Chapter 3

Mom stormed in and yanked Margaret's arm away. Then, she shoved the rag farther into my mouth. "This brat must be up to no good again!"

She turned around and plastered a smile on her face. "Ma'am, she has a vicious tongue. Last time, she bit off one of a nurse's fingers. So, you'd better not touch her. We wouldn't want you to get hurt."

Margaret withdrew her hand and sized Mom up. "Is this how you city folks discipline your kids? By stuffing them in a pigpen?"

Mom's smile instantly stiffened.

Dad pulled two grand out of his pocket and stuffed it into Margaret's hands. "Here, ma'am. Please accept this."

He paused for a beat before adding, "We need you to hold her down while we draw some blood. If she struggles, pin her down as hard as you can."

Margaret glanced at the cash before shifting her gaze toward me. "Alright then." She stuffed the cash into her pocket, crouched, and pinned my shoulders down with both hands.

Mom pulled a syringe, a tourniquet, and a supply of empty blood collection tubes out of an insulated bag.

The nurse was called over from the car. She squeezed into the pigsty, deftly tied the tourniquet around my arm, and tapped the crook of my elbow. The needle went in. One tube, two tubes, three tubes.

Dad leaned against the fence, scrolling through his phone with the volume turned up. The phone was playing a video of his speech at a charity gala. "...As entrepreneurs, it is our responsibility to care for every vulnerable group..."

Thunderous applause erupted from the audience.

Four tubes, five tubes, six tubes. My lips were drained of all color.

The nurse felt my pulse and hesitated. "Mrs. Bramble, any more than this and she'll go into shock."

Mom didn't even look up. "She'll pull through. Patch up the needle mark when you're done. Don't get blood everywhere. It's disgusting."

As the nurse began filling a seventh tube, everything went dark, and my whole body went limp.

Margaret tightened her grip on my shoulders. I could feel her hands trembling.

Once the nurse was done, Mom placed the blood collection tubes back into the insulated bag one by one and zipped it shut.

Dad crouched down and patted my cheek. "There's another round tomorrow. If you behave, we'll only draw your blood once a month from now on. If you don't…" He didn't finish his threat, but the message was loud and clear.

The two of them packed up their things and left.

Margaret was the last to get to her feet. She stood beside the fence, looking down at me for a while before letting out a sigh. "Forgive me, young lady. I have more than a dozen kids in the village to feed. I really need the money."

She pulled half a roasted sweet potato out of her pocket and shoved it through the gap in the fence. "Eat a little if you can. Don't starve yourself." Then, she turned on her heel and left.

The pigsty fell utterly silent. Lying on the stone slab, I stared at the half piece of sweet potato wedged between the fence slats. Wisps of steam still rose from it.

When I was a child, Margaret would bake a whole batch of sweet potatoes every winter and give one to every kid in the village. I always got an extra half. She told me it was because I was the youngest, that I had to eat up if I wanted to grow taller.

After what felt like an eternity, I was certain the area was completely silent. I rolled over and pressed my back against the protruding edge of a stone in the corner. Then, I started sawing the rope against it.

The stone scraped my skin raw, and blood trickled down my wrists. I bit down on the rag and didn't make a sound.

I had no idea how long I'd kept at it when the rope finally snapped. I shook it off, turned sideways, and squeezed my way out beneath the pigsty fence.

The moon wasn't visible, and the village was pitch-black. However, I knew the way by heart.

Thomas' yard was just beyond that crooked tree. I dragged my feet forward, one step at a time.

I was almost at the courtyard when a sinister voice suddenly sounded behind me. "I knew you were only pretending to behave. Now, I'll show you what happens when you misbehave!"