My mystery queen

A new world

"Please let my mother go!" I heard a voice cry out. I wasn’t sure where I was, but all I could hear were voices—little sobs, the loud crack of a whip, then a piercing scream. Everything was a blur. I panicked, unsure of my surroundings. None of the voices were familiar to me.

"It’s Madam Clarrissa!" I heard another voice say, a ray of hope evident in her tone.

"Tessa? Dad?… Tasha?!" I whispered softly, still unable to comprehend where I was. Slowly, my sight cleared, and I could see everything.

It was a landscape dotted with patches of wildflowers and grasses swaying in the wind. The field was bordered by thick woodlands in the distance, with a few scattered peasant huts on the edge of the estate. In the center of the field stood a large iron or bronze bell, I couldn’t tell which. It was mounted on a simple wooden frame.

The bell was rung by a rope, and poor-looking people worked in the field, tilling the soil, harvesting crops, or tending to animals. Nearby, a few oxen were yoked to plows, while workers moved with simple hand tools. A man on horseback oversaw the labor. My head began to spin from pure confusion as my eyes finally landed on some oddly dressed people. They were all in medieval clothes—straight out of a *Game of Thrones* movie, I thought.

"My lady, please save my mother!" a young girl cried out, her hands clasped together as she begged another girl who seemed affluent. The affluent girl had blonde hair, amber eyes, and wore a beautiful pink gown, tight at the middle, giving her a snatched waist. My mouth went dry as my gaze shifted to the woman being whipped. She was naked and covered in blood, as a middle-aged woman—who didn’t seem much older—mercilessly whipped her. The older woman looked enraged, with ginger hair tied up in a bun.

"Mother! That’s enough now! You will kill her!" the blonde girl screamed, rushing to her mother, trying to drag the whip from her hands. But the older woman didn’t budge.

"Oh dear, Clarrissa, if we do not show these slaves their place, they will stray!" the woman said, her face red, her eyes rimmed with fury. She shoved her daughter aside and continued the torture.

"What the hell!" I yelled, catching the attention of a few girls who had gathered to watch the scene.

"Maria!" A loud, hunky voice cut through the air. We all turned in the direction of the voice. An old man with a balding head, the rest of his hair white, lumbered across the field with a smoking pipe in his mouth.

"That’s enough now!" he ordered, but the woman refused. He walked up to her, yanked the whip from her hand, and slapped her across the cheek. She fell to the ground, clutching her face as tears filled her eyes.

"Woman, do not ever disobey your husband!" he scowled, pulling at her hair.

"Again! You defend this slave again!" she cried, tears streaming down her face. I frowned, utterly confused. Where was I? No one here was familiar, and why were they all dressed so strangely?

"You may all go back to work. Estelle, take your mother inside," the man ordered as the crowd dispersed, leaving me awkwardly standing in the middle of the field with the wounded woman and two other girls.

"Mother!" one of the girls cried. She held a rod as the other girl led her to the wounded woman. I think she’s blind. They both tried to pull the woman up, but they kept failing, dropping her lifeless body each time.

"Amaris! Please help us!" the girl called, turning to me. I looked around, wondering who she was speaking to. There were only the four of us here, and my name wasn’t Amaris.

"Amaris, quick!" she urged, staring at me.

"That’s not my name," I said, staring blankly at her. She rolled her eyes and walked over to me.

"Now is the worst time to make a joke, Amaris. Mother Anna is bleeding much too fast!" she begged, her eyes filled with tears. I stared for a moment before groaning, and together we lifted the woman, taking her to a small hut-like structure. They both attended to her. With every dab on her torn skin, more blood streamed down, tinting the bucket of water they used to clean her.

My hands started to tremble as I watched the woman bleed. "What… what the f**k is happening? Why don’t you take her to a hospital?" I choked out, frowning.

They both turned to me, confused. "Hospital? What is that?" the girl with dark hair asked.

"Huh… What are you both, fifth graders? Even they know what a hospital is! She’s going to die if we don’t get her treated!" I said, frustrated.

"What? No! Mother!" the dark-haired girl cried out.

"Amaris, that’s so insensitive of you!" the other girl retorted. I rolled my eyes, my patience wearing thin. The smell of blood was making me nauseous.

"If it’s the physician you speak of, we are not allowed to visit one without the Madam’s permission," she explained, still dabbing the wounds. I frowned, slowly realizing she meant the ginger-haired woman.

"And what about that bald man?" I asked, making her furrow her brows.

"You mean Master?" she gasped, shocked.

"He’s far too greedy to spend a penny on his servants. Careful, if he hears you call him bald, he will have your head, Amaris."

I snarled. What the hell is happening? Is this some stupid school play? Some prank? Why am I here?

"Look, I don’t care who the f**k you call—just call someone! Call 911, the police, an adult! There’s no way I’m going to jail for someone else’s crime. Oh, God!" I stammered, tears filling my eyes. I didn’t know who was playing this sick joke on me, but it was no longer funny.

"Estelle, my dear…" The woman I thought was dead suddenly choked out. The blind girl, Estelle, held her hand, sobbing.

"I… I will be fine, my… d-dear," the woman stuttered before coughing, blood dripping from her mouth. All of us stood frozen as her hand fell limp.

"Mother!" Estelle screamed.

"Goddess Zara!" the other girl cried out, her eyes wide with shock.

"She… she’s dead? No, no, no, no… Tessa! Dad!" I murmured, dragging my fingers through my hair. Suddenly, my palms became sweaty, my head spun, and my vision blurred with tears. I began fidgeting.

"Mother! Mother! Please, wake up!" Their loud cries suddenly became distant as darkness crept in.

"Oh Christ!" I muttered before succumbing to the darkness.

**********

"She’s moving," I heard a soft whisper as I frowned, my eyes still closed.

"She’s waking up. I’ll call the physician," the same voice said. Oh Lord, I really hope what I just saw was all a dream. I stirred, feeling something strange underneath me.

"Tessa? Dad?… Tasha?" I called out, still with my eyes shut.

"Who is she calling?" a voice asked as I snapped my eyes open. Nothing had changed. The same horribly dressed girls stared at me. Is this a dream?! What the hell is happening? I stood up abruptly.

"Do you feel better?" the girl who kept calling me Amaris asked.

"What… what is happening? Why am I here? Is this some sick joke? Where am I?" I asked, my heartbeat increasing with each passing second, fearing I might’ve gone crazy after Jason’s breakup.

"Amaris, are you still feeling dizzy? Should I call the physician?" she asked, stepping closer. I stepped back, staring at her cautiously.

"Where is this place?" I demanded. She looked confused before giving me a small smile.

"You must have had a concussion after that fall. I’m sure of it, Estelle," she said, turning to the blind girl, who nodded in agreement.

"My dear, this is Moab, a small province in the Kingdom of Penopia," Estelle explained, her hazel eyes fixed on the corner of the room.

"Penopia?" I repeated, trying to remember. I’d heard that name before. The other girl nodded.

"Where is Tessa?" I asked. She frowned, puzzled.

"Who is Tessa? Is she a slave like we are, or perhaps a servant?" she asked.

"Slave? I am no slave! I’m Amira Ansaldo, daughter of Richard Ansaldo! My father is a billionaire! I’m no slave!" I cried, tears forming in my eyes.

"What is a billionaire?" Estelle asked, still smiling softly. Something about her smile got on my nerves, but I couldn’t figure out what.

"God! What are you, dumb? This is some sick joke. Is this a plan? Tasha’s behind this, right?! Right?! Tasha! Tasha! You’re scaring me!" I shouted, pacing around the little room, searching for answers.

"Amaris, please stop. I fear you’ve gone mad," Estelle said gently.

"It’s Amira! My name is Amira!" I screamed.

"Or… am I dead?. That old hag did. That old hag did say I would lose everything. All I can remember is going to some grocery shop. Oh God, I should’ve known that necklace wasn’t mine!" I cried as tears streamed down my cheeks. My hand instinctively reached for the necklace. It was still there. In a panic, I tore it off and tossed it into a corner. The two girls flinched, startled.

I started hitting myself, desperate to wake up from this nightmare, but each strike hurt more than the last. One of the girls, ran over and grabbed my hands, trying to stop me. We struggled until I finally broke free, collapsing to the ground in sobs.

"Rose, call the physician!" Estelle ordered, using her rod to find her way to me. When she reached me, she carefully sat down by my side.

"Don’t worry, you’ll be well soon," she said softly, touching me gently.

"Who are you? What time is it?" I asked, trying to make sense of everything.

"I am Estelle, a common slave to the Ramah family," she answered.

"And the other girl?" I asked, my voice trembling.

"That is Rose, also a slave. I met both you and her here, and since then, the three of us have served Lady Clarrissa," Estelle explained.

"So, I was here before you, and you call me Amaris. We live in Moab, as slaves to the Ramah family," I muttered, piecing it together. I stood up and walked out of the hut, stopping by a basin of water. I gazed at my reflection in the still surface.

I looked slightly different—my hair was braided, and I wore a yellow gown, similar to what the other slaves wore. That’s when it hit me. I knew why the name "Penopia" was so familiar.

"Am I in a book?" I gasped, my eyes wide with disbelief.

The realization sent a shivers down my spine. I was living in a world I’d only read about.