace of physical sensation. Something pulled at my awareness and returned it briefly to my body. Scrap, the stray kitten I rescued the previous year, was licking my chest, where an almost imperceptible rise and fall remained. The hogs crowded around me and opened their mouths near my face. Scrap arched his back and tried to drive away animals more than ten times his size. Tears blurred everything. I knelt beside him and reached out, grieving even harder because I didn't know what would happen to him after I was gone. Scrap seemed to sense me. He paused and looked directly toward my spirit. Then he darted through the opening in the hog pen. My heart clenched, and I nearly screamed. "Don't go. Come back." Elliot was allergic to cats and hated them more than anything. Chapter 4 As Scrap passed my parents, he kept looking back, as though trying to lead them somewhere. Tears rushed from my eyes. He wanted my parents to save me. They looked confused and started to follow. Elliot grabbed them and pressed one hand against his chest. "Mom, Dad... I can't breathe. "I asked the residents earlier, and they said there were no cats here. Caleb must have brought one because he knew I was coming and wanted to trigger my allergy." My parents' expressions changed instantly. They rushed to retrieve his epinephrine from their travel bag. "That vicious boy. Seven years, and he still hasn't gotten the cruelty out of him." My mother's face reddened with anger. "Don't worry, Elliot. When Caleb returns, I will make him kneel and apologize. If he refuses, he doesn't need to come home. He can spend New Year's here." Bitterness spread through me. Don't worry, Mom. No future New Year's celebration will ever be disturbed by the outsider you called your son. Elliot suppressed a smile. "Please don't say that. I'm only adopted. Whatever Caleb does to me is something I should accept." Dana shook her head in frustration. "Elliot, you're too kind. Kind people are always the easiest to exploit." She pointed toward the camera. "Everything today has been recorded. Once this documentary airs, the entire country will stand behind you. Caleb will never dare torment you again." My parents exchanged satisfied glances and signaled Mara that the performance had gone far enough and she could bring me out. Mara entered the hog pen and planted her boot on my face. "You know what you're allowed to say. Don't imagine leaving this place makes you safe. One phone call is all it takes to bring you back." When I didn't respond, she crouched impatiently, grabbed my hair, and forced my face upward. "Stop pretending to be dead. Get up and show Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne what seven years of training accomplished. I'm still waiting for my final payment." The wetness on her hand made her freeze. Her gaze followed the blood toward the back of my skull. She turned my head and showed real fear for the first time. At that exact moment, my parents and the news crew reached the door. Mara ran outside as though shocked awake, and even her voice shook. "Would you like to see another part of the Hollow? The scenery here is beautiful. I can show you around." Dana became impatient. "I'm filming a special about a troubled runaway who was abducted. I don't need scenery. Where is Caleb? I want to ask whether he regrets what he did and whether these years taught him anything." My mother gave Mara a meaningful look. The act had gone far enough. It was time to bring Caleb out. My father held the ceramic family figurines we made together when I was small. Excitement kept pulling his gaze toward the doorway. "We haven't seen Caleb in seven years. I wonder whether he'll still run into my arms like a cannonball." Mara's legs began shaking, and her words tangled together. "He stole something today. I lost my temper and gave him a small push. Then he... he stopped moving." She opened both hands. Blood ran from her fingertips and struck the dirt one drop at a time. My parents stared at the red stains, their pupils widening. "Caleb!" They shoved Mara aside and stumbled into the filthy hog pen like people who had lost their minds. Chapter 5 A reporter's instinct for a sensational story always moved faster than human compassion. Russ ran with the camera on his shoulder, terrified of missing a second of it. Caught among them, I drifted back into the hog pen with the crowd. I didn't know what my mother saw, but every trace of life seemed to leave her. Her knees gave way, and she collapsed. My father froze too and caught the rail before he fell. I leaned around him to look. I hadn't seen a mirror in seven years. So this was what I had become. Years of starvation had reduced me to skin stretched over bone, almost a skeleton wearing flesh. The back of my skull had collapsed inward, and the hogs had torn the flesh from part of my right calf. Russ dropped the camera, covered his mouth, and crouched in the dirt retching. Dana stared with one hand over her mouth. Even years of professional training couldn't produce a single word. My mother crawled forward like someone possessed and pulled my body into her arms. "Caleb! How did this happen? Who did this to you?" Her scream nearly tore her throat open, and mud and blood covered her clothing. I stood beside her and tilted my head. "You did, Mom." And Mom, how could you abandon your dignity like this? It was terribly improper. My father's knees struck the ground with a heavy thud, and he inched toward my body. He buried his face in his hands while his shoulders shook as though they might break apart. I found it almost fascinating. My parents actually seemed to care. Mara's face turned white. Her legs could barely support her as she tried to kneel. "I don't know. I don't know how he became like this. He was fine a moment ago. No one touched him. "And he was so thin because he slept around and caught some disease. That had nothing to do with me." Dana's eyes filled as she watched my parents. "To search for so many years and lose him the moment he was found... This is unbearable." Russ lowered his voice. "Caleb may have been a terrible kid, but he was still Mr. and Mrs. Hawthorne's biological son. They finally found him, and now he's gone. "Maybe this was punishment for everything he did. He behaved recklessly, destroyed his health, and became too weak to stand before falling onto the shovel." Pressure filled my chest, and my fists clenched. None of that was true. On the ground, my mother held my body with both arms, her eyes wild. "I want every security recording. Even if you didn't strike the final blow, you failed to protect him. I will kill you." Mara stopped breathing for a second, dropped to her knees, and struck her forehead against the ground. "Please forgive me. I swear this wasn't my fault." Seeing her terrified brought a little relief. If my spirit had been able to touch her, I would have torn into her myself. "Wait." Elliot seized my father's arm. "Dad, you can't review the recordings. At least not now." His eyes darted as he leaned close to my father's ear and lowered his voice. "The reporters are still here. If anyone learns that you and Mom staged Caleb's kidnapping, sympathetic people may call it desperate parenting, but Hawthorne Meridian's competitors will turn it into a scandal. "Public opinion is easy to manipulate. The company's stock price and reputation could collapse overnight."