Chapter15

Someone with a very bright torchlight appeared. An angry aunt Christina with a man that was always in charge of the cows. "So this is it?!" she yelled angrily and gripped Heather by the arm with such force she screamed. "See what I told you Rob?? You see?! This little bastard!" I looked at Rob. He was about aunt Christina's age. In his early thirties. He wasn't the man I'd seen in the kitchen that night. Who was that then? Aunt Christina rushed at me, slapping me and hitting me hard with her fists in anger. "No, please!" I begged as she beat me. "Shut up! Little pervert! What have you done to my daughter?? What?!" "Nothing, please!" I cried. Heather was crying behind her mother, begging her to stop. "You might need this ma'am." Rob said with a wicked smile on his face as he removed his strong cowboy leather belt and handed it over to aunt Christina. "Oh no Rob, I have a better idea. You beat him up." No! "My pleasure" he said as he approached me. The first hit he gave me with that belt sent me crashing to the floor, screaming in horrible pain. He began flogging me mercilessly. I cried and cried. There I was being flogged at midnight! I cried and cried. Heather was screaming like crazy, begging her mother to stop Ron. "SHUT UP! TO YOUR ROOM!" she screamed at Heather. Heather didn't move and continued to scream through her tears, begging. Sawyer watched the show, her arms folded. "You're crying for this idiot?? This bastard!" she turned to me and asked Rob to stop flogging me. "Now listen real good, you ugly thing! You might have succeeded in getting my Heather on your side but listen good." I looked at her through my swollen eyes. "You are pathetic. You're just an ugly, poor, houseboy. And as you grow, no woman, I mean no single woman will fall for a crap like you. No woman! Don't ever approach my daughter again. Understood?" she asked in a threatening manner as she squatted by me. I'd stopped crying. I was furious. I was angry. I was in pain. I gave her an ugly stare through my swollen eyes. "Understood?" she repeated slowly. I frowned. I wasn't afraid anymore. With all the courage I had I spat on her face. She stepped back in shock. "How dare you?!" Rob growled as he raised his belt to hit me. But she stopped him. "Don't hit him." she cleaned away my saliva, "I have a better idea. Go get the bees from the honey reserve. We'll teach this brat a lesson." He left to go get them. I looked at her in the eye, not afraid. I'd endured so much pain that I didn't care about bees. Just at that moment, Heather still crying ran and bit her mother hard in the arm. "OOW!" she pulled her hand out of her daughter's mouth. Blood. "Heather?!" she screamed in pain and grabbed her by the arm. Then she turned to sawyer. "Watch him. Your sister has gone mad! I'm going to lock her up in the basement." she pulled Heather along and out of the stable. Sawyer turned to me with a little smirk. I was so angry. So in pain. I stood up and weakly approached her. "Don't come near me!" she stepped back panicking. It was all her fault. "Sheridan don't come near me!" she shrieked. I caught her neck with a hand. I wasn't me anymore. When she began to scream, without thinking, I slapped her so hard with the back of my hand, she fell on the floor. She didn't move. She'd fainted. I didn't care. I turned and noticed that Dove had woken up. Heather's horse. I had to escape. It was now or never. Heather wouldn't mind me taking her horse. Without wasting time, I saddled the horse then got on it's back. "Yaaaa!" I whipped it and soon it ran out of the stable as fast as possible. I galloped as fast as possible through the ranch's field. Dove was a very fast horse. With the torchlight aunt Christina had left in the barn, I was able to see through the darkness. I rode even faster. Faster. Faster! And soon I was out of high meadows ranch. I'd crossed it's wooden gate without being seen. Without thinking and because I had to hide for some time, I rode the horse straight into the woods in the middle of the night. To me the woods remained safer than the ranch. I'd escaped. I was free! Little Heather's POV: I sat on the floor right behind the basement's door, crying in total darkness. I was afraid and at the same time I felt horrible for Sheridan. Mom had turned into a monster. She wasn't harsh with us but with Sheridan. Only when he needed her most because of uncle Paul's and daddy's deaths. I'd always known mommy was strict but I didn't know she could be this heartless. My love and respect for her had reduced. At this tender age. I began to slightly hate her. After mom had locked me up, I hadn't bothered to go down the stairs that led to the bottom of the basement. I'd remained right behind that door. I hated the dark and plus thoughts of what could be happening to Sheridan frustrated me. I cried and cried. When I began to quiet down, I heard Rob come into the house shouting mom's name. I tried to listen from the other side of the door. "Christina! Christina!" "Yes?? What is it?" I heard her come into the room. Then I heard her gasp. "Oh my god! Sawyer! What happened?? Give her to me!" Sawyer? What had happened to her? "On returning with the bees I met her laying motionless in the hay. Her cheek is red. Seems like the little bastard slapped her and she went unconscious. Here, carry her..."