The Tens by Vanessa Jones (tharntype novel english TXT) 📕

'Oh, sweetheart. That doesn't mean you should have to stay here. Especially, when they are forcing abuse on you.'

'I have nowhere else to go. There's no other way I know how to live.'

Sophie made a rapid, dangerous decision at that moment. 'Come with me. I'm going to leave and go back home. You can stay with me and I will keep you safe.'

Abigail looked dubious and Sophie instantly knew she said the wrong thing.

'I ca-ca-can't do that. You can't do that.'

Sophie felt like an idiot. Of course, she wouldn't leave her family and the only life she had ever known for a stranger. And she'd just revealed her attempt to leave.

'Look forget I said that. I'm just going to go back to my tent now and get some sleep. I don't need to leave, really. But you know what it's like to be in trouble with Clive and Carla and I really don't want to agitate them any more than I have, since I'm new here and all. Could we make a deal to keep this meeting just between us? And I won't tell them what you've said to me?'

Abigail looked at Sophie with hesitation. 'Fine.'

Sophie slipped out the door she came, leaving Abigail to contemplate the interaction. As she stepped backwards out into the night, she watched Abigail's face as she realised there was a hole on the shelf of books.

CHAPTER THIRTY

Sophie barely made it more than a few steps when she heard a wail that seemed to lift the shed up from the ground. 'Shit. Abigail!' Sophie screamed back at the shed.

But it was too late. Two sets of vice-like hands encircled her arms. The lacey floral smell of Carla eddied around her. Clive yanked her other arm forward, his hands smaller than Carla's but just as unforgiving. 'Carla please!' Sophie begged and let her legs go limp and drag along the ground. Carla remained stoically silent whilst Clive kept glancing at her for instructions. They dragged her back into the shed, kicking her legs to get her over the threshold of the door and discarding her on the floor. Whilst Clive held her down, Sophie wriggled and aimlessly punched at them, which had no effect. Carla looked up and saw Abigail, who had turned grey watching the scene unfold.

'Figures,' Carla sneered. 'Clive,' she summoned.

The leaders left the shed together, Sophie trying desperately to scramble after them but her heavy legs wouldn't hurtle her in time before the door slammed shut with a tinging sound. Elbowing at the door, Sophie knew that it was locked and her efforts futile. A quick scan of the shed told her there were no other escape routes and she locked eyes on Abigail who had melted to her knees, crying silently. 'I'm so sorry Sophie. I didn't know they would lock us in here.'

Sophie slumped down at the shed's door. And for the first time since she arrived at the camp, felt utterly helpless. The defeat of being at the mercy of others was compounded by the fragile sparrow of a girl before her. Which, despite raising alarm and getting her trapped in here, she felt sorry for.

Sophie crawled over to Abigail and put her arms around her, which only served to make Abigail weep more. Her nurturing instinct took over and she swept part of her straw-coloured hair back from her temple and whispered that everything was going to be alright. 'They're not going to keep you in here for long. You're one of them!'

'I'm not really. I never live up to their expectations. I'm weak.'

She searched for something more reassuring to say. 'You know, even if they keep us in here, my husband would surely be looking for me by now and you just never know. The police are bound to find my car.' Sophie didn't believe any of what she was saying, especially the part about her husband. There was no way that Alex would be looking for her or even have noticed that her desperate communication had petered off. Especially if he had found the arms of another, which was as clear as day now, definitely not Carla.

It worked though, because Abigail stopped her crying instantly and pulled back from Sophie, looking directly in her face. Something about the way that Abigail looked at her made Sophie's stomach tighten on itself. 'What Abigail? Why are you looking at me like that?' Sophie leant forward on her hands to get closer to her face.

'You don't know, do you?' Abigail looked more worried than Sophie had seen her the night of the fire ritual.

'Abigail, you're scaring me. What do you mean?'

'Alex, your husband?'

'How do you know his name?'

'He's one of us. He's one of our group— The Tens.'

'Bullshit. Absolute bullshit.'

'It's true, I swear on Venus.' Abigail held her hands in a prayer.

'You're just making that up so I give up hope of being found and embrace this place,' Sophie swiped her arm around the room.

'Oh no. You truly didn't know.'

Sophie slapped Abigail across the face. Abigail rubbed both hands on the cheek she'd slapped.

'Don't you fucking spread shit about my husband Abigail. You really are one of them!' She pointed towards the door.

'Sophie, I swear it's true! He's been part of us since before I can remember! I swear, I swear.' Abigail's eyes bulged, rimmed with aubergine.

The women stared at each other in silence, a heat building between them and scorching both their faces.

'Get the fuck away from me,' Sophie spat at her. She pushed her feet into the ground and crab-walked backwards to the other side of the shed, where she didn't have to look at Abigail. Abigail stopped begging and became silent, standing up and trying the door again. Which was still locked. Sophie watched her with hatred seething through her and she wondered why she had pitied her at all. This