Promise: The Scarred Girl by Maya Shepherd Read Free Book Online

Harold are stronger than Nea alone and they will sell her so that their young family will survive. She remembers that she had still wondered why the Carris should buy milk and eggs from them. How gullible she was, and besides, she scolded herself for not being suspicious and cautious. But what choice did she have as she stood there, already half frozen in the snow?
    If they had not helped her, she would probably not have survived the night. But Nea is still not ready to be surrendered to the Carris without a fight. Her backpack is not far away, it leans against her bed. Provided they did not search her when they tied her up, her knife should still be stuck in her waistband.
    Nea leans slightly to the side and feels the knife resisting against her side. Luica must feel very safe if they did not search her for hidden weapons. They probably decided she was weak and therefore would not offer any resistance, but Nea plans to prove them wrong. This time they will arrive with empty hands to present to the Carris. Although, Nea does not yet know how she will escape.
    With adrenaline running through her veins to give her power, she pulls on the chains. When she finds that her physical strength has not released her from her bonds, she falls down and finds that the ground is a soft sandy soil and that the post to which she is bound is made of wood. She hopes to be able to lift it out of the ground. The moment she devises this plan, Harold walks by the tent, his arms fully loaded with supplies and materials. He did not even notice Nea.
    They are probably packing the tent together, which means she does not have much time, so she begins to push away and dig at the sand near the post, quietly so no one hears, and then faster and faster.
    Suddenly, a sharp pain flashes through her hand. Automatically, she turns around and hardly believes her eyes. The half-starved dog is there and wildly digs at the post imprisoning Nea with his paws. The dog is much faster than Nea with her clumsy hands; the dog probably scratched her by mistake.
    Nea is not sure that she deserves its help, she wonders for a moment where the dog has been, since she has not seen it in recent days. But that does not matter now, all that matters is that it is helping her to escape. Her gaze wanders from the dog to the tent opening. She almost cries out when she sees Zippi there, watching her and the dog. The dog notices the boy and pauses for a moment. A growl penetrates from its throat.
    “Is that your dog?” Zippi asks, as if nothing ever happened and Nea is not their prisoner. Almost shyly, he stands there, as he had when she first met him. He does not look condescending; he appears as a small, curious boy, nothing more.
    “Please help me, Zippi. I do not want to be a slave to the Carris!” Nea asks him, looking up to him, but he just shrugs his shoulders.
    “I cannot, otherwise mom will scold me!”
    When the dog realizes the boy seems to be no threat, it incessantly digs on.
    “What if you would not be caught?” Nea urges, pleadingly.
    “No, that’s not why I cannot help you. If we do not have a commodity for the Carris, we will be forced to stay there, and I do not want to.”
    “You could go, but not to them, just look for new stock and bring it to them.”
    “We cannot do that, they have been waiting for us and if we’re late, we will be punished.”
    Nea looks to Zippi desperately. She looks behind him and sees one of the tents begin to waver slightly. She hopes that neither Harold nor Luica are attracted by the conversation. Zippi seems to notice her gaze.
    “We’re in a hurry and are busy with packing. We are already one day behind.” Zippi looks to Nea’s backpack and hesitates.
    “If I give you your backpack, will you give me your compass?”
    Irritated, she looks at him. Nea is their prisoner, he could take whatever he wants, but then she finally understands. Zippi will not help her to escape, but he will not stop her. The amount of time that it