A Trap or a Warning?

Chapter 5: A Trap or a Warning?

Maya’s POV…..

The car rolled to a stop as we drove through the towering gates, and my eyes landed on a mansion so massive it made every building I’d ever seen look like a roadside shop. The kind of place I’d only seen in high-budget movies, never in real life.

For a moment, the fear that had been gripping my chest loosened its hold, replaced by great awe. My eyes couldn’t stop roaming, trying to drink in every detail at once.

The walls were a flawless cream, stretching high like they were built to touch the sky, with giant glass windows that gleamed like they’d been polished by angels. The front steps led up to a porch framed by tall, white pillars, each one thick enough to hide behind. From the porch ceiling hung crystal chandeliers, their glittering drops catching the sunlight and scattering tiny rainbows across the walls.

The entire place screamed wealth, intimidating wealth.

“It’s time to step out,” the command came swiftly, forcing me to focus on the current situation I was in. “The maids will show you to your room,” the driver added.

“The… maids?” I didn’t even realize their presence until the driver mentioned it. They were lined up in front of the mansion, in sparkling clean uniforms that made them appear very professional. There were twelve of them, and they had warm smiles on their faces as they rushed toward us. Some of them were holding baskets of God-knows-what, and some held nothing.

“Smile… don’t keep that straight face like you are in a cage.” The man’s words hit me like a slap.

“Like I was in a cage?” This man was no different from his boss, cold and heartless.

I gulped hard, trying to swallow my anger. I knew I couldn’t do anything at this point, but deep down I knew I must do something later on, because there is no way I will remain enslaved to such a heartless man and remain his prey forever.

“Hello, ma, you are welcome to the house,” the maids greeted warmly as they opened the car door for me, and for the first time, I felt genuinely happy. I hadn’t been showered with so much love in a while.

“We are so glad to have you here,” one of the maids said as she held my hands and helped me get out of the car. I smiled and let her help me. As soon as I stepped down, praises followed, and flowers filled the air, raining on me like they were falling from the sky. Now I knew exactly what was in the baskets I’d seen earlier.

“I will show you around,” the young maid who had helped me said with a sweet smile. I responded with a light nod, pushing out a smile too. “You guys should get the other things ready. I’ll show her around,” she told the other maids. They nodded politely and walked away, offering me tiny smiles one last time. It was obvious she was the head maid, no wonder her uniform was slightly different.

“Come with me, ma,” she said, smiling as she led the way. I followed silently and let her do her thing.

“I will make sure you know everywhere in the house so you don’t get confused or lost, because this is a very big mansion.” She pushed the door open, and my jaw dropped.

I blinked twice to be sure I wasn’t dreaming, but that didn’t work. I closed my eyes and reopened them, hoping the sight in front of me would disappear, because I knew I hadn’t died, so I wasn’t in heaven yet.

“Are you with me, Mrs. Maya?” I felt a tiny tap on my shoulder, forcing me to look up. My eyes rested on the chief maid, who was staring at me with surprise written all over her face. “I’ve been speaking to you for a while now, but I noticed you weren’t listening, so I decided to call your attention.”

“Uh… uhmm,” I stuttered foolishly. “Is this place real?” The words escaped my lips without warning. The maid chuckled, maybe wondering about the trenches I came from.

“Yes, ma, this is very real. I also had the same question the first day I was brought here.” Her face stretched into a warm smile, and my eyes widened in even more shock.

In my whole existence, I had never seen anywhere as beautiful as this. What exactly would I say about it? Was it the fact that every single thing in the house seemed to be made of pure silver? Or the out-of-this-world interior design? Nothing I could say would ever fully explain how beautiful the building was.

“I will show you around, then.” This time, I was conscious of my environment because I truly believed now that I wasn’t dreaming, and this wasn’t heaven.

“Ok, ma, come with me,” she continued walking, and I followed, still admiring the house.

“So, this is one of the kitchens, ma,” she said as she pushed the kitchen door open, and my eyes widened. One of the kitchens? This place was bigger than my whole house, and she dared to say one of the kitchens? What she called a kitchen could pass for a beauty gallery, if not for the fact that there were kitchen appliances in it.

My legs ached so badly that I had to stop. She had been showing me around the house for almost two hours, and we were not even done yet. “I think we need to stop for today. I am pretty exhausted and cannot continue,” I said, sitting tiredly on the floor and panting hard.

“I will get you water,” she hurried away, as if she knew exactly what was on my mind.

“Gosh, how can a house be this big? This house is even bigger than the ones I’ve seen in movies, it’s way bigger and better.” I tried to catch my breath by resting my hands on my chest, but it wasn’t working. Instead, the breathlessness increased.

I looked around to see if she was close by, but she was nowhere to be found. That was when I spotted a dispenser in front of a door. “Gosh!” Excitement rushed through my veins as I hurried to it. I didn’t even know where I’d gathered the strength to run, but in less than a minute, I was standing in front of it.

I grabbed the cup on top of the dispenser and poured water into it. I didn’t even allow it to get filled before emptying the entire content into my throat. I repeated it again and again until I was satisfied.

“Water is life,” I muttered, collapsing in front of the door with satisfaction dancing through me. But before settling down, I noticed the door was different from the rest, different design, the only black door in the whole house, the smallest one I had seen. I wasn’t concerned, so I tried to overlook it.

I tried to focus on myself when a loud sound came from the room, one that sent me flying up immediately. I staggered back, my eyes wide open in horror, my hands reaching for any nearby weapon. I was scared to death, but at the same time, my curiosity pushed me to know what exactly was in the room.

With my hands fisted into a tight ball, I moved closer to the door, ready to push it open and discover why it was so different, and why such a sound came from it.

“You can’t go there.”

A hand dragged me back, making me panic even more.

With shaky hands and a fearful heart, I looked up. My eyes landed on the chief maid, whose face was filled with fear and panic, greater than mine.