The food was delicious and Cezar and Reena made polite conversation with Elisa and I as we ate. They filled us in on little happening around the mansion. They were just silly things, not really the important ones. I didn't mind though, I didn't have to reply and I would learn all I needed to know with time anyways.

A few slaves came and left in the time that we were there eating. A curious glance in our direction was all we were afforded but apart from that they didn't pay much mind to us. Just how I preferred it. The mysterious slave in black still piqued my interest though. The whole time she was in her dark corner and I caught her once or twice staring at me but that was it. She seemed to mind her business and everyone else steered clear of her.

Turns out, Cezar controlled the happenings of the other slaves. That was how much power he had in the absence of the masters and mistresses. I wondered just how powerful his owners were. Were they close to Lord Kyryaan? How high up was their station? How long had he been with them? But at the end of the day, it was really none of my business and I had to do well to remind myself of that.

I scraped my wooden spoon on the bottom of my bowl, scooping off the rest of my food and shoved it unceremoniously into my mouth. I knew and had table manners; one of my mistresses had taught me and others had insisted upon it. But I had not eaten for three days now and I was hungry. The day before yesterday, the master at the slave establishment had not bothered to give us food and yesterday I had given my food to Elisa. Then the trip today. I was famished.

Elisa ate more daintily and she finished her food a few minutes after me no matter how hungry she was. It made me more curious about her roots and where she came from.

I pushed my now empty bowl away from me, my belly warm with food and I sighed in satisfaction. Sometimes you really don't know just how hungry you are until you are given food. Elisa looked much better as well and her eyes were wide and expectant waiting for our next move.

"Good you're done. Seeing as Melanie is not back yet, I will show you both to your room." Cezar beamed at us and stood up. I stood up awkwardly after him my shirts ruffling around me while Elisa managed a less awkward movement. My cheeks burned and I shooed away my embarrassment. Cezar then clicked his hand and another slave came and carried our dirty empty dishes away.

"I'm sorry I have to excuse myself girls. I have an errand to run for my master." Reena said and her and Cezar shared a knowing look. Huh. Interesting.

"I hope we meet again." She said cryptically, smiled and left. I could not help the sad smile that came unto my face for no reason at all. Her words had been laced with more meaning and sadness than I would have preferred. But I understood. She then left the room in a swish of material, her hair flowing behind her.

"Come with me." Cezar then said kindly, pulling his gaze away from Reena back to us. I nodded and followed him. Elisa followed. For some reason she seemed to stick to my presence like she was afraid of being out of my presence.

We passed the guards stationed not far from the elite servants' kitchen and they just nodded at Cezar in acknowledgement but said nothing more. We passed through more pathways but it wasn't long after that we found ourselves in a wing of the mansion that had many corridors with rows and rows of identical doors on either side. There were more guards in the entrance and just like the others, they paid no mind to Cezar.

"These are the quarters of the slaves of high ranking nobles." Cezar introduced with a small smile and more flair than was necessary. I rolled my eyes. I was already growing bored of his cheerfulness. It was becoming rather annoying.

I said nothing instead of my thoughts and he led us through the corridor and then opened one of the doors. I looked up at it to make sure I memorized it. He pushed it open with ease and the door opened to reveal a moderate sized room in which there were two small beds side by side pushed against the wall, that looked like the second bed had been added recently. There was a small vanity and a small mirror and a closet attached to the room. A small window stood above in between the two beds and on the table of the vanity a brightly lit candle, stood burning, giving light to the room. Apart from that, the room was bare mostly. They were simple lodgings but when I remembered the cage and the other places I had been lodged in the past, this was practically the biggest room I had ever been given.

"On the bed are fresh sheets for each of you and Lady Karayan had clothes and other accessories placed in the closet for each of you. There is a general bathroom at the very end of this corridor and you may relieve yourselves there and take your baths there if your mistress wishes it." Cezar said in a monotonous voice as if he had said this so many times. I wondered actually just how many times he had said it. I didn't push it though. Instead I nodded as we entered and stood in the room.

Indeed, there were fresh sheets on the bed and I didn't doubt that there were clothes in the closet. Elisa still clung to me and I hadn't bothered to check her reaction.

"Thank you." I replied honestly and Cezar smiled a small genuine smile.

"You're welcome. If you and the kid need anything just let me know. You will commence your duties for Lady Karayan tomorrow. Enjoy your night. And remember, no roaming around the castle at any time. Slaves have been known to go...missing." He warned, his voice suddenly going ominous and I heard Elisa squeak.

"Alright." I said simply, his warnings not lost on me. with one last nod, he turned and left, closing the door behind him but not locking it.

I let out a huge breath that I didn't know I had been holding in. Another mistress. Another life. Was I ready for this?

I turned to Elisa and she looked very afraid. Something constricted in me for the child.

"Come. We should take a bath. We don't know when next we may be allowed to." I muttered and her eyes widened even more but she just nodded. I went to the closet and got two towels and some toiletries that had been placed there for Elisa and I and went back to her. She had not budged from her spot.

"Come kid. Time to go." I called and she huffed.

"I'm not a kid. I'm fourteen. Some of my friends are married." She raised her nose and pouted. I couldn't help the smile that rose on my face. She was something else.

"Sure thing kid. Let's go." I teased further and moved to the door. She huffed in annoyance but followed. I spared her a glance and noticed that she didn't look as afraid anymore. A secret smile crept to my lips but I quickly dismissed it. I could not care for her. I really couldn't.

Luckily, there was no one in the baths and we took our baths quickly. Elisa had been shy to change in front of me but refused for me to leave her alone. I rolled my eyes. I had rolled my eyes so much this very day. What? The snark in me came out when I wasn't surrounded by masters, mistresses and the demons of this cruel world.

When we got back to our room, I keyed the door behind us and we got into bed in our new nightwears. I knew keying the door wouldn't do anything to a supernatural being who really wanted to get in but it offered some sense of security even if I knew it was false.

When we settled under the covers, the room went into silence but from Elisa's breathing I knew she was not asleep.

"How did you come about to be a slave Elisa?" I asked quietly but I knew she could hear me. I heard a sharp gasp at my question and just like that, the sound of sniffles filled the previously calm air. It had been like she was waiting. I didn't care. I reminded myself of that but still, something constricted in my chest.

She sniffled some more, hiccupped and spoke.

"I.... I was sold..." She stammered. I felt the anger in me rise. Had her parents sold her? She looked of okay standing. That didn't make sense.

"Who sold you?" I asked, quietly seething, not wanting to jump to conclusions just yet.

"No no...it's not what you think. My parents didn't sell me." She sniffled some more and I felt my shoulders relax. But that didn't make anything okay. It didn't make this okay.

"Who then?" I asked.

"The people my father owed." She sighed with such sadness that my heart ached. I waited for her to continue because I knew there was more and she needed to tell this story.

"My father is.... was a merchant." She started and I really tried to ignore her change of tenses. I couldn't but hey, I tried.

"The richest merchant in the village. We lived in a big house, nothing like this but very big you know. We had everything. I had everything. I even had my own servants. I as daddy's little princess. He had even started talking of arranging my marriage with the son of one of his friends. I was the envy of the village." She sighed wistfully, trailing off. I wasn't sure how to feel. I didn't know if I should be envious because I had never had anything of the sort or sad because I knew how her story had ended.

"Daddy had been having problems at work. He stayed up more and he was distant at meals. He still got me everything I wanted but I knew something was wrong. For a while. I should have known. I should have tried to help him. I should have known." She lamented, erupting in a few more sobs. My chest constricted again. But I said nothing. I waited for her to continue instead.

"One day, some of daddy's friends came home and I heard their argument. I don't really know much of what happened but most of daddy's shipment had continuously been stolen, or taken. Someone was threatening daddy. And when he refused to yield, they started taking everything he had. This person was a person of great power. I don't know who they are but daddy was afraid of them. Daddy took loans to recover his business but they took even that. He had taken the gold from very dangerous men. Very very dangerous men. Daddy had been loyal and refused to betray the person he supplied to and for that they crumbled his business." She paused and I knew this was where it got really bad. I prepared myself for it.

"One night, the men he took the loans from stormed the house. They...they dragged me out of bed by my hair and took me to daddy's study. They had killed all the slaves in the house. They told daddy to give their money or they will rape me and kill me. Daddy begged them. I begged them." My heart broke.

"They didn't listen. In the end, they killed him in front of me and two of them raped me." She spoke with such pain in her voice...my heart broke even some more. Her words caused harsh, dark memories to struggle to surface but I quickly pushed them back down. No. I was not going to relive that. I could only imagine what she was going through. She was but a child. An innocent child.

"They wanted to kill me after but one of them decided they could sell me and at least get some of their gold back from it. So they sold me." She finished and erupted into tears. I felt a warm tear streak down my cheek in the darkness. I quickly wiped it away. She had been through so much. Her life had been destroyed just like that. I felt so horrible for her.

"I'm sorry that happened to you. I really am." I said after a while, meaning every word and not even sure my words covered how much I felt. I wasn't sure what to say, what to tell her. I wanted to tell her it got better as time went by but it was hard. It did get better but something like that haunted you forever. I should know....

"Do you want to share a bed?" I asked instead and after more sniffled and crying she spoke

"Yes, thank you." She spoke and then quietly left her bed and came to mine, getting under the covers. I stiffened as she got in but relaxed not long after when her warmth reached me.

"It gets better. It's hard. But it gets better." I spoke into the silence, knowing she was hearing me. she gulped loudly but said nothing. I felt her hand hold mine. I stiffened again but didn't push her hand away. After a while I relaxed.

"Thank you Gabrielle." She muttered in a sleepy voice.

"And you mother Elisa? Where was she?" I asked just before she slept.

"She died last year. I have no siblings either." I felt so sad. Everyone did have problems in this world. And they hurt.

"It gets better." I muttered into the darkness still holding her hand. After a while, I heard her breathing change indicating that she was sleeping. When I was sure she was truly sleeping, just like that, my dam broke and hot tears spilled from my eyes streaking down my cheeks. My heart ached. Everything ached. Did I even believe what I was telling her?

Does it really get better?