Father?
1168 Words
~Liana
By the time the day finally came to an end, my entire body was aching. I had never done something like this before. I walked back to the servants’ quarters, dragging my feet. I hadn’t realized how exhausting it was to work without pause until I was forced to do it myself. Oh, how I wish this was all a nightmare.
A guard approached me.
“This way,” he ordered.
I followed without saying a word.
It was already dark, and the palace had grown quieter. We walked through a narrow passage and stopped in front of a small wooden door.
“This is where you’ll stay.”
He said, gesturing at the room. Without another word, he turned and left.
I tapped on the door gently before pushing it open. The room was simple and small, four small beds lined against the walls, with little space in between, everything looked neatly arranged. I stepped inside slowly, there were three girls there. One sat on the bed, untying her shoes, one leaned against the wall, arms crossed, and the other stood by the window, folding a piece of cloth.
The one on the bed looked up first.
“You're the new one.”
“Yeah”. I replied calmly.
The girl by the window turned properly to look at me. And then she smiled. My gaze stayed on her a second longer before recognition settled in. Oh.. the girl from the washroom earlier. The one who helped me with the drain.
“We meet again”,She said with a smile. I smiled back.
“I heard they were sending someone here, I didn't think it'd be you,” she said casually.
“Rhea.. right?”
“Yeah.. you didn't forget”.
“How would I? Thanks for your help earlier”.
“Don't mention, we all needed help when we started. You'll be fine”.
“Mmhmm”, the girl leaning on the wall cleared her throat, trying to gain our attention.
“Oh.. this is Mira,” Rhea said, gesturing to the girl sitting at the edge of the bed. She gave a small, gentle smile in response.
“And that’s Tessa.” She said, gesturing to the one leaning on the wall. She gave a warm smile and I smiled back.
“This is Liana,” Rhea added.
“Hi,” I greeted with a warm smile.
“That'll be your bed” Rhea said, pointing to the empty bed by the corner. I lowered myself onto it, stretching my body. It wasn't half as big as what I had before, but it felt good to have something comfortable to lie on.
“So”, Rhea said, stretching slightly before dropping into her bed. “how did your first day go?” She asked.
I hesitated, trying to figure out the exact words to use. How could I describe one of the worst days of my life in a sentence?
“Long, different, chaotic”.
“Let me guess,” Tessa added, “Susan made it hell for you?”
They all burst into laughter. I exhaled slowly, then nodded once.
“Something like that.”
“Don’t take it personally,” Tessa said, more gently this time.
“She’s like that with everyone new. She likes to show dominance.”
Mira added, “You either get used to her, or you let her break you”.
“You’ll get used to it eventually,” Mira said softly.
“Or your body just stops complaining,” Tessa added.
“That's supposed to make me feel better??” I muttered.
Rhea laughed lightly. “Trust me, after a while you stop noticing how tired you are.”
Just then, there was a light knock on the door before it pushed open slightly. One of the servants stepped in, carrying a tray.
“Dinner”.
Mira stood and helped place the tray on the small table in the middle of the room.
We gathered around the table quietly. The food was simple, a small loaf of bread and a plate of stew for each person. It was nothing like what I had back home, but I was too hungry to care. I hadn’t eaten anything since I arrived here.
I ate quietly, trying not to think about how much life had changed in just a few days.
“This is the best part of the day,” Tessa muttered between bites.
“I thought sleep was your favorite part,” Rhea teased.
“Food comes first".
Mira shook her head with a faint smile.
Once we finished eating, the tiredness in the room seemed to deepen. One by one, everyone settled into their beds and drifted off to sleep. I lay down slowly, pulling the thin blanket over my body. The room was quiet now, except for the faint sounds of movement outside the servants’ quarters. I lay still on my bed, staring at the ceiling for a while.
It still felt strange being here, sharing space with people I barely knew in a place that didn’t feel like mine. My thoughts drifted briefly to home, to my father, and the palace that had been destroyed. I wondered what was left of it now or if anyone had survived at all. The thought sat heavily in my chest, before sleep finally took over.
The next two days passed quickly. I rarely saw Susan, and when I did, she never mentioned what happened in her office. She barely even noticed me, so I convinced myself she was over it.
Slowly, I got used to the palace and how things worked. My roommates helped me understand how things were done and little by little, I became more familiar with them.
By the third morning, the palace already felt different.
There was an important event.
We were told earlier that the Alpha would be hosting important guests that morning. I didn’t fully understand who the guests were, only that everything had to be perfect, and no mistakes were allowed.
The corridors were busier than usual. Servants moved quickly through the corridors, carrying folded fabrics, trays of meals and desserts, and decorations for the event. I made my way through the hallway toward the main hall, where I had been assigned to assist with arranging the seats.
I was about to turn into the next corridor when a burst of laughter caught my attention. I paused. A little girl ran through the corridor, slipping between servants as they made way for her.
"Claire!"
A maid ran closely behind, calling after her.
"Claire, stop running!"
A servant beside me sighed.
"Not again."
She paused and looked over her shoulder, letting out a small laugh. Before anyone could say a word, she took off again.
Just as she reached the next corner, she suddenly stopped and looked ahead.
Guilt flashed accross her face.
The servants chasing her slowed.
The smile disappeared.
"Father?"
- Writer
