Meeting Martha

The silence on the table weighed heavily on Lisa as she picked at her food little by little, and wished to just stop already. her appetite was far gone, or most accurately… dead. It had been replaced by a gnawing feeling of unease. 

“Now, what next?” She asked herself in discomfort. 

She looked around the dining room, taking in the opulence of the furnishings, but it did little to ease her discomfort. She heaved a very heavy sigh and thought to herself…

“What a drag. Every other thing looks so good but it’s still never so good. The pain never ends I guess.”  

After a while, Adrien stood up and left the room, leaving her alone with her thoughts. 

“I hope you comply. I’ll be leaving now. Don’t mess up, as I have warned earlier.” Said Adrien one more time, before he finally took his leave. 

Lisa watched him go, feeling a mix of confusion and disappointment. She had hoped for some answers, some sort of understanding of why she was subjected to such cruel and unfriendly boundaries, but Adrien seemed intent on keeping her in the dark.

She sat at the dining table without moving an inch or making any noticeable sound. As goodly stiff as a stone, lost in the endless depths of her own directionless thoughts. She had so many questions running through her mind about Adrien and the situation she was in, but she had almost no answer to any of them.

The maids were moving about the room, clearing the table and washing dishes, but none of them seemed willing to answer her questions. 

“None of these people are ready to answer my questions? Not exactly. None of them want to hear what I have to say or even look at me at the slightest bit.” She said, sighing in agony.

With Adrien finally gone as she made sure, Lisa turned to the maids, hoping to get some answers from them. 

"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" she said, addressing one of the maids who had just cleared away her empty plate.

The maid looked at her, her expression guarded. "Yes, miss?"

"I was just wondering...about Adrien, the alpha.” She said, throwing a small smile before continuing. “How does he act towards the people? To you people, to the rest of the pack?" Lisa asked, trying to keep her voice calm despite the rising sense of frustration.

The maid hesitated, glancing around the room nervously. "I'm sorry, miss. I can't say anything."

"Why not? Please, I just want to understand what's going on, you people should understand my case. I think I’m even in a more unfortunate case… please." Lisa pleaded, her voice tinged with desperation.

The maid shook her head, her eyes flickering with fear. 

"I'm sorry, miss. I can't help you. You should just focus on following the rules the alpha has set out for you. It's for your own good, as well as ours too." The maid bowed before moving away from her.

Lisa's frustration turned to anger. "What rules? What is going on here? Why won't anyone tell me anything?" she exclaimed, her voice rising.

The maid flinched at her outburst, her eyes darting around the room again…

 "I can't say anything, miss. Please, just try to understand," she said, before quickly leaving the room.

Lisa sighed and leaned back in her chair, feeling frustrated and helpless. She didn’t have a choice after all. 

She wondered if Adrien had warned them not to talk to her. As the maids finished their work and left the room, Lisa was left alone with her thoughts. She decided to try again and so without any hesitation, she stood up and approached one of the maids who was still lingering in the doorway. 

Okay "Excuse me," Lisa started, "can I ask you something?"

The maid turned around, but her eyes darted nervously around the room. "I'm sorry, miss," she said quickly. "I have to go attend something."

Lisa watched her scurry away, feeling even more frustrated than before. She couldn't understand why everyone was so afraid of Adrien. She knew she had to tread carefully, but she couldn't help feeling like a prisoner in this place.

“Man! This is so annoying.” She exclaimed out of frustration and anger.

Lisa went back and slumped in her chair, feeling defeated. It seemed like everyone was in on some secret that she wasn't privy to, and she was left to fend for herself in this strange and unsettling place. She couldn't shake the feeling that she was trapped, like a bird in a cage.

Lisa finally stood up, feeling a knot form in her stomach as she walked through the halls, feeling more and more isolated with each passing moment. She couldn't shake off the feeling that she was being watched, or worse, that she was in danger. Lisa decided to ask another one of the maids about Adrien, hoping to learn something about him that might help her understand the situation she found herself in.

"Excuse me," she said, approaching one of the maids who was dusting a nearby table. "Can you tell me a little bit more about the alpha? Just a little bit. I'm trying to understand him better."

The maid looked up at Lisa and quickly averted her gaze, mumbling something under her breath before hurrying off. 

Lisa tried asking a few more maids, but they all reacted in the same way - avoiding her and refusing to answer her questions.

Frustrated and feeling more alone than ever, Lisa continued down the hallway. She wasn't watching where she was going and accidentally, she collided with a woman carrying a tray of dishes.

"I'm so sorry, I didn’t watch where I was going… my bad. I’ll just give you a hand." Lisa said, immediately apologizing and offering to help the woman pick up the fallen dishes.

"It's alright, it’s alright. Calm down. I guess I was also slightly distracted." the woman said, a slight smile forming on her face. 

"You must be new here. I'm Martha. And you are...?" The woman asked in a kind and gentle voice, so much unlike every other one of the maids with whom she had had an encounter with.

"I'm Lila," she said, returning the smile sincerely.

Martha hesitated for a moment before leaning in closer to Lisa. "Oh, right. I heard you were asking questions about Adrien. You shouldn't do that. He doesn't like it when people pry into his business. The repercussions aren't usually something you’d even want to see a second time." She continued. 

“If you’ll excuse…” Martha said, moving to leave.

Lisa hurriedly grabbed her hand, turning to look at Martha and the fear in her eyes evident, "Why not? why can’t I just get to know him better?" Lisa asked, her curiosity piqued.

Martha lowered her voice even further. "Adrien has a temper. And when he gets angry, people tend to disappear. I wouldn't want to see anything happen to you."

Before Lisa could ask any more questions, Adrien appeared out of nowhere, looking livid. "What the hell are you doing here, Lisa?" he growled.

“Not again.” She quickly whispered to herself as she sensed the gravity of danger to come.

"I was just talking to Martha, she looks so much like someone I used to know so I couldn’t really help it." Lisa said, trying to remain calm even as her heart raced.

"I told you not to talk to anyone. Did you forget our rules already?" Adrien's eyes flashed with anger. He dashed forth and he grabbed Lisa's arm, he then dragged her towards the main house.

Lisa stumbled and tried to pull away, but Adrien's grip was too strong. She tried again but she only fell off to the hard and cold ground that got to bruise her soft skin.

As Lisa fell onto the floor, she felt a sharp pain shoot through her arm. Adrien's grip had been too strong, too tight. She winced as she tried to stand up, but Adrien pushed her back down with his foot.

"You need to learn your place, Bitch!" he said, his voice cold and harsh.

Lisa tried to speak, to explain herself, but the fear and pain had stolen her words. She looked up at Adrien, hoping to see some  kind of mercy in his eyes, but all she saw was anger and contempt.

“Guards… seize this woman and lock her up!” He commanded. 

The guards approached her, their faces impassive as they reached for her arms. Lisa struggled, trying to pull away, but their grip was just as strong as Adrien's. She could feel their eyes on her, watching her every move, ready to punish her if she resisted.

“Oh no Adrien. Please.” She pleaded with an effort, but it was all effort wasted.

Harshly and speedily, they led her away. Lisa couldn't help but wonder what kind of place she had come to. She had always heard stories about the rich and powerful, about their cruel ways and their twisted sense of justice. She had never believed them to be true. Now she couldn't help but wonder.

As they locked her up in a small room, Lisa felt a deep sense of despair wash over her. She was alone, trapped in a place where she didn't belong, with no one to turn to and no way out. She sat on the cold, hard floor, her back against the wall, and tried to think of a way out, but all she could think of was Adrien's words, ringing in her ears.

"You need to learn your place… bitch!"