Laying my head back on the pillow, I curl up and hug up as much of the blanket as I can. There are so many emotions going on in my heart right now. For one thing, I'm angry. I'm so beyond furious at the men who took me away from my home, away from my father, away from my happy life. I was perfectly fine far away from all the people who want to hurt me this way.
And I'm sad. Actually, sad is clearly an understatement, but I can't think of a better word at the moment. Not that I'm dumb or uneducated. It's just that there aren't any adjectives that I feel correctly express my pain. The loss of my father has cut me deeply, but it feels so unreal, so impossible that I don't think I'm even truly allowing myself to accept that he's gone and process the grief.
I'm relieved that I have met this woman named Akida. She has been the only person, other than the woman who offered me water at the auction house, who has truly shown me compassion, sympathy, and kindness, since this all began. Having at least one person on my side makes me feel like maybe everything will turn out to be okay in the end.
I'm humiliated. I was stripped of my clothing, had my dignity ripped away, and was dragged out, wearing practically nothing, to be sold to the highest bidder, in front of countless people who see me as less than a nice fat hog, good for slaughter. I'm nothing but a branded animal in their eyes. Touched by strange men, and ogled by others, I feel dirty and soiled. And this leads me back to being angry!
Then, I feel scared. I fear for the future. Who exactly is my new master, Mr. Zion Velucia? Akida tells me he's not an evil person, but what is that supposed to mean? He looks at me with no emotion, no feeling in his face whatsoever. His eyes feel like ice, while his hands are warm. I can't help but think that if the situation were different and I'd seen him from afar, his beauty might make my heart flutter like butterflies in the breeze.
If I had been far away enough to miss seeing the emptiness in his gaze, maybe he would make me swoon like a princess in a storybook, when her handsome knight swoops in to save the day. Under my current circumstances, though, he is terrifying. I can't tell if he's merely unfeeling, or an absolute monster. Is he a person who will let me live my life as long as I don't get in his way? Or does he view the act of torturing people as a form of entertainment? Is Akida really right about him?
It seems like there are all too many people in the world who get a thrill from seeing others suffer. I can only hope that that's not the kind of man I now belong to. Who knows how long I lie in bed with my thoughts. I answer question after question about what I think I know, and after some unknown length of time, the door slowly opens. This time, however, it doesn't reveal the face I was hoping to see, but another vaguely familiar pair of eyes peek in.
"Are you awake?", asks a lady in a blue dress and a crisp white apron.
I recognize her as one of the women I was supposed to follow last night when I fainted. Her voice was also in the room, shortly before I lost consciousness. I also seem to recall seeing her face after I hit the floor, for a brief moment. But my memory is a bit hazy, and I don't know what happened. I begin to sit up, while still holding the blanket around myself to greet her.
"Yes.", I reply, apprehensively.
"I've brought you some clothes...", she starts to say, but before she can finish, I shoot the rest of the way up and jolt forward.
"Please!", I say, in a loud voice, holding my arms out as far as I can to take them.
She starts to giggle and I lower my arms a little. I know that her giggling isn't meant to mock me, but I feel embarrassed either way, and I make a concerted effort to regain my composure. I may be in a vulnerable position, but that doesn't mean that I can't hold onto whatever thread of dignity I have left with my nails clinging to it for dear life.
"You're much more lively today, aren't you?, she says with a warm smile. "Much better! I'm Elise. I'm a maid here and I'm in charge of showing you the ropes."
"Ropes?", I whimper and hide my wrists behind me.
"Oh! No, no! Sorry! I mean I'm supposed to show you around, teach you what to do, that kind of thing. Shoot, I didn't mean to scar you already. Listen, Mr. Velucia can't seem to give us an answer as to where he's going to put you to work yet, but I've been asked to show you where everything is, and what we do around here."
I analyze her for a moment, and realize that she's also very attractive, just like the other women I've met here. Is everyone at Inspiria so beautiful? Her blonde hair is neatly tied in a knot but there are little wisps of it hanging down her forehead. She has large brown eyes and smooth rosy cheeks that compliment a v-shaped jaw line and a long neck. She's only slightly taller than me, so she feels approachable.
"Oh. Well, can I get dressed first, please?"
"Of course! Here, I'll leave these here for you, and give you a little time to gussy up. Sound good? There's a hairbrush in the drawer.", she says cheerfully, as she lays the clothes down on the end of the bed and exits the room.
I lean over and inspect the clothing. Like the cloth from the auction house, it's all white again, but there's certainly more fabric to it this time! Curiously, I hold up the first piece. It's a plain cotton dress with a rounded collar, and elbow length sleeves that flow out like white flower petals. The bottom flares a bit as well, but it's subtle. I like it. Whoever chose it has great taste.
There is also a white bra and a pair of white cotton panties, but these are much softer than the previous pair I was given at the auction house. I stand up and dress myself before moving over to the table with the mirror. The black coating that was painted on my eyelashes is gone, and so is the shiny liquid from my lips. This feels more like my appearance is meant to look... Minus the cracking and healing cuts on my lips, the countless bruises on my neck and limbs, and the scabbed over scratches and scrapes that cover my body, of course.
I take a seat on the stool, and I reach up to release my hair from the band Akida gave me. It falls down in long, wavy, dirty blonde locks, and rests on my back, just kissing the stool where I sit. My face has color in it again, a far cry from the pale, sickly creature I was just yesterday. I smile softly at this thought. My face is slimmer than before, but at least I look like me. A knock at the door catches my attention, cutting off my self reflection.
"Ready or not, here I come!", a voice calls playfully, and Elise enters with another one of the women in blue dresses. "This is Anna."
"Hello Anna." I say shyly, admiring her red hair.
Anna is much taller, and not quite as pretty in the same natural way as Elise and Akida are, but she's still very attractive. These two look like they are close with each other, and I envy their relationship. There's something about Anna though. I can't put my finger on it, but I feel like she's not eager to be as friendly with me as Elise has been thus far. Maybe she just has a different personality than Elise and Akida do. The aura surrounding her just isn't as bright.
Anna looks at me and smiles, uttering a simple "Hey."
Elise nudges her with her elbow, and then turns to me before saying, "Mr. Velucia would like to see you. Are you ready?"
Mr. Velucia? You mean our master wants to see me? My heart drops, as I wasn't expecting to have to face him again already. I thought Akida said she would tell everyone to let me rest for at least a few hours. Now, it appears that I'm going to have to begin working already, despite being so exhausted from everything. Oh well, it looks like this is my life now. If I'm obedient, maybe he'll just let me exist as far away from him as humanly possible.
"Can I ask you something first?", I murmur.
"Sure."
"Do you have a microchip too?"
She looks at Anna, confused for a moment, and Anna, with a smirk on her face, answers my question in her place, by responding with, "We're not slaves. We're servants."
"Servants?"
"Oh, you see, there's a bit of a difference. We get paid to do a job here. Some of us do laundry, some cook, others clean. There are security guards, gardeners, attendants, and a plethora of other workers that keep Inspiria running. Anna and I are attendants. Our job is to wait on Mr. Velucia and bring him what he needs. We serve his food, help him dress, bring him things he asks for, that kind of thing.", Elise explains.
"I see.", I say, lowering my eyes. "And I'm a slave... I'm ready. Let's go."
I stand up from my place on the stool and follow them out. I'm determined to go to him without the use of force this time. I can handle this. I have to get used to my new life, after all. I'm Euroah Minari, and I can handle anything.