CHAPTER NINE- LUCY

CAMILLA'S POV

I felt a palm caress my cheek. I folded under the touch, it was so soft and comforting.

I opened my eyes slowly and saw my mother staring back at me, smiling from ear to ear.

A sense of joy overwhelmed me and I hugged her immediately.

Tears streamed down from my eyes to my cheeks.

“Mom it's you, it's really you”. I said as I held her tightly.

She ran her hands through my hair and kissed my forehead.

“How are you my darling?”. She asked in a soothing voice

“I'm better now that I'm with you. I couldn't bear to stay in that place any longer. It was horrible”. I said as I recounted the horrors I encountered in Baron's mansion.

As long as I was with her I'd be safe. The question was where was I?.

I figured the attempt was successful. Does that mean I was dead? And she was dead too?

I thought to myself as I looked up at my mother.

“Mom.. am I… dead?”. I asked curiously.

“Not exactly”. She answered calmly.

“Where are we? Are you… are you even real”

She smiled faintly. “You're not dead, my little pumpkin patch. This is… I don't know how to explain this place. But you have to go back”

My heart sank as those words came out of her mouth.

“No. I can't go back. I wanna stay with you”. I said as I hugged her tightly.

“But I'm not real my love.”. She said and I just stared at her.

“What?”. I asked in disbelief.

She patted my hair.

“I know it's hard, I know you don't like that place. But you have to go back. You can't stay here.”. She said as she caressed my face.

“But I don't want to go back. He'll… he'll kill me if I stay there. My life is miserable. I don't care if you're not real”. I screamed, my heart aching. “I just want to stay with you.”

I cried hard, hugging her tightly. Then she began to fade away.

“Please don't go. Please mom, don't leave me again. Please!”. I said crying trying to hold onto her.

She just smiled faintly.

“I'm not gone Camilla. We'll meet soon”.

She disappeared into thin air and everything around me started collapsing.

“Camilla”

I heard a strange voice calling my name from afar. It was echoing.

“Camilla”

It came again. Louder this time.

I looked around and the world around me crumbled to the ground and before I knew it I sat up in a panic. Drenched in sweat.

I opened my eyes and looked around frantically. I was alive and still in the mansion.

I was on top of the bed and there was a young girl that looked just a few years older than me staring at me. She sat on the side of the bed and looked relieved to see that I was awake.

I couldn't even muster up any words to say to her. I was still trying to Uber the situation and why I was here.

So I didn't die

“Camilla. Are you okay? Here have some water”. She said as she handed me a glass of water.

I was still confused and just stared at her.

“Why… why”. Those were the only words I could force out of my mouth.

“Just breathe and drink the water, please”. She said with a look of concern. She reminded me of my mother when I was sick. She'd try to convince me to take my medication.

I took a sip from the glass of water and she smiled softly, revealing a dimple on her left cheek.

“Who are you?”. I managed to construct a proper sentence.

“Lucy. I'm a maid here”. She answered calmly.

I tilted my head. I never really knew the other maids, or saw them either.

“I was… I was worried about you. I heard about your frequent visits to the dungeon. I decided to come say hi and probably give you some comfort. But when I got here I saw you… hanging”. She said in a sad tone.

My attempt…

“Life here hasn't been exactly great for me. It was the only thing I could think of doing.”. I said, trying to explain myself.

“I'm sorry about… everything. You really don't deserve that kind of treatment. I know the master is cruel but I really didn't expect… this”. She said as she put her hand on back.

I felt… warm. For the first time I felt safe.

I turned to her and hugged her.

“Th-thank you. For saving me. If you didn't come… I don't even know what I was thinking to be honest. I just wanted an escape”

She smiled softly.

“I understand. You can always come to me when you're troubled”. She described her room that was on the second floor. She left the room briefly and came back with some snacks for me.

I was still a bit skeptical about her… kindness. But nevertheless I slowly gave in.

We talked for a while. She told me about her family. How her parents had died in a car crash and she was working to keep her little in school.

“I love her so much, I don't care what I have to go through to give her a better life”. She said as she stared blankly at the floor. A little tear escaped her eye.

She quickly cleaned it and gave me a soft smile.

“I know master Baron has his… bad sides. But I also know that he keeps to his word. Your mother is being treated.”. She said as she held my hand.

For the first time in a long time I felt hopeful. I gave her a tight hug.

“Thank you, Lucy.”. I said and she hugged me back.

“Consider me your friend in this mansion. You can come to me whenever you need someone to talk to.”. She said as we pulled away from each other.

I smiled brightly, for the first time I felt happy.

“I have to get to work now, you should too.”. She said as she stood up.

I nodded. “I'll be out soon.”.

She smiled and left the room.

Her words kept playing in my head.

“Consider me your friend in this mansion..”

My friend…