Phantom Universe (6 page)

Jaden sees the look in her eyes. “These aren’t people you want to find you, Summer. We’re slaves—considered property. We might as well be a lamp in the corner for all they care, which means I’ve overheard a lot more than they realize. This is some secret society that believes if they terminate you, all will be well in the world.”

“
They?” asks Landon.

“
The Secret Clock Society,” answers Jaden with a grim expression. “They have power like I’ve never seen. I don’t know why they want Summer, but she should stay far, far away from them.”

“
Wait!” Landon cuts in. “Are ye sayin’ they want to kill her?” He quickly wraps an arm around Summer’s shoulders. “No way!”

Jaden and Landon quickly talk with each other, but Summer can’t seem to hear them. Her blood is pounding in her ears as she remembers back to the last time she saw her mum. When she replays the day again it all starts to make more sense. Her mum wasn’t acting like herself, and they were in the car for quite some time. Was her mum running away from these people? And why are they after her? What is so special about her?

“
Summer, did you hear me?” Jaden waves a hand in front of her face.

Summer shakes her head no and tries her best to put on her Apologetic Face.

“
They bought me from my previous owners.” She shudders and absently rubs her wrists again. “Anyway, they’ve been searching for you, but your captain, Travis Jones I believe it was, has been dodging them, apparently. So this is where I come in—they knew we were in that house at the same time. When they found out I had known you they wanted me to help them capture you.”

Summer begins to tremble in Landon’s arms, and he pulls her in for an infamous side-hug. “So is that what you’re doing? Keeping us in this room until they come?” he asks vehemently. Summer can feel the tension in his body and only hugs him more. Like always, he is her salvation and protector.

“
Of course not,” Jaden says smugly. “I’m just playing their little game, when in reality I plan on all of us escaping. You think I like this life as a slave?”

Summer stiffens and turns around so fast she almost stumbles.
What does she mean? Escape? It isn’t possible . . . is it?

“
No, but maybe you’re doing this so you’ll be free!” he disputes crisply.

Jaden thrusts her arms out, and in the light you can see even more scars. “I wouldn’t wish this life on my worst enemy. I’m not going to help them with this. They let me free so I could find her.” She points at Summer. “We’re getting off this ship with or without your help!”

Summer practically falls over herself trying to get to Jaden before she wraps her tiny arms around her. Those words are the most beautiful thing she’s ever heard. Freedom is like one of the creatures she reads about—mythical. She wants to tell Landon that if it’s possible for them to be free, then it’s sure as hell possible there are faeries!

“
Whoa there!” Jaden giggles. “I know it’s been bad—for all of us. But this is our chance to escape.”

“
If Summer’s going, so am I,” declares Landon.

“
Great! I’ve got an idea,” says Jaden. And with that, they begin to plan.

CHAPTER
6: HELL

4 years old

Jag is a jack of many trades: black market, smuggling, pirating, bootlegging, and—his favorite—the slave trade. He especially loves it when he finds the young ones because they are easily trained to do as you wish. To his disappointment, he won’t have the time he wants with the young girl he’s trapped in his human market. The people who want her, whoever they are, offered to pay for him to capture her specifically. He finds that very interesting and is only intrigued more by the little blonde girl who cries too much for his liking. When he had finally caught up with her and her mother, he was worried about the open space. With the help of his crew, the kidnapping went better than he would have predicted. He grins at the fond memory as he opens the door to the long hallway full of boys and girls for sale. It’s feeding time.

A tray full of orange peels, an empty yogurt cup, and a moldy piece of bread is shoved through a slot in the door. Summer scoots away from it to sit in the corner and weep. When she was first shoved into the small room, she didn’t understand what was going on. A girl’s soft voice had informed her that she will never see her family again. Summer refuses to believe it.

“
That’s your supper,” the voice informs her through the wall.

The room is full of dirt and straw, like she’s some barn animal. Summer gathers the straw around her and squeaks, “That’s supper?”

“
Yes. It doesn’t get better so eat.” The girl keeps quiet after that.

Summer kicks the tray away from her in a tantrum. As the room grows dark she curls into a ball, shaking and crying. She doesn’t know where she is or why. But she does know one thing—she misses her mummy.

“
Jezz’us!” a male voice growls out. “Keep your ruddy mouth shut.”

She’s hiccupping now and rises to bang on the door. Fear and anger are beginning to rise up like a monstrous tidal wave in her. Her tiny fists slam over and over into the door. There is no knob on her side for her to turn. She screams and shouts, “Let me out! I want my mummy!” Her hands grow sore quickly so she resorts to kicking with all the strength she can muster.

“
Bloody hell,” the same man barks, his voice closer now. “I hate new arrivals. Always causin’ us trouble.”

“
You have to stop,” the girl’s quivering voice in the other room begs quietly. “They’ll punish you.”

Summer ignores the threat. At home punishment means sitting out for five minutes in shame. Her mum never raised a hand to her. If sitting out for five minutes is all she’ll have to do she’ll take it, as long as they open the door.

“
Let me out,” she screams at the top of her lungs, her throat sore from shouting, but refusing to give up. “Let. Me. Out!”

“
It’s always the new ones,” mutters the man as the door flings open.

Summer sprints under his arm and takes off down the hallway.

“
Blimey,” the man grumbles in surprise.

Summer turns down another hallway, constantly glances over her shoulder, and picks up speed. If she can get outside she’ll be okay. Her mummy taught her how to call the police in emergencies.
If this isn’t an emergency
, Summer thinks,
I don’t know what is
. Without warning, she slams into a body and comes to a dead halt. The tall, lanky man looks down at her, and a crooked smile creeps up his lips. Jag’s black eyes shine over with excitement as he holds Summer by the tops of her arms.

“
And where’d you think yer going?” He chuckles darkly, his rotten breath filling the air.

The other man rounds the corner, out of breath. “She’s a fast bugger.”

“
Is she?” Jag glances down at her, and his scarred face twitches. “Take care of it, Johnny.” He thrusts her into Johnny’s arms, bruising her skin in the process.

Summer gasps, her blue eyes wide as her neck cranes to see Johnny. “My mummy will be angry if I’m not home after dark.” Her voice lacks the defiance she’d hoped for.

“
I’m sure she will be,” he says with a laugh and yanks her back down the hallway.

Instead of taking her back to her room, he throws her into a chair outside her room and makes her face away from him and straddle it.

“
It’s time for yer punishment. Take the shirt off,” he commands pompously.

Summer visibly shakes, unable to move. Will she have to sit there for five minutes for punishment? The thought of her small prison almost seems welcoming. She catches movement to her right and sees brown eyes peek out of the food slot in the cell next to hers. Tears are visible in the girl’s eyes, and it only makes her more scared. Can’t she sit in timeout in the room?

“
Bloody hell,” grounds out Johnny when she doesn’t remove her shirt.

He jerks it over her head violently and tosses it on the straw-littered ground. There are sounds behind her but she doesn’t dare look back. The flap covering the slot of the other girl’s door clinks shut, and that’s when the sound of a crack breaks the still air.

Thwack!

Something sharp connects with her back, and she straightens in reflex to the unbelievable pain. She screams without conscious thought as she hears the crack through the air, and something connects with her skin again.

Thwack!

She flinches away as it strikes again. Another scream erupts from her like a roaring volcano, the stinging force cutting her very essence.

Thwack!

She can feel the welts down to her spine, all the way to the tips of her toes. The shock of each hot, flaming force against her back makes her instinctively reach for her back in protection.

Thwack!

Her fingers catch the next stinging blow. She grounds her teeth together and brings her hands back around to hold close to her chest, writhing in the sensation. One hand bleeds while the other has a red welt that begins to rise on her skin immediately. She gasps for air through each strangled cry as she’s hit again and again. She chances a glance behind her as the whip comes down again and finally wears the top layer of her skin out. It slices wide open like her whole body will crack under the pressure.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack!
She swears the whip is whispering its manic joy as it slices the air again.
Thwack!

She screams out with every crack of the whip, her sensitive skin splitting more with each stinging blow. Soon she can feel blood trickle down her back and soak her pants. Her muscles are in knots, threatening to rip apart as the whip collides with her exposed flesh.

Thwack!

Johnny laughs joyfully as the whip bites into her skin for the tenth time. Summer is no longer able to hold herself up as the throbbing agony consumes and immobilizes her. Her nerves shriek and protest their overwhelming need for the excruciating cracks of the whip to cease. With one more blow against her torn flesh, Summer realizes she has no more screams left in her; throat raw, her last bit of strength melts. Tears are scattered across her face as she lies limply over the chair. When she’s close to passing out the whip ceases. The relief is so pronounced it’s like a flavor on her tongue.

Tearful red eyes peek from the slot on the door next to hers. They speak a million different words, but right then they say, “Welcome to Hell.”

CHAPTER
7: DRIFTER

15 years old

Jaden cracks the door open and glances down the hallway; first to the right, then to the left. Summer and Landon stand behind her as they wait to hear the verdict. She finally peeks over her shoulder and whispers, “It’s clear. Remember the plan.”

They all nod at each other. During their planning, Landon decided it’d be best if he stuck with Jaden to make sure she isn’t setting them up. He voiced his disgruntled opinion of leaving Summer to her own devices, but knows if anything were to go awry that she’ll be able to find the best hiding spot until he’s able to find her.

Jaden is the first to step foot into the hallway and quickly goes left toward the kitchen. Landon and Summer are next.

“
Be careful,” he whispers to her.

There are no words to say, even if she did speak. Instead, she gives him a tight hug and takes off down the hallway in the opposite direction. The plan is for Landon and Jaden to distract the Secret Clock Society. Summer has no idea who they are or what they do exactly, but when Jaden speaks of them, she does so carefully. Like she’s seen something she can’t comprehend or form into words.

Summer flies down the corridor and runs into the end of it where she knows that just outside there are steps that lead to the Captain’s area. Carefully, she peeks out of the door and sees someone she doesn’t recognize. They definitely aren’t part of the crew. The man has short, dark hair, a closely shaven face, and is wearing the nicest looking black coat she’s ever seen. This guy must be part of the Society. She’s not quite sure how she’s going to get past him until her eyes land on a broom that Landon must have left on the deck earlier today. She slips her shoes off to prevent making any noise.