[18]

“How long was I slept?” Althea had no idea what had just happened—was it sleep, or had she passed out? All she knew was that when she opened her eyes, she was lying weakly on the floor. Her body ached in several places, her limbs throbbed with discomfort, and her toes felt icy cold from resting directly on the bare floor.

But more than anything else, she needed to know, “What time is it?”

She pushed herself up slowly, wincing as pain bloomed in her joints. The dizziness hadn’t quite faded either. Glancing around her room, everything looked the same—no signs of anyone having come in.

“What were you hoping for, Althea?” she whispered with a bitter smile. As if someone in this house would come looking for her—checking in on her just because she wasn’t seen doing her usual chores. “They’re probably hoping I’m gone already.”

She sighed deeply, then looked at the wall clock. One in the morning.

“It’s already this late... and I still have so much to do.”

But before she resumed packing up her