CHAPTER 5: A Friend

-=Martina's Point of View=-

I'm not sure if it was because of my nerves, the stress I've been through, the anxiety I felt and kept on feeling, or maybe all of those emotions, which made me feel exhausted, and after just a few minutes of lying down in bed, I felt my eyelids getting heavy, and I let myself drift into oblivion.

It felt like I just closed my eyes when a sudden knock on my door awoke me, and before I could respond to it, the door opened, revealing the same kid maid who I caught looking at me earlier.

"Good afternoon, mistress. Master Zion ordered me to fetch you, so you can both have a late lunch," she said, trying to maintain a poker face, but behind it, I could still detect a particular curiosity behind her blue eyes.

"It's fine."

She courteously introduced herself as Annie and told me that from now on, she would be my personal helper.

She then started helping me get ready, and even though I told her that I could manage, she insisted that it was her job to assist me, so I let her do what she wanted to do.

"How long have you been working here?" I couldn't help but ask while waiting for her to finish combing my hair.

"I just started working here last year, mistress," she replied.

"I see, how old are you anyway?" 

"I just turned sixteen, which is why I was allowed to work in the mansion, mistress."

I'm not sure if it's legal for someone who's sixteen to be working already, but she seems happy while talking, so I decided to keep it at the back of my mind.

I wanted to ask her about Zion, about this place, and how her life was living on this isolated island, but I kept my mouth in check. I'm still not sure if she would tattle me to Zion, but at the back of my mind, I could tell that Annie is not like that, but it's never too bad to be cautious.

I decided to ask her some general questions—safe questions that would not bite me off my behind if someone found out.

I noticed that every time she replied to my questions, it always ended with the word mistress, so I decided to stop her from calling me as such; we're not royalty, so it's better to drop it.

"Annie, I hope you stop calling me mistress; you can just call me Martina or Martin," I said, smiling.

She was behind me, and we were in front of a large mirror, which is why I immediately noticed the horror that registered on her face when she heard what I said.

"I'm sorry, mistress, but I cannot do that; I will be disobeying the al..."

It didn't escape my eyes when I saw how her eyes widened, and I was certain that the fear in her eyes was genuine when she realized that she said something that she shouldn't have, but she immediately hid it as she continued talking.

"I mean, I cannot disobey Master Zion's order," she said.

"I understand, but is it possible if there are only two of us that you can call me by my name? I mean... we're almost the same age; I'm just two years older than you, so I'm hoping you can be my friend?" I asked in a pleading tone.

If I'm going to stay in this place, I might as well, find myself some friends, who would help me get through this turmoil I was in, and considering that I'm just two years older than her, she's the most perfect fit to be my close friend.

I could sense the struggle she was feeling, but at this time, I badly needed a friend, so I held her left hand, which was sitting on my left shoulder, and looked at her in the reflection of the mirror.

"Please, Annie, I'm not asking you to stop calling me that; I was just hoping if we were alone, I could treat you as my friend; nobody needs to know."

She took a deep breath, and after just a few seconds, a smile appeared on her lips.

"Ok, Martina."

A genuine smile appeared on my lips; it felt like it had been ages since I smiled genuinely, and I am hoping that this friendship could help me overcome the dread of being married to someone like Zion Montgomery.

After helping me get ready, she ushered me to the dining room, and I was not exaggerating when I said that this room is three times bigger than our house.

I couldn't help but feel melancholy when I suddenly remembered our home, the time when my mom was still alive, and we were all happy and content having each other in our lives. With that in mind, I couldn't stop myself from worrying about my dad.

"Shall we go, Martina?" I was awoken from my short reverie by Annie's words.

I took a few deep breaths before I nodded my head and stood up.

I took one last look in the mirror and saw my face bare of any cosmetics. Even before, I was not someone who enjoyed putting on any makeup, except for some occasional foundation and lipstick if I was going out. and meeting with friends, but nothing much.

Compared to my stepsisters, I am just a regular and ordinary girl who enjoys simple things in life, casual attire, and non-expensive things.

Compared to Alicia and Stefanie, who enjoy expensive and branded dresses, I would much rather settle for just a simple shirt and jeans.

I could say that I'm a daddy's girl, so most of the things I enjoy and like are different from what regular girls my age enjoy.

I kept my mouth shut as I followed Annie, and then she ushered me to the dining room, where Zion was already waiting. As soon as I arrived, his eyes were immediately drawn to me.

I immediately felt a shiver run through my spine when our eyes met. His gray, or, I must say, silver, eyes were generating nerves in my every nerve, making me feel so nervous, and I could already feel the cold sweat already forming at the back of my neck.

I secretly took a deep breath and tried not to avoid his gaze.

"Good afternoon; I'm sorry if I kept you waiting," I said in an unwavering voice.