I looked deep into her eyes, waiting for her to say something. But Mohandia remained silent, turning her face away from me in cold defiance.
“Mohandia, do you even think we are enemies?” I asked softly, keeping my tone calm and measured.
At that moment, she whipped her head back towards me, her eyes burning with intensity. “If we are not enemies, then what are we? You’re no friend of mine, and if you’re not my friend, you must be my enemy!” Her voice was sharp, filled with anger and bitterness as she glared at me with hatred.
I held her gaze, unfazed by her words. “That’s where you’re wrong. I’m not your enemy, and no one here is. We’re all trapped by circumstances we never wanted, forced into lives of servitude in a place we don’t belong. We are not enemies, Mohandia. We’re just people, each carrying our own pain under the same roof.”
Her face softened slightly, the fire in her eyes dimming for a moment. She looked away, unwilling to meet my gaze. I could see the confusion on her face, but also the struggle within her, as if my words were slowly sinking in.
“Mohandia, we are one big family here. Life has been cruel to each of us, and that’s why we’re here. Instead of fighting each other, we need to support one another. Happiness is hard to find out there, but maybe, just maybe, we can find a little bit of it here-if we choose to be kind to one another.”
She didn’t respond, her eyes fixated on the ground. But I could tell she was listening. The silence between us hung heavy, but it wasn’t the same cold silence from before. This time, it felt like there was a shift, as if something inside her was starting to crack.
I stood up, brushing the dirt off my clothes. As I began to walk away, I turned back to her one last time. “Mohandia, you’re a good person. You have leadership qualities, and we need that to make this place better. Don’t waste it. Think about what I’ve said.”
I left her sitting there under the tree, her face still turned away from me. As I walked back to my room, a small grin formed on my face. *She has a lot to think about now. If she changes, it’ll make things easier for me to reach my goals.*
When I arrived at my room, exhaustion hit me like a wave. My whole body ached, and my joints felt stiff. I collapsed onto the floor, covering it with a soft blanket. Before I knew it, my vision blurred, and a sudden fever washed over me. I could barely keep my eyes open. The room spun, and within moments, everything went black.
—
When I woke up, my eyes felt heavy, and the world around me was a blur. I could hear voices-faint, but growing louder as my senses returned.
“She’s waking up! She’s alive!” I heard a woman’s voice say, filled with excitement.
I blinked, trying to make sense of what was happening. My whole body ached, my head throbbed, and I couldn’t remember where I was. “Where am I? What happened to me?” I managed to whisper, my voice hoarse and weak.
“Kimberly, relax. You’ll be fine,” a familiar voice said gently.
I struggled to lift my head, squinting to see who was speaking. It was Liza, standing beside me with a relieved smile on her face. Kaitlyn was on the other side, both of them looking down at me with concern.
“Liza? Kaitlyn?” I croaked. “What happened?”
Liza sighed, her face softening with worry. “We don’t know exactly. Yesterday, Kaitlyn and I came to check on you, and when we entered your room, we found you unconscious on the floor. We called the chief maidservant, and they brought you here. You’ve been out since then.”
Kaitlyn nodded. “We were hoping you could tell us what happened. Do you remember anything?”
I shook my head slowly. “I… I was alone in my room. I started feeling tired, then my joints began aching. After that, everything went black.”
An older man walked into the room, followed by the chief maidservant. He had a kind face, and I could tell he was someone important. “Ah, you’re awake,” he said with a warm smile. “I’m the physician for the pack house. We’ve been treating you since yesterday. You seem to have suffered from exhaustion, but we’re not entirely sure what caused it.”
I tried to sit up, wincing as pain shot through my body. “Thank you for taking care of me. I don’t know what happened… I just felt so weak all of a sudden.”
The physician nodded thoughtfully. “It happens sometimes when the body is under too much stress. You need rest. Make sure you sleep in a proper bed from now on-rest is essential for your recovery.”
I nodded, grateful for his advice. “Thank you, sir. And thank you, ma’am,” I said, addressing the chief maidservant.
They both smiled and left the room, leaving me with Liza and Kaitlyn. I turned to them, feeling overwhelmed with gratitude. “Thank you both. I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
Kaitlyn laughed softly. “You don’t have to thank us. We’re your friends.”
Liza grinned. “Yeah, we’ve got your back.”
We chatted for a while, sharing stories and laughs, the tension from earlier easing away. Suddenly, the physician returned, a gentle smile on his face.
“Kimberly, you’re well enough to return to your room now. Make sure you take it easy and rest up.”
“Thank you,” I replied gratefully.
As we walked back to my room, Liza and Kaitlyn supported me, helping me move slowly. When we opened the door, I stopped in my tracks, stunned by what I saw.
My old bed was gone, replaced with a beautiful new one, complete with soft blankets and fluffy pillows.
“This is amazing!” Liza exclaimed, jumping onto the bed with excitement. “The chief maidservant must have done this for you. You’re so lucky, Kimberly!”
I couldn’t believe it. I ran my hand over the blanket, marveling at how soft it was. “It’s beautiful… I never expected this.”
We were still admiring the new bed when we heard a knock at the door. Kaitlyn stood up to answer it, and as she opened the door, we all froze in shock.
Standing there, in front of the door, was someone we never expected to see. My eyes widened, and my jaw dropped as I stared at the figure in disbelief.