Chapter 2: Her
This is how my morning developed… I took my morning tea while I was reading today's journal, which is how I knew of Mr. Reginald's death… I still remember the dark chuckle that came to me at that moment. It's not that I'm glad he is dead, but at least he won't bother anyone in town anymore.
Anyway, my first patient of the day came barely later I opened up my clinic… something about parasites if I remember correctly. Then, this strange man came home, claiming that I saved him once, and then paid me for it. Everything would have been great up until that point… but then he comes back with a little girl, saying that she was a slave I could use anyway I wanted…
And I just so happened to accept her… I wasn't really paying attention to what the man was telling me at that moment. It was… too reckless for my part…
After the man was gone, the rest seemed like a dream. The girl silently headed to the living room and sit down on the floor, on the farthest corner from the door… but that was it. She was just… there, looking at nowhere in particular, without moving or reacting at all. Her hard expression, coupled with her dull eyes, gave the impression that she was not even alive… Like she was some sort of living doll…
That thought gave me shivers, and looking at her poor state only made it worse, so I decided to leave her be and find a solution for the current conundrum. I cannot let this girl stay here like this; I can always tend her, I am a doctor for a reason, but I just can't keep her here. Who knows what kind of trouble I can get into if someone finds out I'm keeping a person? And as a slave no less… Does she even have the citizenship? She doesn't seem to carry any documentation on her right now, and that man didn't give it to me either… In order words, regarding law, this girl is staying in this town illegally… which will put her in real problems in the long run…
Either way, this is a problem I'm not willing to bear, I just don't want any involvement on what surely is a human traffic. However, I won't let this girl's suffering to progress any further… And I think I know the right person who can take care of her.
"Good morning, this is Evelyn's Sunshine orphanage, how may I help you?" A female voice could be heard from the other side of the phone.
"Good morning Mrs. Mary, this is Doctor David Brooks…" I answered in a whisper, trying that the girl didn't hear this conversation.
"Oh, doctor! It's such a pleasant surprise to hear from you! How have you been? And please, no need for formalities! You can call me Evelyne!" The joyful voice of the old woman asked.
"Everything is fine… Evelyn… Listen, I-"
"Did you call to adopt a child?!" The woman asked with excitement.
"W-What?! N-No! What gave you that idea?!"
"It's just that every time I see you around town you look so sad… And maybe adopting a child could make you feel better! They are all so sweet here, it's endearing to see them play together and share their laughs and 'little adventures'… They are all so innocent that you simply smile looking at them enjoying their lives!" This is Evelyn Mary for you, a woman completely dedicated to children… I can feel all the love she carries on her voice, as if she treats each and every orphan as her own child… It even makes me feel jealous… "They all pray, you know…?" She continued "Every night I listen to them talking with each other… and praying that… someday, someone would come to adopt them… and take care of them… they wish with parents that would always love them… saying that they will always love them back…" She finished with a slightly broken voice, clearly moved by the orphan's actions…
"That is… lovely Evelyn… But being a father is just… not for me"
"You should consider it either way… Sometimes, a toddler's innocence is everything we adults need to give a little light to our grey lives. Trust me, I know better" She said with a knowing giggle.
"Anyway… I actually called you to request exactly the opposite… I found a lost girl in the woods… and I would like you to take her…" This was a lie, but I will not tell her the truth for obvious reasons.
"Oh dear… I'm afraid that will be a little difficult to do…"
"W-What do you mean…?"
"If it were for me I would gladly accept her but… there has been too many children around lately. We barely have room for more… so I don't think I can accommodate her here without making her feel pressured…" She answered… (This has to be joke…)
"But…!" She continued "You said that she was lost, right? I can always help you find her parents! Just bring her here, we'll take pictures and hang them around town! I'm sure their parents must be worried sick about their little baby…!"
She has no family, no one will complain! It's perfect!
"U-Um… Evelyn… The thing is that she was actually… abandoned…"
"Oh…" Her tone suddenly diminished "Oh my… I-I'm so so sorry… I didn't… I wasn't…"
"It's fine, Evelyn… This is why I wanted to tell you, because I knew you would be caring enough to take her in…" I answered, feeling her distress… Mrs. Mary has always been a little sensitive whenever she heard a little kid was injured, abandoned or in danger… It was just her kind nature to care about kids as her own. "M-Maybe, you can adopt her yourself…?"
"Oh dear, I would… But this old lady can put up with a certain youth energy, and having already four children is tiring enough for me! I'm so sorry Mr. Brook… but this is everything I can do at the moment…" (This can't be… I cannot keep this girl…!)
"Hey, why don't YOU take her instead?" She suddenly offered with enthusiasm.
"What?"
"This is your chance! She has been left alone in this world, she has nowhere to go or no one to turn to, she only has you! You can act as her support, as her guide, as her father! Oh, I think I'm getting emotional again…!" She declared with… too much excitement…
"Uh… I-I'll… I'll think about it Evelyn…" I sighed in defeat, there was not much else I could do to convince her… and if I were to deny what she just said, I'm sure I would be in for a lecture… I'm not exactly in the mood for that…
"Good to hear it! Have a good day, doctor!" She said happily before hanging up.
"Yeah… same…" I responded… a little too late for her to hear… (Well… If it has come to this… there's only one place left…) I remember that there was an orphanage back home… where I used to live before my mother died. I wasn't planning on coming back any time soon, but this was an urgent situation.
I quickly grabbed my hat and coat. It is a long journey, even by car, so it's more than likely that I will be back by evening… I was not comfortable leaving this girl alone at home, considering that this could still be a spiteful scheme to rob me, but I've set an alarm on both the main door and the clinic door, aside from the cameras around the neighborhood. If they were to rob me, at least they will not go without leaving a trace to follow.
"U-Um… I going out to the city. I may come late, so if you are hungry there are cookies in the cabinet under the TV. Don't go out under any circumstance, alright?" I told the girl from the living room's entrance. She remained on the same spot I saw her earlier without moving an inch, not even to adjust her posture. She simply bowed her head slightly, trying her best not to look directly on my eyes.
"Travel safe… Master…" Her soft voice responded in a whisper, as if she didn't want to be heard… And then I noticed: Her hands twitched and shook ever so slightly… Even if her entire demeanor seemed calm, I could notice those symptoms everywhere… it was the same behavior a patient would have whenever I told them they needed a… rather painful treatment: She was terrified…
It was understandable in actuality… Considering her poor state and the way she has been referring to me, it's obvious that she has a rough background… Whatever Mr. Reginald did to her, it left a huge traumatic impact on her… It almost makes me feel sad for her… as if my subconscious is yelling, telling me to go to her and comfort her…
What am I thinking?! You are a doctor, you must not get any emotional attachment to any of your patients… even if she is not technically your patient. What you need to do is go to that orphanage back in the city and let more prepared people take care of her. Simple.
That's what I told myself while I went out and got into my car… But there was a strange nagging feeling on the back of my mind… As if I was forgetting something important…
So this is it… This is my new Master's residence… It is so small compared to the mansion I was until barely yesterday… I still remember how this happened… My former Master left yesterday evening, saying that he had to meet up with someone to discuss about something I didn't understand… or that was what I heard from the other servants at least… I didn't even know when he left… nor could I even tried to… He had locked me in an isolated room ever since I got to that mansion years ago... the only contact I had with the outside was a small window from where I could see the beautiful scenery of the mountain… I always watched the sunset from there… its beauty always making my chest hurt, but was a pleasant feeling…
It was the only thing I could barely enjoy in the mansion… Otherwise, my former Master would always come to my chamber yelling at me… He was always yelling… calling me ´worthless', 'stupid', 'useless' and so on… There were days when he would feel particularly angry… and he would come… and start hitting me, slapping me, beating me with heavy objects… It was his way to vent… and I couldn't complain… if I did, the beatings would be worse… I didn't want that…
But no matter what I could do… there would always be days when he just wanted some entertainment… and I was his favorite toy… He comes with a few of his servants… They corner me or restrain me, whatever it took to hold me down… My former Master then would begin to hurt me… in many ways I could never imagine… No matter how much I screamed, or begged him to stop… he would just laugh at me and continue… He loved seeing me suffering… there were times I thought I would surely die… But it was not my right to protest… I'm just an object… an item to please his desires…
That was the main reason I was so terrified that night… Every time my former Master had to go away in a trip… he would come back very enraged… and I was his perfect scapegoat… I didn't want it… I don't like when I'm hurt… and my former Master only enjoys it more when he notices that I'm in despair… That night I could only hug my legs… while shivering in terror… If I were to die before he came back… it would have been a better outcome… for everyone…
However, I could feel a tension the next morning in the mansion… The servants were nervously going around… while I was trapped in my chamber… It wasn't until two women came for me and dragged me to the main hall that I realized my former Master… was dead… Apparently, he died in a car accident last night… and now his belongings were to be distributed between his relatives… and some people I didn't know… including his servants… Some were crying, mourning the loss of their master… Others were cheering, relieved that they could go away and escape their cruelty… As for me… I just couldn't feel more scared… If my former Master wasn't here anymore… that meant I had to be sent away to another person… a person I know nothing about… a person who would hurt just as much as he did… or worse…
I was scared… I was so scared… The only thing I wanted to do was run… run away from there, and scream… After all the nights I spent begging to the skies that my life could end… or crying without being able to move because of the pain… After I have already grown accustomed to my endless nightmare… now I had to go anywhere else… where my life could be even worse… I was scared…
But I couldn't let myself show it… it was the only way… With time, I learnt that the lack of reaction bores people… Every time my former Master would punish me I tried my best not to react… that way, he would get bored sooner… That is why I must not let myself show any emotion… I have to…
People began to call servants that morning… they were probably going to their new Master's properties… Slowly, the hall was emptying until I was the only one left… it didn't seem anyone wanted to take me… Suddenly, there was a man who approached me, a strange expression on his face…
"It seems I'm stuck with you, uh?" I heard him say… (So it's him… He will be my new Master…) "Ugh, I can't work with something like this…" He mumbled "Alright, here's what we're gonna do… You'll come with me, we're going to meet with someone who may have a use for you, understood?" (So this someone… will be my new Master…?) After he said this, he simply took me by my wrist and put me into some… metallic case… I have heard of this once… I think this is called… a "car"… The man was capable to move it to his will… I wonder how it works…?
We traveled for a long time… I have never been outside of the mansion for years… so I was anxious… but terrified at the same time… Being forced to go someplace to meet someone you know nothing about… I felt so uncertain of my future now… it was too terrifying… The man didn't speak at all… not that I cared… it was easier for me to lose myself in my thoughts… looking at the beautiful scenery… I had no idea… the world could be so beautiful… If only my window could have been bigger… But I couldn't get out… my former Master would find out… and he would hit me… I must refrain myself from thinking about this, an object like me cannot enjoy this world… I must not forget this…
After what seemed like a silent eternity… we finally arrived at a house… There were so many houses around… so there must be a lot of people living around here… I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with that… But it seems that whoever lives here, they are my new Master… "I'll be going for a little bit. Don't you dare go away while I'm gone, you hear me?" The man said menacingly, to which I simply nodded… I wasn't planning on escaping my fate after all… But while he was gone, I could take a look at the residence…
It was smaller than the mansion, so my new Master is not a powerful person… Will he have servants as well…? It doesn't look like it… but if it isn't then I will be in trouble… because his attention will entirely focus on me… Will he order me to clean as well as serve as his playing toy…? No… God, please let not this be the case… I cannot take this anymore…
I saw the man got outside as he headed to the car… He opened up the door and took me out violently… taking me to meet up with my new Master… When I got inside, I got a brief look at him, just before he could notice I was looking at him… Just as I was expecting… he was a grown up man… but this time was worse… While he didn't look as big as my former Master, he was taller… and more robust… He even had a little beard that covered his jaw… giving him a more threatening look… This… This can't be real… My new Master looks even worse than the former… H-he'll hurt me… I-I don't want this… W-Why… Why won't just you let me die…?
"Be respectful. Introduce yourself" The voice of the man who brought me here snapped me… I cannot let myself show fear now… Trying my best not to cry… I said "Good morning… My name is Sylvie…"
And so… this brings me to my present… After the man was gone, I decided to pick a place to stay put until my new Master prepared the chamber for me… As I expected… his residence was very small compared to the mansion… The place where… I think it's the living room… there are a lot of books… I see men share this like for reading… From what I heard from the servants, my former Master had a big library where he kept a lot of books… It seems that my new Master can't afford a room for that… There is even a… strange grey cube beside the shelves… I've never seen that before… I wonder what it is… and what it does…
It has been minutes since I sit here, but Master hasn't come to yell at me… w-what is he doing…? Is he still preparing the chamber… o-or… is he t-taking his tools already…? I don't hear any sounds… where… wh-where is he…?
Oh… there… he has just crossed the main hall… He seemed in a hurry… What has happened…? Does he even know I'm here…? What is he going to do…?
He came back… He was now wearing a coat and a hat like that other man wore this morning… Is he going out…? "U-Um… I going out to the city. I may come late, so if you are hungry there are cookies in the cabinet under the TV. Don't go out under any circumstance, alright?" He said with the strength a man carries in his voice… but he didn't… yell… What… does this mean…?
"Travel safe, Master…" I answered politely… I think he didn't like it… That face… T-That face he has made… It seems displeased… D-Did I bother him…? N-No… Please, don't be mad… I-I didn't want to bother you… Please, h-have mercy…
But he simply adjusted his hat and headed out without saying anything else… But that does not calm me down… I think he is really angry now… and the fact that he has just gone on a trip… like my former Master did… He will hurt me when he gets back… he will…
I cannot let it happen…! I must get on his good side before he comes back…! M-Maybe cleaning would make him feel better…? It has to…! He has no servants to do chores for him, so he would make me take care of it instead… And if I show him some incentive… then I'm sure he will be pleased…! I'm sure he will… he has to…!
I got myself up… just to clutch my belly the moment right after… I haven't eaten anything since yesterday morning… I don't eat that much either… but sometimes the pain doesn't let me move much… and this was one of those times… Master said that there were "cookies" under the… "te ve"… But… what are those things…? I heard from the servants the word "cookie" several times… but I have never seen what it looks like… The only food I know is the pieces of bread and water the servants give me every two days… and that delicious looking food my former Master brings sometimes when he comes to punish me… But if it resembles a food… then I should be able to recognize it… right…? That only leaves me with the "te ve"… What could that thing be…?
No, no… I'm wasting too much time on this… I have to begin now… even if the pain makes the task difficult… I must do it… I clutched my belly as I walked around the house…
The floor was mostly covered in a carpet… which was a nice change of feeling compared to the hard cold rock of my chamber… At the other side of the hall was… what I believe is the kitchen… There was a table with a couple of wooden chairs… A long countertop covered the farthest wall… with what I think is an oven and a fridge at the corners… It was tempting to pick up something to eat here… but Master only allowed me to eat… "cookies"… so if he finds out I picked something from here… he will get mad… My stomach growled in protest… but I can't listen to its pleas… so I ignored everything and decided to go upstairs.
There, I found things I am more familiar with… A bathroom, with a simple faucet, a toilet and a tub… It was such a normal bathroom… it gave me a feeling of comfortableness… But I know it's only an illusion… I can only watch these things from afar… if Master ever wants me to clean this…
I also found two rooms… one seemed tidied and clean… but empty… Why does Master keep a room here if he lives alone…? Maybe he doesn't live alone… but the room is empty after all… Is it a room for guests…? Yes, it must be it… The other room seems to be… Master's bedchamber… I didn't want to go in there… Not because of he finding out I was prying into his personal things… but because I didn't want to find his tools and toys… he would use to hurt me… If I did… I-I know I will break down… so I decided to let it be… and not to think about it any further…
But… what I found strange is that there are no isolation chambers here… Where does he pretend to keep me…? He'll just make me sleep on the living room's floor… He'll f-force me to sleep outside…? N-No, now it's not the time to be worrying about those things… Now you must ensure you'll be of any use to him… you must act…!
I need to see if I can find… anything I can clean with… Maybe my cloth will suffice…? Yes, I think it does… W-Well… here I go…
Ugh… nothing… After hours upon hours of traveling I got nothing… Great… Just fucking great… They were not exactly full, but they said that they would only take her in if she was present and if I showed them the proper documentation. Standard procedure, they said… Tsk, taking her there is not a problem in itself, but the lack of documentation is a real problem.
And now I'm stuck in a situation in which I just can't give her away by any means! And there is no way anyone in the village will take her without asking questions! As if this wasn't suspicious enough as it was now! Ugh…
Then again… I am not exactly "stuck"… There are easier ways to… get rid of her, as that man said it… If it's true that she has no family left, then it would be easy to… make her disappear without leaving any trace… My life would be back to normal…
Oh god, what in the world am I even thinking…? I could never do that to her… not after everything she must have gone through… It's just not fair or morally correct…
I sighed in disappointment, I may be approaching this problem in the wrong way. Maybe everything I need is to look at it differently… but that must wait until tomorrow. It's already too late, and that poor girl has been alone for a long time. I think we can call it a day for now…
By the time I arrived home, the sky was already dark and most of my neighbors had already turned their light off to sleep… But I was deeply surprised to find my own house's lights on… It was already late, you would presume the girl had already gone to sleep… unless she was simply waiting for me to return home. That could be the case.
"I'm back" I responded as I got in, closing the door behind me. There was no response, which confused me even more… "Hello?" I said when I entered in the living room, and it was… quite the sight. Some would say it was "clean", but there was more to it: The floor and furniture sure had patches and traces were there was no dust, but it was cleaned in some way that made it seem as if someone awkwardly wiped it with a dirty cloth and thought it was enough. The dust was scattered around, forming some sort of "trace"… or more like multiple and chaotic traces. "What the hell?" It was indeed odd. However, everything was where I left it… So this was not someone trying to take anything away, but instead… trying to clean… simply clean…
At that moment I heard a brief sound coming from the kitchen, it sounded as if someone was handling the plates or the cutlery. When I got there, I found the little girl fidgeting with the plates, her tiny body reaching up to the cabinet where I keep them… She was wiping them with the rag she was using to cover herself, which actually made the plates dirtier than before… It actually explained the mess back in the living room. Her mistake is so naïve that it almost makes her look adorable… but you'll see who will be laughing when I get to clean all this back tomorrow… Joy…
Actually… seeing her like this… Even if she just made everything worse, the fact that she's actually… trying to help remains… She is more dedicated than I thought… It would be endearing, if it wasn't for the fact… that she is a slave…
I can't stand here watching her do all the work… mostly because she is not actually helping… but I must help her nonetheless! "Do you need a hand?"
She must have been unaware I was there, because the moment I spoke she let go of the plate, making it fall down and crash into little pieces.
"Shit!" I said unintentionally. I got a look at her face… She was looking at me with a horrified expression, clearly startled by the situation "Don't move! You may cut your feet! Let me get you out…" I slowly approached her, to which she responded by taking a little step back. She looked down and realized the situation she was in and let herself to be picked as she looked down. Her body was shivering like a puppy out in the rain… but there was something else that worried me… Her body was light, too light, and the skin below her ribcage was far too thin to be healthy… She is starving… I was… quite shocked when I noticed… but it all makes sense when you think about her condition… It doesn't make it any more reassuring though…
When I finally placed her down safely, she took a sudden step back, far enough to get out of my arm reach "I'm sorry…! I'm sorry…! I'm sorry…!" She repeated again and again guiltily, her voice hinting that she was in the brink of tears "I-I shouldn't have done that… I'll accept any punishment, so please…! Have mercy…!" She begged in terror.
"H-Hey… Hey" I put my hands up in a defensive stance "It's okay! It's just a plate, no need to make a big deal"
"N-No…! Master didn't allow me to touch it…! I should not have-!"
"Hey, calm down! Calm down…" Instinctively, I reached out for her… and started to pet her head… I'm not sure why I did it… My body just did it on its own… as if it knew it was the right thing to do… "Now, let's start over again, okay? After I was gone, what did you do?"
She moved uncomfortably on the spot she was in, like if my mere presence bothered her… She was even avoiding direct eye contact "W-When Master went away… I-I decided to clean the residence… to t-try and help Master… I only w-wanted to help… I didn't mean to b-break anything… I-I swear…" So it was that, uh…? Damn… and to think that I accused this girl of being a thief once… She was just trying to help, with very poor results I need to add, but the least she needed now was a lecture or bad criticism… Besides, it's the intention that counts, right?
I petted her head softly again while I whispered "Thank you for your consideration. But these kind of things can be dangerous, so next time be sure to tell me first, okay?" I said with a soothing voice to try to calm her down. It took seconds for to her to answer, but she finally nodded slightly.
She still looked on edge, but she was considerably calmer now, which made me smile ever so slightly "Well, it's getting late and I think it's time to make dinner. Sit down on the table and I'll be back with you in a minute" I told her as I stood up to pick up the broken plate pieces. She looked like she wanted to say something… but decided against it at the last second and sit down on one of the chairs instead.
Well David… What should you prepare tonight? There's still a plate of… some sort of pasta in the fridge… I'll never learn how it's called. That would suffice for a single person, so should I prepare something else? I am not that hungry to begin with so a salad should be enough for now… but…
I took a glance at the girl at the table. Once again, she remained still on her sit without moving a muscle of looking at something in particular… What should I do for her? It's obvious she needs something to satisfy her appetite. But, given the state she is in, eating too much could be dangerous… and if she gets a fit of hunger she could eat more than what her stomach is able to handle…
I remembered the shivering feeling I had when I touched her ribs… and got another glance at her… Even if she was literally dying from hunger, she is still there, silently uncomplaining… Did she even ate the cookies I offered her…? I told her they were under the TV… Then again, I'm not sure she knows what a TV is… Ugh, I'm so stupid. I left this starving girl here alone while I was trying to get rid of her…
Heh… Guess I am a hypocrite, uh…? I was furious with that man after seeing that he only wanted to lose sight of her for good… and now I'm doing just that… Nice going, David. Nice going…
The heck with it. I'll prepare a salad for her too and give her the plate of pasta as well. I'll just keep an eye on her to make sure she doesn't bite more than she can chew. With that said, I got to wash and cut the vegetables. The girl never spoke a word throughout the process, nor that I could strike a conversation either: The table was behind me at all moments so it was a little hard to face her, I was not that good with these sort of stuff, and she didn't look in the mood for that… We spent a long time in silence, but it was actually… uncomfortable after all… I was used to being alone, and if someone is here they are constantly speaking about a pain here or there… But having her here, without even speaking was… unsettling…
"Okay, this will do" I said to myself after I finished both plates of salad. I put one of those as well as the pasta on the girl's side of the table. She looked at the dishes intently before asking "Master… Are there any guests coming tonight…?"
"Uh…?"
"Maybe… I should hide…" Does she think that… the food is not for her…? Oh… Geez, this is even worse than I imagined… What kind of life did that rich bastard made her live…?
"Umm… Sylvie, was it…? That food is for you…" I answered softly. She looked up to me, both eyes opening slightly from the shock.
"This is… for me…?" She asked innocently, before I replied with a nod. She was still looking to her food in disbelief "My former Master… would have only given me bread and water… Am I… allowed to eat this…?" She asked once again, even more innocently than before… It was… pretty heartbreaking to listen to her speaking like that… And now that I know what kind of food she was offered… the lump in my throat felt heavier…
"Of course, Sylvie… You can eat as much as you can…"
"… Master has let me eat… this food… and he has not screamed at me… Master is… very kind… I thank Master… for this food…" She spoke with a broken voice… even a tear was running down her cheek… and she was doing a good job concealing her sobs. It seems that this little gesture moved her… and it made me so happy to see her like this…
(… What…? This feeling… I've felt this before… What could…? Oh…) It has been… such a long time since I've felt this… It was what my father always felt whenever he helped his patients… a feeling I too felt back home… But after the incident… I slowly forgot how it is to help someone in need…
Don't get me wrong, people in town are nice, and it's always good to see them grateful for my help… But unlike them, this girl has nothing: No family, no home, no food, no place to sleep, nowhere she can feel protected… and these little tears she was uselessly restraining… showed me how genuinely grateful she was… as if I just saved her life… And I did, in some kind of way…
She has been left alone in this world.
She has nowhere to go or no one to turn to, she only has you!
You can act as her support, as her guide, as her father!
So it has come to that in the end, uh…? Funny, it sounds like something my own mother would do… Take a homeless little girl to take care of her as her own daughter… like a toddler who would beg her parents to keep the little kitty she just found on the street… And if my mother made up her mind about something, hell if you could change her opinion…
I took a brief moment from my own menu to look at the girl… who was slowly chewing at her food, not sure if she is not exactly enjoying it or if she wants to enjoy every second… even her tiny hand gripped the fork with uncertainty… But at that brief second, there was something about her that intrigued me… I felt… sympathy for her… like if I wanted to know more about her… and help her get over her trauma… Just like my father would surely do…
(Mom… Dad… Is this what you're trying to tell me…? Do you really want me… to let this girl stay…?) I wasn't expecting them to answer… but I already knew what they would say… It's settled then… I guess I have a new friend from here on out…
Subconsciously, I reached out to pet her head one more time. She didn't seem to notice it, as her tearful eyes never left what was probably her decent meal in years…
After we ended up our meals, I picked up the dirty dishes and left them on the dishwasher. I decided to wash them tomorrow, as it was already too late. Sylvie thanked me for the meal one more time, telling me it was the first time she ate until she was satisfied… Now, it's not that I believe she was actually lying, but she was clearly anxious… This drastic change on her life must be hard on her, so I should be careful not to make her feel pressured…
For now, it was already bedtime. Fortunately, I had a spare room for emergencies. There were always patients on critical condition that needed rest and constant care, so this spare room is where they would stay while they recovered. But I guess… this is Sylvie's room now.
She looked around unsure, as if the mere fact that she owned a room now was a sick joke she was not buying. "Is it okay… for me to sleep here…?"
"It is" I responded firmly to make her see I wasn't kidding… but her face led me to believe it had the opposite effect…
"I-I don't mind… sleeping on the floor…" She whispered guiltily. She still believed she owed me something… but this is not the case.
"Sylvie, this is your room now. You can make use of it as much as you see fit" I said, this time softer to make sure she understood.
"Okay…" She fidgeted with her rag for a couple of seconds before she looked up to me once again "U-Um… Master…?"
"What is it?" I asked, taking a look at her eyes once again… She had the same expression back in the kitchen when she broke the plate: She was terrified…
"What… is going to happen to me…?" She asked innocently… but scared… What does she mean? "Will you… hurt me… like my former Master did…?"
Oh… So that's how it is… Poor thing, she must think that I may have a secret and evil motive to be nice to her… "Sylvie, you can believe me on this one. I will never hurt you, not now, not ever"
"R-Really…? If Master truly wishes to… he can hit me… My former Master always enjoyed… my screams of pain…" (… what…?) He… enjoyed listening to her screams…? What kind of sick monster would do that?! How can anyone hurt another person just for entertainment?! "I will do anything you want me to… I'm fine with… just a little food… S-So please… have mercy…" She said in a broken voice… This was terrible, every time I listen to this girl, every time I take a quick glance to her life… it always shocks me to the worse…
Even now, her situation was delicate… Judging from the tone of her voice, she didn't believe in my words… she doesn't trust me… But I cannot really blame her… "Don't… Don't worry about it, Sylvie… Just… try to sleep for now. Good night…" I simply said in defeat…
"G-Good night, Master… Sleep well…" She responded while I closed the door and headed to my own room… I was actually feeling hopeless, being unable to make her feel any better at the moment… Although, if we look on the bright side, that life she was in before doesn't exist anymore. She is here now, under my care, and it's my duty to help her recover. The storm has already happened, now we just need to fix the damages. It's going to be a long journey, but I'll make sure to help her walk it… as my protegée… With that final uplifting thought, I drifted to sleep…
To be continued…
Now that's what I'm talking about! This chapter came out a little better than the previous one, or at least that's the feeling I got. You might notice that I have experimented on the narration, especially on Sylvie's pov. I was trying to do something like a 'live narration', as if the scene was progressing at the same time you read it. It looks natural on some scenes... not that much on others... But I think it's better than what I did in the first chapter.
Anyways, this is all I have for now. I may upload irregularly but consider these two chapters as some sort of starter. If you are interested to read more, let me know! I always appreciate reviews.
Anyhow, see you around next time.