The Long Walk for Rose

[Mr.BossMan]

Troy didn't know how long he's been walking this damn dirt road. It was almost as if it went on forever, when he looked forward he couldn't see the end of it, so he had no choice but to keep on movin. His tattered back pack was beginning to become a pain as he had to keep on adjusting it to fit better on his shoulder. He was half tempted to throw it into the nearby ditch, and he would of to if it didn't carry his water and his mom's picture. So instead the boy just kept his head down and kicked rocks as he went.

It has been nine days since he ran away from home. Leaving behind his mother and Cain. Food had become a luxery he could not afford, water was scarce, and the earth was last nights bed. His stomach growled viciously as hunger attacked him. Making him weak and dread each step he took. Troy had to stop for a moment, to tired to continue. The sun was high in the sky of Dantooine, and Troy could feel the heat slam into him.

He ran his hand through his thick dark hair, filling his palm with sticky sweat. He just realized he hadn't washed in at least three days, a smile crossed his lips as he remembered that creek. Troy knelt down on one knee and opened up his backpack. He grabbed his water bottle filled with clean, clear water then he took a swig. He had to stop himself from drinking the entire thing. Screwing back on the cap Troy placed his bottle of water back in his backpack, then he stood back up, and continued to walk.

It was a couple of hours later when he saw it. A huge house off in the distance, his young eyes had to squint to see that far away. But it was there, then upon looking closer Troy saw something else, food! He was gazing off at a farm with acers and acres of crops. It didn't take long for Troy to walk in that direction, he'd be there soon enough then he'd feast like a king.

Finally upon reaching the edge of the farm he saw what kind of crops he was drooling over. Corn, so much corn. Troy's primal instinct took over as he reached for the nearest shuck and removed it. Then he bit hard into the dry vegetable and nearly gagged. It was not like his momma fixed it back home, but it was something. Troy nearly inhaled the whole thing, then he went for another, then another, then another.

Troy would of went on and on if he didn't hear a gun cock behind him. Slowly Troy put his hands up and stayed completely still. Not wanting the stranger to shoot him in the back.

@Megilwen

 

[Lucy Lou]

"That's stealin' boy. Ain't no one like a thief." Came a gruff voice from behind him. "Now turn around real slow like and keep our hands up."

There was a quiet while the boy turned to face the gun and the man behind him. The man was tall, with short red hair and a well groomed beard. His clothes were well made, but worn as if they'd seen some hard work. The dark brown eyes roamed over the boy, taking a few moments to take in his appearance. The boy looked worn and tired, like he'd been traveling a long time. Jon lowered the weapon, still keeping a hold on the weapon though for the moment. "Now how about you tell me what you're doing out here."

*~*​

Rose was in the kitchen helping her Mother make the days lunch. Her Father and the rest of the men were out tending the fields, while her aunts were out taking care of the farm animals. The little girl stood on a stool, kneading at a ball of dough. Her mother had mixed the ingredients together before leaving the girl to do the work, while she worked on another part of the meal. Her bright blue eyes followed her mother's movements around the kitchen watching and learning as her mother worked.

"Momma. Should I go find Papa?" She asked as she finished kneading the dough. As much as the ten year old girl loved learning from her Mother, she was still the apple of her Father's eye. Daddy's little girl.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Troy did exactly what the man asked. He kept his hands high, and slowly he reveled himself. In that moment as he turned around, Troy noticed just how shabby he looked. His tan tee-shirt was cut and had holes all over, all of his clothing was caked in a thick mud and dirt. His blue jeans were stained green with grass and they didn't fit quite as well as they had nine days ago, a clear sign Troy lost weight. His dark hair ran down past his eyes and he desperately needed a hair cut.

After all of this, Troy simply stared at the grown man with the gun. He couldn't formulate words to say. His heart started to beat rapidly in his chest, a bead of sweat raced down his hair line and dripped off his cheek. He didn't want to die, not now, not at fifteen.

"Now how about you tell me what you're doing out here." The man said, and just like that Troy heard his own voice.

"I...I was hungry, I...I'm just passin through Sir, I'll get goin and be on my way. And I ain't never gonna come back, ya'got my word on that, just don't shoot me Sir, please don't shoot me, I don't wanna die."

He said, his voice shaky and full of fear. It was just a few shucks of corn, ain't nothing to die over.

*~*​

Deborah stood in the kitchen knife in hand. Cutting away at the vegetables like a trained professional. To Deborah, the kitchen was her kingdom and she was the Queen. She did her dance and as she cooked she sang, her voice soft and sweet. Her baby girl at her side the hole way through. She was so cute on her little stool, making the dough for today's lunch. Deborah could not help but smile, her little flower, her little Rose.

When she asked to go fetch Jon she looked at the clock. Lunch time was getting close and she had finished kneading the dough. Deborah kissed her reddish blonde hair, and whispered to her.

"Yes dear, go fetch papa and the others, tell'em lunch is is ready." Then with that Deborah picked her little girl up and set her softly on the ground. Then she went back to her dance and she started to set the large table.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Jon listened his gun still angled at the ground as the boy spoke, nearly trembling in fear. Either the kid was a good actor, or he was just that scared and he was leaning toward scared kid over traveling child murderer. Uncocking the weapon, the man slung the rifle's strap over his shoulder, "If you're hungry boy. There's better things to eat then raw, half grown corn. Come along then. We'll get you feed up."

He started walking back toward the house and after a few moments he looked back to see if the kid was following him. "Hurry up boy. Lunch will be ready soon."

*~*​

Rose laughed happily as her mother picked her up before setting her down and placing a kiss against the top of her head. "Love you Momma!" She said as she ran out the front door and down the path toward the fields. As she skipped around, she yelled at anyone she saw that lunch was nearly ready. It wasn't long before she saw her Papa walking down the path toward the house another younger boy following after him. Not that she was that interested in the other boy at the moment.

"Papa!" The little girl cried out happily as she ran toward the man jumping as she reached him.

Jon smiled and reached out to catch the girl and lift her high in the air. "Little Rose Bud." He said with a laugh as he brought her close and blew a Raspberry against his daughter's neck causing her to laugh and giggle.

"Papa!!! Stopppppp!" She squealed. Jon blew once more before obliging settling the small child on his hip.

"Now what are you doing out here Rose? I thought you were helping your Mother with lunch." He asked as he walked, checking back to make sure that the boy was still following without drawing to much attention to the fact that he was keeping an eye on him.

"I was Papa. Lunch is ready." Rose said with a smile, finally looking back and staring at the young boy. "Papa who's your new friend?"

 

[Mr.BossMan]

When the man lowered his gun Troy let out a sigh and lowered his arms. His mind was racing, trying to find a way out of this sticky situation. That is until the man invited him in for a meal. Then with that the man walked on, turning his back to Troy. In that instant Troy almost bolted, he could of, but for some reason Troy didn't and instead he just followed the man. The mere mention of an actual meal made his stomach churn and his mouth water.

The two men walked for a little ways until they finally made it out of the corn field. Then they continued down a simple path that led up to the house. That's when Troy saw a little girl running down to meet them. She seemed to radiate happiness and her innocence was overwhelming. It was a strange feeling, but the girls mere presence made him feel safe. Her and the man fiddled around for a while, it was obvious to Troy that this girl was the mans daughter.

Then it left a sour taste in his mouth, this girl loved her father clear as day. Could he say the same for his father, Cain? No.

Troy wouldn't be here right now, if not for his deadbeat dad.

Then the girl spoke "Papa who's your new friend?"

Troy didn't say a word, he only kept silent and waited for the man to speak for him. Then he heard a loud bell being rung over and over, then the sound of a woman's voice. "Lunch is ready!" The woman yelled out.

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"Lunch is ready!" Deborah yelled out for the others as she beat away at the bell. In a matter of seconds she saw the army of her family approaching, and a smile spread across the woman's face. Then she scanned down the path and saw her husband and daughter. He kept making her laugh and giggle. The man could work sun up to sun down, hunt anything on Dantooine, fish for hours and catch enough to feed the family. Yet when it came to his Rose, he was just another mortal man, her husband, and that's why she loved him after all these years.

Then when she looked closer she saw someone else, a boy she's never seen before. When they were close enough to speak to, Deborah first spoke aloud.

"Who's this stranger?" She asked aloud to no particular person, as she took in the boys features. He was handsome, Deborah could tell that much, but it was hidden under a mess of clothing and she could smell the kids stench from here.

"The names Troy ma'am, Troy Walker." He said shyly and politely, at least he had manners, something most kids don't have these days.

Deborah folded her arms and spoke kindly but sharply.

"Well Troy, I reckon we got plenty of food to go around. But before you eat boy, you're gonna shower and clean up. I won't have you sittin at my table in clothes such as those." She then looked to Rose, "Rose take this young man to the bathroom, then fetch him some clean clothes that will fit him good."

This would give her time to speak with Jon, she wanted to talk to him privately about the boy.

 

[Lucy Lou]

"Yes Momma." replied Rose and she wiggled to get her Father to put her down.

"No, no." smiled Jon as he pointed to his cheek. "You've got to pay the toll first."

Rose obliged, placing a kiss on Jon's cheek before the man smiled and let her down. Without any hesitation or apparent worry, the ten year old ran up to Troy and grabbed his hand, leading him into the house. "Momma says you've got to shower first before you can eat and you'd better hurry, 'cause the family eats quicker than a swarm of locusts." She had no idea what that meant, but she'd heard her mother say that on more than one meal.

It wasn't long before Rose was opening a door into a nicely cleaned bathroom. There was a refresher and fluffy towels stacked neatly beside it. "Here's the bathroom. I'll go find you some clothes and leave them out here on the floor." The child turned to run off to complete her second assigned task only to turn back and give Troy a hug. "I always wanted a big brother!" She didn't give him a chance to respond before she dashed off and disappeared around a corner.

*~*​

Back downstairs, Jon turned on the faucet to the sink to wash his face and hands before the meal. It was a well ingrained habit that he learned from his father. As he finished he turned back toward his wife.

"Don't give me that look Debbie." The man said as he set he rifle to lean up against the corner of the room. He could already hear dishes and chatter in the other room as the rest of the family settled down to lunch. "I found the boy this afternoon out in the fields. He was gnawing on an ear of corn, that looked like he'd barely taken the time to shuck it, with several more eaten cobs on the ground. I'm honestly surprised he's not been sick. He's got this runaway look about him. I'm sure you saw it too, from his clothes and that wild look in his eyes." Jon stopped and looked at his wife. "I ain't heard anything about any runaways from the locals yet, so he must have traveled a long way to get here. Do you think we should alert the local sheriff? See if he's heard of any runaways?"

 

[Mr.BossMan]

In an instant the little girl grabbed Troy's hand and pulled him away from the two parents. Troy walked hurriedly behind the girl, not given the chance to slow down. He studied the inside of the farm house, and his first thought was, it was big. His second thought, it was old and his third thought was this family was rich. He could tell by their fine china and paintings. The house was clean beyond belief and her quickly Troy felt out of place. He did not belong here, not at all.

Then he was staring at a heavy wooden door.

"Momma says you've got to shower first before you can eat and you'd better hurry, 'cause the family eats quicker than a swarm of locusts." She said to him as he stared down at her bright blue eyes. This girl was something else he thought as a shy smile crossed his lips. She then opened the door and told him she'll be back with some fresh clothes. Then she turned around and was about to dart away, until she did the unthinkable.

The girl turned around and gave Troy a hug. He lifted his arms up and didn't know what to do with them, so he just kept them in the air, not wanting to touch her. Then, just like that, she raced away.

Troy shook his head to get his dark hair out of his eyes and his mind right. Then he turned around slowly and entered the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror as he undressed. When he took off his shirt he saw the familiar burn marks on his chest. Small circular red burns, a half dozen of them littered his left and right breast and a few could be traced down to his abs. Several minor scars on his shoulders and back. One major bruise on his lower abdomen; After nine days his fathers last beating hascouldealed all the way.

It was a weird feeling for Troy, only when he saw the damage; he felt the damage. Otherwise it never existed, it was the lies he told others. Troy hoped in the shower and let his filth wash away and down the drain. He was so dirty he could see that the water dripping off of him was brown and black.

But he closed his eyes and let his travels wash away.

*~*

Deborah stood in the kitchen staring at Jon. She seemed to look right through the man and with her stare she tried to cut through the man. It was her weapon and like any other senseful person she'd use it. Then he turned around and braced for what was about to come. But before she let him have it he started to talk first.

"Don't give me that look Debbie." Her husband said, using her name that only he ever used. But she wouldn't go for it, he was not going to get off that easy so she continued to stare, like she was asking about the boy. "I found the boy this afternoon out in the fields. He was gnawing on an ear of corn, that looked like he'd barely taken the time to shuck it, with several more eaten cobs on the ground. I'm honestly surprised he's not been sick. He's got this runaway look about him. I'm sure you saw it too, from his clothes and that wild look in his eyes."

Deborah only put her hands on her hips. "Ya I know Jon and we just let that wild eyed boy up stairs. With our daughter, you invited a runaway to come into our home, eat supper with our family and then what? I mean dammit Jon, he must be fourteen-fifteen years old. He's got a family out there that probably misses him an the local sheriff out lookin for him."

"I ain't heard anything about any runaways from the locals yet, so he must have traveled a long way to get here. Do you think we should alert the local sheriff? See if he's heard of any runaways?" Jon said as he tried to defend himself.

Deborah only sighed. "No we ain't gonna call no sheriff. First thing we do is get that boy down here and let him eat a little. Then we ask him just what in the hell he doin all the way out in the middle of nowhere."

Then as if in answer she heard the water turn off and the footsteps from the up stairs bathroom. Now they just had to wait, her little Rose will take care of him. She's pretty smart for s ten year old. Something she obviously took from her mother.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Rose could hear the shower still running when she got back with some clothes that would probably fit. Her cousin George looked to be about the same size of Troy, if a bit thinner. She knocked on the door slightly to give him a warning that she was back before she opened the door, just slightly so she could reach in to place the clothes on the counter of the sink for him. She was careful to keep her eyes averted, so that she wouldn't see him in the shower. Her momma had told her that shower time was a private time and it was rude to look or intrude. At ten years old, that's all Rose needed to know.

Leaving the clothes on the counter, she stepped back outside and slid her back down the wall until she was sitting. Her own dress pooling on the floor around her. Then there was nothing to do but wait. She didn't want to leave her new friend to get lost in the big house. She'd lived there her whole life and still got lost at times! As she waited Rose entertained herself in a way that only young children seemed capable of. Staring at her dress, she picked patterns out of the fabric, then made her own music by tapping her shoes together at certain intervals.

When the door finally opened, the girl was laying on the floor of the hallway with her legs propped up against the wall as she watched her feet. Looking back at Troy, such that he was upside down in her vision, she pushed off from the wall, sliding across the floor a few inches before she rolled over and stood back up.

"FINALLY!" She exclaimed. "We're going to miss lunch!" She grabbed his hand and started pulling him back toward the kitchen and the family. Though it was quiet now on that end. Most everyone having eaten and headed back out to work, leaving only Deborah and Jon waiting for the two children.

*~*​

"Sending him upstairs with Rose was your idea. He coulda just washed his hands and face." Jon half grumbled under his breath, not in an accusatory way, but it just showed the difference in what the husband and wife considered acceptable for clean. As well as who was really in charge when it came to their relationship, at least when it came to who was in charge of the house.

"Aye dear. That's probably for the best. Though what if the boy ran away from home? We just going to keep him." Jon asked but then stopped himself. "I'm getting ahead of myself. Let's wait until he gets downstairs. In the mean time, I'm going to clear out the rabble." He said referring to the rest of the family, who were all peeking their heads around the corner, trying to hear the conversation. In a large family, everyone was always in everyone else's business. Especially when they all lived together. However, Jon had been the eldest brother, so technically the farm was his. Not that he'd ever kicked them out of the home, but his word was law.

"You're all finished eating. Get back out to work. Ye can meet the boy later. No need to scare him with all your ugly mugs now." Jon made shooing motions. There were a few grumbles, but everyone obliged, bringing their dishes into the kitchen before heading back out into the warm afternoon to continue their daily chores.

A few minutes later, Rose came into the kitchen dragging Troy along with her, a large smile on her face at having done a good job.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Troy was lead down the stairs by the energetic girl. When they reached the bottom he was practically forced to run to the kitchen and that's when he saw the man and woman, the mother and father. The little girl kept holding on to his hand until the mom gave her a glare that signaled for her to let go of him. Troy was happy to get his distance, ever since he got here she'd been stuck on him like glue. He found it both awkward and endearing.

He then coughed and cleared his throat. Looked at the two adults and spoke confidently and politely.

"Thank you ma'am, Sir, I ain't had a shower for a few days now and-"

"There ain't no need to thank us, were just doin what any good honest person would. So don't take our kindness for a weakness boy. We still got much to talk about." The woman said as she cut him off and waved her hand in the air. "Come here boy and get some grub in your belly." She said as she gestured for them to sit down at the dinner table and eat."I hear you went wild on some of our corn, now you ain't a theif are you? Thinkin that you can eat for free while good honest people such as ourselves bust our backs to grow that corn?" She said to him and her words seemed to punch Troy hard and like any other punch, Troy fought back.

"No ma'am, no I ain't no theif, just hungry is all and like I told this man I was just passing through. Ill be on my way right now if ya'like just say the word." He told her and the man both, almost challenging them to send him away. That's when he saw the woman raise an eyebrow.

"No, no, no boy. It don't work that way, you eat, you work, simple as that. So I reckon you'll spend the night here, then come first light my husband Jon will put you to work." She then looked at Jon as if asking for permission to do so. They were a team and she'd respect that.

She then prepared a plate of food and gave it to Rose to pass down the table to him.

"Now what do you think about that?" She asked as she put some salad on her plate and then looked up at the boy before she took a bite.

"Well..." Troy said as he scanned the three people. Looking at each one in turn. "I reckon I owe you some work, then I'll be on my way." Then he saw a smile on the little girls lips and all three of them ate lunch in relive peace.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Chapter 2

It had been a few months since Troy had joined the family and Jon made sure that he'd worked hard. Hard work was good for the soul as well as the mind and body. He had to admit that the boy was a hard worker, always working to pay back the debt and the consequently continuing debt every time that he joined the family at the meal. It wasn't that Jon or Deborah was keeping Troy there by any means, however a hard days work was enough to make anyone not really used to it too tired to want to leave. Though after a few months Jon was curious as to if there was another reason why the boy stayed.

While the rest of the family worked out in the fields or with the animals, Rose and her mother were out on the porch. The girl was done with her daily chores, even at ten she had responsibilities. Mostly she was responsible for the small chicken coop that the family kept that supplied them with eggs and poultry. Every morning Rose was supposed to clean the coop, check for eggs, and feed the chickens. It took her a good chunk of the morning, but after that she helped her mother with lunch. Then after lunch it was time for the young girl's studies. She learned the basics, like reading, writing, and mathematics, but she also learned how to make bread, when certain crops should be planted, and other such knowledge and skills important to raising a family and running a farm. One day the farm would fall to her and her family, so Rose needed to know everything.

This afternoon saw Rose practicing her reading. The girl lay on the porch beside her mother who sat in a rocking chair while she worked. Every once in a while a voice echoed in the silence as Rose clicked on one of the words that she wasn't familiar with, the datapad speaking it aloud as well as defining it. Her parents were of the opinion that doing was the best way to learn anything and like any young child Rose was eager to see, learn, and do. Her favorite lessons were at harvest time, when her Father took her along to market when he went and sold their surplus crops. There were so many different types of people at the markets that it made her wide-eyed and curious about everything, that she often didn't stop asking questions for weeks afterward.

Rose looked up from her datapad out toward the fields. One day she'd be old enough to work out there with the rest, but right now her papa still said she was too young. It was the beginning of the harvest season, so there was a lot more work to be done. She could see her father and Troy out in the fields. Her father was yelling something over the loud noises of the harvest droids as they cut down the tall stalks of corn. She was under orders not to leave the porch without her momma or her papa. While the droids were programmed to stop if sensing a person in front of them, accidents did happen and her father didn't want to have to worry about accidents.

"Damn droids." Grumbled Jon before he yelled again across the noise. "No the second one there Troy. It's got a stalk caught in it's gears again." There was a pause as he watched the boy work. "Just yank it out. The droid will be fine once it's out." The family and Troy were spread out behind the harvesting droids, scooping up the stalks and putting them into the the hoover sleds that followed after each of them. Once a sled was full it would take the corn stalks over to a machine that would separate the corn from the stalks. Corn going into another sled while the stalks were ground up for fertilizer later.

Occasionally one of the group would have to go up and yank a corn stalk from the harvester droids. In all his years there'd never been a good method of clearing a field and often one just had to make do with what they had. At this point the droids were several decades old and really it was probably time to upgrade to something more efficient, like the sells men kept trying to unload on him, but these droids still worked just fine. There was no reason to throw out something perfectly functional in order to have the biggest and best. It was a waste of resources as much as it was a waste of credits. The family was well enough off, but only because they didn't waste credits on unneeded things.

Jon worked as well beside his family, following behind two harvest droids of his own. He'd made sure that Troy was in the space beside him, this being his first harvest season and all. Best way to teach the boy was to let him jump right in and do it and Jon would be there to help guide him should he need it. The work was rough, but it was simple enough that Troy wouldn't likely cause too many problems and it was highly unlikely that he'd manage to cause one of the harvester droids to explode or some such nonsense. Jon turned back to his own work, keeping one eye on the boy as they moved along down the fields.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Deborah sat in her wooden rocking chair looking out at the harvest. Watching her husband, nephews, cousins and Troy work out in the fields. Rose sat beside her doin her daily schoolin, today seemed to be reading. Deborah wondered what it was she was reading, her daughter was smart, very smart, and that was something Deb liked to brag about. She sat up a little straighter in her chair and leaned over to get a better look at her girl.

"Whatch'ya readin?" She asked curiously, wanting to know more about the book.

She waited for Rose to reply as she stared off in the distance through narrow eyes. That's when she noticed that all the boys around Troy's age had their shirts off, all except Troy. It was hot outside and even sitting on the porch a bead of sweat fell down her forehead and she wiped it away. She then readjusted herself in her seat again and tried to focus more on the fields. As she did this she spoke aloud.

"Rose dear, what do you think about Troy? Is he mean? Scary? Funny? What do the other boys say about him?"

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Troy stood behind the droid he was assigned to. Grabbing the occasional stalk that got stuck in its parts. Other then that work was fluid and consisitant. He'd grab the produce and throw it behind him in the hover sled, Jon was to his left doing the same, and a boy just a bit older then Troy was to his right, Jon's nephew Nomar. The kid seemed cool enough to Troy, he helped him feel comfortable with the rest of the family and the two got along well. Apparently Nomar was popular around here and with that, Troy felt like he belonged.

Its been a longtime since Troy first met these people, but it still felt strange to eat and sleep in their company. In their home. Sometimes he could hear em talk, the same old clichés. Some whispered about him, some giggled and laughed when he looked their way, and some of the girls blushed. Troy however had no interest in that, it just didn't feel right to him. So instead he spent his days and nights simply.

The same routine, the same structure over and over again. At his house Troy would simply do whatever he liked, being the only one home he could. But not here.

Troy looked up from his work and spoke to Jon.

"How much longer this gonna take?" He asked, make sure his tone didn't sound like he was tired of working. Jon didn't like lazy, and Troy made sure he kept up his appearances, a hard workin man.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Rose looked up from that tablet as her momma spoke. "Papa said if I wanna work on the farm then I gotta understand how plants grow." The little girl got up on her knees and scooted forward toward her mother holding out the tablet to her so she could see. On the screen was an animation at the moment, showing a seed being planted in the ground, it being watered, the sun shining down on it, and then the plant growing. "It's a process called pho...pho...." She paused her eyebrows coming together in thought. "Fotosmphysis." She glanced back up at her mom, proud of herself.

The next question was unexpected as Rose had thought her mom would talk about her studies. The girl tilted her head to the side as she thought while looking out toward the field and the older boy. "He's nice momma. Quiet. He likes to be alone, instead of playing with the other kids. Nomar and him get along well together." Rose said pointing to her cousin who worked beside Troy. "And Christine wants to have his babies." She said pointing down to her blonde haired cousin who was working further down the line and who kept stealing glances toward Troy causing her to miss some of the corn, then getting yelled at by her father who was nearby. Rose had no idea what that even meant, but she'd heard the older girls giggling and gossiping at night as they all got ready for bed.

"Everyone likes him." She pauses before giving an insight that only little kids seemed to notice. "He seems sad though. His eyes are sad, even when he smiles." Rose wanted to do something to make him happy, but the little girl didn't know what to do. "Momma. He's family now right. Family should be happy together." She laid her red-golden head on her mother's lap still looking out over the fields and her family working in it.

*~*​

Jon turned as he heard Troy speak. "It'l take as long as it does. We'll stop either once the field is clear or the sun's gone too low in order to keep working." He replied simply. Work until your done. That was the way of life when it came to working on a farm. If you cut out early that could mean that crops are left to rot in the fields or animals go unfed and untended. It was a hard life, but it was a good one. Simple. Rewarding.

Not much of a talker when working, Jon fell back into a comfortable quiet just doing the monotonous, repetitive task. It left him an opportunity to think about the boy beside him. He had secrets, but he'd also shown know desire to leave their home yet. So either the secrets were keeping him here or he didn't want to leave. He was a hard worker, never complained in Jon's presence anyways, which was a strong quality he favored in his workers. However, most importantly from the few interactions he'd seen, Troy seemed to get along well with his daughter and that went everywhere with the man.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Deborah looked down at her daughter as she struggled to pernounce the word. Its was cute and Deb couldn't help but laugh at her. She then leaned over in her chair and looked Rose face to face. She then took her time and said the word slowly, that way Rose could keep up.

"Photosynthesis, my dear, say it with me, photo-syn-the-sis." She would then wait for a minute and listen to Rose repeat the word. They'd do this over and over until she got it right. That is until Deborah zoned out and stared down at the fields, she asked Rose what she thought of Troy. And the older woman listened to her daughter as she looked out at the fields.

It was true, Nomar and Troy had been getting along well. But the news about Christine made Deborah bite down on her lip. She remembered when she was fifteen, and boys were just about the only fun thing. But she made a mental note to keep an eye on Christine, maybe talk tfo her alone. The truth was Deborah didn't know what to think of Troy.

The boy was friendly to the family, always responding with ma'am and Sir, no matter who it was. He always volunteered to do something when it was asked. He was modest in how much food he took from the table, even though Deborah knew he could eat damn near forever. He worked hard, you wouldn't catch him playin around with the other boys, instead he was doin what needed doin. Deborah had every reason to like the boy, and part of her did. But she did not trust him.

There was a lot she did not know about him, and that alone made her distrustful. She then snapped out of her thoughts when she heard her baby speak.

"Everyone likes him, " she said her voice full that ten year old innocence. "He seems sad though. His eyes are sad, even when he smiles." Deborah raised an eyebrow at her daughter. Shocked that she'd come to this conclusion, but for some reason, Deborah wanted to agree. She looked down at her Rose and that's when Rose spoke again. "Momma. He's family now right. Family should be happy together." She laid her red-golden head on Deborah's lap.

"Rose, baby, remember what the most important thing in the whole wide world is?" She asked her, knowing that she asks Rose this question regularly. But none the less it was something she wanted to ingrain in her child. She waited for her answer then she smiled at her daughter. "Yes, that's right, family is the most important thing, because you'll always have your family, no matter what." She said as she ran her hand through Rose's hair. She then made the girl look at her, and her smile went away.

"But that means the same for Troy. His family is out there looking for him, and they miss him. So we can't have him in our family forever, because he's already got a family. Do you understand Rose?"

*~*​

It only took a couple more hours for the field to be cleared. The last corn stalk cut down and thrown into the hover sled. Then as if that was the signal the whole working party let out a roar of cheers. Apparently harvest time was a big thing around these parts, so Troy couldn't help but smile as these people basked in their well deserved victory. However, with the harvest over and the job done, Troy needed to take a shower. So he asked permission from Jon and with his say so, Troy started to walk for the house.

When he reached the porch he was greeted by Deborah and Rose. Who where involved with Rose's studies.

"Troy" Deborah said to him in greeting.

Troy took off his work gloves and gave Deborah a nod. "Ma'am," he said to her then he looked down at Rose "my lady." He said with a smile, "Mind if I to take a shower?" He asked Deborah.

"I'd mind if you didn't," she said to him her tone full of that friendly humor.

"Thank you ma'am," he said as he walked for the door. Opening it Troy walked inside and up the stairs. Then he went inside the bathroom, forgetting to shut the door in his rush to get in the water. Troy took off his shirt and started to work on his boots.

*~*​

Deborah sat on her rocking chair listening to Rose read when she remembered something. Troy needed to be here, she remembered Jon had told her to ask Troy if he wanted to go sell the harvest.

"Rose," she said "hurry up and go fetch Troy before he gets in the shower. Tell him I need to speak with him real fast."

 

[Lucy Lou]

"Photosphysis...photosthpsis...photosythpsis..." Rose kept trying until finally, "Photosynthesis."

Her mother was quiet as Rose talked and the girl watched wondering what she was thinking. Then she spoke asking the all too familiar question. "Rose, baby, remember what the most important thing in the whole wide world is?" She grinned knowing the answer to this.

"Family Momma. Family is the most important thing in the whole world."

"Yes, that's right, family is the most important thing, because you'll always have your family, no matter what." Rose smiled as her mother agreed with her statement, telling her that she'd gotten it right. However, she began to worry as her mother's smile faded. "But that means the same for Troy. His family is out there looking for him, and they miss him. So we can't have him in our family forever, because he's already got a family. Do you understand Rose?"

The girl nodded slightly, she didn't really understand. If Troy was here with them, then maybe he didn't have a family. He was here with them that meant he was part of their family now. She turned to look at those working in the fields, Troy included. It seemed so simple to the girl, how could her mother not see it.

*~*​

It was a few hours later and the cheering of the completed harvest caused Rose to look up from her reading. It looked like the harvest had finally been completed. After 3 days and a lot of hard work, it was done. There's be a celebration with the family tonight. A huge party before the harvest was taken in to be sold. Rose gave a bright smile to Troy as he walked up the porch to them.

The girl giggled as he called her 'my lady', as she lay on her blankets with her data tablet. She gave Troy a wave, though she didn't interrupt her mother as she spoke. Then Troy was gone and up the stairs to the shower just as quickly as he'd walked up the stairs to the porch.

It was only a few minutes when her momma spoke again, saying she needed to speak to Troy. "Yes Momma!" Rose stood and hurried up the stairs, dog walking them with her hands against the steps, for whatever reason the little girl felt that would be faster. The door was still open and Rose was greeted by the view of Troy's scared back. There were no fresh bruises or cuts, as he'd been at the farm for a few months now, however, the old ones stood out against his skin. Scars weren't something that Rose had seen many of and the girl was curious more than afraid. She walked into the bathroom, her footsteps soft. She wasn't intending to be sneaking, she was just quiet in her well worn shoes. The young girl reached out one hand to touch at one of the puckered scars, curious as to what the skin felt like.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Troy had just started the hot water for the shower, allowing it to heat up all the way. Very quickly the water started to produce steam and after he was done taking off his boots he stood up and looked out the window before him. It had a great view of the farm land and with the sun just starting to sink in the horizon, it was simply beautiful. He began to work on his pants, fumbling to take off his belt.

He was beginning to like this place, and that alone scared him. He would have to leave here soon, and leaving would just be harder if he stayed any longer. He's been planning it for a few days now, preparing himself to leave, but every time he tried to sneak away in the night, he decided he'd do it some other time. Which he knew would hurt him in the end, but even still, he couldn't bring himself to leave this place or these people.

To many times Troy had to say good bye to the ones he loved, and he learned at a young age it was better to not love anyone. He loved his mom who left him, his grandpa died a long time ago, grandma went with the sickness, his uncle drank himself to death, his other uncle has been in and out of jail.

And his dad...

Troy bit hard on his lip and yanked out his belt, tired of fumbling around for it. Then he threw it on the ground.

He had to close his eyes and breath in deep before he exploded in a fit of rage. He stood there for a few moments, staring at the back of his eye lids, focusing in on the white noise of the shower. That is until he felt small, cold hands run across his side and over one of his gifts, courtesy of his father. The red disgusting scar tissue ran horizontally across his right side, no more then six inches.

While his eyes where closed Troy was pushed into another world. As if the mere touch sent him away and back into his childhood.

Troy stood looking up at his father and down at the sharp knife in his hand. He couldn't of been much older then ten, and he was crying his eyes out. His father kept yelling at him telling him to man up "Men don't cry!" He screamed "My boy don't cry!" But Troy couldn't help it, no matter how hard he tried tears kept racing down his cheeks. Soon enough Kain grabbed him by the throat and shoved him against the wall. He then lifted up his own shirt, and Troy saw a nasty scar on his fathers right side. "My boys just like me." Kain said as he opened his mouth to speak again, his breath reeking of alcohol. Then slashed at his sons side.

In a flash Troy spun on his heels, slapped the hand away from his skin, then raising his left hand he put it around the throat of a person he did not see, instead Troy only saw the face of his father, then he raised his right hand and cocked it back. His eyes were full of a fury inside of him, then it disipitated in an instant.

He realized he was staring at a ten year old girl, Rose, not his father.

"I'm...I'm so sorry...I didn't know it was you." He said as he lowered his fist and let go of Rose's throat. He looked at his hands then back at the girl, he took a careful step back, then another, until he sat hard on the toilet behind him. His eyes burned and he had to swallow hard.

"I almost laid hands on a girl." He said to no one in particular.

Who am I? My father?

 

[Lucy Lou]

The scar felt...strange... in comparison to the skin around it as Troy stood there in his pants. It was rough, kind of like a scab. She had scabs before, when she'd fallen and scrapped her knee, but they'd always healed and never stayed long. Looking over his back and his chest in the mirror, Rose noticed that there were more scars. More than just the one she'd touched. Small circular ones, long cut like ones. So many, that the girl had to wonder what caused them all.

She'd thought he'd seen her in the mirror. Thought he knew she was there, but Rose was shocked and then scared as his hand suddenly shot out, closing around her neck. There was a slight squeeze of pressure holding her tightly in place. Her eyes widened as she saw his other fist raise into the air and she flinched closing her eyes afraid at the look in Troy's face. Little tears, squeezed from her eyes to run down the girl's face. What had she done to anger him in such a way? "I....i....m...so.....rr...y..." She tried to say around his choking hand.

Then just as quickly she was released as he backed up, stumbling to fall onto the toilet seat. Rose coughed as her constricted throat was now released, her own hands going up to lightly touch at her throat as she backed up. Her back hitting the wall, scared of the boy now. Worried that he'd come after her again. Still she was up there for a reason, so she'd pass along the message. "Mom...mm..a," She sniffles and stutters as she speaks. "Mo..mmm...a...w...wan..ted...to...talk...to. you..."

 

[Mr.BossMan]

Troy sat down on the toilet to stunned to move. He could hear Rose fumbling to find words, scared to death of Troy. A little girl no more then ten stood in the corner on the verge of tears because Troy lost control. He felt so bad he couldn't even find the dignity in himself to look her in the eyes. When Rose told him Deborah wanted him he almost crawled out of his skin. There was no way he'd allow himself to go face that woman, she'd hit Troy for laying hands on her daughter. And she had every right to.

He had to do something though and luckily the noise from the shower muffled out the sound coming from the bathroom. Troy got up and quickly put his tee-shirt back on, in an effort to hide his skin from the girl. He took one step forward but couldn't force his body to take another. His words rushed out of him like a tidal wave.

"Rose, please, I didn't mean to scare you. I...I'm sorry, you snuck up on me and I don't like bein snuck up on, is all. And my body, I just don't like it when people put their hands on me and you put your hands on me. And I thought you were someone else and I really didn't want to hurt you but I thought you were someone else, honest, I never meant to scare you. I felt hands on me and I didn't know they were you're hands. Did I hurt you, are you okay? Rose I'm sorry, I'm sorry Rose, so, so sorry."

He kept the distance between them, not wanting to scare her further. And he looked at her with a sadness, a guilt he didn't want to feel.

 

[Lucy Lou]

Rose trembled and shook as Troy moved nearer to her as the shower ran in the background. Was he coming to hurt her again? But then he stopped a short distance from her and the words rushed from his mouth as he apologized. One giant rushed apology as he tried to explain what had happened, why he had reacted the way he had.

"W...hooo?" She found herself asking. The curiosity of a child, still irrepressible as she looked over him while they had the moment in the bathroom. Her neck seemed a tad red now from where his fingers had squeezed. She still didn't understand why. Sure he'd explained, but the young and innocent girl had not gone through what Troy had gone through as a child. So she didn't understand while someone would want to hurt another.

Suddenly, with the event over, Rose started to cry. Tears streamed down her face, as she released her fear and hurt through her tears. She just wanted her Papa.

 

[Mr.BossMan]

When Rose started to break down in tears Troy had no idea what to do. If that were him crying in the corner, and he was his father, Rose would of got something to cry about. But Troy was not his father. The girl had asked him 'who' and he could only imagine who she was talking about. But when Troy tried to speak he couldn't formulate his words. His mouth would open then as soon as he tried to explain, he stopped. Rose kept crying, and Troy didn't have the words for her. He didn't want the words to be true.

So, instead, Troy bit hard on his tongue and didn't say anything. He walked slowly over to Rose, showing the girl his palms, trying to not appear threatening or intimidating. He didn't want her to cry like this, he didn't want her to be scared of him and think he was a monster. So Troy did the most human thing he could, wrapping his arms around her he brought her in tight with a hug. He kept petting her hair and whispering "It's okay, don't cry no more." He'd hold her there until she either struggled to break free, or she stopped crying.

Troy owed her answers, but he just wasn't ready for the questions. Not yet.

 

[Lucy Lou]

At first Rose tensed as Troy wrapped his arms around her, she wasn't sure what he was going to do. However, when it turned into a simple hug of comfort, the girl's arms wrapped around him. Her tears soaking into his shirt as she still cried. The poor girl had been so terrified, now being comforted she leaned completely into his arms.

After about five minutes, she quieted. The sniffling and crying nearly done. Sitting back the little girl wiped at her eyes and nose with her sleeve. "We...we shouldn't keep momma waiting. She'll...get worried." Rose said as she turned her now red-rimmed eyes back up toward Troy.