Chapter 23

Valerie

Perhaps my fondest thing about this place was the way the sun crested the trees, just outside the window. Soft, rose-tinted light poured into the room, a velvet glaze of pinkish clouds in the sky.

I did not often get to see the sunrise, back in the slave shop. We spent most of our time in our living quarters in the basement, where there were no windows to see the outside world.

I was lucky to be here. I often forgot just how lucky I was, but this place was beyond expectation for a slave. Even if I was trapped here all my life…would it have been so terrible? So long as I got to see sunrises like this…staying here as a servant seemed like pure bliss compared to the fate of most slaves.

But my ultimate goal was freedom. And I could not forget that.

Despite how warm the room was, a chill still swept over my skin. Maybe it was the lack of sleep. Or maybe it was the anticipation for the day ahead of me. I was not looking forward to going to Baycrest. I was not looking forward to spe