Twenty four

Loveth's POV

I had no idea what time it was when I finally finished scrubbing and cleaning the tiny room. Exhaustion coursed through me, making it a challenge to even remain standing. The mattress had been unsalvageable—soaked and reeking of a stench I could barely tolerate. I dragged it out and resigned myself to sleeping on the cold, hard floor.

Lying there, my body ached, and I knew the following day would bring even more pain. This wasn’t ideal, but it was all I had. Sitting upright all night wasn’t an option, and the stern woman who brought me here had made it clear I was to sleep inside this miserable space. Despite my exhaustion, my thoughts raced.

How had I ended up in such a nightmare? These people didn’t even know me, yet they were so convinced I was the murderer they were searching for. None of this made sense. And then a name flashed in my mind, jolting me upright.

Kelilah.

My twin sister. My identical twin. I just remembered I had a twin. Could they have confused me for her? What if…no, it couldn’t be. Kelilah might be stubborn and arrogant at times, but she wasn’t a killer. She could never take a life.

But what if it was an accident? The thought gnawed at me.

No! I shook my head vigorously, rejecting the idea. Even if Kelilah were somehow involved, I would never let them lay their filthy hands on her. I’d rather die than see her endure this torture.

The turmoil of my thoughts eventually gave way to exhaustion, and I drifted into a restless sleep. It felt like mere minutes had passed when a torrent of ice-cold water was dumped on me. I woke up with a startled gasp, shivering violently.

“Hey, you!” a voice thundered.

I scrambled to sit up, blinking water out of my eyes. A new woman loomed over me, her face twisted with contempt. She held an empty bucket at her side.

“What are you doing still sleeping? It’s time to move,” she barked.

“But I just went to bed,” I protested weakly.

She grabbed a fistful of my hair and yanked hard, pain shooting through my scalp as I cried out.

“That’s nobody’s business, girl. When I say move, your only response should be, ‘How fast?’” She shoved my head, and I hit the wall with a sickening thud. My skull throbbed, and tears stung my eyes as I clutched my head.

They didn’t care that I was human, that my body was weaker than theirs. If they kept handling me like this, I wouldn’t survive.

Shivering in my wet clothes, I followed the woman without another word. It wasn't like I had another cloth to change Into. She led me up a flight of stairs to a filthy kitchen. The counters were sticky with grease, the sink piled high with dirty dishes, and the air was thick with the stench of rotting food.

From the little I knew, their nose was sensitive to the smallest smells. So how could they leave their kitchen in this state? Didn't they know how to clean up after themselves? Of course, I couldn't ask that out loud or I'll be punished.

“Adhering to my request, the night workers left this mess especially for you. A little welcome surprise from me,” she sneered. “The morning crew will be here in thirty minutes. Better get to it.”

She disappeared, leaving me alone.

I took in the disaster before me, feeling a mix of frustration and despair. So, they did clean up after themselves, but they’d left this chaos on purpose.

“Welcome surprise,” I muttered bitterly.

With no time to waste, I set to work. I scrubbed the dishes, trying not to break any, knowing there’d be hell to pay if I did. The counters and stovetops came next, then the floors. My arms and legs burned with the effort, but fear drove me forward. It was very difficult because I wasn't used to this. Back at my palace, the cleaners always do the cleaning. I didn't have time to do my cleaning because of how time-consuming my work was. And while I was growing up, I didn't clean much either.

Just as I was finally mopping, a werewolf woman stormed in. Her shoes, caked in dirt, tracked mud across the freshly cleaned floor.

“What the hell? Why is it so wet?” she snapped as she walked further into the kitchen, staining the just-cleaned tiles with her dirt-covered shoes.

“I just started mopping,” I explained, my voice trembling.

“It should’ve been done hours ago. You’re useless,” she spat, glaring at me.

She stood in the kitchen just glaring at me. I was confused if I should finish up the cleaning or

just stop since she was so upset that it was wet, but when she stormed out, I decided on the former and quickly finished cleaning before she could return. By the time I was done, the woman from earlier returned.

“They weren’t lying when they said humans were worthless,” she sneered. “Couldn’t even finish on time”,

Her words stung, but I bit my tongue.

‘Try doing it yourself’. I wanted to yell but I held myself back from saying anything.

"Next time, wake up earlier to take care of the kitchen. Khloe has a temper and she'll probably hit you the next time",

“Now, onto your next duty,” she commanded, leading me to the bathrooms. They were just as disgusting as the kitchen.

“Must be another ‘welcome surprise,’” I thought grimly.

The rest of the day was a blur of endless chores. Cleaning floors, scrubbing toilets, taking out trash. My body screamed for rest, my stomach ached with hunger, but there was no reprieve. No tỉme to even rest or even eat. I had hoped I would be given breakfast, but who was I kidding. Nothing was said about it.

When I finally worked up the courage to ask about food, Pamela—as I’d learned her name—said curtly, “You eat after you’re done working.”

Well, I guess that equals to, ‘you never eat’ because I never stopped working all through the day. Every minute, I was doing something. My stomach ached, my legs and arms burned and my body was on the verge of shutting down, but I couldn't stop. Not until the sky was dark and Pamela doesn't show up again.

By the time the sky turned dark, I was ready to collapse. Pamela glanced at me and said, 

“I’m impressed you lasted this long. What’s your name?”

I hesitated. She had been calling me human all day.

“Kelilah,” I lied.

It wasn’t a decision I made lightly. But if they believed my sister was the culprit, I had to protect her at all costs. They didn’t need to know I existed.

Pamela’s lip curled. 

“Well, Kelilah, you’re slow. More duties could be added at any time. So you have to pick up the pace tomorrow or you’ll regret it. And need I remind you that nobody cares if you sleep late or earlier” With that, she walked away.

I dragged myself to the kitchen, desperate for food, but Khloe, another worker, blocked my path. Remembering Pamela's words I was conflicted. I didn't want to get hit.

"Are you going to stand there like a fucking idiot or say why you're here",

"M..my..food",

“The slaves eat at ten. You’re too late,” she sneered.

"But Pamela said I couldn't eat until I finished with my work",

“Then work faster next time. Now get out.”

Fighting back tears, I stumbled back to my tiny room, stomach empty and spirit crushed. Curling up on the cold floor, I whispered a silent prayer. They couldn’t find Kelilah. No matter what, I had to protect her.