~Chapter 12~
Tearing my gaze away from that hideous thing looking back at from the mirror, unable to bear the sight of the battered and bruised person staring back at .
I walked towards the shower and carefully began to strip off my dirty underwear, wincing from moving my sore limbs.
The cool air of the bathroom kissed my skin, making shiver. I looked down at my naked body, and my eyes welled up with tears.
The bruises, the scars, the mories – they all blended together, telling a story of pain and suffering.
Stepped into the shower, and I looked at the complex contraption before . Shit, I don't know how to turn on the shower.
I stared at it blankly, like an illiterate person confronting an unfamiliar script.
I wasn't completely illiterate, though; I had managed to teach myself to read simple words from the books I'd secretly taken from my father's library.
That room was off-limits to , a place I haven't seen him set foot in, yet it was always spotless and organized.
Often, I would sneak in, careful not to make a sound, and snatch books that caught my eye. Those stolen books beca my teachers, helping learn the basics of reading.
Shocking, but that's not all because as for bathing, I hadn't used a shower in ages. My usual cleaning routine consisted of using a damp cloth and bucket "my father" had been rciful to spare that for to wipe myself down when I felt too sticky or sweaty.
Standing now, in front of this unfamiliar space, I rember how helpless of a child I was and useless in not knowing how to perform even the simplest tasks.
"Dear." A gentle knock at the door broke the silence; I turned to face the door, rembering the kind lady who was waiting for . Had I taken too long, prompting her to check up on ?
"Yes?" I called out, trying to sound calm.
"Do you need help?" said the kind lady. I looked back at the shower in embarrassnt.
I had no idea how to turn it on or operate it.
"I didn't hear the shower running, so I thought..." She trailed off, leaving the question hanging in the air while I quietly walked towards the door and gently opened it, using it as a shield to cover my naked self.
She was standing in front of with a look of inquiry, her face having wrinkles from old age but she was still beautiful.
"I...I..." I cleared my throat in slight embarrassnt "Can you help with the shower?" I asked, getting straight to the point.
She smiled warmly at and I pushed open the door further, allowing her to pass through.
She walked over to the shower, pressed a button, and I watched in amaznt as water began to pour down from the showerhead.
Quietly, i walked over to her, my eyes fixed on the buttons, she began pointing to. "This is for cold, this is for hot, and this is for shampoo and this for soap." She demonstrated each function while pointing to the corresponding buttons.
I looked at the buttons intently, imprinting them to mory.
The kind lady turned to face , "If you need anything, don't hesitate to say,"
She walked towards the door but before she could leave, I quickly spoke up, "Thanks, Mrs...." I trailed off, realizing I didn't know her na.
She turned back to , a gentle smile on her face. "Stella," she said gently.
Stella
Repeated her na, committing it to mory. "Thanks, Miss Stella," I said, with gratitude towards this kind stranger.
Miss Stella smiled again, making quickly say my na," Katya, my na"
"Beautiful, just like you" she said before she gave a quiet nod and walked out of the bathroom, leaving to bathe in peace.
Beautiful, just like you, yeah right, that's a lie. I walked in and stood under the warm shower, feeling the gentle water cascade down my wounded skin.
It stung in so places, but it was a soothing kind of pain, like a balm to my battered body.
Carefully using the soap and shampoo, marveling at their luxurious feel and scent.
The aroma was familiar, yet unfamiliar – I'd slled it before, but couldn't quite place it. It slt like a fruit, I can't really put the na as I don't know it.
The soap glided smoothly over my skin, cleansing away the dirt, and the shampoo washed away the tangles, knots, and blood in my hair.
After rinsing off, I stepped out of the shower and reached for the white fluffy towel that hung from a nearby rack. I wrapped it around myself.
I dried myself and caught sight of the mirror again, and my gaze was instantly drawn to my reflection.
I looked at myself, really looked, taking in the array of bruises and my one swollen eye that looked haunted.
I looked like a zombie, even after the bath, my ugliness was still potent, making glared hard at my reflection, before sighing and turning around and walking out of the bathroom, back into the bedroom.
I shouldn't care about my reflection, it's not like I had soone to impress and who the hell would want to look at a hideous thing.
Miss Stella was quickly standing in front of , her usual gentle smile on her face. "Take this," she said, holding out the neat bundle of clothes. But before I could fully take them from her, she gently pushed back towards the bathroom. "Get dressed,"
I looked at the maid's uniform she'd given , and I saw a bra and underwear folded neatly in between the dress.
I quickly picked them up and put them on. Then, I slipped on the maid's dress, which looked like a luxury from the ragged clothes I was used to.
The dress wasn't too long or too short; it was average, but it dwarfed , it was a loose fit that drowned my skinny fra.
The bust area was so big and hanging loosely from my shoulders like a sack. I looked like a child playing dress-up in her mother's clothes.
A mother I haven't t.!!!, why are you so negative minded, I scolded myself.
Fiddling with the dress, trying to adjust the shoulders countless tis, but they kept falling down. I huffed in frustration, finally giving up. I walked out of the bathroom and back into the bedroom, where Miss Stella was waiting.
As soon as she saw , she burst out laughing. Nice "Oh dear!" she exclaid, walking towards with a warm smile. She looked up and down, her eyes twinkling with amusent. "Look at you! So cute!" she cooed, lightly pinching my cheek.
Cute!, please. I scowled, feeling a bit embarrassed, but a red blush spread across my cheeks despite myself.
Miss Stella chuckled and patted my shoulder reassuringly. "Don't worry, dear. By tomorrow, I'll make sure it fits you perfectly. But today, we have things to do."
She gave so shoes before turning and walked towards the bedroom door, beckoning to follow. I quickly wore them before trailing behind her, feeling a bit more at ease despite the awkward dress.
She opened the door and we stepped out into the hallway.
We passed the large, covered fra on the wall, and my eyes lingered on it, curiosity getting the better of , AGAIN. I wondered what could be hidden beneath the cover and I must have slowed down without realizing it.
"Co quickly, dear," Miss Stella turned back to look at , making snap my eyes away from the fra, quickly walking to catch up with her.
I saw the elevator and assud we would step inside it and glide down to our destination, but instead, Miss Stella walked off towards a corner of the hallway. I quietly followed behind her, turning the corner.
A staircase was leading down into God knows where and I looked back at the elevator, confused. Why were we taking the stairs instead of the elevator? It looked like a waste of ti, trudging down the stairs when we could have glided down effortlessly.
But Miss Stella knows what she was doing as she descended and I quickly trailed behind her. We went down about 10 stairs before reaching a new hallway.
We stepped into the hallway and I saw two elevators standing side by side. Miss Stella walked towards one and pressed the button. The doors slid open, and we entered. I stood silently, unsure of what to say or do. The elevator moved downwards.
After a few minutes, the doors slid open, revealing a familiar hallway. My heart completely stopped beating as I recognized the surroundings.
Why are we here?, what's going on, don't tell ...
Miss Stella walked out of the elevator, but I remained frozen, my eyes fixed on her till she turned back towards after noticing my footsteps weren't behind her.
"Co on, dear," she said gentle, as usual. But I shook my head, fear washing over . Was she taking back to that room? Had she been nice to all along just to lure back to that place?
What a sneaky human, she is?!!!!
User Comments
0 comments from readers