I'M BAAAAACK!

ENJOY CHAPTER FOUR, YOU'VE EARNED IT!

MISTY POV

"However, that boy does make some sense," The Duchess was right back on track, not faltered by the sudden banishment of the boy.

"What are you talking about, Grand mommy? She assaulted me!" Rudy was quick to voice his objections. What an asshole.

"Oh darling, what I mean is that we could use another maid more than we could use another decapitation," The old hag couldn't help the smirk forming on her withered lips as she emphasized the last word.

I wanted to scream, yell, whimper; just make some noise to let myself know I was still there, still breathing. But no sound would come. My fear had left me paralyzed.

Yes, I was scared. Scared that I had so much more to experience from life, yet may just be about to have it all snatched from my grasp by a couple of psychopathic lunatics.

Ultimately, it all came down to one thing: I should never have run away. If I had just stayed put and toughed it out, I'd never have gotten wrapped up in all this insanity. But it was too late for that, and there was only one question yet to be answered. What would happen to me now?

LEAF POV

The boy had been thrown into the darkness with me about 15 minutes ago. He lingered on the cold stones as the door was slammed behind him. As the hideous sniggering of the guards faded into stillness he slowly pushed his body off the ground. He crawled over to the nearby wall and propped his body up against it before stretching out his legs and tilting up his head. In the dim light of the single lit torch we were 'blessed' with I could just make out the expression on his scratched up features. He looked miserable, yet not for himself. I could see it in his eyes; his sorrow was directed towards something else. But what, I didn't know.

There was nothing to be said; no words to be shared between the two of us. It might even have been classified as awkward, yet neither of us cared whether or not the other noticed. We were just too busy taking pity on ourselves to realize the other might be able to relate. He knew I was there, yet he seemed to understand that forcing conversation would not win him any points in my book. Still, I felt the need to speak with him. After all, if anyone could help me out, he was probably the guy.

I gathered up all the energy I could master in an attempt to create a tone that was slightly sympathetic, rather than utterly irritable.

"So, how'd you manage to get thrown down here with me, then?" I stared straight ahead; I didn't want there to be any eye contact.

"Just the usual, said something it wasn't my place to say."

"That wasn't too smart," I don't know why, but I found his self-assuredness annoying.

"Yeah right, like you can talk." The boy was quick to retaliate.

I shot him a hostile look, "What's that supposed to mean?"

Ash adjusted his position against the wall, apparently settling in for the long night ahead.

"All I'm saying is that you should be careful. The way you're behaving, you're never gonna last in this place."

I scoffed at this. "Oh yeah, and what exactly will happen if I'm not?"

"Listen, you ever wondered why there are so few servants around here?" Ash took my silence as a sign to continue, "A few weeks ago, they all joined together in a strike. Everyone refused to work. They told their masters that if they ever wanted to see a clean house again, they would have to start treating them like human beings. You know what happened then?"

I gave him a slight shake of my head, reluctantly eager to hear more.

"They were 'disposed' of." The grim expression on his face was as clearer than air.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"It means exactly what you think it means." We stared at each other in silence, neither one of us wanting to acknowledge the horrendousness of this fact. Eventually the tension became too much to bear, and I found my lips moving involuntarily.

"You can't be serious." The sound was croaky and uneven, but it was my voice, although not like I had ever heard it before.

"It's true. They decided not to behave, my brothers decided to exterminate them," Ash's eyes broke away from mine and settled on the concrete in front of him as he drew up his knees and hugged them loosely with his muscular arms. A subtle move, but not enough so that I didn't catch the single tear trail down his pained features. "See, that's how it is here. Everyone is exposable. You step out of line again and no one will hesitate to replace you with someone more willing to follow orders. Today was an exception. They need you right now, and can't afford to get rid of you. Next time, you won't be so lucky."

I let his words sink in before I replied; I needed to be sure of my decision. But the moments passed and my mind did not alter. There was only one course of action I could take.
"I won't be their slave."

"Unfortunately, you don't have the luxury of choice. You're here, and that's not going to change." He paused, before deciding to continue, "Those girls that arrived with you? If I were you, I'd be a little nicer. You'll need every friend you can get if you're intending on surviving."

"Listen, I know you're trying to be helpful, but I don't plan on staying, I need to get back to my family." I could feel myself slipping away, desperation becoming my persona. I hated feeling so helpless.

Ash sighed, frustration clearly getting the better of him. "You don't get it, do you? You're not getting out, and those girls suffering along with you? Well, they're the closest thing to family you've got."

This time his words hit, and hit hard.

MAY POV

This was not a life worth living. On hands and knees, bent over a rusty bucket, entire body aching. My first working day and already I could feel myself losing all sense of my identity. How could I see myself as anything better than dirt when I was forced to reside in it every minute of the day? And to make matters worse, the filthy floor beneath me was no cleaner than it was half an hour ago, when I began this wretched task.

I leaned back on my knees and wiped my face dry. No use crying, it wouldn't help the situation. I couldn't afford to be weak anymore.

I felt his presence moments before the shadow was cast over me, darkening the space around me. I didn't know what was coming, but I doubted being acknowledged by any of these people could ever be a good thing. Reluctantly, I slowly craned my stiff neck skyward to stare down the object of my doom.

The perfectly styled green hair atop his head was striking, but it was his expression that truly caught my attention. His face was blank, though his eyes menacing. I could feel his repulsion raining down at my hunched figure. I waited for words, movement, anything, but not one muscle in his body suggested motion. Then, after what felt like a lifetime, he lifted his foot, and extended it outwards.

My attention suddenly became preoccupied with the cold, soapy mess that had flooded around my body, soaking the bottom half of my uniform. The metal bucket rolled on its side by my feet, now empty of its liquid contents. I desperately searched the room for a witness to the unprovoked act, but of course found no such thing.

I swung my body back around, preying my pitiful reaction had aroused some sort of regret in the boy, yet only found his shrinking figure as he journeyed further and further away from the mess that was me.

As he strode away, I allowed one final tear to stain my dirty face. One final self-pitiful thought to cross my mind. From now on I would be a solid, emotionless being. I would survive purely through my hatred of the heartless bastards that gained pleasure from my misery. I wouldn't give them the satisfaction of seeing my pain, of sensing my suffering. I would be a rock. A stone, cold object that yielded to no one, crumbled for no one. Dying inside, but with an indestructible exterior. The girl made of stone. And nothing would break through.

DAWN POV

I couldn't believe it. Another one. This was the third in two days. At this rate the mansion would be bustling with staff before the week's end.

This girl, like the other two, was young and distraught. Her beauty was masked by pain, yet I could sense its firm presence. The majority of her face eluded my gaze due to a brilliant shock of fiery hair, yet her emerald eyes shone bright.

I pulled my eyes away, not wanting to cause her any more discomfort.

Glancing over to my side, I saw the brunette remained deadly still, almost ghostlike in appearance.

May had come back quite late from her first duty, looking a wreck in her wet garment and miserable features. When I had asked about it, she merely grunted and wandered over to the corner where she slumped down in agony. I had not heard a peep out of her since.

Less than a day, and already at breaking point.

I didn't blame them, of course. I knew exactly how they felt. To be torn away from everything you knew and thrown into a life of back-breaking labor and psychological torture, it was worse than death. At least in death you found peace.

Death. I had thought about it many times before. How easy it would be to escape this forsaken place. So many options, all of which would end in release. No more pain and no more hate; only relief. I could never go through with it, of course. It would mean nothing to these people, only another body to ditch and another mess to have cleaned up. No, it couldn't be like that. If I was going to leave, it would be with a bang.

"I'm Misty, by the way."

Her powerful voice broke me from my dark thoughts and pulled me into reality. I hadn't noticed her movement, yet there she was; in full uniform and propped up on her knees, staring expectantly at me. Her red hair had been swept out of her face and now flowed neatly down her back. It wasn't much of an improvement, but with her face in full view I saw her properly for the first time. And I could tell she was strong. With any luck, she wouldn't let this place break her.

She was still waiting.

"I'm Dawn," I replied, before gesturing over to the statue in the corner, "and that's May. She just got here, too."

Misty nodded in understanding, her head slowly turning as she examined the damp room.

"So, is this all of us?"

I knew what was coming; she wanted to know why there were so few. But I still found myself unable to acknowledge the events of that horrible day. It still seemed like no more than a ghastly nightmare.

"Almost," I began, "Another girl arrived yesterday."

Misty took a second look around, "And where is she, now?"

I found my mind replaying the scenario, and I watched once again as the feisty girl was dragged away, never ceasing to struggle.

"Dungeon," The sound was barely audible, but the pair of hard blue eyes fixated in Misty's direction confirmed May's answer.

"Oh…"

It wasn't a pleasant thought, imagining her all alone in a rotting world, barely able to see her fingers when waved in front of her face. The girl would crack soon, with an attitude like hers. The masters didn't appreciate spark.

"So, how'd you guys end up here?" Misty asked, completely unaware of the depth to her question. It wasn't something that could just be stated. Answering would mean digging up long buried feelings; feelings that could only reveal weaknesses.

No one answered. I didn't want to. It still stung, even just thinking about it. I just couldn't.

But, surprisingly, May could.

Her voice had gained confidence, as she now spoke clear and with stability.

"My father, he was in debt. Not one of us knew anything about it, not even my mother. It was such a shock when the men came to collect," She paused for a moment, obviously remembering the event, remembering the hurt.

She found her voice and continued. "I couldn't let them take him, my family needed him to provide for them. So I did the only thing I could think of. I came in his place."

I found myself respecting her for this. The girl had sacrificed her own life for her family, and that showed a tremendous amount of courage.

"That was very brave of you," stated Misty, sharing my feelings.

May didn't respond, instead veering the conversation towards the redhead, "What about you?"

"Ahh," Misty rocked her body back and forth, "that's an interesting story, actually. Basically, I got fed up with being treated like a slave by my sisters, so I ran away. But I got in some trouble and was taken in by the old hag who owns this place. But then I ran into some asshole and, well, here I am."

I finally spoke up, "Well, at least you escaped slavery".

I think she may actually have laughed at the irony of this, but I was no longer paying attention. My depressing state of mind had yanked me from reality, and I was lost in thought.

Betrayal. It had led all of us here, in one way or another. May's father betraying his family by losing their money and trading in his daughter, Misty's sisters betraying their duties to protect her, and my best friend betraying our friendship and leaving me here to rot. We had all experienced the deepest cruelty betrayal had to offer, and now look at us. No better than the stone against which we leaned and emptied our hearts of our sorrow.

So?

Again, I'm so superr sorry for always updating and then disappearing forever, then coming back etc..

BUT, I'm finding it quite hard to find time to writee, naww :(
BUT, the other day I was reading through comments, and felt real guilty for not updating ever, so I through this together just for you guys :)

AND SO, the moral of the story:

COMMENT AND I WILL UPDATE!

SEE YOU NEXT TIME (whenever that may be...)