During the night Bzema lay with open eyes. Lying on an indigo colored rag in the corner of an empty, hot room, she glanced up through the single small window that shone a sliver of the moon's light that was across the room. Her fierce green eyes reflected the moonlight.

'Sigh, I wish this wasn't my life. It's the only life I know of, though...' Her thoughts trailed off as her eyes searched the wooden floors for any signs of movement. She found none.

Suddenly a thought rushed to her head. Causing her to be very confused. 'How was my life like before I was a slave?' She remembered that she was found at age 9. The rest before that she couldn't recall. She sat upright thinking hard on this. Yet just then her door creaked open.

"Bzema?" Called out the quiet voice of Rezla's. Rezla looked at one corner of the room where she saw the slave sitting up from. She crept up to her and kneeled down. "Sorry to disturb you... h-however I must tell you something." she paused. Bzema waited patiently. " Um, well... I've been thinking. I want you to run away from my father. He has gone too far in how he treats you and... although I won't see you anymore it is a risk I must make you take... It is for your own safety Bzema."

"Run away?" said the slave in disbelief.

"Yes!" she said in a loud whisper. "You must! It is the only way out. You understand don't you my friend?"

"I understand. Even so, it is one I refuse miss. This is my only home." The slave shook the thoughts of how uncomfortable she would be outside the palace. "... I must stay here." she declared firmly.

"Heretofore my father has shown you nothing but cruelty. It is far more dangerous here than outside our home." she expressively said.

"Nonetheless, I choose to stay." Bzema lay her head back down on the hard rag covered floor. "Leave before your father finds you here. He will surely punish you if you do not."

"As you wish friend." she got up and walked silently to the door. Before she left she turned around to say one last thing, "Please do think of what I have told you this night... It could determine your life," and out she went.

Bzema's sad eyes watched the closing door. She heard Rezla's feet as she walked away. Yet that couldn't be... Rezla always walked very quietly. So mutedly that Bzema couldn't have been hearing it. However she was sure she was.

'Curious.' thought the slave. She closed her eyes and thought of what Rezla had said. She could not leave. No matter how unfairly her life had been thus far. And besides, she was never hurt badly, which was odd. She always realized that what should've hurt her... wouldn't. At least not too badly. Whenever her master hit or kicked another fellow, one twice her age, he would give a cry of pain. Yet she did not... 'How certainly peculiar. I do wonder why.' This thought did not linger in her mind, though. She was dreadfully tired so she soon fell asleep.

--

"Ughh." Bzema awoke when the sun hit her eyes painfully. "Oh my!" she stood up abrutly and raced out of her room to meet up with Fqeen. She skidded in his room. "Um, hello sir."

"Ah, yes. The execrable slave girl. Come, come, you are late. We must begin right away!" he yelled the moment he laid eyes on her.

The slave girl carefully walked ahead of the tall man. She showed him the entire palace. While she presented the entrance of the palace the royal dog, Rodlo, ran up to her and knocked her down. He began to excitedly lick her face. "Yeech." she said aloud. She pushed the dog off of her gently and stood up.

"Are we done with the tour yet you #?" he meanly asked her.

"Yes sir, we are." she answered clearly with her eyes to the ground.

"I'll be in my room if Cham asks. I'll see you at breakfast time." he left.

Bzema brought her eyes back up to see Fqeen's back walking further away from her with every step he took. She sighed deeply to herself and walked over to the kitchen. Before she went through the door she heard her ash covered object fall to the floor with a thud. She bent down to pick it up when a heavy foot stomped on her hand. She looked up to see Cham staring at her with a nasty look.

"Well, well, what is this?" he picked up the object he then suddenly noticed and gazed at it for a few seconds. "What is this thing?" he loudly asked.

"I do not know master. I found it just the day before." she answered him.

"Throw it out! You are not to keep filthy things in my palace!" he threw the object at her hardly. It bounced off her chest and fell once again to the floor. This surprised him. "Hmph." he walked pass her headed to the breakfast table. Bzema turned around and watched him leave.

With her eyes still on Cham, Bzema felt around the floor until she found the object. She slid it into her pocket and went into the door behind her. She saw the maid getting to work on the breakfast. She knew Cham was in there to tell the maid what his family was to have that morning. Bzema's job was to pass the drinks out. It was always the drinks. Cham was afraid for her to be near food in case she wolfed it down. The drinks could easily be refilled (especially if they were water), but it was food that the slave would yearn for and he was sure that she was not to touch the food that was for him and his family.

The slave finished this chore quickly after the food was ready. She then rested in the corner as usual to wait for the family to finish. At the end she cleared off the table and brought all the cups and plates and utensils to the maid. The maid's job was to wash them. All in all, Bzema did a lot more work than this maid. And she was treated with more hate, too.

Soon after Bzema was lying back in her corner with berries and bread and water in her hand. She always got bread which was tiring for her. She always looked forward to lunch. It was then that her portion of food was a bit better. At least then she was allowed a dessert of rice pudding with a small cup of milk, and sometimes meat as her meal. Very little, hard meat. But meat all the same. She hoped today that this was what was to happen. It wasn't that often she had meat. And she had forever loved it.

By the time she was finished she was allowed 10 minutes to do whatever, the same as after dinner and lunch. She decided to, of course, meet up with Rezla who was most likely outside. The slave went out and noticed straightaway that her friend was nowhere to be seen...

Thank-you for reading and please review!

Oh, and in case any of you were wondering...

Bzema: Bez-ma

Fqeen: Feck-quinn

Rezla: Rez-la simple!

Cham: Chahm

(You know when a doctor will tell you to open your mouth and say ah? The 'a' in Cham's name sounds like that...)

Yamia: Um, the 'Ya' sounds like the word Ja (which in Sweden stands for yes)... The 'mia' sounds like... mia! Lol.

Even the 'a' in Yamia's name sound's like the 'a' in her father's name.

And these names I have made up. I don't know if they exist or not. Probably not, but maybe.

Well, there you all go!