by Coralee June
The motion shocked me, and I started to shake in fear while sucking in a huge gulp of air to stifle the scream that begged to escape. We were so close that I was able to precisely determine that Master Cyler Black smelled of cinnamon and mint, the combination matching his rustic appearance.
He then asked me a shocking, yet simple, question that no one else had ever bothered to ask. “Are you happy here?” His deep-brown eyes bore into me, and I could almost feel his stare tickling at the base of my soul. I looked around the room for assistance. His question was unusual at best, and I wasn’t sure what the correct answer was. You didn’t need to be happy to be safe.
“Answer him, Ashleigh,” Josiah ordered with more force than necessary. “Dormas is considering accepting some of our homeless Walker citizens into their community and providing them with jobs in their mines.”
The Walker overpopulation was becoming an increasingly apparent problem, despite the sterilization law that went into effect last year. I, too, would be expected to report to headquarters on my nineteenth birthday in a couple of months to be sterilized. Moving these Walkers to a neighboring province would ease a significant burden from Josiah's shoulders.
I swallowed deeply. “Yes, I am happy. The Stonewell family is very good to me,” I replied in half honesty. “They acquired me as a young child after my family died from Influenza X.” I shuddered at the memory of my parent's death, and Master Black watched my distress with a look that mimicked pity. I was three when my parents died of that horrible disease. From what little I could remember, it was crippling to watch them suffer.
Sometimes at night I still remembered them. The way my mother smelled of lilac, and how I envied her soft curls. I remember my father’s bright smile and kind eyes. They were poor but happy.
They couldn’t give me much, but in the end, they gave me the greatest gift of all:
Immunity.
Being exposed to Influenza X allowed me to discover that I was in the top two percent naturally immune to it. I was still born a Walker, and couldn’t escape my class despite being immune to the disease. But because of my immunity, I was allowed to be procured by a high-ranking family. I was more desirable because I didn’t require the vaccine.
Josiah used to fondly tell me that he begged his parents for me because I looked like a princess, and he wanted to rescue me like a knight in one of his books.
Mr. Black nodded thoughtfully and pulled me closer, jerking me out of my memories.
“Dormas recently acquired an impressive fortune. A gold mine was discovered within our borders making us one of the richest provinces in the empire,” he said simply. “However, this discovery has been accompanied by some complications. Our population dwindled when we succumbed to the X outbreak, and we were unable to afford the vaccine that Galla produces. We need people to harvest our gold and defend our mines against neighboring scavengers. We are considering allowing Walkers into our village to work in exchange for vaccinations, food, and shelter.”
I considered his deal and smiled. It would give Walkers the opportunity to make their way to a new place.
“Our trade is still in the finalization process,” Josiah interrupted. “This will only apply to our homeless Walkers; those with jobs or belonging to families will not be traded,” he quickly added in what I assumed to be his attempt at covertly comforting me. “We also need to discuss further the terms of payment. It won't be cheap to vaccinate all the Walkers you want, and we have a monopoly over the vaccine.”
“Ahhh! Always talk of money with Galla,” Mr. Black interrupted. “I think I might like for this particular Walker to join me back in Dormas,” he said with a playful smile. I found it difficult to believe that the hard, threatening man that scared me earlier was the same one now smiling at me.
“That is truly a kind offer, but I am pleased with my position here in the Stonewell family,” I answered automatically.
“Oh, babe. You wouldn’t be a servant in my home,” he whispered, and my cheeks heated at his insinuation.
“Enough,” Josiah ordered while pounding his fist on the dining room table. Everyone turned to stare at him. His face was red, and I noticed a small vein throbbing consistently on his forehead. He was visibly upset.
“I apologize, Josiah! Wasn’t it you that said Walkers were like roaches?” Master Black took a sip of his wine, and the hurt that coursed through me stabbed at the edges of my heart. I kept my face still to keep the tears at bay. Josiah didn’t respond and, again, avoided looking at me. I couldn’t help but feel betrayed.
"The Walker phenomena is a new concept to the Dormas province. Everyone within our community contributes. Wealth and status do not determine a citizen's rations. I find your ways peculiar,” he continued.
“Respectfully,” joined in Mistress Stonewell. “I’d like to add that, obviously, your ways aren’t necessarily working. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be here negotiating for Walkers to help with your little skirmishes with the scavengers.” Mistress Stonewell then took a bite of her food. She had a happy gleam in her eyes.
Master Black smiled politely in response, but I noticed his knuckles were white and clenched tightly in the form of a fist. “Oh yes, ma’am, you are quite right, but I’d like to add that it was you that invited me. I wonder what that says about the effectiveness of your system.” His boisterous laugh then filled the room, making me smile. Despite his rough, severe exterior, Master Black was snarky and fun.
“I’d like to take you on a tour of Galla tomorrow, with your brother’s permission,” Josiah said to Jules. He maintained a forced, polite tone, but jealousy still flooded me like a tidal wave of fire.
“Oh, that would simply be lovely!” Jules exclaimed while twirling her hair on her index finger.
“Would you mind if I joined the both of you? I don’t want to intrude on your courtship, but I would very much enjoy a tour,” Master Black said. A slight pout formed on Jules’ face, making me wonder if she thought it made her look cute.
“Of course, you are most welcome to join us,” Josiah replied.
The rest of dinner went by without any major disasters. I mostly remained invisible in the corner of the room, making myself available if they needed anything, but primarily focusing on my nails. I briefly noticed Josiah peering longingly at me, but I chalked it up as my wishful imagination. Josiah was consistently polished and professional.
Chapter Four
Eventually, everyone excused themselves and I made quick work of clearing the table and cleaning the kitchen. I wanted to escape to the solitude of the basement as quickly as possible and avoid speaking with Josiah at all costs.
I turned the water to a scalding-hot temperature and let the natural pain distract me while I scrubbed dishes until my fingers tingled. I felt a broad sense of sadness settle in my chest.
Josiah was getting married. Married! Was I just another Walker to him? A roach? I shuddered at the thought of Josiah thinking so lowly of me. I knew it was unrealistic to hope that he and I could ever act upon this unspoken tension between us. But, could I honestly handle sitting here, watching him build a family with Jules?
For a fleeting moment, I considered Master Black’s offer to go with him to Dormas. His whispered promise that I wouldn’t live as a Walker in his home had me wondering what life would be like there. Cyler Black was a unique blend of terrifying, but his offer was intriguing. Would I find happiness elsewhere? Would escaping all of this pain be better?
The door to the kitchen opened, and I turned to face the intruder after removing my hands from the burning-hot water in the sink. Josiah stood in the kitchen entryway with his arms crossed over his thick, defined, chest. He wore a defeated expression that made my heart stutter. I wanted nothing more than to hug him tightly, but once again I kept my distance.
Despite feeling hurt by everything, the urge to comfort him was still present–strangling me with a need so fierce, I couldn’t help but take deep breaths to calm down.
“Say something, Ashle
igh, please. God. Just . . . say something.” His voice sounded rough and worn, and he looked down at his polished shoes.
“What is there to say, Josiah?” I asked him with a shrug. His eyes zeroed in on my hands, and he made his way towards me.
“Your hands are bright-red. What are you even doing down here?” He grabbed a towel off the counter and collected ice from the freezer. After placing a handful in the cloth, he walked over to me and carefully put my hands on the ice. At first, I relished in his comfort, but eventually I jerked my hands back. I didn’t need Josiah to be nice.
“Please go tend to your guests,” I pleaded. He growled and pushed me against the counter.
“You think I want to be tending to my guests?” he asked while running a hand through his messy locks. “If I had my way, I’d leave here with you and never look back. But if I want to provide a life for you, it has to be like this. The only way I can keep you is as a Walker." His eyes pleaded with me, but I refused to allow his words to penetrate my emotional armor. "If you think for one second I’m okay with any of this, then you don’t know me at all.” Josiah leaned in closer to me while pressing his hips against me in a way that made my knees tremble. My chest brushed against him, causing his eyes to blaze with want.
“Would you still keep me if you knew it hurt me, Josiah?” My whispered voice sounded pathetic. “Would you allow me to suffer every day?”
Josiah then responded, “Am I selfish if I say yes?”
The kitchen door opened, causing Josiah to remove himself from against me immediately. The sudden vacancy he left made me feel cold and empty. I looked over to see our intruder and found Cyler Black looking at us with a smug expression that made me nervous. He was an intelligent, smart leader. It wouldn’t take much for him to become aware of my feelings for Josiah.
“Oh, don’t mind me,” he said. “I didn’t mean to interrupt. I was just hoping that Ashleigh had some more of that delicious cake she made earlier.”
“Oh yes. Please have a seat in the dining room, and I’ll happily bring you a slice and some evening tea. Do you have any preferences?” I noted that my voice sounded wired and overly chipper. Could he sense how anxious I felt?
Instead of answering me or making his way to the dining room, he pulled up a stool on the island counter and plopped his large body down. I noticed how his grey shirt clung tightly to his muscles. I stared for what must have been longer than polite because both Josiah and Cyler cleared their throats. A blush crept across my cheeks.
“No need to make any tea, Ash. I’ll just enjoy a glass of water. I’d hate to trouble you any more than I already have,” he said with a sigh. Josiah scowled openly at him but quickly masked his disdain when he caught me eyeing him.
I prepared Cyler’s slice and even topped it with a fresh strawberry I got from the market earlier that week. Fruits were a rare luxury in the Galla province. I hadn’t eaten one since Josiah snuck me a bite when I was just a little girl, and I distinctly remembered the tart flavor. Josiah pulled up a stool and roughly requested another slice, too. A part of me doubted that he wanted to indulge in extra dessert; more likely he just wanted to keep an eye on Cyler Black.
“Here you are, Master Black and Master Stonewell,” I said while placing their plates in front of them. I then bowed and took a step back, feeling unsure of what to do next. Except for Josiah’s morning visits in the kitchen before work, it was rare that I had distinguished company while completing my chores.
“Oh, babe, this is delicious.” Cyler said while smacking his lips. “And in the future, I’d greatly appreciate it if you called me by my name, Cyler. Master Black was my father,” he said with a wink.
Josiah dropped his fork, and a loud clang reverberated off the walls of the kitchen. Calling someone by their first name was an incredibly intimate gesture in Galla. Calling a high-ranking person anything other than ‘Master’ or ‘Mistress’ showed that there was more than polite and formal familiarity between parties. However, going against his request would be a sign of serious disrespect. After such brief, personal banter, I ultimately decided to abide his request.
“Thank you . . . uh . . . Cyler. Please enjoy your dessert,” I mumbled while my voice stumbled over his name. Cyler seemed very pleased, as he rewarded me with a wide grin that revealed large, white teeth.
“Master Stonewell, may I please continue with my evening chores? If there is anything additional that you require, I can retrieve it.” I gave him a dutiful smile, but he returned my gaze with eyes that burned with a fury that slapped me. Did I say something wrong?
“Of course,” he said while wiping the corners of his delicious mouth. “And, since Cyler, here, has decided that this should be an informal visit, please continue to call me by my first name as well,” he growled.
I nodded in understanding and resumed my chores in the kitchen by putting away dishes and starting to make dough for tomorrow’s cinnamon rolls. After gathering the ingredients and mixing them, I began slowly kneading the dough. It was tiring work, and my shoulders ached after mixing for ten minutes. I looked up and saw that both men were watching me slowly work the thick dough in silence. I felt their eyes caress each movement I made.
Once I was done, I put the dough in a ceramic bowl and wiped down the counter.
“Ash, do you like strawberries?” Cyler asked. I looked up to face him and felt my mouth salivate at the thought of indulging outside of my usual ration of bland oatmeal.
“It has been a long while since I’ve had the pleasure of tasting one. But, yes, strawberries are delightful. I hope you enjoy yours,” I replied with longing. Josiah had already finished his and was bringing over his dirty plate to the sink for me to wash. Cyler dipped the strawberry on his plate in leftover chocolate frosting and walked towards me.
“It would bring me great pleasure to share a bite with you,” he said in a low tone. My stomach dropped.
“Here, please.” He pierced the strawberry on his fork and held his hand beneath the dripping frosting to catch any chocolate that slid off the red sides. Without warning, he placed it against my lips, and I instinctually opened my mouth to taste the sweet fruit. Flavor exploded on my tongue, and a quiet moan escaped my lips. The chocolate frosting enhanced the flavor deliciously. I closed my eyes and chewed slowly, savoring each explosion of sweet flavor.
Once I swallowed the delicious treat, I opened my eyes to see both Cyler and Josiah staring intently at me with varying expressions of awe and longing.
“I’m sorry about this morning’s mix-up,” Cyler whispered so that only I could hear. “As well as for any additional pain I have caused you today.”
Before I could answer, Josiah coughed disrupting whatever trance that Cyler had me in. I took a step back and nodded my head submissively. Josiah was right. Master Black–Cyler–was dangerous.
Chapter Five
The next day, I served breakfast and was able to avoid additional talk about Josiah and Jules’ impending union. Mistress Stonewell was so thrilled about how the visit was going that she didn’t scold me when I nervously addressed both Josiah and Cyler by their first names.
I packed a light lunch for their planned tour of the province and even included additional strawberries in Cyler’s pack for reasons I didn’t fully understand. They waited in the common room for the transport to arrive, and once I was sure that they didn’t need anything else I bowed my goodbyes and made my way back towards the kitchen. I had a log of chores to complete in their absence as well as a considerable amount of meal preparations to coordinate for the extravagant dinner Mistress Stonewell had planned for this evening.
I looked forward to a break from the tension that radiated off of Josiah in waves. I also needed to distance myself from the fiery eyes that Cyler Black aimed at my every movement.
“Ashleigh, will you not be joining us today?” Cyler asked. His question caught me off guard, and I spun around clumsily to address the curious man.
“Assigned Walkers aren’t typically allo
wed to roam the province or utilize transports. We are given only a handful of designated routes to follow, and very few businesses allow Walkers on their premises,” I responded.
Most immune Walkers were allowed to run short errands on behalf of their households, but otherwise, laws prohibited Walkers from exploring Galla. As a child, I sincerely envied Josiah’s freedom to go to the zoo or fair. He knew this, so he would frequently bring me back small trinkets to hide in my room.
My desire to leave the home had diminished over the years, partly because I didn’t know what I was missing out on, and partly because I was simply too busy to have time for such trivial things.
“I’d like for you to accompany us,” Cyler announced. I gaped at him.
“I’m sure the Walker has chores to complete, Cy. Plus, Walkers aren’t allowed. The sudden freedom might be overwhelming for the poor thing,” Jules said in a cooing tone. Her broad smile was threatening as she straightened her floor-length, grey dress so that it hugged her small chest more.
“Nonsense,” Cyler began. “I think it would be enjoyable to see the province from her perspective.” He held out his arm for me to take, ending the conversation. But before walking towards him, I eyed Mistress Stonewell and Josiah suspiciously.
“Oh good grief, girl” Linda groaned. “Just accompany Master Black on the tour. He’s our guest, and we must oblige whatever requests he has, regardless of how peculiar they are.” Linda mumbled the last bit of her statement, but still, Cyler grinned.
After hearing Mistress Stonewell provide approval, I closed the distance between us and politely gripped his arm. The close contact made me self-conscious, and I patted my messy hair and my stained dress. I felt dirty in comparison to my prim companions for the day. Using my free hand, I attempted to smooth my wild curls, but Cyler grabbed it.