Blemished, The by Sarah Dalton Page B

looked I saw leather clad legs and huge hobnailed boots followed by the leering face of the man as he leaned down towards me and smiled. His face came close enough for me to smell his rancid breath and his lips parted to reveal black gums and only two or three yellow teeth. I retched.
    “Get away from me,” I said my voice barely louder than a whisper.
    He ignored me and reached out with a filthy hand. I tried to swat him aw ay but my limp and shaking limbs barely made an impression on his large paws.
    “You’re a pretty one, in’t yer?” He grinned and stroked me with those dirty hands, nails filled with grease. I shuddered. “Look at her pretty hair.”
    He ran his disgusting fingers through my hair, slowly, moving down passed my shoulder so that his hand moved towards my elbow. There he gripped me, thumb and fore-finger digging painfully into my skin. I tried to pull my arm away from his grip but I was too weak. His free hand gripped the other elbow, pulling me closer to him.
    “Now, now, pretty,” he said. “No need to struggle. I won’t hurt yer then.”
    I felt bile rising in my stomach. I had to stop him. I had to get out of there. With every bit of energy left in me I kicked him between his legs. He grunted in pain and released me, folding over in agony. I turned to run, trying to make my shaking legs work but I tripped and fell to the floor. The man grabbed my ankle and pulled me towards him. I looked around for someone to help but no one seemed to pay any attention, they all pointedly looked away and I couldn’t call for an Enforcer because they would know I was Blemished.
    “Come on now, sweetheart, stop playing games,” the man said, reeling me in like a fish on a fishing rod.
    I struggled against him, shaking out my foot. He reached to grab the other ankle but I swung back and kicked him straight in the face, putting every bit of weight behind it. He fell back, clutching at his nose and I ran away for the second time.
    “Oh no you don’t.” The man got to his feet to chase me and I knew I couldn’t outrun him – I was too exhausted. Then, just as the man reached out to touch my shoulder there was a splintering noise and a thud. A bottle smashed over his head and the man slumped to the floor unconscious. Daniel stood before me, fury in his eyes.
    “Come on,” he said, grabbing me roughly by the arm.
    He almost dragged me through the huts. My feet tripped as I followed and the world around me became a blur. Eventually Daniel lifted my arm over his shoulder and put the other around my waist, half carrying and half dragging me. When we got back to Angela she took my other arm and carried me. All I could think as we moved was that Daniel was angry with me and I’d messed things up. I’d gone after my dad and nearly got us all in trouble.
    “Angry,” I mumbled. “Angry… at me?”
    Daniel turned his head to me, our noses almost touching. “Why would I be angry at you? You just saved us! I’m angry, no, furious, that I let that man touch you.”
    “Let?” I mumbled again, my lips only just able to move.
    “I should have been with you. I shouldn’t have let you run off like that.”
    “My fault,” I said.
    Daniel shook his head but didn’t say anything more. Instead the two of them focussed their energies on getting me back to Angela’s. I drifted in and out of consciousness, each time opening my eyes to something that looked more like home. Finally I opened my eyes to find myself laid out on a sofa. 
    “Are you feeling better?” Angela asked, bringing me a milky tea.
    “I could have taken that sleaze if I’d been at full strength,” I muttered. I still smelled his breath and when I closed my eyes I saw his rotten teeth. I shivered. It would take days to rid myself of the filth of the Slums.
    She grinned. “I’ll take that as a yes! I’m glad you’re okay.”
    I laughed. “I guess I’m as okay as you can be. I mean … you know… on a day when you go into the Slums and