Freyas pov
I woke up slower than usual. My eyes were heavy, I was probably swollen, but it wasn't from sleep. From last night's tears maybe. The memories. The… everything.
But oddly enough, I didn't feel crumbled like I thought I should have been. My chest still hurt, yeah, but there was this little something inside of me. It was small and soft and kinda fragile seeming like a candlelight trying not to go out against the wind or something.
It gave me a little hope that maybe… just maybe the day wasn't going to be so bad.
That was when I remembered her.
Beth.
I thought of her and smiled as I couldn't believe this. After all this time telling myself nothing was going to make me cry, I had broken down when I saw her.
My lips formed the slightest smile. There was no need denying that having her fight for me was one of the sweetest thing anyone could ever do for me.
The memory of our shared past came to my mind as I remembered when me and her would be sitting on the dining table, gossiping about something stupid we had seen at school, our laughter reverberating through the morning air till my mom would come out of her bedroom. "Will you two pea-brains eat your breakfast or will you be late for school?'' It would be half-mumbled, half-yelled over my mother's sleepiness.
Five years. God, it feels like another lifetime. Now I had lost my parents who if I remember clearly I didn't really mourn that well because of all that has happened over the years.
I rolled onto my side, and my eyes instantly softened. Zara.
She slept like a little child, her chest barely moving, and hair sticking to her forehead with sweat. I really did have her. " 'Now I have you,' i said.
My throat tightened, but it wasn't pain this time. It was… gratitude.
She was my only family now. No matter what it was just me and her.
She was mine. My reason to keep breathing.
But the thought of where we'd come from plagued my insides. At this point in the morning at Alpha Greg's house, I would've been awake for four hours already, and I would've scrubbed every floor in the goddamn place until my hands bled. Sometimes beaten afterward, sometimes just left alone as if I were nothing more than a stupid maid on my knees suffering away in silence, but still working. Always working.
I closed my eyes and opened slowly, before closing them again with a series of groans.
I stretched and then thought of something. I needed to be on my feet doing something.
The question is what should I be doing.
Some people when asked how they spent their free time would say they'd have a little holiday or maybe go on an outing or something. But me? I loved cleaning. It helped me think well.
The difference between between then in Greg's pack and now in Zac's pack was that I wasn't being insulted or punished. I was being left to have a little bit of freedom.
Most people would probably call it a chore, but to me… it was therapy. The rhythm of it, the way things sparkled afterward, the order it brought to chaos. Over the years, it had become something I actually loved.
I got up and went to the mirror as I tied my hair up into a bun ready to go and clean something. I looked at the bed to see Zara still sleeping. She didn't need to wake up.
But of course, my tiptoeing failed as she stirred just as I reached the door.
"Mama?" She said.
I turned quickly. "Hey baby… go back to sleep."
She sat up, rubbing her eyes. "Where are you going? Is the wicked madam here to make us work again?"
My heart clenched so fast it hurt. Even now, she remembered her. The head maid.
I smiled and went to her as I touched her cheek. "No, sweetie. She's not here. Hopefully, we never see her again." I kissed her temple. "However we are going to be cleaning today."
She smiles and winced around. "Okay, mummy."
I helped her out of bed, and arranged it.
Slowly, I opened the window as fresh air got in. Pulling the blinds he en wider had the room going brighter.
Zara ran around me with her doll telling stories as fast as she could as I arranged the bedsheets of each room and cleaned each window at the halls with wax.
I made to work well as some passing maids saw me through the window as they were shocked at what I was doing, but I paid them no heed. I was cleaning for me and not for anyone else.
I smiled at Zara as she played around with her doll and laughed a hearty laugh.
That sound… It made me forget for a second the pain I had harbored over the years. Forget the hurt, the shame and the silence I had held onto for years.
"I'm hungry mommy."
I smiled slightly, wiping my hands on my skirt. "Fine. Let's go eat then," I headed to our small kitchen and took out what there was. "Can you reach that chair?" I asked as she nodded and hopped onto it.
"Let me help you," she tilted her head as I smiled.
"How about you keep me company."
"That's not a job."
"But it is sweetheart," I smiled.
"It's not," she retorted with a laugh, making me tickle her a bit before going back to the work table.
"It's a big one," I smiled. "Without you, I wouldn't have anyone to work with and I would be lonely."
She smiled as she got out of the chair.
"I'll be back mama," she said as I nodded and went ahead to keep on making something for her to eat.
But while I was working, I heard the shatter of glass in the room Zara had rushed into.
"Zara!" I shouted, my voice shrill and full of fear.