Coins jingled as she dropped the sack on his palm. The slave trader opened the bag and inspected it.
"Three Thousand pieces of gold coins" the amusement in his voice sent shivers down my spine.
They unlocked the chains from my hands and feet, the weight of it still lingered.
"Do you need a collar?" he asked. "Just in case she tries anything stupid."
I felt humiliated. In my little village, I would roam free from dawn to dusk and now they treated me like cattle.
"No Collar," the woman replied. "She should know better than that."
There was caution in her tone. The thought of escape crossed my mind but I looked around and saw no opening.
"Follow me."
I followed behind her as she walked towards a carriage. My eyes darting for any opportunity to escape. The carriage was elegant and sleek with two black horses in front.
The door man opened it and she gestured for me to go in. At that moment my hope for escape died.
I sat in the carriage, my tattered dress and scarred feet were a contrast to the carriage's luxury. The seat was crimson, the texture soft and luxurious and it smelled like soft amber and polished wood with a little hint of sage.
She sat in the carriage and door shut.
The ride was silent and heavy. The thought of what waited for me weighed heavily on my chest. I stared out the window, clicking hooves and the feel of the breeze against my skin made my thoughts wander. Could I still return home?
The road narrowed and the carriage slowed— because something in the air changed. We arrived at a massive gate. It stretched upward drawing eyes to the sky. Guards stood at the side.
The carriage halted and there was a pause.
It parted with a groan; slow, heavy and ancient and crossing it felt like being swallowed into an ancient myth.
The scent of jasmine hits my nose. A bush with blooming jasmines adorned the entrance. My intrigue rose like a heartbeat and the tension I felt dropped. Greens, gardens, fountains, flowers. This place looked like the dream of every perfumer.
My nose marked out each scent; orange blossoms, Gardenia, White Lilies, Tuberose.
Nothing about this screamed danger and that alone was unsettling.
The grand manor appeared. Ancient and Grandeur. The stoned walls whispered legacy and generational secrets like the castles of kings and nobles I had only heard in stories.
The carriage stopped at the entrance and the door opened
The woman stepped out her posture straight. I stepped out unto the stone ground and my bare feet tingled at the roughness of the warm ground. I felt lost in a world not mine. A man in his late fifties dressed in black and white long tailed tuxedo waited few feet away.
"Good day Miss" he spoke, his accents so elegant. "I am Bennet, the Butler of the Zarek Manor."
The Zarek Manor? So that is what this place was called.
"And this is Madame Louise, the head maid of the Manor." He gestures to the lady in black dress.
She gave a slight curtsy. She had eyes that were fierce and unwelcoming, it was clear she was not one for pleasantries.
"If you need anything, do let us know." Sir Bennet said.
"She will lead you to your room." Madame Louise gestured to a young woman in a black dress and white apron.
The walk to the room started quiet, the smell of flowers, the uneasy feeling of safety and the tension I couldn't explain. We stepped into the manor…
A huge chandelier hung high from the ceiling. The scent sandalwood hit my nose. The spaces were vast and the atmosphere carried an air of orderliness and control, like secrets and structure.
She led me into a room, clean, orderly, immaculate. The bed large, the floors polished, the sheets white as snow. The air smelled clean, too clean. Like an inn not meant to carry the essence of anyone that dwelled in it.
"This is your room." She spoke. "And the washroom is here."
She led me to the washroom. A bathtub laid in the wash area, it was made of fine stone. I had never bathed in a bathtub.
"I have prepared your bathing water and once you have washed yourself, I will take you to the dining for lunch."
***
The water was warm to my feet and I slipped in, the warmth swallowing me whole. I submerged my head in the water, my curls floating above the surface.
In my village, Faye and I would visit the spring and jump into the water with our jumpsuits. I would submerge my head in the water and Faye would splash around searching for me. We were chaotic in a beautiful way.
But this place felt calm, too calm. The workers didn't break out of their roles. Even the maid, she didn't seem interested in conversation. No one asked my name, did they have to?
I was a slave. But was this how slaves were treated? Why had they brought me here? They were not kind, they were not cruel and that uncertainty troubled me.
"Miss are you alright?" a voice called.
I emerged from the water.
"Yes," I spoke while I wiped the water off my face.
"Your clothes are folded on the bed. I will return to take you to dinner."
***
I stood before the mirror. The dress they had given fitted perfectly — It was a plain cotton white dress that fell below my knees and it had a three-quarter sleeve.
Curiosity drove me to the wardrobe. There were clothes… all white, all cotton, all plain, exactly the same as the one I wore.
Was this some kind of uniform?
There was a knock on the door.
"Miss, your dinner is ready."
***
I followed the maid down the long corridor. The hall echoed with measured footsteps as she guided me towards the dining. Paintings hung on the wall, very intricate, very elegant. One portrait caught my attention.
He stood tall, and he had the build and the face of the male lead in a romance novel. I didn't know nobles were this good looking but... his gaze was cold—too cold.
There was food waiting for me at the end of the table. I sat feeling uneasy.Starving for two days took every patience from me, especially when the aroma tickled my nose.
I finished the food almost immediately and took my plate. I had been trained not to leave empty plate on the table after eating.
I was about entering the kitchen when I heard hushes voices.
"I heard she is from Soudan" one voice said.
"The poor girl doesn't know what is coming for her." Another pitied.
Was I in some kind of danger?
"I already saw her wearing the white dress" another said.
I looked down at the white dress, it was perfectly fine. They were the ones who gave them to me, it was the only outfits in the wardrobe.
"Maybe she could survive the next full moon."
"She wouldn't survive." She replied. "She'll just end up like all the others."
Were there other people before me? How did they end up? Did they— No I can't think about that.
"Miss, what are you doing?" a voice flat and monotone called from behind.
The air went still, and the whispers in the kitchen stopped.. I turned to meet Madame Louise's gaze.
"I wanted to drop my plate in the kitchen." I managed to keep my voice steady.
"That is the job of the maids, not you." She said taking the plate from my hand.
"Here in this manor, we do not eavesdrop." She walked past me into the kitchen.
"Lead her to her room."
***
One of the maids from the kitchen walked me to my room. The lamps illuminated the hall ways. She lowered her head like she knew I heard what they were saying.
"What happened to the other girls?" I asked.
She held her pace.
"I don't know about any girl" She replied, her voice shaky.
"I heard what you guys were talking about in the kitchen." I said again.
Silence.
"I just want to know what would happen to me." I continued. "I wouldn't let anyone know"
She slowed down.
"Your room." She gestured.
I hoped she was going to give some kind of information.
"Thank you." I waited.
"I will be leaving now." She said with a curtsy and turned to leave.
"Is my life in danger?" I asked once more.
"I cannot answer that Miss" her voice flat but I could sense hesitance.
She hid behind the wall of professional courtesy.
"If you need any other thing please do call me." She finished and left.
I shut the door, my mind racing. The uneasiness in me heightened. I twisted the lock till it clicked. I couldn't risk being caught in a moment of vulnerability
I laid on the bed staring into the ceiling. Why did they bring me here? What plan did they have for me? Was I in some kind of danger? Nothing here felt right.
I expected cruelty and hostility but here there was something worse. Control, silence, uneasiness, uncertainty…
My thoughts slipped into darkness, the heaviness still weighed on me.