The magenta colored dragonic demon girl wiped the sweat off her brow as she finished mowing the lawn using a fully mechanical mower which would not produce any noise, even in the middle of the night here.
Within the realm of darkness of course, there was no such thing as daylight, therefore the concept of night was a flimsy one.
As such, night was defined only as the hours which most would sleep.
This was not the case for those such as Apathia.
With bitter expression, dark bags under her eyes, and furrowed brows, the girl dragged herself through the lawn.
She was exhausted.
No, right now she was beyond exhausted.
She was in pain from the beatings which had not subsided. The blood on her back had dried and the dress which she wore was now molded to her back. Ripping it off would reopen the scars, causing her agony all over again.
Currently this girl was in the middle of a suburban neighborhood.
The home was not on the level of a mansion, but it was relatively large and had a full lawn. After a number of chores she had spent the rest of the night not only mowing the lawn, but also weeding and performing other yardwork.
'I..... hate this.....'
The girl stumbled forth towards a small shack behind the home.
'I..... just..... ngh!!'
Stumbling, she fell onto the ground in pain.
Lifting up her hands, she witnessed the many cuts which covered her fingers.
'It hurts.... it hurts.....'
These were the product of an attempt to trim the hedges in the dark while exhausted, a task which she was expected to perform without complaint.
'I..... just want to rest.....'
Finally reaching the door, the girl grit her teeth, opening it to reveal a small shack filled with gardening supplies, tools, fertilizers, and other similar objects.
Dropping onto the ground, the girl closed her eyes.
"Finally..... I..... can rest."
However, the girl forced herself to open her eyes one final time.
Looking up to a mechanical clock which hung from the ceiling, the eyes of the girl went wide as she took a look at the clock.
Standing up immediately, the girl's lime hair became messy and frazzled as she grabbed the clock, staring at it with madness.
"No.... no no no..... no..... no..... no....."
The girl's eyes went wide and they became filled with red veins.
Grabbing her hair, the girl began to pull on it with madness.
"No....."
And then, trembling, she dropped the clock.
It dropped to the ground, rolling off to the side.
And then, the young girl dropped to the ground as well, lying on the hard wooden floor.
"No..... why..... is it always like this?"
Crying to herself, tears fell to the ground as the girl let out a squeak.
"Am I.... never allowed to rest?"
The rolling clock came to a stop, finally falling to reveal it's face.
5 AM.
"A single hour... is that all I'm ever allowed?"
----
Waking up at 6 AM to begin her duties for the day, Apathia was reminded all over again of one cruel reality.
Life is unfair.
It was not the case that unfairness was merely present in life.
It was not the case that some things in life were unfair, and some were fair.
It was not the case that unfairness was dished around here and there with randomness- for such a method would result in a more fair scenario than the reality which Apathia experienced.
Life itself was the very manifestation of disparity in fortune.
There were those who had, and those who had not.
This had been thrust and beaten into the mind of Apathia from the time she came into this world.
Her mother died while giving birth to her.
Her father and brother were sent to work for some wealthy merchant and were never seen again. Before she was even given a chance to meet them, they were gone.
And so, she was surrounded.
Surrounded by those who had.
Yet even in this scenario, there was only one thing which Apathia truly desired.
One small thing, so miniscule and insignificant that it would normally be seen as nothing more than a basic human right.
The ability to sit down.
The ability to simply take a moment at night, close her eyes, and sleep.
To sleep without the worries of the world creeping into her mind, tearing away at her.
Apathia did not fall asleep that night.
For the single hour which she had to sleep, she twisted and turned, tormented by her own worries.
And as she got up, she stopped herself from trembling.
She forced herself to stop quivering, and stood up.
There was no sun to rise in the morning, yet even if there were one it would just barely have peeked out from the horizon.
This was when Apathia began her work for the day.
She began once more, dragging herself up despite the immense pain which her heavily abused body carried.
Despite the fatigue, she ignored it. The pain somewhat helped her to stay awake, allowing her to press on in her duties.
At some point she watched as the older brother Urphar and the younger sister Ferina left for their school.
'How nice.... they look so refreshed..... they must have slept really well.'
Apathia slowed her hands for just a moment as her mind entertained these thoughts before she realized what she was doing, quickly getting back to work.
'Agh.... did I just give them an evil eye? I.... I hope not..... what if they tell their father? I.... will I not be allowed to rest tonight either?'
Apathia was filled with torment as she thought this, immediately moving her hands to continue her work.
'I have to finish.... I have to finish everything..... tonight..... tonight..... tonight I will rest! I will finish everything perfectly! I won't be lazy.... I won't stop for even a moment.... I won't make any mistakes..... I'll..... finish.... tonight.... for sure.'
And so, the girl delved further into her own madness.
----
As the day passed, Apathia found herself cleaning the house.
Entering the living room to dust it to the point where it was spotless, she witnessed a scene which made her want to puke.
Sitting on the couch while viewing a recorded form of entertainment was Kelsia Kranst, the mother of the house.
This woman sat with a glass of wine in her hand and a set of pastries which had been prepared by none other than Apathia. As the one who was responsible for taking care of the home, Apathia's duties of course entailed the service of each of it's inhabitants- and the fulfillment of their each and every desire.
Be it reasonable or not.
As Apathia entered the room and began to dust the furniture she felt the glaring eye of the woman on her.
"Is.... there anything you need?"
Timidly asking while masking any pain in her voice, Apathia continued her work as she did so.
"Anything I need? Perhaps you should properly address me when you speak."
Responding while she took a bite into a pastry, the woman let out a haughty snort.
Turning around and ceasing her work, Apathia quickly bowed to the woman.
"Forgive me. Is there anything, ma'am?"
Apathia could hear the woman click her tongue in disgust as she kicked herself back.
"I need you to stop playing games with me. You spend all your time fooling around, never getting anything done. It's a bit disturbing how you freeload off of us, Apathia. Your jobs are so few, yet you take so long to finish them."
Laying her foot on the head of Apathia and using it as a footrest, the woman continued in a disturbed tone.
"I need you to stop acting like the world revolves around you."
Apathia was left to merely bite her tongue.
How many choice words did she wish to shout at this woman?
'I.... am lazy?'
'I..... don't take my job seriously?'
'I..... only have a few jobs?'
'I... am a freeloader?'
The thoughts floated around the head of Apathia, yet she did everything she could to ensure that they didn't erupt from her explosive mind.
'I'm the one who thinks.... the world revolves around me?'
"Ah, disgusting. Go change your clothes, will you!? Your dress has blood all over the back of it!! Don't tell me you were too lazy to even do that!? It's beyond pathetic!!"
Kicking the girl to the ground, the woman acted as if the girl was some sort of plague to be avoided, looking to her foot with repulsion.
"Do you think we could receive guests tonight with you wearing something like that?"
Bringing her wine to her lips, the woman took a sip.
"Get out of my sight. I feel terrible for your mother, you know. The fact that she died giving birth to a leech like you."
'A leech.....'
'Leech....'
'Leech leech leech.....'
Struggling to get up, Apathia bowed before leaving the room.
Heading back to her shack, she grabbed a piece of cloth and began to cut it up, creating a dress from scratch.
'Leech, she said.....'
'I'm a leech.... a bum... a parasite.'
'Is that what they think I am?'
'I.... just want to fucking..... relax.'
Snipping the cloth with fury, Apathia realized that she had cut off one of her own fingers.
"Ah..... it.... hurts..."
Quickly grabbing the finger and wrapping it in a cloth, tears streamed down the face of the girl.
"It hurts.... it hurts it hurts it hurts..... ugh.... ngh..... agh!!!"
Throwing the scissors to the wall, they stuck into the wood as the blood dripped down from the location of impact.
The girl wanted to scream.
She wanted to shout out and cry, and vent all her frustrations.
She wanted to go to sleep and never wake up.
But this was a reality which she could never witness with her own two eyes.
Tearing the dress which she wore from her back, her scabs tore off and the blood on her back flowed to the ground, which was now covered in her own blood.
"Ngh.... urgh....."
The girl placed a new cloth on her back to soak up the blood, tying it around herself and then putting her newly made dress on top of it.
"I'll... finish my work by tonight. Even if it kills me....."
And so, the girl grabbed a sponge, beginning to wipe up the blood in the shack.
----
'I'll finish.'
'I'll finish.'
'I won't be lazy today....'
'I'll be efficient....'
'I'll show them..... I'll fulfill every..... last..... one..... of their demands.'
As if possessed by a demon, Apathia furiously worked her way through the day.
As Kelsia sat on the couch lazing about, Apathia cleaned the house to the last corner.
Not a single dish was left to clean. Not a single spot was left to dust. Not a single piece of work was left undone.
Her mother had died giving birth to Apathia.
Under normal circumstances, three or four slaves would hold the shared responsibility of maintaining the home, yet due to her circumstances, the entirety of this responsibility was left to Apathia.
Even so, she didn't give in.
She worked and she worked, harder than anyone.
She double checked everything, ensuring that no mistakes were made. She prepared the house for the guests flawlessly, despite her horrible injuries and the immense pain which she was going through.
'I WILL finish today. And I WILL get to sleep tonight.'
The day passed and one by one, the chores disappeared.
Each task was checked off her never ending list, and with each of these Apathia smiled.
'One step closer.'
Her hands trembled so furiously that it was a wonder that she was even still alive.
Her back was in so much pain that she could topple over at any moment.
Yet she worked.
And worked.
And worked.
Until finally, everything was done.
"I.... did it."
Breathless at her own achievement, Apathia looked around with eyes that bulged with veins.
Looking back to her own checklist, she smiled.
"Cleaning is done.... lawnwork is done.... shopping is done..... preparations for dinner are done, and the meal only needs to be put in the oven to cook, which I will do exactly an hour before the guests arrive so that it is finished right when they get here..... the only thing that remains is to serve the people who are here until later....."
Closing her eyes, Apathia stepped forward, ready to finish off her final duties for the day.
There would be another set of guests tonight.
She would continue to attend to the members of the household until then, and then she would serve dinner, followed by cleaning any mess that came as a result of it.
Then, she would sleep.
Counting on her fingers which had now been reduced to 9, Apathia grinned to herself.
"6..... hours..... hehehe....."
If things went as she thought they would, she would receive 6 entire hours of sleep.
It was a dream come true.
"I'll.... be able to sleep..... hahaha....."
As she set the table, Apathia quickly entered the living room to see that the woman who sat there was glaring at her.
"Why do you look so happy? Have you been lazing about even more? Hurry up and clean these dishes. And bring me my makeup, would you?"
"Understood."
Grabbing the dishes and walking off, Apathia nodded in delight.
"Tonight.... is the night."
----
Soon enough, the younger sister- Ferina- arrived home.
Because she was in the equivalent to middle school, the younger sister arrived home before the older brother and father.
Bursting in the door with a happy expression, the girl seemed to skip through the house.
Heading up to her own room as she passed Apathia, the girl stopped in her tracks.
"Hey Apathia. Come here for a moment."
"Alright."
Obeying without question, Apathia finished up her current tasks and followed the girl up to her room.
The girl shut the door on Apathia, grinning deviously.
"Did you hear about what brother said the other day?"
"I am unaware of that.", Apathia responded.
"Well basically..... there's gonna be a party tonight. A high school party, held by the Yerst family!!! Their son is.... really hot! I want to meet him!! I want to meet him more than anything!!!! So were going to go."
"...."
Apathia was stunned at the words which exited the mouth of the young girl, unsure how to even respond.
"I have to attend to-"
"No buts. You're a slave, I'm your master. You won't disobey me."
"What about your pare-"
"Do you want me to tell dad that you hit me?"
The girl immediately became deathly serious, to which Apathia shirked away.
'This girl..... she.... no.... no.... no no no..... she's doing it again..... she.... always gets in the way..... of my relaxation...'
The mind of Apathia was filled with horrors and worries as she imagined the consequences of such a scenario.
If the girl let her parents know that Apathia hit her, the consequences would be beyond imagination.
She would probably be tormented to deaths door.
Yet if she listened to the girl, another problem was posed.
Apathia would not be present to attend to the guests tonight.
'My..... perfect..... evening...'
Apathia felt the desire to punch something, yet she held herself back.
"I..... understand. I will go with you."
"Great!! I took the tickets from brothers room. He tried to invite some girl on a date or something, but he doesn't need that! He can stay here and meet the guests tonight. I'm more important than whatever girl he was trying to swoon anyways."
With selfish and arrogant logic, the girl stuck out her tongue as she flashed the two tickets.
"I can't wait! I'm going to get ready, so make sure you're prepared to leave as soon as I'm finished. After all, if you aren't..... I suppose I'll just have to complain to dad about how lazy you're being."
And with that, Apathia was shoved out of the girls room, left with a hole in her heart.
'What.... do I do?'
Split with the wills of the people who owned her, there was no right answer.
If she spoke the truth, the girl would deny it and Apathia would be further accused of laziness.
If she followed the plan of the girl, she would be unable to finish her tasks, and punished as such.
If she didn't follow the plan of the girl, Apathia would be accused of a crime which she didn't commit.
"There..... is no right answer, isn't there?"
Grabbing her head as she wracked her brain, Apathia ran her claws through her lime green hair.
"If every option is wrong..... then wouldn't it be best to just do nothing?"
----
Apathia found herself prepared and ready to head off.
Before the brother even arrived home, the younger sister had finished her preparations and the two set off together.
'The... meal was already prepared. It just needs to be put in the oven. I at least left a note for that woman so she knew how long to put it in for but.... AGHH!!!! If she doesn't even notice... then I'll be in huge trouble as well, right? And even if she does notice, and everything goes off without a hitch...'
Apathia already knew that she would be accused of excessive laziness.
She bailed on her own responsibilities.
If she had placed the food in the oven before, then nobody would even notice and the house might burn down, then she would be accused of even worse laziness, by not taking the food out even after putting it in.
By letting everything around her burn without doing a thing.
'In the end..... I'm just screwed, aren't I?'
"Hey. Let me ride you."
The girl before Apathia pointed to the ground with a smug grin.
"I want to show off my pet to everyone. I'm sure the heir will fall for me once he sees how much of a leash I have on you. I wonder if everyone will be jealous? Hahaha...."
Getting on all fours, Apathia bent down and the girl sat on her back as Apathia strained to carry her.
Crawling off ever so slowly, the girl seemed irritated.
"So slow. You really are lazy."
Forced to press forward even in these circumstances, Apathia bit her own tongue.
No matter what she did, it was never enough.
No matter how hard she worked, she could never reach any peace.
No matter how much she got done, there was always more to do.
Relaxation was forbidden.
Taking a moment to breath resulted in others berating her for her laziness.
'Why..... why.....'
Apathia held back her tears as she struggled to press forward, her wounds opening up and her back creaking with stress.
'Why can't I just take a break..... from living?'