Dusk: A Handmaid's Tale Story

Chapter 2

The identity of the man on the stairwell would plague me between chores. I assisted Lena in cleaning lightly and cooking. I actually didn't mind, it kept me busy. It kept my mind from the inevitable to come soon. My first ceremony was visibly in my mind always. I had been trained for it, but this would be the first time I would actually partake in one... 

"Blessed day Lena, OfJames." Came the wind-chimey voice that belonged to none other than the Mrs. of the house. 

Mrs. Adams was an enigma. She never appeared upset and had a sort of ditsy demeanor to her. She tended to her garden for hours or crocheted, but she looked like she was lost in a daze somewhere else. I could imagine her in Prada shoes prancing through New York City on a Saturday Night with her girlfriends. Perhaps she could too and that's where she was off mentally. 

I know she was beaming with excitement for the ceremony. A young thing like her must have desperately wanted to be a mother at some point in her life... or at least was expected to. Was she infertile? Was her husband? Of course, men weren't infertile; the women always were. God would never make a man infertile. It was a woman who had sinned or been unworthy. That's why we existed to fill in that void. 

"OfJames, how have you been feeling lately?" She asked me as she stirred her tea at the table with a smile. 

I didn't look up at her, "I am well Mrs. Adams, thank you." I said. 

She chuckled, "Please call me Lin. Mrs. Adams makes me feel so much older than I am." 

That did make me look up. Huh? 

"I think we should become more comfortable with each other as we go about the Lord's work together should we not?" She said adjusting her skirt and taking a sip of her tea. 

I vaguely heard her compliment Lena's tea blend before I spoke, "If you would like to Mrs.Ad-I mean Lin..." 

She smiled wider, "There we go! Now I must attend to the garden. OfJames, feel free to assist Lena as you want or to explore the house a bit." 

Just like that she left; a swirling bundle of blue and grace. 

I released the deep breath I hadn't realized I was holding in and slumped a bit more. I looked to her spot from earlier. Lena was watching me carefully. 

"Mrs. Adams, is she always so...cordial?" I spoke carefully as I moved to push in her chair. 

Lena too was cleaning up from breakfast. "Yes. The mistress is very friendly. She trusts far too easily." She said trailing off. 

I looked up at her questioningly before footsteps sounded in the hall. 

"Ah there's my favorite Martha." said a male's voice. 

When I looked up there was the man from the other night. He was dressed nicely again and gave a half hug to Lena who looked at him with scrutiny.

"I'm your only Martha." She said under her breath as he chuckled, an oddly normal-sounding noise in this house; free and not tampered with. 

"Now that's not the spirit Lena!" He said taking an apple from the basket behind her and she snorted and moved to the pantry. 

I kept my gaze low, but I could feel his gaze on me again hard. "I don't believe we've been introduced just yet?" his voice came out with a teasing edge to it. 

"I am OfJames sir." I said, still unsure of who it was I spoke to. 

"Ah of course, OfJames. I suppose that's how the names go huh?" I heard him move closer and I tensed. 

"Between you and me, it sounds pretty stupid."

I finally turned up sharply to meet his gaze, feeling slight indignation as if I had chosen the damn name for myself. 

He looked at me with those piercing blue eyes of his. I could read the taunting challenge on his face to say something back. 

I bit my tongue and ignored his stupid smirk again. "I do believe we have not been introduced properly yes." Wanting to know who this stupid ass boy was that challenging me. 

He smirked further, leaning against the counter. "I'm Ezra. Ezra Adams." 

I swallowed harshly. "Adams." I said back. 

"Yep. Adams, like the name of this household or the name of your...master I suppose." He said provokingly with an edge to it. 

I had to literally dig my nails into my palms to stop the torrent of words and insults from coming out. 

"That's what my father is isn't he? Your master. Ridiculous." He said taking a bite of the apple and looking back at me. 

Ridiculous? Me? His father? This damned country? These laws? There was a lot of gray area in that statement for me to analyze. 

"Ezra. Watch your tongue. You know better." Lena said with a harsh whisper rushing back into the room. 

He chuckled sarcastically, "Ah yes. I forget Big Brother is watching now. My apologies... OfJames." He struggled with my name before walking out. 

I was left absolutely stunned. Who the hell was the Commander's son?! 

                                                                                   -Ezra's POV-

It was inevitable that I would run into the... Handmaid. Though I did try my best not to run into her after our first meeting. The sight of a young girl in my house was already surprising, but to see her dressed in those red robes and cloak was a shock. She was too young. I hadn't seen a Handmaid just yet that young. She had to be as old as me, perhaps a bit older? That thought enraged me further. 

I had overheard my father discussing plans to receive a Handmaid. The further procreation of children in Gilead was crucial to our success; to prove to the world that our system was superior. He would have had either requested her or chosen her. He chose her this damn young. That thought made me want to light up. He always liked them young huh? That shouldn't be a fucking surprise. 

She had a spark to her, the Handmaid. OfJames. Fuck that name, what was she branded? She had tanned olive skin, large lips, face full of freckles like myself, thick eyebrows and dark hair. Her eyes were where she held her spark. Brown/Hazel large eyes held challenge to them. I could tell when I began to light up my words a bit more that she was holding herself back. If she could speak, what would she say? 

I had to stay away from this Handmaid or risk saying some more shit that I could get in trouble for... I'm not losing a finger or more for my trigger happy mouth... I'm just trying to make it through this nightmare... 

He could have at the very least chosen an unattractive or older Handmaid....