Roots and veins

Chapter two

"Wake up ladies! It's February second, shower and dress and report to the dining hall in thirty minuets!"
My eyes open slowly, groggily sitting up and stretching.
"Come on get out of bed, are you new?"
A black haired girl with braids wearing an identical night dress to mine says rushing to the bathroom.
"Yes actually."
"We'll get your ass up."
She throws open the bathroom door, slamming behind her.
What's the rush?
I turn my head to the other side of the chamber to see all of the girls scrambbling out of bed and rummaging around in their trunks and running for the bathroom.
I quickly get out of bed and unknowingly do the same.
Grabbing my stuff I hurry into the bathroom.
I see why they're all so hot and bothered.
The room has approximately 15 showers. Extremely inconvenient for the nearly 70 women in the room.
All of the showers are already taken, but at least I'm in the line.
Everybody takes about two minute long showers before stepping out of the stall and quickly dress and hurry over to the sinks to finish getting ready.
When it's my turn I follow in suit and take my brief shower.
Stepping out I get dressed.
I'm sure to tie my my hair up like Amelia said and...my wrist catches my eye.
I hadn't noticed my wrist since I woke up.
The thin cut had been sealed by dried blood, and even though I'd showered my lady's dried lipstick still rings the injury.
I run my finger across it, going over the events of the previous night in my head.
"Hey, you'd best cover that up. Our lady's daughters would be all too happy to see that."
I turn my head to see who's talking to me.
At the sink besides me a young women, slightly older than myself pulls her hair up with a hair tie in between her teeth.
"Huh?"
"There should be a set a bandages and salve in your trunk. I'd wrap that up is I were you."
I finish what I'm doing and gather my stuff to leave the bathroom.
Coming back to my bed I lace up my shoes and put on my apron and my belt with my gardening tools in it. I shove my gloves in my pocket but before I leave I stop to wrap my wrist with some bandages.
"Our lady's daughters would be all to happy to see that."
Placing my hat atop my head I follow the other women out of the room and up the stairs.
Stepping out from behind the tapestry door they all walk in a single file line down the corridor before turning into a small walkway behind a portrait.
After going through what was practically a crawl space for a minuet, we come out into a dining hall.
There's no windows and only one door which must have led into the kitchen. The chamber held all 150 ish women who work in grounds keeping.
I sit down at a table, not knowing anybody. Every place already has a plate and a cup in front of it.
My breakfast consists of eggs atop rye toast and avocado; ham, and a small cup of mixed nuts. My drink is...red wine?
That's...interesting.
I look around and every single women is throwing back their drink before they eat.
I take a delicate sip from my glass and it's unlike any wine I've ever tasted!
Surprisingly thick for wine, but the sweet herbal taste overpowers the texture all together. It's oaky while still having floral notes. I knew the lady of the castle owned a vineyard, but this is like no other!
Before I know it I've finished the entire cup.
I set it down and start on my food.
About ten minutes later a bell is rung and everyone stands up and starts forming a single file line back through the space we came in.
Everyone is leaving their dishes behind so I do the same and get in line.
We're led outside into an area behind the castle  by the grape field.
We all stand in a little huddle. I look around the clearing.
There's snow in the ground?
In my thin linen and cotton clothes, surprisingly, I'm not cold...
"Ladies!"
Everybody stops talking and looks towards this relatively tall tower in front of us.
Amelia stands on the top of it.
"Alright good morning! We have another big day ahead of us! It is a nice brisk 24 degrees Fahrenheit today, perfect for the jobs ahead of us. You'll be assigned your jobs when I call out your name."
It takes what feels like forever for her to call out names. The last assignment she calls out is lycan control. She says about 20 names, and of course mine has to be last.
The girls split up, I'm assuming I follow the group where every member hangs their head low and slouches as they walk.
The group leads me over to a stone shed.
When you walk inside silver bladed weapons line the walls.
Each girl grabs something from the impressive array. and drags their feet out of the room.
Only one remains when I get over to the wall. A curved sickle with a worn leather bound handle.
I pick it up and follow my group.
Each member of my group goes in different directions.
"What am I supposed to do?"
I call to one of the women.
"Just, spread out across the grounds and keep an eye out for freaks."
And just like that I'm left in the dust.
I look back at my "utensil" so to say.
It's quite rusty, dry blood crusted over it.
I cringe.
Completely unsure of what to do, I meander around the property.
I do this for hours.
I suppose we don't get lunch because I never heard any sort of call.
Eventually one of the girls from my "Lycan control group" found me and jogs over.
"Hey, we have to go in for roll call."
She waves me towards the castle and we run for the entrance.
All of the girls are gathered in one of the green houses. Amelia stands on a crate in front of the crowd.
The girl who fetched me stands next to me.
"So what is she going to do?"
"She's going to read out all of our names and check off if we're here or not. And if they're not, they'll send the girls after em'."
Send the girls after them?
"The girls?"
"Yeah, mistresses dau-"
Amelia's voice cuts her off.
"Okay ladies!! Good job today! When I call your name please respond with here and stay put until all names are read and then we'll head up for dinner.
I suppose she was going in alphabetical order.
"Irina Volkov!?"
"Here." Responds the girl I was previously speaking to.
"Russian?" I whisper to her.
"Yes, and you?"
"Julia Malinowski!?"
"Here." I call out.
"Polish." I reply.
"Ah, what part?"
"Podkarpackie. Where are you from?"
"Dagestan. It's southern."
"Huh. Why'd you come all the way out here?"
"Trying to get away from my folks. I was planning on going to Italy but I didn't have the money, so I took up a job here. How about you?"
"I just uh, needed the extra money." I say. "But I will say, this is not what I...expected."
"What, you weren't expecting monsters and a blood sucking boss you have to refer to as if she's royalty; and her psychopathic daughters trying to kill you every now and then."
I'm becoming more and more curious out these daughters.
"She has kids?"
"Yeah, I don't think they're hers though."
"So how many are there?"
"Three. Bela, Cassandra, and Daniela."
"Huh...well, that's...interesting."
I ponder about these girls but Amelia interrupts my thoughts
"Okay ladies!! Let's form a single file line and head up to dinner."
We get into our very long line and retrace our steps back into the dining chamber.
I sit with Irina so we can talk more.
Our meal is a very rare steak, beans, steamed broccoli and legumes beside a cup of wine.
Immediately I toss back my wine before eating.
Blood pools around the steak.
"Jezus Chrystus, this stuff is practically still mooing." I poke it with my fork.
"You'll get used to it pretty quick."
Irina swallows her mouthful and cringes.
I eat my vegetables but steer clear of the steak.
Irina notices this.
"You need to eat it. You'll get in trouble if you don't."
"I will?"
"Yeah. There's a girl who was "vegetarian"she was sent up to see mistress. She came back nearly bled dry. Now she eats her all steak in nearly three minutes and never looks anyone in the eyes. They put her on lycan control every day because she doesn't seem to...fear death I guess?"
I stare at my plate.
"Well shit." I pick up my fork and knife and get at it.
When we're called to head back to our sleeping chamber Irina and I stand up to join the line.
We're about halfway to the tapestry when I notice that my belt is gone.
"Aw shit..."
"What is it?" Irina whispers.
"My belt, I left it outside."
"Really? How?"
"I took it off for patrol...I think I left it in the weapons shed."
"Uuuh, okay, let's go get it."
"Are we allowed?"
"I don't really know, I'm sure it's fine though. Hey Marie?"
"Oui?"
"We're going to go get her belt, when we knock on the door will you let us in."
"Oui, but if you get in trouble I'm not vouching for you."
"Thanks, alright Julia, let's go."
Irina splits from the line and runs down the corridor; I follow.
We get to the greenhouse door.
I have to squint to see beyond the greenhouse.
"It's pretty dark out there..."
"Here-" Irina takes a torch off the wall and hands it to me.
"Okay."
We walk out into the darkness cautiously until we find the shed.
I step in and see my belt in the corner.
"There it is." I hand Irina the torch and pick my belt up and strap it to my waist.
"Okay we'd better get back."
We go to leave the shed but just as we take a few steps out of the door I'm pulled by my hair onto the ground on my back
I scream.
"HOLY SHIT!" Irina jumps back.
A lycan stands above me holding an axe.
It swings down but I roll just in time for weapon to implant itself into the ground rather than my face; but not before the blade slices off a good portion of my left ear.
While it struggles pulling the axe up from the frozen earth I scramble up to my feet.
Irina is gone, she ditched me.
The axe comes free and the lycan prepares to swing again.
All alone without a weapon other than the small knife in my collar I act on instinct and charge into the lycans abdomen making it drop its weapon.
It grabs me by the shoulders and throws me around so I'm pinned against the shed.
It removes its hands from my shoulders and wraps them around my neck strangling me.
I don't know what to do, I can't move!
Wait! My hands are free!
I swing up my arm and punch the thing in the cheek as hard as I can.
The lycan is takes aback, it lets me go.
God damn that really hurt! I rub my fingers, two of them feel broken.
The lycan has its axe again.
I start running, but it loops it's axe blade around my ankle and I eat shit.
I crawl away; my whole body shaking I stand up. The lycan runs straight at me. Breathing heavily I try running again, but it grabs me by my collar and whips me around. I lock eyes with the monster before I feel a spray of hot liquid hit my face.
The monsters head slides off it's neck and onto the grass. The body falls and standing behind it is Irina holding a rusty sword from the shed.
"IRINA!"
I run over to her and attack her in a hug; immediately sobbing.
"I thought you left me!"
"Shh, it's okay, I'm here."
She holds me for a moment before quickly pulling away.
"Holy shit!"
"What??"
"Your ear, it's gone!"
A large amount of blood has run from beside my head down my shirt.
I reach up my fingers to touch it.
It hurts immensely to touch, I mustn't have felt the pain when it happened, adrenaline and all that. I mean I knew what happened but not how bad.
Irina takes off her apron and presses it against my head.
"Here hopefully that hel-"
She goes rigid.
I hear a fly buzzing where my ear used to be.
"Oh my god..."
"What? What is it?"
I see another one fly past my face. And another one land on my bloody cheek. Suddenly there's flys swarming around my head.
"YEBENA MAT'! JULIA BEGAT'!" Irina breaks into a sprint towards the castle.
Was that Russian? I don't understand?? Where are all these flys coming from. I assume she was asking me to get the hell out of here. I follow Irina's instructions and follow behind her; but before I can get far-
I'm grabbed by my hair and spun around

I face a cloaked women, holding a glittering sickle, blood staining her mouth, a sickening smile spread across her face.