: Condemning Herself

Kayda looked out the window. Contemplating what her next move should be. Should she leave now or wait and see? Should she act cautiously or should she play along?

All the questions that she herself was asking were already causing her head to spin to such a degree that she couldn't decide whether she should laugh or cry.

"Ah, you know what? Forget it. Let's just play by ear."

She had nothing left for her out there. And with her condition, there was a very little chance that she could survive on her own. She might as well use what has been given to her. Besides, if she were to bide her time wisely, she could gain a lot from this.

Looking out the window, the sun had risen to rest up high in the sky. With that as her personal clock, she could tell she slept for five hours. It was actually an accomplishment on her part since she couldn't remember the last time she had slept so long.

While she was thinking, there was a knock on the door.

Kayda didn't immediately get up to open the door and waited a couple seconds before she lightly hopped off the window seal and made her way over.

The first thing she saw when she opened the door was a bundle of fabric. Looking up, she was able to see a familiar cat-like smile and narrowed eyes.

When Kayda opened the door, Clouse was initially surprised.

The dirty little kid they picked up completely changed with a good wash. With the dirt and grime gone, he could now see her silver hair and her pale milky skin. Her eyes were bright and dewy and her fame looked like that of a skeleton.

If anything, she looked like one of those abnormal dolls that he used to see this old lady collect and put in the back of her store. And she always wondered why she never had any customers.

Kayda's face darkened as she sensed that whatever Clouse was thinking about couldn't exactly be pleasant.

"Is there something you need?"

Raising a delicate brow, Kayda's narrowed eyes zeroed in on him.

Seeing Kayda's darkened face and deadpan expression, Clouse immediately collected his thoughts and got to the reason he was there in the first place.

Holding out the bundle of clothes in his hands, he gave a charming smile.

"Thought you might want to change into some outdoor clothes as we will be leaving in a few hours. Come down after you've dressed. Lunch will be ready in a bit."

Without wasting a second, he shoved the clothes in her arms and disappeared around the corner, obviously not concerned about how abrupt his actions were.

Kayda looked at the clothes in her hands and then back up to the place Clouse stood before he disappeared.

Everyone was weird.

Without a second thought, she turned around and went back into the room to get dressed.

After a couple of minutes, Kayda walked out of the room in a white blouse and black riding pants. The outfit was small so it did a better job of fitting her frame but was loose in some places and tight in others showing that it was not fitted to her specifically.

Kayda of course couldn't care less. She was actually more intrigued in the well fitted pants she wore. It was her first time receiving clothes that she didn't need to alter to fit her physical appearance, so her long tail swayed comfortably behind her.

It was the little actions like these that made her more curious as to what type of people that had picked her up.

Walking down the steps, Kayda smelled a fragrant scent in the air. She could feel her nose slightly twitch and the saliva accumulate in her mouth.

The smell made her stomach give a slight rumble.

The last thing she had eaten was some indescribable gruel that was forced down her throat so she wouldn't die of starvation.

Unlike that horrid memory, the very smell in the air made her stomach feel full. She didn't know how to describe it.

A bit more curious, she continued down the steps and peeked around the corner of a door frame. Inside was a decent sized dining room with a four seat oak table.

On the table was one set of utensils but otherwise, the room was empty.

Standing in the doorway, Kayda didn't make a move to enter. She just looked at the table and waited there.

It wasn't until a few minutes later that Clouse entered with a bowl from what must have been the kitchen that he noticed Kayda standing there as if waiting for something.

Setting the bowl of food down on the table he looked up at Kayda.

"Why are you just standing there?"

His tone was light and humorous as if he was joking but Kayda looked at him for a second and tilted her head as if his words confused her.

"I haven't been given permission to enter."

Her words were simple and to the point. He asked a simple question and she gave a simple answer. If she didn't feel threatened, then she wouldn't turn threatening.

The reason she was so defensive around Dimitri was because his whole being screamed of danger and death, so she would act accordingly to someone she saw as a danger to her.

And right now, she felt neither threatened nor condemned by Clouse as he didn't give off such and oppressive air, so she gave her honest reply, but the words she said seemed to make Clouse's whole demeanor change.

His eyes turned sharp as he looked at her.

The charming playboy had completely disappeared within seconds.

But she could clearly tell that he wasn't angry at her.

After spending years at a time in the slave industry, being passed from one master to another, she learned to be quite adept at perceiving others emotions.

But what confused her even more was that she didn't say anything wrong. But the air around him turned gloomy.

"Why would you even," he paused and held the bridge of his nose as if he was having a headache.

"Never mind. Just sit and eat. Me and Dimitri have something to take care of so you'll be on your own. Wait for us to get back."

And like earlier, he left without a word leaving her with her thoughts.

She sort of felt like a new puppy someone had gotten and was told to sit and stay and to patiently wait for their master to come home.

This wasn't the best analogy to use on herself as it brought a bitter taste to her mouth.

Pushing that thought away, Kayda looked at the table.

Sitting down, she looked at the food before her. It was just a plain porridge with shredded chicken and a cup of water but the delightfully smelling food seemed to make Kayda's stomach turn and twist in discomfort. She suddenly felt sick but was able to easily control her affliction.

With a little bit of force, she picked up a spoon and raised a single bite sized portion to her mouth. But the heavenly taste only seemed to make her stomach twist in pain and discomfort.

Willing herself to swallow, she was only able to eat a single bite before she put the spoon down and couldn't eat the rest.

She's never had anything like this and the sudden change in diet seemed to severely disagree with her.

Not willing to eat anymore, she cautiously picked up the bowl and stealthily made her way to the kitchen.

After disposing of the porridge and cleaning the bowl, she went and patiently waited at the steps.

After standing there for a while, she felt her ear twitch at the sound of footsteps and looked up at the main entrance. Realizing that her familiar actions overlapped with the actions she portrayed as her time as a slave, she felt as if she had swallowed hot coal and couldn't help as a look of self deprecation formed on her face.

Wasn't she thinking of escaping not just a little while ago, but here she was. Acting as if it was her sole purpose to live as a slave.

She would never be able to escape like this.

While Kayda was internally condemning herself, Dimitri and Clouse had already opened the door and entered. But someone followed closely behind them.