Sarah was stretching her arms above her head as she lay on her bed. She tossed to the side--- seeing the empty bed of her roommate.
Tina, her best friend, did not return last night.
Sarah had her suspicion where Tina was, the old hag must have made her do something the whole night --- this was not the first time it happened.
Sarah set aside her concern and readied herself to go to the Doctor--- a thought that made something within her range with fury.
Sarah suppressed her anger--- she had no right to be angry to the royals. She had no right to feel anything at all. She put everything in a box and buried it inside of her--- a necessary process when serving a duchess like Dr. Natalie.
Wearing her crisp uniform, Sarah opened the door with a smile plastered on her face, greeting other attendants on her way towards the Doctor.
Each of her step towards the Doctor becomes heavier the more she gets closer--- proof that there are things that even time cannot make you forget.
The guard, who was stationed at the entrance of the wards, opened the door for her. "Good morning." he greeted.
Sarah nodded. "Good morning." she greeted back as she entered the room.
The room was empty and too peaceful for it to be called the wards. Patients were rare, but Dr. Natalie insisted to be stationed in here every day--- Sarah knew why.
Sarah went straight and stopped at a door, she knocked three times and welcomed herself in.
Dr. Natalie was busy jotting down on her journal to acknowledge Sarah.
Sarah knew not to disturb the Doctor and took the two garbage bags at the corner.
She exited the wards as fast as she entered it and disposed the garbage bags just as she used to--- not looking inside the bags this time.
Not even an hour had gone by since the day began when Sarah returned around the attendant's dormitory. She was lurking on the field, looking around and expecting for her best friend to pass by--- assuming that Tina would at least take a shower and drink a cup of coffee to survive the day.
"Hey, Sarah, late for work too?" One of the attendants, who was passing by, asked her.
"No." Sarah shrugged. "Done with my job for the day."
"This early?! You're so lucky with Dr. Natalie."
Sarah smiled without saying anything.
An hour had gone by and the shadow of her best friend did not even pass by.
Suspicion and concern increasing, she decided to look for Tina. She knew where to go first--- to Duchess Zenalda's, or rather her dogs', room.
Sarah walked fast, doubling her pace.
Duchess Zenalda's chambers were not too far from the dormitory.
Sarah did not even break a sweat upon her arrival.
The aisle was quiet--- empty of guards and the usual barking dogs.
Sarah passed by Duchess Zenalda's private room and walked towards the next one.
She found the door ajar. "Tina?" she tried to peek inside but saw nothing. "Tina?" she slowly opened the door as it creaked. "Tina? Are you in here?"
Sarah was relieved when she saw Tina crouched in a corner, facing the wall. "Tina, come on!" she smiled--- a genuine smile. "At least take a shower geez, you smell awful!" she wrinkled her nose.
Sarah was not joking when she said that the room was smelly, it smelled rotten like a dead rat.
The room was too messy for Tina to have cleaned it the whole night. "Are you here the whole night?" Sarah took a step inside the room.
Tina's head jerked to the side as if she heard the step. She slowly stood up and awkwardly turned around--- facing Sarah.
"Tina?" Sarah instinctively took a step away as she saw Tina's face. "You look awful! You literally look dead."
Tina walked limply towards her--- as if learning to walk for the first time.
Tina's head was tilted in an awkward angle, with her mouth hanging open.
"Ok, this is not funny. What, are you practicing for Halloween?" Sarah joked nervously as she back away, exiting the room.
Tina was only a few steps towards her.
Tina's hand was hovering in the air, as if reaching for her.
"Stop it… you're scaring me." Sarah felt the railing behind her--- she had nowhere else to run. "Tina?" she whispered.
Tina was right in front of her.
Sarah was waiting the big laughter from her best friend saying it was a joke--- but in never came.
Instead, Tina bared her teeth and bit whatever was the closest in front of her--- Sarah's nose.
Sarah screamed as blood oozed from her nose. "Tina!" she tried to push Tina away from her but Tina bit her again on the neck---- not stopping.
"No! Help!" Sarah fell on her back--- Tina, pinning her on the ground. "Please! Stop! TINA!"
Tina--- if she can still be called by her name--- devoured the meaty flesh underneath her until it had no strength left to struggle.
***
Alyssa was lying on her bed, looking around her too familiar room.
After two--- almost three--- days of being in her room, she noticed some things she never did before.
There was a small crack on the upper left side of the ceiling. One of the chair's left leg was a little shorter than the right. The vanity mirror was a little bit tilted to the side. Some of her hangers in her closet were red, but mostly were black--- her favorite green gown was on one of the reds.
'What else?' Alyssa was tapping her feet, as if counting the seconds.
Yes, one of the tiles in her bathroom was cream and not white.
Trapped in her own room, time was slow.
Alyssa suddenly sat up and crawled out of the bed. She decided to sit on the crooked chair to have---well--- a different view of her room.
But the only view she had from this angle was the locked door.
Alyssa never thought the day would come that she would miss to go outside. She used to dread being outside, but unfortunately, the royal's faces were a much better company than nothing.
With a big sight, Alyssa suddenly thought of that big old book she gave to Kiva--- that would have helped time pass by faster if she just had it.
Tomorrow, tomorrow she would be free. A few more hours of isolation would not hurt.
Alyssa stood up and hovered towards the door. Now she was in total isolation, Ison Vis found out and the guards were replaced, and this pair cannot be bribed to allow at least her own attendant inside.
"I'm warning both of you," Alyssa announced to the guards on the other side. "your lives inside the palace will not be pleasant once I get out of here."
There was no response.
"Do you understand?" Alyssa banged on the door. "A princess pays her debt."
Alyssa pounded on the door harder as the door suddenly flew open. She stumbled towards the hallway, barely managed not to trip on her own feet.
She stood still for a few seconds--- dumbfounded.
She looked left and right and found it was empty.
The key, the lock, and the chain on her door was on the floor--- as if it was opened hurriedly.
It was late in the afternoon, and it was either the guards were taking a break, or they were summoned to do something more important.
Or simply her punishment ended earlier than planned, maybe her Queen mother was done with the amendment of the law.
Whatever the reason is, Alyssa walked aimlessly and enjoyed her freedom.
As she was strolling around the palace, she felt someone was following her. She saw a young man in his guard uniform slowly walking towards her. She ignored the guard and continued on walking, but in front of her were two attendants in an unusual condition. One had puncture marks all over her calf and ankle. One had bleeding nose and neck, with a different bite mark than the other one---- this looked like a bite from a human.
"What happened?" Alyssa asked the attendants. "Was there an attack?"
Alyssa walked hurriedly towards the injured attendants when there was a loud thud behind her.
The young man fell on the ground, with his head smashed.
"Princess, stop!" A hoarse voice said. "Or they will eat you."
Alyssa stopped on her tracks. "What does that mean?"
"You should not be in here." Zenalda dragged Alyssa away and lead her inside the nearest room.
"What happened?" Alyssa asked the duchess.
Zenalda made sure that she locked the door before facing the princess. "My babies, my babies are dead." she muttered. "My babies are dead!" she shouted. "Curse that Ison Vis!" Zenalda walked around the room. "Cici, Beat, Ciel." she said repeatedly like a chant. "Cici, Beat, Ciel."
Feeling that she would not be able to have a proper conversation with Zenalda, Alyssa decided to exit the room and unlocked the door.
Zenalda heard the click of the door. "No, dear, don't unlock it." She shoved Alyssa to the side and locked the door once more.
"Why?" Alyssa asked the old duchess.
Zenalda touched the cheek of Alyssa with her calloused hand. "Your mother will not forgive me if something happens to you."
"What happened when I was locked?"
"This is not my fault, it's Ison Vis and his VIP club." Zenalda walked around the room once again. "How dare he say that I cannot be a member!" Zenalda knelt on the floor. "He killed my babies! Blood everywhere!" she wailed. "It did not work."
"What did not work?" Alyssa heard the banging on the door.
"They were not cured." Zenalda rocked back and forth. "They were not cured."