Chapter 3: Baby Steps
Ah… I awoke… Master must have come back from his trip already… It should not be long enough… until he comes here… and starts yelling at me… H-How would he… hurt me this time…? I don't… even want to guess… I just need to bear it… for a couple of hours until he becomes bored… I just need to remain calm… no matter how it hurts…
But this is very strange… I don't hear him yelling from the hallway… Is he still out…? But I don't hear the servants either… What is happening…? And why is the floor so… soft and warm…?
I slowly opened up my eyes… to look at a ceiling I was not familiar with… Instead of hard cold stone, it had some kind of… beige painting… Moreover, I was laying on a white and soft mattress… I was… on a bed… What is this…?
Then… I remembered… I was no longer in that mansion… inside that cold and dark chamber… My former Master died yesterday… and I was sent to another person… This room was my new Master's property… and he let me stay here last night…
I stood up slowly as I felt the soft carpet under my feet… I looked around the room, watching intently each and every furniture… The bed, the wardrobe, the nightstand… and the window… That incredible window… it was so much bigger than the one I had in the chamber… I didn't need to climb it, and I could lean out on it with ease… The sunrise… It was so beautiful… I could feel my eyes tearing up… Never in my pitiful life… I have seen something like this… And I had to wonder… if I was even allowed to enjoy this…
That thought snapped me out of the trance… I took a glance at the door and tried to hear what was happening out… There were noises coming from outside the house… but I was paying attention to what was happening in the hallway just at the other side of that door… My new Master would surely come here any second… to call me a ´worthless bitch'… and order me to start working… I sighed and kneeled down… to obediently receive the slap should he choose to hit me…
But… I heard nothing… Not a single sound coming from within the house… W-What is Master doing…? Is this a t-trap to… get me off-guard…? Is he w-waiting just outside that door… to g-get me as soon as I got out…?
In the end… I knew these questions didn't matter… One way or another, I had to go outside soon or later… either by my own foot… or making Master to force me out… No matter what I do… I will be hurt… so if it has come to this… I want it to end as soon as possible…
With this thought… I grabbed the knob meekly and turned it as slow as I could… When the door started to open, I closed my eyes tightly… waiting for the incoming kick or slap… But it never came… Instead, when I opened my eyes, I found no one in front of me… In fact, I was alone in the hall… What does this mean…? W-Where did Master go…? Is he still s-sleeping…?
As I walked along the hallway… to Master's bedchamber… I found the door barely open… and I could hear faint snores coming from inside… So Master… is still sleeping… That's so strange… My former Master would be up so early in the morning… and start to yell and complain that he barely catches any sleep… right before he opened my chamber and gave me his usual morning kick on the chest… But my new Master… is still peacefully sleeping… Does this mean… that once he wakes up… he will have a better mood…?
N-No, don't get worked up… That's exactly what he wants… that's exactly what he got last night… I promised myself not to show any feeling in front of him… and I already messed up in the first night... But w-what could I do…? I have not eaten anything but bread and water for the past years… and when yesterday Master fed me those… things… I couldn't hold it anymore… I couldn't hold my tears at that moment… I don't even know what I ate… but the only thing I cared about last night… is that it tasted so delicious…
But that's exactly what he wanted… I'm sure of it… Now he knows how to exploit me… how to torture me… how to make me suffer… I only had to hide this from him… but it doesn't matter now…
And it didn't end there… He even gave me this room… with a soft bed… and a beautiful window… Master is being too nice… too nice to be true… I-I'm sure… I'm sure, h-he was laughing when he went to sleep… He's just m-mocking me… humiliating me… waiting for his chance to hurt me when I'm most vulnerable…
It's so… it's so t-terrible… I knew it… I k-knew… this man was w-worse than my f-former Master… He's n-not trying to torture me t-to my limits… Instead, h-he's trying to build my hopes up… to d-destroy me completely… Master… is a m-monster…
But I must perish this thought… Master will find out… and when he does… he would surely kill me… I gulped down, and left Master to sleep in peace… while I went downstairs… I decided my best option would be to wait in the same spot I was yesterday… until Master woke up… There are still a few dirty plates in the kitchen from the dinner… But after what happened last night… I decided to listen to Master's advice and wait until he ordered me to…
For several minutes, I just waited here… kneeling down, feeling the softness of the carpet… I would hear sounds outside every so often… I wonder what people outside are doing…? I've… never been outside…
The thought makes me feel so excited… but so scared… What would the people think if they see someone like me…? Would they stare at me…? Would they insult me…? Would they hit me…?
My thoughts were interrupted when I heard a door closing upstairs… Master is awake…! I-I must s-straight my pose, I shall salute him with respect as he screams… and s-stay still when he comes to k-kick me… However, the footsteps I hear are slow and quiet… Master is not storming in here…
There he is… Master has just come in the living room… he still looks sleepy, he's stretching and yawning… Be respectful, I must greet him "Good morning, Master…" Master suddenly looked at my direction wide eyed, startled… W-Was he not expecting me…? Is he m-more angry now…?
But he sighed and brought his hand to his chest… He tiredly answered "Oh… Good morning, Sylvie… I wasn't expecting you here…" Sylvie… He has called me by my name… He didn't yell or call me anything nasty… He used my name…
"Well, uh… h-how have you slept? You woke up pretty early, uh?" Master said, looking away and scratching the back of his head… He was doing it again… he's pretending to be nice and catch me off-guard… Why…? W-Why is he so cruel to me…?
"Good…" I simply responded with a quick nod.
"That's… great… I suppose" Master said uncertain… He looks disappointed… I must keep this up, he'll grow bored soon… It's the only thing I can do… "Well, there's a lot to do today. But for now, how about we, um, take breakfast for now…?" He asked in that same uncertain tone… but he's offering me food again… This could be my chance… I can pretend food doesn't bother me… Master will have no way to torture me then… for now…
I stood up slowly as I followed Master to the kitchen… He allowed me to sit on the chairs… while he took a strange object… He was about to pour water in it before he looked at my way… "Um… I'm not sure if I should give you coffee…" He said almost to himself… But… what was that thing he mentioned…?
"Coffee…?"
"You don't know…? Oh, right. Sorry…" He said as he gave himself a little knock on his temple… Why… did he do that…? "Let's see… It's basically a drink that has a special substance that gives a lot of energy. I personally find useful to completely wake me up, heh…" He chuckled… But it didn't sound evil or malicious… It was a genuine chuckle, as if what he just said was funny… It was… nice to hear it… "Although, its taste might be too bitter for you just yet…" He continued, interrupting my thoughts… "And I ran out of sugar a couple of days ago… Ah! I think I know what I can give you!"
He quickly opened up the fridge and took out a jar of some brown liquid… I didn't know what that was… but I was more fixed on Master… He was so weird… He is not like any man I've seen before… I cannot understand his actions… Is he trying to confuse me…? Is this his way to let my guard down…? T-This is why… This is why I need to be careful… He is waiting for his chance… to break me… to make me drown in despair…
… but at the same time… Master is so intriguing… Even if I am afraid of him… there is this feeling of curiosity… as if I actually want to see what he's doing… and how he does it…
Before I could make sense of these thoughts… a mug of that brown liquid was steaming up on my nose… It smelled… so sweet… I looked up at Master, to see him smiling down at me "Go on! I'm sure you'll love it!"
I was not sure if I could believe him… I still didn't know what this liquid was… but this smell… Something that smells like this can't be bad… I took the mug carefully between my hands… and sipped it…
My eyes went wide… It was hot… but it tasted so sweet… just like its smell… Master must have seen my face, because I heard him letting out a heartfelt laugh… I instinctively looked at him… without realizing… "Do you like it?" He asked… but I wasn't able to answer… I was in such a bliss at that moment that my throat wasn't working… "This is hot chocolate, Sylvie… I personally prefer coffee myself, but this little baby is perfect to keep warm. And as you can see the taste is wonderful!"
"Chocolate…?" I subconsciously said as I looked down on the mug… Chocolate… I love it… I love how it sounds… I love how it smells… I love how it tastes… I just love it…! Not wasting any second, I slowly gulped down all the content… enjoying every drop of this sweet chocolate… Chocolate… I will never forget it… I love it…
"I'm glad you liked it…" Master's voice snapped out of it… forcing me to look at him meekly… There was such a strange expression on his face… His eyes… seem sad… Why is Master sad…? But he's also smiling… What does this mean…? What his he thinking on…?
This girl… It's so hard not to feel any pity for her when she acts like this… She didn't even know what chocolate is… freaking chocolate… Man, it's the first time I see a kid not knowing the existence of chocolate… I just don't know what to say or what to do… I finally accepted that I must take care of this girl here… but I have no idea where to start… What can I possibly do…? I always took care of patients as a doctor… but what can I do to take care of a child as her guardian…?
Focus, David. It's not like you're treating with an overanxious patient, this is just a scared child trying to make sense of her new situation. Start by breaking the ice with her! Talk to her, ask her about things… Those kind of stuff! It should not be so hard… right…?
"So, uh… how are you…?" Yeah… Good choice for a first question.
"… good…" She answered shyly, fidgeting with the empty mug. Well, that was not really meaningful… and I've ran out of topics… Great…
Then I took a glance at her tiny hands, specifically, to the numerous injures, bruises and burn marks around them… I remembered that her whole wide is just as nasty as her hands… and felt like kick my own ass myself. Not only did I left her starving yesterday but also THIS injured?! What kind of poor excuse of a doctor would do that…?!
I frantically brought my hand to my neck, gathering my thoughts "U-Um… Does it hurt…? You know… those…" I was trying not to mention them directly, hoping that she would catch on what I was trying to mean.
"… These…?" She said as she pointed at her arms "… These were done long ago… They don't hurt anymore…" She said nonchalantly… which was kind of disturbing in fact… But as I looked closer, she was actually right. Aside from its gruesome appearance, they were pretty scarred, so there was no need to bandage her, at least not yet…
"Is something wrong, Master…?" Her quiet voice made me realize that I may have been looking at her too closely… I must have made her anxious.
"Oh, I-I'm sorry… Everything is okay…" I answered with a sigh, this was fruitless, I have no idea what to talk to her about and she won't even try to follow me up…
"I apologize…" She said quietly after what was almost a minute of silence "I am not good at conversations… I deeply apologize for disappointing Master…" Oh… well, it also makes sense… Huh, maybe we are not so different in the end.
"It's alright…" I reached out to pet her head once again "I am not really good myself, he he… A lot of people around here can bet you on that…" I kept chuckling like an idiot for a couple of seconds until it was already awkward she was not even smiling… "Let's just… take it slow, okay? I'll let you be the one to do the talking whenever you feel ready" She slowly nodded, still not even trying to stare at me.
The rest of the breakfast was quite uneventful. After feeling a lot more awake thanks to my caffeine-filled friend, I took our dishes and proceeded to wash them… The plates we used last night were still there so those needed to be cleaned up too. Joy. I guess I'll be stuck here for a couple of minutes…
I mechanically began to wash the dishes with a sponge as I hummed happily. I still needed to think about what I must do with Sylvie… Her injuries are not something to be really worried of anymore, so we can already scratch that from the list. The next thing I needed to sort was obvious now that I think about it: Her clothes. I do not have any kid-sized clothes and I can't have her walk around in that poor excuse of a blouse. I must buy her clothes from the village as soon as I can. What else? Hmm, I've noticed we are running sort in general in the kitchen… It looks like I need to do the regular grocery shopping again, uh? Not a big deal. The downside is that today is Sunday, so I won't be able to buy anything at all until tomorrow… which reminds me that I must close the clinic for today as well!
So, to sum everything up, I need to close the clinic for today, and do the grocery shopping tomorrow. I must not forget to buy clothes for Sylvie while I'm at it. Got it.
I looked back at the girl, who was still quietly sitting on the table, breathing and blinking being the only signs of life on her… I got a quick look at her hair, which was still pretty messy, stiff and dirty… Now that I think about it, it's obvious that she hadn't had a bath recently, she could use one right now. "Um, Sylvie, could you come here for a quick second?"
"Yes, Master…" I heard her comply from behind, followed by the sound of her little footsteps approaching me, even if she was still fairly away from me.
"I thought you might want to take a shower, so you can go to the bathroom upstairs and get yourself clean while I take care of this" She nodded after a moment of hesitation "Oh, and there are a couple of bedroom slippers at the entrance for you to use. They may be a little big for you but I can't have you walking around barefoot, can I?" I said giving her a brief smile.
Her eyes widened up slightly for a second, coming back to their usual dullness just as quick… She's still as untrusting as usual, but she's slowly showing some kind of emotion… just like last night… I will never forget those tears… Tears of pure bliss and gratitude…
Master… has let me borrow a pair of his slippers… so I don't walk barefoot… W-What is he planning…? What d-does he expect me to do…? I slowly walked to the entrance door to find said slippers sitting on a corner… They seemed soft and warm… I'm sure it would feel nice to put my toes in them… but Master is being too nice again… giving me that chocolate… and allowing me to use his slippers… Master must be hiding something…
W-Wait… could it be… could it be that there is a trap inside them…? M-Maybe… they are filled w-with needles… or tiny blades… s-something tiny and sharp enough to hurt me while I walk… I-I'm not that confident to put my feet inside them anymore… but if I don't comply… Master w-will be angry… and my punishment would be worse…
Gulping down and biting my lip, I slowly put my right foot inside the slipper… to meet a soft surface… But, how could it be…? They weren't… tampered after all…? I put my other foot in the remaining slipper and found it just as soft… It wasn't a trap… Master didn't try to fool me… he genuinely lent me his slippers… Could Master be… a kind soul after all…?
N-No… Don't be fooled… He must have an ulterior motive to this… People have always been like this… Not only my former Master acted this way, but the servants as well… Whenever they treated me with care, I would always be blamed for something I didn't do… and they wouldn't even try to defend me… At the end of the day… I was always alone… I had no one I could ask for help… This is no different… And it will never be…
After sighing up with apprehension, I made my way upstairs… It was kind of hard to walk with these slippers, they were so much bigger than my feet… so I was clumsily walking ahead… Every so often I would look down to watch their size… Master's feet are so big… and my body is so small… it would be so easy for him to break my ribs… with just a single kick…
Once I reached the bathroom, a sudden realization hit me: What… was a shower…?! Master said… he wanted me to take a shower… but what exactly does he want me to take…? It's something he needs me to bring to him…? I need to try to remember… What did he say exactly…?
…you might want to take a shower upstairs…
…get yourself clean…
Get myself… clean…? S-So he was referring to that all along… Th-That explains… why w-would he lent me his slippers to begin with… H-He… He making me comfortable… f-for the torture session he is about to p-perform… I have been wondering… when w-would he try to begin torturing me for his own a-amusement… It d-didn't take too long after all…
The best thing I can do now… is wait for him to come… and end this session as soon as possible… I sit down on the toilet with my back straightened… I-I was even digging my nails into my thighs and biting down on my tongue hard… I-I must prepare myself… for what is to come… It was painful… b-but it will be nothing compared to what Master is about to do to me…
This is it… T-This will be the beginning of my stay… with my new Master… I h-hope… I hope I can grow accustomed to it quick… before I c-completely lose it…
Aaaand there goes the last plate for now. It took quite longer than I would have expected, but at least that's done. What comes next on the list? Oh, right: Close up the clinic for today, then I can finally begin to work on the dusty mess that is the living room. Now… I don't exactly want to blame Sylvie for it… mainly because I was the careless one to leave an injured, starving and oblivious child on her own while I was away planning to get rid of her. So yeah… let's just draw a veil over it, shall we?
I crossed the hallway to take a quick look at the living room before heading out to close the clinic. Surely the patches and traces of dust were still over the floor and furniture… It's not like I was expecting it to vanish while I was asleep or anything, as if. But now that I think about it, it has been a couple of months since these have had a thorough cleaning… Ugh, I guess today is going to be a very, very long day of cleaning. Yay.
Hmm, now that I remember… I sent Sylvie to take a bath before, right? But she has not come down yet, what is she doing? I decided to head upstairs before doing anything else, just because I was curious to see what was wrong. I didn't hear nor the shower nor the faucet, so one had to wonder what could she be doing up there. When I got to the bathroom door, I knocked on it a few times… it feels so strange to just knock on a door in my own house after being alone for so long.
"Sylvie, have you finished yet?" I asked softly, for all I know she could still be bathing… in weird silence… but hey, you never know. However, no reply came back, which was very strange "Sylvie?" I asked once again, followed by a single knock this time… But I got the same result as before, silence.
At this point I was beginning to panic "Sylvie, are you there?!" I knocked a little more frantically now… What's wrong? Why is she not answering?! Wait… M-maybe… Maybe she slipped and hit her head…! "Sylvie!" I screamed alarmed as I opened up the door with force… But my beating heart calmed down after seeing her sitting submissively on the toilet.
Same as before, she had a hard expression, her entire body was stiff and her knuckles were white since she was pressing her thighs strongly… I must have startled her by opening up the door so suddenly… "Oh, there you are… Geez, Sylvie, you could have at least said something… You almost made my heart jump off my throat…!" I said as I touched my chest and chuckled to let her know it was alright. But she didn't react much aside from barely looking up at my face…
"I-I'm ready, Master…" She said in a strained voice. It didn't sound as honest as I would have wanted to… It was rather… reluctant.
"'Ready'? What for?"
"F-For my punishment… I shall accept M-Master's punishment without hesitation" She said, again forcing those words out of her lips.
"Wh-What?! Wait, hold on. Who said anything about a punishment?! Didn't I tell you that you could take a bath?!"
"That is why I awaited Master's arrival… so he could perform the punishment just as he ordered me…"
"Wait… Taking a bath… is a punishment for you…? Why…? Who told-?"
"Master said… he wanted me to get cleaned… and my former Master… always punished me… for having to get cleaned… My former Master always hated to clean me… so he made sure I was punished whenever that happened…"
Whenever she needed a bath… Reginald would always punish her for it…? Why…? Why would he do this?! It's just a bath! A goddamn bath! What in the world was wrong with that guy's head to neglect a person's basic needs and even getting mad for simply granting them?! Why?! Just tell me why, for fuck's sake!
… I just can't understand it… How can someone toy with the life of a person like this…? Treating them like pathetic bugs to crush… Every life is valuable enough as they are, without exception, and no life has more value than any other… No one should ever have the right to decide on another person's life like this… and if they do, they are not people anymore… They are just poor excuses of human, dreadful monsters posing as a person… I've always known these kind of people exist out there… and I've always been disgusted by them… But now that I see the effect and impact they have on others… on this girl… It's like an entire new feeling… a feeling that goes beyond hatred… a cruel mixture between disgust, hatred, rage and depression…
But then, I would look at Sylvie… and remember that, above everything else, the only thing that matters is her wellbeing. Just then… this feeling would subside… I gave a long sigh to make up my mind. If I want to get anywhere, I must keep my posture… No matter what she tells me, no matter how horrible it sounds, I must remain calm… Just then, she would begin to trust…
"Sylvie… I can't even begin to imagine what could he have done to you… and I know my words are meaningless right now… But I can promise you, whatever he did, I won't. If he screamed, I won't. If he hit you, I won't. If he punished you, I won't… No matter how many things he could have done to make you lose hope, I just won't do any of those things…"
I did my best kneeling down on the little bathroom so Sylvie didn't feel threatened in any way… She began to shiver at that moment, but I wasn't sure what that could mean exactly… Nevertheless, she still needs that bath, maybe she would feel better after it. "So Sylvie… you can take a long, relaxing shower without worries. I will not get mad for it" I gave her a small smile, but her eyes were still anxious.
"But… Master… how do I… 'take a shower'…?" … wait… What did she just said…?
"Sylvie… You don't know… what a bath is?" She slowly shook her head… Oh god… Please, tell me she's joking… She must be joking! I can't teach her how to bath! It's just… wrong! What would the neighbors think if they find out their old and nice doctor has bathed a little girl?! It would be outrageous! I would be labeled as depraved pedophile, even I would not be able to look at my own reflection anymore!
But when I look at Sylvie's eyes, silently asking for assistance… it makes everything worse… I feel like a total degenerate right now, but I just can't leave her alone… "U-Um… O-Okay… Let's j-just start with this…" I approached the tub, grabbed the shower hose and opened it, allowing it to fill the tub with water. I would normally prefer it scalding, as this village's weather is not quite warm. It would even snow the whole winter. However, I don't think her little body can uphold such warmth, so I simply left it in the middle… perhaps a little bit hotter.
Once the tub was completely filled, I turned around to face the girl, still nervous about the fact that I had to freaking teach her this… or worst case scenario, bath her myself. "U-Uh, now you just… h-have to… u-undress… and get in here…" Even the words filled as blades cutting my throat as I spoke them… Everything about this situation screamed "wrong" all over it… I just hope she gets everything in the first try, because I am NOT repeating this. At all.
She reluctantly took off her blouse… Nothing else came after that, which made me shiver even more. I instinctively looked and moved away so she could walk into the tub… until she suddenly stopped and looked at the water afraid… She then looked at me just as afraid, her eyes clearly begging me something I couldn't quite understand.
"What's wrong?" I asked as I looked down at her. She moved her mouth to speak, but it seemed that her throat was betraying her. "It's alright, there's nothing to be afraid of" I said as I took her hand and gently pushed her forward to help her in. She hesitantly complied at first, but once her legs were in the water, she looked down again now with an expression of surprise.
"It's… It's warm…" She whispered in shock, making me chuckle slightly.
"Of course it is. Wouldn't want you to freeze now, would we?" I said as I looked at her lightheartedly again… I need to stop doing this, I feel stupid if she will not smile back… "Well… I guess you can j-just sit down for now…" I said as I turned back and sit on the toilet, as long as I don't have to face her. In the brink of the eye, I could see that she had sit down and hugged her legs, the water now reaching up to her neck. I will leave her be for now so she can sort out the current situation.
Meanwhile… I guess I'll just stay here… waiting for her to be done… I still can't believe I'm doing this, I feel so horrible right now. I don't have any… particular interest in young girls… and I would be so disappointed with myself if I did, so this situation is… rather uncomfortable for me. I mean, I'm sure a parent would be glad to help their child with anything they needed, but she is not my daughter, nor I see her as such… Hell, I don't even know how old she is!
But there is no point to revolve around it now, just get it over with as soon as possible and forget about it. By chance, my eyes fell on the little comb I kept in the cabinet beside the mirror. I remember that my mother used to brush her hair every time she took a shower, which looked beautifully straight and shiny… Maybe Sylvie would appreciate it if I brushed her hair…? It's not like I know how it's done, but I'm sure she does not know either, and if I mess up I'd rather be the one responsible. Besides, it can't be that hard, right?
I looked back at the tub to see that Sylvie has not moved an inch, not even to drench her head… Okay, I guess I'll have to be the one doing the work… It has been a pleasure, dignity.
"Okay, let's resume, shall we?" I asked as I approached her. She simply nodded and stood up. My eyes briefly looked down on her body, and the state she was in was perfectly clear now. It's safe to assume that she has not developed well, as she has no signs of feminine features. No chest, no hips, not a single curve in her body to find. Her belly looks as if there was a vacuum inside, which barely had volume enough to contain her stomach and intestines. Her chest was wavy, product of the lack of skin and the protruding ribs. Her pubis was pink and swollen… which led me to think… that she could have been abused… And the lump in my throat came back, harder than ever… To think that rich bastard could sexually abuse a little girl.
But at the same time I felt sad for the girl… She's uncomplainingly doing this, without refusing or struggling to break free, all with a hard rock façade… even if the inside of her mind is a distressing turmoil… Does she really think of her as a slave…? As a mere being at the mercy of those who have a hold on her…? Someone that has not the right to choose…? It was so… pathetic… in the most depressive meaning of the word…
"What now, Master…?" She asked softly.
"First, we'll need to wet that hair of yours" I said as I pointed the shower hose above her "Close your eyes" I told her while water began to pour on her. The dirt on her hair was flowing down her body to the water in the tub, which was fairly dirty by now.
"Alright. Now, could you cup your hands together please?" She did as such, right before I poured some shower gel on her hands. I wanted her to participate on this too… and I honestly wanted to avoid touching her directly at all cost "This Sylvie, is soap. It is commonly used to clean things, such as ourselves, plates and even clothes. Just rub your hands together and spread it all over your body to clean it. Do not leave any place without soap: armpits, knee pits, the space in between the fingers… make sure there is soap everywhere, okay?" I instructed her carefully.
"O-Okay, Master…" She nodded a little more vividly this time. It seems that I got her attention, as she began to scrub herself with the soap. As for me, I took the shampoo and poured a little on my palm. I guess I can lend her a hand on the hair. Then, I started to kindly scrub her hair clean.
We stayed like this for a couple of minutes, she even ended up before I did, now looking at her foamed arms with interest. I was still thoroughly scrubbing her hair, it was stiffer than I thought and getting to the hair root was proving to be a challenge. Moreover, her hair reached just below her neck, which was considerably longer than what I'm used to. So yeah, I was quite busy up here. Sylvie didn't seem to mind, she was waiting patiently for me to be done.
"M-My… M-My former Master…" She began, forcing me to stop immediately. In a quick motion, I kneeled down to meet her eye level. Whatever she was about to say, I knew it was important, and she deserved my entire attention. After passing the initial shock, she looked down and held both of her hands behind her back… "My former Master… w-would have never done this…" She said, a weak tone leaving her lips… She must be remembering… the punishment she mentioned earlier… Maybe she is ready to open up…?
"What… would have he done…?" I dared to ask, maybe a little unsure if it was even correct to ask her… but she didn't look like stopping…
"He… w-would have s-stripped me naked by force… and w-with a couple of servants, he would bring b-buckets of cold water… and s-soak me completely with them… Sometimes, t-there were pieces of ice…" She said as she hugged herself, now shivering like a custard… "… But there were t-times… when he would bring a g-giant pot of cold water… He would then t-tie my hands… and tie my head… i-inside a bag… And then… he w-would stuff my head into the p-pot… forcing me… to c-choke and drown… I couldn't breathe… my chest hurt… and they wouldn't even hear me scream… U-Until I stopped struggling… they would n-not get me out…"
Having enough, I simply rested my hand on her head, petting her hair with my already soaped hand. Her eyes met mines, receiving a warm smile as well "I will never do that, I promise" She didn't answer back. Instead, she simply looked at me intently, as if she was trying to read me, to dig into my own soul… I giggled in amusement as I stood up. "Well, we need to get that soap out now, do you want to try?" I said as I handed her the hose. She looked at me for a second, before opening the hose and diligently repeating the previous process she saw me doing. Soon, her entire body was soaked completely once again, and I couldn't feel more proud…
"Here, you can use this to dry yourself" I gave her a towel and she quickly wrapped herself around it, away from the cold… It was so cute… She sat down on the toilet to dry her legs, while I took the comb from the cabinet and started to brush her hair.
"M-Master… what are you doing…?" She asked confused. I realized that I just went ahead and picked her hair without telling her… It was quite rude now that I think about it.
"Oh, sorry Sylvie… Now that you're wet, your hair might get a little messier than before… so I thought you may be a little more comfy if I brushed it… It's nothing to be afraid of, I assure you" I answered softly while I kept combing her hair. It was actually easier than I thought at first, I just needed to do it slowly in order not to pull too strong on the strands and hurt her.
"… Why…?" Sylvie asked innocently.
"Hm? Why what?"
"Why… is Master doing this…?" She's still confused. She's desperately trying to make sense of her current situation… after only seeing the worst humans can do…
"Well, if it's about the hair, I thought you might like it. If it's about the shower, then because I can't let you walk around dirty, don't you think?" Without realizing it, my voice was getting dimmer and softer… as if I was actually okay with the situation… Seeing her wrapped up in the towel, and taking care of her hair… it's giving me a warm feeling in my chest… For a brief second, it felt like she had always belonged here…
"T-That's not it… Master is being… s-so kind… I d-don't get it… I'm just a slave… I-I'm just a worthless… expendable object… W-Why is Master… so n-nice… to someone like me…?" She was shivering again, and I'm sure the lack of clothes are not the reason.
"You ask why I am nice…" I said slowly, almost acquiescent. "… and I ask back, why would I NOT be nice…?" I made a brief pause to let her ponder the question, but when she did not respond, I continued "You say you are a slave. Worthless. Expendable. I have no idea why would they tell you that, but if you want my opinion, that's not what I see. What I see is a little girl like any other, who was practically abandoned by everyone, who was not given a chance to live… A poor soul that fell on the hands of the wrong people… You are far from worthless or expendable, Sylvie… You are a person… And if you still can't see that, if you can't love yourself yet… then I will…"
For the next few minutes, none of us said anything… but I didn't think words were needed then… I could notice that her body had relaxed and her eyes had closed… I'm not sure what she thinks about me now… but I can tell she trusts in me a little more, even if it's not much to make a difference… but that's okay. I will give her all the times she needs.
I was not punished… Master didn't punish me… He… 'bathed' me… Master was so gentle… I feel… so much better… I feel refreshed… My hair… and my body… they smell so nice… Even Master gave me one of his coats… I looked so small in it… but Master refused to let me wear my blouse… He didn't like it…? I thought it was a symbol, to remind me of my place… But he wanted me to wear his clothes instead… Master is so kind… He didn't leave me naked, cold, unprotected…
He still scares me… but he is so… intriguing… No one has treated me the way he does… I don't know what it means… I like it… but it terrifies at the same time… I don't know what to do… I don't know what he wants from me… Does he want anything at all…? Is he mocking me behind my back even now…?
I don't understand Master… Even when we came back to the living room, he said he wanted to continue cleaning… and told me I could just relax… Why is he doing chores…? Isn't that a job… for a slave like me…? Why does he want me to stay put while he works…? Even after I already cleaned the living room yesterday… he decided to do it all over again…
Is it that… what I did was for nothing…? I worked so hard to please him… but I ended up making things worse…? I-I failed…? I f-failed Master…?
N-No… N-Not this… Anything b-but this… Master d-doesn't use m-me to his own p-pleasure… If I failed M-Master in this too… that m-means I'm j-just useless… and… i-if Master sees I'm just a s-stupid, useless, good f-for nothing slave… He would k-kill me… He w-won't need me… H-He'll get rid of me… N-No…! I c-can't let it happen…! I m-must help Master…! I must be useful…! I m-must be…
I silently walked behind Master… He was cleaning the bookshelf with a little piece of cloth… He was also humming… it was such a gentle melody… it was nice to hear him… But I had no time for this… I meekly pulled the hem of his shirt, he turned around and kneeled down to speak to me… He had that smile… that smile I couldn't comprehend… What does this smile mean…?
"What is it?" He asked softly.
"U-Um… Master… should not be doing this… I'm your slave… I shall take care of this… while Master just orders me…" I said… a little too hesitant than I would have liked… But Master just laughed.
"Well, I would be the biggest jerk in the world if I did that!" He said between chuckles… "Sorry for the word… But seriously Sylvie, you are my guest, I can't let you work around while I just do nothing. What kind of host would I be if I did that?"
"B-But Master… T-There must be something I can do…" I said, now starting to panic… "As a slave… I can't wait… a-and see Master do all the work…" His smile faded… and a different expression replaced it… W-Was he angry…? I shouldn't… I shouldn't have spoken up… A slave c-can't have opinions… I-I will understand… I will understand i-if Master is mad… but p-please… allow me to be useful… I-I don't want to be d-discarded… I-I will bear any pain… y-you inflict on me… but don't i-ignore me… p-please…
"I should have known… Very well…" I heard Master said after a long sigh… and petted my head… "But I hope you understand I won't let you do all this alone, okay?"
"I-I understand…" I said as I bowed… now immensely happy that he would not get rid of me… I felt so relieved.
"I will let you help me with a couple of basic tasks from now on. But now…" He looked up at the shelves… the ones on the top were quite high… even for Master… "How about you help me with those up there? I'll pick you up so you can reach them, and with this rag you will slowly clean them. Be careful, make sure you move the books away, we have to be thorough. Are you ready?" He asked, as that captivating smile came back…
"Y-Yes… I will do my best…"
We spent the rest of the day cleaning… Master would do most of the work… like moving around the furniture… but he always smiled each time our eyes met… And I felt so good helping Master… because I knew… I was useful to him… I promise you Master… as your slave… I will not let you down…
To be continued…
I find it very interesting to switch between our protagonists POV, but it's so frustrating at the same time! I would love to show the same scene from both their perspectives, but that would only make the fanfic virtually longer than it should, and I feel it would be boring in the long run. So, whenever the character without the current POV is talking or interacting, I try my best to convey what they are thinking based solely on their actions. I would like to know if you are able to guess it with some certainty or if it's kind of vague after all.
Anyway, this has been all for this chapter, hoped you liked it! Leave a review and comment whatever you feel like writing, anything will suffice (Don't mind me, I really love to read what you have to think, even more than follows or favorites)
See ya around next chap.
