Zazi, an eight year old girl, daughter of slave man Ngesa and slave woman Mumbi, helped her mother carry some laundry from the river back to the Lockwood's manor.
As they walked back to the Lockwood ranch, they saw Master Jacob Lockwood, their owner who bought father and mother in an auction some years ago when they were teenagers, order his white ranchers to bring in some adult slaves in chains. He had just bought them.
They were in a long chain which went around all their neck and made they walk in a line. They were dragged in violently. One was even whipped for tripping and falling.
Zazi watched as they branded them. She saw they tried hard not to scream or cry and seeing this scene, Mumbi covered her daughter's eyes and walked her faster.
She had protected her innocence all this time. Letting her believe the world was as beautiful and colorful as she wanted. But it was just a matter of time. The mask will fall, especially now that she was eight.
This was now around the age where children where taken to work on farms. It started from age 8 and 10.
If the Lockwood wanted to keep her for themselves, they would brand her. If not, they would wait until she was at least 15 then sell her at an auction to other colonists.
They walked into the kitchen and Zazi put the small basket on the table next to her mum's.
"Thank you baby. Now go to Ondi and Binti and go play,"
Ondi and Binti were also children of slaves, Zazi's age group. They were best friends.
Zazi ran outside knowing exactly where her friends were.
After helping their parents, they agreed to meet at the small waterfall.
She first went home and get Tito, the little puppy she had found in the bushes the previous week and begged her parents to let her keep. He was so cold and weak. He may have been at least two weeks old.
On the other side of the house, Jacob's wife, Brenda Lockwood, arrived home after lady lessons with her daughter and her friends. It was a mother-daughter day.
They sipped coffee elegantly the whole day and taught their daughters how to be proper ladies. But Anna Lockwood did not have fun. None of the other girls wanted to play with her. They made fun of her and ignored her so much she almost cried.
"What's wrong Anna? You haven't said a thing since we came home."
"I'm fine mummy. I'm just tired!" She hope her mum would see past her and know something was not okay but she just nodded and asked her to go rest.
She ran past her brother as she ran into her room.
Before she closed the door, her brother walked in.
"Anna, what's wrong?"
"Nothing!" She said brushing it off.
"Its not nothing. You seem so sad. What happened?" Sebastian asked again.
"Stacey, Myra and Susan refused to play with me at the park. They called me weird and ignored me all day."
"What? They did that? It's okay Anna. Don't cry."
"Sebastian, I'm I weird?"
"No. Of course not. To me you are not. And never think of yourself like that again. Those girls are just snotty and stupid. Don't let them get to you okay?"
She nodded feeling a little better.
"How about we go for a walk and pick some flowers?"
Anna jumped out of the bed excited and pulled her brother away before he changed his mind