Oh no.
Chanda turned to me and started yelling what appeared to be foreign curse words as she pulled Lev from my grasp. Once her brother was safely inside the room did she stop screaming and slammed the door. I felt guilty, but it was not my fault that I had overheard. I didn't even want to! And yet, another part of my mind argued that it wasn't fair that they hadn't trusted me with this horrible secret.
Then again, I had only known them for a short time.
I was arguing with myself. Which side to believe? I sat back down in the parlor and rubbed my throbbing head. Curse Chanda and her anger! What I wanted was a normal life; even the finishing school was better than these twisted people.
No, that wasn't fair. Maybe I'm just a simpleton that was never made to comprehend what these complex and intricate folk were thinking. Please excuse me; I shall go back to standing in a corner and scratching my head, as a poor dunderhead should.
I laid my head down on the centerpiece table in front of me.
I wish I were back in Ellora. I wish that I looked like everyone else there too. And if Mother could be alive….. These never came true.
It had been a week since either three had talked to me. (Chanda kept Lev from corresponding with me, no doubt.) Solitude had always been my frequent companion, so I did not find the change unsettling. However, for perhaps the first time in my life, I longed to interact and talk with someone, anyone. It was a sensation that startled me.
When had I changed?
Other handmaidens would laugh and converse with another, and I found myself wanting to be among them. I wished then that I could find my former detachment from people, but I couldn't.
In desperation for actual human contact, I wrote a letter to Abdul, the promised note that would assure him of my safety.
Dear Abdul,
I am fine. Am still here at the inn, and have gotten a job with a traveling household. We are to leave soon to the family's manor. I will send another letter presently.
Love,
Leez
I did not know whether to add the family's name, but finally omitted it. I knew my Aakarshan would be looking for me. I was the only witness to my Mother's loyal nature. She would have never committed adultery.
I had speculated on whether the Crise family and their servants would depart shortly. We would certainly not stay at this inn forever; a fact that I was thankful for. Avoiding Citali was proving to be quite difficult, as the Lady Abigail often liked her special cocoa at odd hours in the night. Traveling would also give me something else to think about other than Elek's family's avoidance of me. I'd never been to many lands save Ellora and Kyrria.
It was then that a new servant came to live with the Crise family at the inn. He was my age and seemed as scared as I had been when I had first started to work for these people. I did not know his name, but he always smiled at me when I was sent to the kitchens for Lady Abigail's breakfast.
Those smiles seemed to make everything better. I did not even mind Lady Abigail's sneering so much. (She had become quite irritable with me ever since the Elek Incident.)
At night, I started to pace back and forth in my room. Needless to say it did not please my roommates too much. The need for speaking to Elek's family grew everyday. I did not want them to hate me. I was not their enemy and they needed to understand that. Why would I harm them when they had been the only friends I had ever had?
Of course they didn't know this.
One morning I had had enough. The faces and voices of people in my past had been rotating in my head. What if I had been outgoing, carefree? Could it have changed where I was today? Could I have had the influence to save Mother from Aakarshan? These incessant, repetitive questions plagued me day and night and I could not get rid of them. Therefore, I finally gave in.
Storming into the kitchen and finding Elek, I promptly began to demand WHY.
Looking at his bewildered face after I had finished my questions, a glimmer of sympathy surfaced. But only for a second.
Before he could say anything (which he was taking his time to do) the new servant who oft smiled at me came and offered me some water. This was thoughtful. My throat was dry after all the yelling.
"Hello. My name is Firas. And you, my yelling maiden, what's your name?"
I blushed at his truthful description of myself. "Zuleika."
"Alright then-"
"Elek."
"Alright then Elek. Why don't you answer Zuleika's questions?"
Elek glared at Firas and motioned for me to follow him into another room.
"Doesn't seem to like me, does he?" Yelled Firas as we retreated.
Ironically, once we had reached the room where an explanation would be given, silence only sounded. The quieter the room became, the more my conscience weighed on me. What a hot head he must think I am!
"Elek, I'm sorry. I did not mean to scream at you. But I've been so frustrated for the past week. You can't have any idea how guilty I feel and-"
He smiled. I guess that was a good sign, but it threw me off my apology. This was a serious matter!
"It's okay, Zuleika. When you have a sister like Chanda, you get used to hot heads."
I laughed and said, "You don't have to tell me about what you were talking about. I don't expect you to, I just wanted to-"
He interrupted again. "No, you deserve to know." Elek glanced at an armchair and sat. "Some highwaymen had ransacked our village in Arrais. We were captured with our Father and Mother and taken to our capital city. Lord Crise was at the slave auction. He bought myself, Chanda and Lev. Before anyone could buy our parents, the authorities broke up the auction. Slavery's illegal in the capital city. It looks bad to the foreign politicians from the West," he sneered. "That's how we ended up here. The Crise family makes us pretend that we are servants. We haven't heard from our parents since."
"I'm sorry. I didn't know."
"It isn't your fault, Zuleika." He smiled sadly and said, "That night in the lobby of the hotel, why were you crying?"
I blushed profusely and bowed my head. I had been so sure no one had been there. (A/N: If you do not remember this, see Chapter 3)
"My Mother. She died."
I wanted to trust him. To tell him my whole story as he did with me. But I wasn't ready.
Soon, I swore to myself, I would tell him.
A/N: Sorry if this chapter isn't as good as I would have liked it to be! But rest assured that I wrote this instead of doing my homework. I'm sorry I left you hanging for so long! But it seemed every weekend was full of projects, studying for finals or just normal tests. If you have any questions, leave them in a review or an email! And review too, because I want to know if you like the story or not! –C. Noelle
Ps.- Did you guys notice the character changes in Zuleika? She's becoming more interested in people, and more confrontational. Hurry for character development! (or a poor imitation of it!)