The Collar and the Cavvarach

by Annie Douglass Lima

  Contents

  Title Page

  Chapter One: Before You Get a Collar

  Chapter Two: Not Worth It

  Chapter Three: Too Young for a Midlife Crisis

  Chapter Four: The Best Slave You Could Ask For

  Chapter Five: Young and Stupid

  Chapter Six: Hypocrite

  Chapter Seven: Part of the System

  Chapter Eight: Insanely Expensive

  Chapter Nine: Watch Officers are Regular People Too

  Chapter Ten: Braved it Twice

  Chapter Eleven: What Poetry Looks Like

  Chapter Twelve: Working Like Magic

  Chapter Thirteen: Less than Legal

  Chapter Fourteen: Downright Entertaining

  Chapter Fifteen: Off Balance Early On

  Chapter Sixteen: So Much Cooler

  Chapter Seventeen: Major Surgery

  Chapter Eighteen: For Sale

  Chapter Nineteen: Nowhere to Turn

  Chapter Twenty: Cracks in the System

  Chapter Twenty-One: What You Really Want

  Chapter Twenty-Two: No Heroics

  Chapter Twenty-Three: Stinger 700

  Chapter Twenty-Four: Prove it to the World

  I hope you enjoyed The Collar and the Cavvarach!

  Read on for a sneak preview of the sequel, The Gladiator and the Guard

  Copyright

  About the Author

  Discover Other Titles by Annie Douglass Lima

  Prince of Alasia

  In the Enemy's Service

  Prince of Malorn

  Annals of Alasia: The Collected Interviews

  Squawky Learns About Love

  A Boom in the Room

  Sunshine Leaking

  Better than Cotton Candy

  What's That Noise?

  Connect with Me Online

  Acknowledgments

  The Collar and the Cavvarach

  a NaNoWriMo Novel

  by Annie Douglass Lima

  Cover Art by Jack Lin

  Chapter One: Before You Get a Collar

  Everything was quiet in the next room, had been quiet for at least half an hour. Bensin pressed his ear against the wall again, and this time he heard the sound he had been waiting for: faint, rhythmic snores. Perfect. Mr. Creghorn always slept the soundest when he was snoring, and that meant that Mrs. Creghorn would probably have put her earplugs in.

  Bensin rose from the mattress he had been kneeling on, stretching his stiff limbs. Fishing in his pocket, he pulled out the two paperclips that he had straightened and then re-bent near the ends. He felt his way across the dark room to the door, ran his hands over the handle till he found the keyhole, and inserted the first paperclip. Though he could hardly see anything anyway, he closed his eyes to concentrate as he inserted the second one, raking it in and out to work his makeshift lock pick just the way Ricky had taught him. The metallic clickety-clickety seemed horribly loud in the quiet house, but there was nothing to be done except hope his owners were truly sleeping soundly.

  Finally he felt the last pin rise out of the way. With the first paperclip, he turned the lock, and with a quick twist of the handle, the door swung open.

  I did it! Grinning in triumph, Bensin tiptoed through the doorway, down the carpeted hall, past the bedroom where Mr. Creghorn was snoring away, past the baby’s room, and into the living room. As softly as he could, he slid back the deadbolt on the front door and found the keyhole. The clickety-clickety seemed even louder now, and he held his breath, wondering if anyone would hear.

  But the only other sound was the ticking of the clock on the wall above the couch. Turning the handle to make sure the front door was really unlocked, Bensin dared to breathe again.

  Pocketing his paperclips, he tiptoed back into the bedroom and pulled the door shut once more. Then he hurried over to the other mattress and shook his little sister gently by the shoulder. “Ellie, wake up!”

  In the darkness, Ellie rolled over. “Hmm?”

  “Wake up,” he repeated softly. “We’re leaving!”

  “Huh?” She sat up, catching the urgency in his voice. “What do you mean?”

  “We’re escaping. Here, put your shoes and sweater on.” He was already wearing his own sneakers, uncomfortably tight at the toes since the Creghorns didn’t believe in buying shoes for slaves very often. He bent to pick up the light jacket he had left at the foot of his mattress. Though it still got warm in the middle of the day, nights were cool at this time of the year in Jarreon.

  “The Creghorns are asleep,” he told his sister as he thrust his arms through the sleeves, “and I’ve got the door open. You’re going to be free tonight!”

  “But it didn’t work last time,” she protested, fumbling in the dark to put on the clothes he handed her. “And they were really mad.”

  “I know, but I have a better plan this time. And with it being New Year, I figure most of the City Watch will have the night off, so we won’t be spotted as easily.”

  “But what if they catch us again?”

  “Then you just look small and cute like you’re so good at, and you’ll have nothing to worry about. You’re too little to lash.” He hoped.

  “Can I bring Bunny?” She reached for the stuffed rabbit that Mom had made before Ellie had even been born.

  “Of course. Here, I’ll carry him in my pocket for you. Now come on!”

  Her little fingers tightened around his as he led the way out of their bedroom, pausing to close the door silently behind them. They tiptoed down the hallway and through the living room, and he eased the front door open. Outside, he led her down the steps and along the walkway.

  The front gate creaked loudly, and Bensin winced. Ducking, he pulled Ellie down with him into the shadows behind the low fence and then froze again. But there was no sound from the house, and no lights went on behind the Creghorns’ bedroom window. Last night they had stayed up past midnight to welcome in the New Year, so he knew they had been extra tired tonight. Good.

  Bensin rose to his feet and he and Ellie slipped out onto the sidewalk, a cool breeze ruffling their hair. From the tight clutch of her fingers around his, he could tell that his sister was scared, but she knew better than to make a sound.

  The street was still and empty, but that didn’t mean anything. You never knew when the City Watch might pass by on patrol. The moon was hidden behind a thick layer of cloud, but the street lamps gave plenty of light. Strings of colorful New Year’s lights twined their way along fences and around the trunks and lower branches of trees, making it harder to find dark places to hide in.

  Trying to avoid the light as much as possible, Bensin steered Ellie along the edge of the sidewalk, hugging the shadows of the neighbors’ hedges, darting across the well-lit areas. At the end of the block, he turned left. Partway down the street, he crossed to the opposite side, quickly pulling Ellie across the open space. There were fewer shadows to hide in here, but he knew a couple of the families on the other side kept dogs. The last thing he needed was for them to start barking and alert the neighborhood to the presence of two runaway slaves. When he was sure they were well past, he led his sister back across the street, thankful for the trees that gave some protection from the street lights.

  “Where are we going?” Ellie whispered, breaking the silence.

  “To the park, first,” Bensin whispered back. “We can talk there. Now shh.”

  They hurried on in silence, Bensin darting wary glances at the houses on either side. In addition to the glowing New Year’s decorations, many had porch lights on for safety, with an occasional nightlight gleaming through bedroom curtains. But as far as he could tell, no one was awake; no one heard them pas
s. Probably they were all dead to the world in their beds, sleeping off their New Year’s dinners, dreaming about the gifts they had received from friends and family and their hopes for the coming year.

  I know what the year 154 will hold. Freedom for Ellie. Bensin could endure anything himself if only his little sister could be free and safe. That was the best, the only New Year’s gift he wanted.

  Turning a final corner, they saw the neighborhood park at the end of the block. Ahead, street lamps and houses gave way to dark open space. “Almost there,” he whispered encouragingly.

  They crossed the street one more time to avoid another dog. Beyond the last of the houses, concrete became grass beneath their shoes. There wasn’t much cover here, with trees standing only around the edge. Bensin pulled Ellie after him at a run, aiming for the playground in the center. He was thankful there were no lights, but anyone looking out a window in one of those last few houses would see them darting across the grass.

  The playground loomed before them, beckoning like the safe haven he hoped it would be. He led Ellie past the swings, drifting back and forth a little in the night breeze, to the stairs of the tallest slide. The platform at the top was covered; they could rest there for a few minutes and not be seen.

  “I don’t want to play right now,” his sister objected, panting, at the base of the ladder. “I’m too scared.”

  “We’re not going to play. I’m going to explain our plan up there where no one will see or hear us.”

  He followed her to the top, pulling his feet out of the too-tight shoes as they sat across from each other on the narrow platform. The twisty slide spun away to his right and the ladder dropped down to the left, but here at the top stood a sheltered island of safety. The City Watch, if they passed by on patrol, wouldn’t see them in the shadows under the domed plastic roof.

  Lightning flickered from far off across the city, and Ellie scooted closer to him. “Is it gonna rain?”

  “Probably not.” Rainstorms were a rare event in Jarreon. Only slightly less rare were the dry storms that sent dark clouds roiling across the usually clear sky, bringing thunder and lightning and unfulfilled threats.

  And change. Mom had told him that stormy skies were a sign that change was coming. The weather had been just like this the day Ellie was born.

  “Your life is about to change,” he told his sister as thunder grumbled in the distance. He grinned, knowing she would hear it in his voice even if she couldn’t see it. “We’re going to make you free! You’re going to live with a mom and dad who love you, and maybe some brothers and sisters too; and you’ll get to go to school — real school, not slave school — where you’ll not only learn how to read and write, but all sorts of other fun things. You’ll never have to wear a collar or be lashed, and no one will ever force you to wake up early to feed the baby or change his diapers, or yell at you if he cries. And someday when you grow up, you’ll be free to get a proper job — whatever kind you like — and earn money, and buy whatever you want, and maybe get married and have your own children if you feel like it. They’ll never be sold away from you, and you can do whatever you want with your own life!”

  “That’s what you said last time.” Ellie refused to be impressed. “But it didn’t work.”

  “I told you, I have a better plan this time. Last time we tried to go too far. The orphanage is miles away; I should have known we wouldn’t make it before it got light and the Watch caught us. But this time we’re only going to a City Watch station. I’ve been talking to Ricky, and I know how it works now. When free kids have problems, they can talk to a Watch Officer, and he or she will help them. If the Watch officers think you’re free and you don’t have any parents, they’ll find foster parents for you.” At least, Ricky had been pretty sure that was the way it worked. “We don’t have to go all the way to an orphanage for that.”

  “But I thought the City Watch station is the other way.”

  “There are lots of stations in Jarreon. The one they took us to last time is the other way, but we’re not going there. I don’t want to risk anyone recognizing you. Besides, when they find out you’re gone, that’s the station the Creghorns will probably call, ’cause they’ve talked to the officers there before. So we’re going to a different one. I looked it up when we were in the library the other day, and I know how to get there now.”

  “But I don’t like the Watch. They lashed you last time.”

  “Yeah, but it didn’t hurt. You know that. When you’re as strong as I am, hardly anything hurts.” Bensin pushed up the sleeves of his light jacket, flexing his muscles for her to see. “Grr! You know how tough I am!”

  She giggled. “Okay, but what are you gonna tell them when we get there? They’ll know we’re running away.”

  “No, they won’t. Since you don’t have a collar yet, they’ll have no reason to think you’re a slave. You’re going to tell them that you have no parents and nowhere to live, and then they’ll take care of you until they find a nice family for you to live with.”

  “But what about you?”

  Here came the part she wouldn’t like. “They won’t see me. I’ll take you as close to the station as I can, but you’ll have to go knock on the door without me.”

  Ellie drew in her breath, and her next words came out in a wail. “But I can’t do it by myself! I don’t want to go without you!”

  Reaching out, he took both her hands in his. “You have to be brave, Ellie. This is the only way it will work.”

  “But I want you to be free with me too!”

  “I know, and I will be.” Maybe. “But not yet. The moment they see my collar, they’ll know I’m a runaway slave, just like before. This is probably our last chance, because I heard Mrs. Creghorn saying the other day that you’re old enough you should be wearing a collar too now.”

  Ellie pulled a hand free from his and reached over to finger the cold circle of steel around his neck. “I always wonder what it’s like to wear one. Is it that bad?”

  “Yeah, it is. Before you get a collar, people don’t always know if you’re a slave or not. But when you have one, it’s obvious. Everyone looks at you different, talks to you different, like you’re an animal and not a person. When free people ask your name or who your owner is, usually they don’t even wait for you to answer before they grab your collar tag to read it for themselves. Sometimes if they really want to be mean, they even call you ‘collar’. And I can’t pick the lock on my collar; I’ve tried I don’t know how many times. So if you’re going to escape, it has to be before you get one.”

  She nodded, but she still looked sad. “Don’t worry, though,” he assured her. “Once you’re free and safe, I’ll work on all my days off and save all my money — every last sliver — until I have enough to buy my own freedom. Then I’ll come and find you, and we’ll both be free and happy together.”

  Ellie sniffed, and he could tell she was trying not to cry. He squeezed her hand comfortingly. “When you were only one day old, I promised Mom that I would take care of you and that I would make sure you were free someday.” He had also promised to teach her to be strong and brave, but he hadn’t made much progress yet in that area.

  She wiped her cheeks with her sleeve. “I’ll get a job first thing and start saving up all my money too. And then I’ll buy your freedom right away and we can live together again.”

  Free kids don’t get jobs. At least not when they’re five. But Bensin rose to his knees and reached over to hug her. “What a great idea! I knew you’d think of something smart like that. Now come on, it’s time to go.”

  She scooted over to the slide and pushed off. Though Bensin knew he was too big, he squeezed onto it and spiraled his way down behind her.

  He had often brought her to the park to play on their days off. Something inside him clenched up at the thought that he would never come here with his sister again, never hear her laughing and calling out to him as she zoomed down the slides or while he pushed her on the swings. But he could
n’t let himself dwell on that. If she ever came to this park again, it would be as a free girl with a new family. I’m keeping my promise, Mom.

  Taking her hand in his again, he ran with her toward the shelter of the trees at the edge of the playing field as lightning flickered once more. “And remember,” he told her in a low voice, “you can’t ever tell anyone you were a slave. Don’t ever talk about it with a single person — not the Watch Officers, not your new family, not your friends, not the teacher in your school. If they find out, they’ll make you a slave again.”

  The two of them hurried down another residential street, still keeping to the shadows as much as possible. Bensin tried not to let himself think about all that might go wrong. And even if everything goes right, Mr. Creghorn will bring out the Motivator and lash me within an inch of my life tomorrow. Of course Bensin would pretend he didn’t know where his sister had gone, but of course his owner wouldn’t believe a word of it. It didn’t matter, though. Let him do his worst. I’ll die before I tell. No matter what they do to me, it will be worth it.

  In the distance, he could hear the sound of traffic. “The next street is a busier one,” he warned Ellie in a whisper. “There will be cars, so we’ll have to be extra careful to stay out of sight.” Watch Officers were more likely to patrol there, too. He would have to keep a sharp lookout.

  They crept along the new street, Bensin bent nearly double, staying in the shadows of the low brick wall that ran along the front of people’s yards. Every time he heard a car coming, he dragged his sister toward the nearest bush or parked car, crouching behind it with her until the vehicle had passed. If only there were another way we could go. But the only other routes he knew would take them far out of their way.

  Three blocks down, they came to the little shopping center where Mrs. Creghorn sometimes sent him to buy groceries. Most of the buildings were dark, but the parking lot was well lit, and he could see lights on in the all-night pharmacy. The Happy New Year sign in their window was flashing red and gold.

  “We’ll go around the edge,” he whispered, thankful for the thick hedge that bordered the parking lot.