My little dragon cooed as she looked up at me. Her twinkling eyes sparkled and her small snout hid behind her wings. My heart skipped a beat and I clutched my chest. How can she be this freaking cute?! I snatched her up into my arms and snuggled my face against her head.
"My Leela, were you scared?," I murmured against her head as I walked to my bed far in the room.
Her scales started to change colors, trying to match the spell I previously used. It turned a dark green, a color that didn't suit Leela. I cast a small spell to light up the lights in the room. The less electricity I use for this small room, the less money I need to pay. I touched Leela's scales and her mood brightened as her scales shifted back to a red-orange color.
"That's much better," I whispered as she fell asleep in my arms. I glanced at the clock to see what time it was. It was close to midnight, and I needed to cook up dinner for myself. Eating late at night is definitely not good for my body, but considering all the hold-up I had today, I think I deserve a feast right now.
I went to my small square kitchen and boiled some rice. I made some scrambled eggs and put the boiled rice in the frypan and mixed it up together. A lot of rice, at that. I took my molten butter and spread it out over the rice and, mwah! Simple, but a very tasty (and fatty) dinner.
I took a seat beside Leela and stared out at the moon from my window. It was a small window, but the moonlight filtering into the room was soft and relaxing. I sat and ate my dinner watching the moon and the stars. I didn't feel lonely tonight, because I knew my Nanu was watching over me from up above. The stars kept winking at me and I smiled as I thought about what my Nanu would have said to me if she were here. I opened the window to let some fresh air in and relaxed as the cool breeze washed over my face. It felt so soft and my mood instantly turned better.
I took my plate back to the kitchen and washed it under the cool water. The tiny room may have seemed small, but it was so eerily quiet. I locked the doors properly and checked the bathroom for any more unwanted pests. I changed into some tattered home clothes and plopped down on the bed next to Leela. The fire in the lamps all went out and I laid there looking at the ceiling.
"I will find freedom for us, Leela," I whispered as I tucked myself in close to her.
The freedom I am trying so hard to attain. When I can just try a bit more, I will study and get a job and buy a nice house. I will learn to not fear and live happily. I will escape from this place that tried so hard to shun me out. A small tear escaped the side of my face. Damn, why is life so hard? I threw an elbow over my eyes as I sighed and finally decided to sleep. I had work to do, early in the morning anyway. It's time I fell asleep and finish one more day at a time. I'm close to victory! I clenched my hands into fists and pumped my hands into the air. So damn close. But, why does my butt itch?
.....
"Nailah...Nai ~ lah… NAILAH!," Nanu shouted as she pinched my cheeks.
"Nanu…," I groaned, "which granny wakes up their grandkid like this?"
She ignored me as she whipped the curtains open. Strong beams of sunlight shone in the room and I hid under the blankets. I heard her bangles jingle as she moved around. My clothes were strewn across the floor and I heard her grumbling about how messy I was. A chicken squawked from someplace around me. I felt my hammock being moved and something heavy pressed against my back.
"Oy, you fat hen get off!" I swatted at the chicken on my back and more animals came into my room, "Hey!"
Sheep, small ducklings, cats, pigeons, goats, scattered across my room following my Nanu as she picked up things from the floor.
"You messy little girl! You never clean up after yourself. Your future mother-in-law will not be happy with this! Tch," my Nanu clicked her tongue at me.
"I don't want a mother-in-law though!" I shouted as I sprang off my hammock.
The animals around me scattered, startled by my outbreak, and started yapping loudly.
"Nanu! Why did you bring them so early in the morning?!"
"They are my kids, so I bring them everywhere," she threw something in a basket, "Nailah! Pick up your clothes quickly and come downstairs. We need to eat and then go out to town to buy new books."
My Nanu huffed as she exited the room. The temper of my Nanu is not something that any person can handle. I quickly got out of bed and picked up the scattered clothes from yesterday. My body ached all over from the fighting practice I had to go through and I couldn't care less about the clothes on the ground. Kaka the goat, stood biting something and I quickly took it out of its mouth.
"Kaka! You stupid goat, don't eat that!" I pulled the frame from Kaka's mouth and the goat went scampering across the room.
I held the frame and looked at what the goat was chewing at. I lifted the black and white picture to the light. It was a picture of my mother when she was a kid and my grandmother holding her close to her. It was a picture I kept in my drawer since my grandmother didn't like talking about my mother and I didn't either. But, I still kept that picture because there was a time when my mother didn't become a bad person. There was a time when she was like me. I wiped the drool of the sides of the frame and put it back in my drawer.
A small gold chain used to hold the frame up came loose and fell.
"That damned goat, I'll give him a good spank for breaking this," I fumed as I tried to put back the chain on the frame.
"NAILAH! ARE YOU GONNA MAKE ME WAIT UNTIL I ROT?!" Nanu yelled as she banged pots from the kitchen.
"I'm coming!"
I hurried and put the frame in my drawer, "I'll just fix it later."
I ran to the bathroom and quickly washed my face. I threw on a shirt and pants and brushed my hair quickly.
I ran out of the bedroom and the animals followed suit. What I failed to realize was my drawer emitting a bright gold light. I had already rushed out of the room and failed to realize the shadows that started to appear in my bedroom.
"nailah….nailah...nailahhhh...NAILAH!"
A shadow of a creepy woman popped up out of nowhere.
...…
I jolted awake. I was sweaty and realized that Leela had climbed on top of my face.
"That's why I felt like I was suffocating," I sighed in relief as I pushed Leela off my face.
The dream I had was weird and I couldn't remember anything after that bright light filled my room and the shadows that formed on the walls. I'm pretty sure nothing like that happened...I think. I shook my head and stretched out my limbs.
Whatever, it wasn't my problem anyways. I looked out the window and glanced at the sky. Perfect timing that I woke up. I rubbed the tiredness from my eyes and got up. My brown pajamas were drenched in sweat.
"Welp, time for a shower!" I skipped to the bathroom with a fresh pair of clothes and quickly got ready to head out for work.
My timing at waking up was perfect as I heard the landlord's rooster making a loud ruckus from up above. The only thing that kept conflicting me was the voice I heard in my dream. It was a voice I had never heard before, but why did it feel so familiar?
"GAH!" I gasped as cold water splashed against my skin.
I cursed under my breath as I quickly scrubbed myself down with goat soap. I winced at the burning sensation from the marks the Jinn had created and quickly washed over my cracked skin, despite the pain. I got out in a matter of minutes and dried myself with a piece of cloth.
I quickly tied my hair into a ponytail after combing out the excess bits of water and flushing down a wad of hair down the toilet. I put my unwashed clothes in a bucket that I was saving to wash for later. Leela woke up by the time I came out of the bathroom. The sun hadn't come out yet, so I quickly made some breakfast for myself and Leela.
I washed Leela up quickly and put out some rice for her. She ate it, while I gobbled up some leftovers that I had from last night. It was best I leave before the town starts waking up. I left out some toys for Leela to play with and left a window open to let some fresh air in. Leela is scared to go outside so I brought some plants and made a small natural habitat for her. It also made my small apartment look more lively and pretty, so why not.
I kissed the top of her head and then tied my robes around me. My clothes were simple brown uniform clothes. My top reached down to the middle of my thighs, and my pants were tied at the ankles so it wouldn't interfere with when I run. Though they are a bit more tattered then I would like them to be, I was saving money to buy a better pair for later. I sighed as I looked at myself in the mirror and found that I had to make do with what I have. I pulled the cloth over my head and put some extra palm sticks in the pockets of my robe.
I opened the door as I got my slippers on.
"Leela, I'll be back home early today!" I called out as I shut the door and then locked it.
The sun started to peek out from the horizon. I felt happy that my working shift at the mansion was short and I only needed to attend to the family until noon. I smiled at the oncoming rays of light that washed over my face. Palawan Town wasn't crowded with buildings, so it was easier to see the sun better.
"Pereshwar Mages are patrolling the town today," said two elderly couples walking on the side.
I stopped my jay-walking across the road and crept in closer to hear what they were talking about.