Lyra's POV
I gathered leftovers from cleaning tables, sorting through for the most palatable and dishing it out as my supper. I didn't know if it was because they were leftovers but each bite left me nauseated.
Afterwards, I stretched myself out on the cold kitchen floor. The first thing I'm buying when I get my salary is a mattress. That's for sure.
"Rise and shine sleeping beauty!" Madam Beatrice dunked a pail of dirty mop water on me. I gasped, quickly wiping away the blackened water from my face.
"Don't look at me like that, what's the point of letting you sleep back here if you oversleep?" She pushed up the sleeve of her dress, revealing a leather wrist watch.
"2 hours! Your shift started 2 hours ago! I had to clean up the whole place myself while you snored in here like a pig!
" Her voice lashed at me like a whip, teeth bared and fangs slightly elongated.
"I'm sorry, I–"
"If this ever happens again, I'll kick you out. Let's see if you won't make it early to work when you live on the streets!"
With record speed, I got up from the floor, and finished the rest of the cleaning.
Then I changed into a new set of clothes and washed my hair with clean water, but I could still catch the lingering odour from the mop water.
I moved the medallion to the new dress I was wearing. For some reason, I couldn't bear to be apart from it.
"I need to sell this before it brings me trouble," I whispered to myself after serving a table.
"If I sell it, it'll be enough to pay off my debt here, get a new place and live comfortably…."
I ran my fingers through the outline of the medallion, my heart throbbing with excitement.
This was my ticket to an easier life.
So I should seize the opportunity with both hands, right?
I went to the stall three more times that same week, putting my little break period to use.
"Where are you always running off to during your break?" Madam Beatrice confronted me the moment I slipped back.
"I'm just trying to get familiar with the pack," I said, which was only a half-lie.
She narrowed her eyes at me suspiciously, "Hmpf, so it's a man?"
I paused from cleaning the counter, "No, there's no man."
She rolled her eyes. "And I was born yesterday too. Whatever! Just know that if you get knocked up you'll still have to come to work!"
She walked past, then brushed her shoulders with mine shoving me with a cackle.
I really wish I could just quit.
Alpha Corvin dropped by regularly, like twice or three times a week.
"Whiskey neat…" he'd mutter, and I'd deliver. But nothing was ever good enough. The closest thing I ever got resembling a compliment from him was when he said the drinks I made tasted like 'dog piss'
If my employers' abuses stopped with their cruel words maybe things would have been easier for me.
Blows would fall down on me like rain for the most dismissible mistakes.
By my second week working at Clawfire brews, I had lost one quarter of my weight and half of my will to go on.
Then I finally fell sick.
It started as a drop in my body temperature, then I got feverish.
Eventually each step became a burden on my body.
Alpha Corvin came that night, noticed I was hardly breathing while serving customers and called me to his side.
"When I said you couldn't stop working even if you were sick I didn't tell you not to treat yourself. What if you have something contagious?"
"I promise it's not, Alpha Corvin," I promised, unless people could contact dismay and sadness. "It's just a bit of a fever, I think I can sleep it off."
His eyebrows furrowed with disbelief.
"What if you chase off some regular ass before you can 'sleep' it off? Do you think the peanuts we pay you is compared to what the customers bring in?"
At least he's honest that I'm being paid peanuts compared to the work I do.
"I don't really have any spare money to pay for medicine," I said honestly, already shaking from standing straight for too long.
He measured me with his eyes, then without breaking contact fished out his wallet.
My jaw fell to the floor. Was I dreaming? There's no way Alpha Corvin would–
"Can you pole dance?" He said already holding out the cash. It was a few flimsy notes, but should be enough to buy painkillers and fever medicine.
My eyes bounced between him and the pole dancers who wore skin tight outfits that left almost nothing to the imagination. Before I could respond, he forcefully pushed the money into my palm.
"Watch them well tonight, you're starting tomorrow and I'll let you keep the tips if you do a good job."
I stared at the cash in my hand, knowing I couldn't hand it back. That I have been forced to sell myself for a few pills.
That was it.
Before I was pushed into anything more, I needed to sell this medallion.
When clawfire finally closed, I didn't head into the kitchen. Instead, I wore my darkest clothes so I could blend into the night, then carefully crept my way into the night mark, parts pounding like a drum against my ribs.
I was maneuvering my way through until I came to a lonely path, then I sensed the presence of another.
My whole body tensed, I tried to hurry up while hiding my intention to fully run when another person appeared in front of me, sandwiching me between himself and the other person.
"You're not from around here, are you? Don't deny it. I can tell by your scent," the man in front of me said, his grin widening.
"Since you're all alone, why don't my friend and I keep you company?"