Tirza

Mistress and Master

“Follow me,” the Governor commands after we land. I don’t miss the change in his demeanour; he is no longer being almost... nice to me. He’s treating me like the slave I am. In a way, this makes me feel more comfortable, because I know this is how he should act.

He leads me out of the shuttle and into a cavernous room made of grey metal and filled with line after line of shuttles. Some are huge and luxurious; some are smaller and look more personal, but I’m overwhelmed by the sheer number of them. I gasp in spite of myself, but luckily, the Governor doesn’t seem to notice.

After an endless journey through a labyrinth of intricately decorated corridors, we abruptly halt in front of a heavy wooden door with two guards posted outside.

The guards snap into salutes as soon as the Governor comes into view. Their decorative armour rattles as they open the door.

“This is my apartment,” the Governor explains as we enter a grand room. The slightly curved walls opposite are made entirely of glass, and we must be at least fifty metres above the city. Two enormous towers are visible through the windows.

In the centre of the room are two sofas, made of something which looks like animal skin. The Governor sits down on the vacant sofa, but makes no motion for me to follow.

“My wife will explain your purpose here,” the Governor says with a barely-detectable hint of resignation. He motions to the woman sat on the other sofa.

The woman glares at me with cutting grey eyes the colour of a knife blade. Her dark hair is tied back so tightly that it pulls at her cheeks, stretching the skin. She is draped in a graceful red dress which matches her bright red lipstick, setting off the heavy gold jewellery sitting on her bony chest.

“As I am sure you have realised, my husband and I—you will address us as Master and Mistress—hold a very­ high position in the Citadel’s government and society. Obviously this means we are often working and on business trips. You know how to cook and clean, I presume?” At this, she shoots a formidable glare at her husband—Master.

I think for a moment. I always used to cook the game I caught back home. I would even add herbs and berries if I was feeling particularly creative. As for cleaning, Telari did most of that, but it can’t be that hard. If an eight-year-old could do it, so can I.

“Yes, Mistress,” I answer. To my surprise, my voice is barely louder than a whisper. 

“Good,” she continues. Her voice is artificially high and is starting to get on my nerves. “You will be maid  to my daughter, Leila.”

I hadn’t noticed her, sitting next to her mother on the sofa, but I think everyone gets overlooked when Mistress is around. Her brown eyes are downcast as if in shame, and her long black hair hangs down around her face. She is almost the spitting image of her mother, save for the dark clothes and soft facial features, which are clearly inherited from her father. Unlike me, her ears are firmly rounded and at the side of her head, her skin holds no hint of fine fur and I bet she doesn’t have a tail like me. She’s beautiful. Leila glances nervously around the room, refusing to meet my eyes.

“Your job will be to look after Leila, clean the apartment and run errands for us. If your work does not live up to my expectations, you will be punished. If you attempt to escape, you will be executed. You will speak only when spoken to. You will address us as Master, Mistress and Miss respectively. Do you understand?” Mistress’s voice cuts into my thoughts like a sword.

“Yes,” I reply, still processing the information.

“What was that?” Mistress stands up.

“Yes, Mistress,” I correct myself.

“You will find your quarters just around the right-hand corner outside the door. Ask the guard if you can’t find it. I expect you to report for duty no later than seven o’clock tomorrow morning. You may eat only after she has finished her breakfast, and the food designated for you is in the cupboard under the sink. Dismissed.”

I turn and almost run out of the apartment, but manage to keep my composure until I get to my new room. I bolt the door firmly behind me and sit down on the narrow bed.

What a bitch!

I smile to myself. “You can say that again!”

Listen, do me a favour and don’t upset her. I want to escape as much as you do but it’s not worth getting us both killed over.

“I wasn’t going to try,” I mutter, slightly ruffled by the assumption that I would even consider something so stupid. “What do you think of that girl—Leila? It looked like she was embarrassed to be there.”

Don’t be so trusting. She’s probably just shy or something. Believe me, she sees you like they all do; a mutant, animal, freak of nature, lesser being, whatever. She’s just not as vocal about it as the rest of them.

“Maybe,” I sigh, too exhausted to argue. However, as I lie alone in the dark, I can’t take my mind off the girl who I will be serving.

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A/N: Hey! I'm sorry if this chapter isn't very good, I wanted to stick to updating on Thursdays but I haven't had time to edit it for the 4th time yet and I normally do. :C I'll probably reupload it tomorrow. Thanks for reading this far!