CHAPTER 2
All of the women students were quietly standing in a line outside the main hall, which was used for gatherings.
No one dared to say a word, and the only sound that could be heard was the nervous fidgeting among us.
Maya was standing in front of me, anxiously picking at her nails; a tiny red drop of blood was on her thumb by the cuticle.
She tucked her thumb into a fist, hiding the damage she had caused.
We had to be in perfect order and of the highest standards when we met the Kingdom's advisors.
She closed her eyes and focused on her breathing in quiet meditation.
Maya had always been good at calming herself.
She had told me that her mother and her used to meditate together every morning before breakfast. Her mother said it sets the tone for the day ahead, which Maya reminded me of every morning after meditating.
The hope was to be chosen by the King's advisor and to live in luxury, well, as best as one could as a servant.
I had only heard stories about how glorious the palace was, and I could only imagine working in a place of beauty.
Personally, though, anything was better than this sterile and regimented place.
A creek echoed through the hallway, dragging me away from my thoughts, and the double wooden doors opened wide, exposing the vast room before us.
The smell of overdone florals wafted towards us as the doors opened, and nausea rolled through my stomach.
They always tried to liven up this place by burning incense whenever a visitor came by, but the smell mingled with the freshly used cleaners, making a horrid combination.
From the back of the line, a girl gagged and covered her mouth, trying not to vomit.
Madame shot her a look that would stop anyone from vomiting and motioned with her hand outwards towards the room, indicating we should walk forward.
The women around me were struggling to remain calm, but I just wanted this to be over, already bored and disgusted by the transactions about to happen. I should have fucking run.
“Ladies, Welcome!” A voice boomed through the room, echoing off the bare walls.
A man stood near the front of our line. He had a mustache that curled up towards the outer corner of his eyes and looped back in towards his lips.
His thick black hair was slicked back, and he reminded me of a ringmaster from a circus I once read about in a children’s book.
He wore an entirely black outfit, and it gleamed in the sunlight pouring in through the windows lining the walls.
A small red triangle peeked out of the top of his overcoat's pocket and stood out in the room otherwise drained of color.
It was taunting me, a quiet promise of the life to come.
“Ladies, if you could please turn and line up so we can have a better look at your beautiful faces.” He said while motioning to the spot where he wanted us to stand, I had to fight the urge to curl my lips in disgust.
I didn’t even notice that there was another group of middle-aged men standing on the other side of the room.
They were all dressed in overcoats, but not as detailed as the ringmasters'; their sad grey shades all blended into the sea of twill-weave fabric.
They all had notebooks and pens in hand, ready to write and assess us, looking for any flaw that might be hidden beneath our shell of a body.
Once we were all lined up and faced the gathering of men, the ringmaster began speaking, “Ladies! Thank you for joining us on this glorious day!”
Like we had a damn choice.
He continued, “The advisors have been given a briefing on each of you. We will call them one at a time, and they can choose to inspect or ask you more questions. Please remember to answer as fully and respectfully as possible.”
Madam shot me a pointed look, and I had to bite my lips together to refrain from smiling.
“Advisor one. You’re up.” His enthusiasm was exhausting to listen to.
A tall, slender man stepped forward, and I instantly thought of a rat.
His small, shifty eyes were so dark you could not tell their true color.
His long, pointed nose matched his chin, protruding from his face at odd angles.
He went up to each of us, notebook in hand, and started writing furiously, not even bothering to ask any questions.
Eyeing each of us up, then down, walking right by some of them, ignoring them completely.
I watched their dreams crumble as defeat slowly settled onto their expressions.
He made his way down the line and was now beside me, inspecting Maya before scribbling down a couple of notes, and then he moved forward until he was standing in front of me.
I stared directly at him, not flinching away from his beady little eyes, which most of the other girls had to look away from.
I looked at the spit that had formed a crust in the corner of his mouth, the deep black pores that resided on the tip of his nose, and the morning sleep still in the corner of his eyes.
I could smell him from the moment he walked up to us, drenched in some cologne that burned my nostrils and made my eyes water.
It did not mix with the floral and cleaner smell already consuming the room.
He locked eyes with me, a crooked sneer of a smile slowly taking shape.
“Name?” His voice matched his appearance, high-pitched and curdling, exactly how you would expect sour milk to sound if it could speak.
I stared directly into his eyes that were scanning me up and down while he took notes, lingering longer than I would have liked on my chest. “Avyn Ashwood.”
He scribbled something down. “And why do you want to become a servant?”
It took every ounce of restraint not to roll my eyes at the rat of a man standing in front of me.
Want?! That single word infuriated me. I did not want to be ripped out of my mother’s arms, leaving her to fend for herself.
While she raised me into the woman I am today, she always had a soft fragility to her.
The thought of her trying to survive by herself in that merciless village cut deeper every time I thought about it.
I did not want to be stuck in this joyless pit for the past two years.
I did not want my life to be decided for me.
Fuck. I should have run, and I knew it. “To serve the Kingdom of Drycartha and to serve for my lifetime, for however long I shall live,” I replied evenly, recalling the lesson that Madame had drilled into our heads every single day for the past seven hundred and twenty-three days.
“Very good.” His eyes looked me up and down once more, licking his lips, as his tongue reached for the bit of crust resting on the corner of his mouth. “Do you want to find love?”
An unusual question; what kind of game was he playing? “No, sir, my only dream in life is to serve those above me.” Another memorized line from Madam's rulebook, another piece of my soul served up to her on a silver platter.
The anger was boiling in my blood, and I clenched my fists behind my back. How can they do this to people? We were not cattle.
“Oh goodness!” Madam lost her composure and ran over to where the incense was now ablaze; the entire stick was on fire.
She grabbed the water jug from a nearby table and doused the flame. “I am so sorry, gentlemen. Please continue.” She said, her composure slowly coming back as she brushed her uniform with her hands.
He grinned at me, and his crooked, yellow teeth peeked out between the thin lines of his lips, unfazed by what had just occurred.
“Hmmm… very well.” He looked down and wrote one more thing before moving on to the other girl beside me.
I could feel Maya’s gaze on me, and I glanced her way, shooting my eyes towards the ceiling.
She turned her lips inwards, holding them tight to keep from laughing.
One by one, each advisor interviewed and assessed us.
All the other advisors showed no interest in me, passing by without acknowledging me.
Please, please, please don’t let me go with the rat man.
Please!!!!! I silently begged the gods. After the last advisor finished, Madam stepped forward and blew her whistle, signaling for us to listen.
“Thank you, ladies. Please head back to your rooms while we are conferring. I will send the guards to retrieve you when we are ready. Gather your belongings in the meantime so that you can bring them with you to your assignment.”
Shit! It couldn’t be that fast. I needed more time with Maya, with Max! Surely, they would give us time to say goodbye before leaving. I could feel my heart breaking all over again.
We all walked out in the same single-file line we had when we walked in; everyone was trying to remain calm and hide their emotions, but most were failing.
Someone in front of us crumbled to the ground, crying, while another girl tried to comfort her.
Once back in our room, I took the time to look around and could feel the somber mood settle in as each girl pulled out a small bag and started to pack their belongings while saying goodbye to one another.
Tears were flowing down everyone’s face, arms embraced one another, and sobs lingered in the air.
A THUD hit my side, and Maya’s arms were instantly wrapped around me in the biggest hug that she had ever given me.
I put my arms around her, hugging her back and holding her as tight as I could, not wanting to let go.
“It will be okay, Maya. You will get a great placement. Everyone was so interested in talking to you.” I tried to comfort her, but ultimately knew it wouldn’t.
She let go and looked at me. “But it won’t be with you. I can’t do this without you. I will be a mess; I will make mistakes.” Tears started to form in the corners of her eyes.