I tried to ignore the screams but it was getting increasingly hard. The scream sounded like someone was in pain and they were crying for help. From the experiences of others, I had learned that curiosity was a flaw. Just then, the door opened, making me jump in surprise. A girl came with a bucket of water and a mop.
I fought the urge to ask her what was happening outside. She silently started cleaning the areas I hadn't cleaned. Now that we were two of us, the job would become easier. After a few minutes of cleaning, I heard sobbing. I looked over at the girl and sighed. I couldn't let her cry while I cleaned.
I walked over and put my hand on her back.
" What's the problem? " I asked, my voice sounding croaky.
I hadn't spoken in a long time. I only did it when I was addressing the high-ranking vampires. The less I said, the more chances I had for survival.
She looked at me with her red and wet eyes. I could see the wheels turning in her head. She was contemplating whether she could trust me or not. I couldn't blame her. Six months in that hell hole would do that to you.
" My friend, she's gone. She was caught snooping in the study and her throat was slit by a guard. " She said.
I gathered that the screams I had heard earlier were hers. The pain of losing a best friend must have been too much for her. They had probably become sisters in the six months we had been there.
I simply rubbed her back, not knowing what to say. She bawled her eyes out there and I was starting to get annoyed. I had two more jobs waiting for me. If I didn't finish them in time, I would end up like her friend.
" Look, I'm sorry this happened but-" I started but I didn't get to finish.
Madam Athena entered the room and we acted busy. No one wanted to get on her bad side. She was ruthless and unforgiving.
" You two. Come and clean the mess in the study. " She said and left.
By the mess, I assumed it was the blood of the girl who had just been killed. We took out buckets and mops and went to the study. When we entered, there was a pool of blood and a trail of blood that indicated someone had been dragged from the room.
There was also a bucket and a mob in a corner. She had been assigned to clean the room but had instead decided it was best to snoop. I didn't want to sound insensitive but the girl had literally dug her own grave.
Vampires were creatures that had heightened senses. If a guard was outside the room, they probably heard her moving things that weren't supposed to be moved. They were also very fast. She must have thought that if someone entered she would not be able to pretend she was cleaning in time.
I put the mop in water and started cleaning the bloody mess. The other girl was trying to fall apart. I didn't want to delay my work so I ignored her.
" What's your name? " She asked, still standing where she had been five minutes before.
" Look, if we don't start doing our work fast, we won't finish doing our duties and we will end up like your friend. So please, let's cut the banter and get to work. " I said instead.
She must have had the fear of death because she immediately nodded her head and went back to work. I smiled in satisfaction and continued cleaning.
Soon, we were done. I was proud of her for keeping it together as we cleaned. We went back to the ballroom and continued cleaning. Soon, we were done. Thankfully with no words said between us.
We went our separate ways. I went to the library and looked around. It was very spacious and one portion of it looked clean. I climbed the ladder and started dusting while arranging the books. I heard rustling in a corner and I looked in that direction. I saw a pair of red eyes glowing and blinked. When I opened my eyes, there was nothing.
I was going crazy. Maybe the months of solitude were getting to me and I needed a friend. I shook my head at the thought. There were vampires everywhere. Of course, I was seeing things. It was normal, right?
I went back to my work and thankfully, I didn't hear any rustling. As I was arranging some books, one fell on me entirely on its own. It hit my head and lost my footing on the ladder. I fell to the floor painfully. I winced at the unbearable pain in my ankle.
My ankle was injured and tears were threatening to fall down my face. I had also scraped my elbow but the pain there was drowned out by the one on my ankle. I fought the urge to scream and cry. If I did, Athena would come and I was scared. There was a time a girl had been killed because she had broken a leg and would no longer be productive.
I would keep my injury a secret. Thankfully, we had long dresses that reached our feet. As long as I didn't limp, no one would notice. I tried to stand up but I fell each time. I crawled to the bucket and squeezed a cloth to remove the water. I placed it in my mouth and bit on it, not caring that it was dirty. It had cleaned the blood and dirty surfaces.
I forced myself up, the cloth muffling my wailing. Soon, I was on my feet. I climbed the ladder in pain and continued cleaning. It took twice the time it would have taken if I was well but I was done on time nonetheless.
I went back to the kitchen in time for lunch. There was easy banter at the table while I struggled to concentrate on anything other than the pain in my foot. The girl I had cleaned with kept on glancing at me and it made me uncomfortable. I wanted nothing more than to go back to being invincible.
Suddenly, my appetite was gone. I picked up my plate and took it to the sink. Not limping was very painful and I had to make sure my facials didn't contort to those of pain. Thankfully, none of the guards noticed. Or anyone for that matter.
I went to the master bedroom to clean before my time for cleaning ran out. I took off the dusty sheets and placed them in the laundry basket. I cleaned the floor and arranged the items after dusting the floor.
I limped around as I worked. No one was watching anyway. I took the bedding to the laundry for cleaning and picked new ones. When I went back into the master bedroom, I felt an odd presence lingering. There was that familiar metallic and musky scent in the room. I looked around to see if I was alone but there was no sign of anyone else.
My heart started beating very fast and goosebumps formed on my skin. For some reason, I felt watched. I put the beddings on the bed as fast as I could so I could leave immediately. What scared me the most was how comforting the presence and the scent in the room was.
As I bent over to tuck in the sheets, I felt someone behind me. I turned around very fast but there was nothing there. There was a rush of wind into the room but the windows were all open. The room was very suspicious and I couldn't wait to leave.
I finished as fast as I could and took my things to leave. I walked to the door and twisted the handle. The door wouldn't budge. I looked to see if I had locked it but I saw that I hadn't. Darkness was seeping in and soon, the doors to the servant quarters would be locked. If I didn't make it in time, I would fall prey to the guards.
I twisted the door harder but it refused to open. Tears pooled in my eyes as I feared for my life.