CHAPTER 2

Saying room is a joke, that is like a private palace inside a mansion. All the decoration is white and gold, from the walls to the furniture.

A door to the right keeps the large closet that is larger than the hovel that I call a bedroom. Another next to it reveals the splendid bathroom decorated by glass like windows and vaporous curtains that flutter in the wind near the huge white tub, decorated on its right by a shelf about to burst with so many bath ingredients. Each of those jars would make the roughest and most unkempt skin of India the envy of silk.

I enter in silence as it should be done for someone of my level, I begin to sweep the floor as if it did not exist. But I can't make myself look away from her. Kiara is sitting at her dresser, her back straight and her chin lifted proudly, like a lady. Meanwhile, his assistant maneuvers an exotic hairstyle in his golden hair.

From one second to the next his sight joins mine in the mirror, I wince and in a hurry I begin to move my hands in my tasks.

__ Good morning Suhaila __. By God, even her voice is perfect, never out of tune, never monotonous, or shrill like mine.

__ Hello Mrs. Kiara __ I correspond.

He lets out a little laugh covered by his slender fingers, even when he laughs it is pure perfection.

I'm not envious, I just can't help but admire how much charm and beauty can fit in a single human being.

__ We are the Suhaila family, you can tweet me.

I dare to look up in his direction __. I prefer it that way ma'am.

Immediately I regret having opened my mouth, my words came out cold and hurtful, I see him purse his lips. Kiara is nice to me and the last thing I want is to make him feel bad.

__ Sorry, I didn't mean ...

__ Sound aggressive? __ inquires.

I can only nod with a downcast gaze.

__ My dear, if you behaved more docile and warm, Leceth your brother would give you your place in the family. He loves you and cares about you, he truly believes that putting yourself in the position of a slave will help your good behavior and obedience.

My hands squeeze the stick so tightly between them that I feel like a splinter penetrates my skin. It's hard for me to let the air fill my lungs, his words hurt like a kick to the abdomen. My salivary glands act accordingly with the sudden urge to vomit at the mere mention of his name.

That's the effect Leceth has on me.

__ With permission __ I apologize and leave in a hurry. I can't bear to listen to all of that for another second.

Leceth is my half brother, my father already had a wife when he married my mother. She told me that from the first time they met, they knew they were born to be together. A short time later he married her and within months of their wedding I was born, the fruit of his love.

My father said she was not his princess, because that was not a small thing in comparison. I was his Suhaila, which means Star of Dawn.

He was a man of strong character and penetrating gaze, his walk through the mansion resonated with elegance letting you know that the Czar of Black Gold was coming. He was the owner of the largest oil fields, a man respected and feared by all. But for his Dawn Star there were nothing but sweet smiles and loving glances. His golden skin and black beard shone with his gray eyes, his brown hair had some platinum strands for years.

I inherited his blue-gray eyes, something rare in the Indian people, here we are characterized by our brown eyes, my brownish laughs are also identical to his. Caili always says that I look a lot like her, but my face is the spitting image of my mother. It's funny because she was beautiful and I, well, I'm me.

My skin is somewhat pale for my Indian roots, my thick lips are not nearly as delicate as those of my mother, nor do I have the delicacy of their contours, much less their elegance and bearing.

I am quite a rebellious mouth, I spit what I think, although that gets me into several problems, I do not know how to lie about what displeases me and my manners are like those of a wild monkey. According to Caili, a camel is more graceful when it comes to eating.

In my defense, I have to say that the long hours of work without eating food does not help me to eat with manners. When night falls, I throw myself towards the carderos and stamp everything I can with my hands.

That is if I reach the kitchen without being seen by his guards or by him, if so, I am dragged to the dining room and forced to serve dinner until I wait for his leftovers that are distributed among the slaves and then go to sleep with him stomach almost empty. But thank God I have Caili, she always sends me a piece of bread and meat wrapped in a handkerchief that manages to appease my crunching. Unlike the other slaves, who after a hard day's work and a poor diet are often subjected to my brother's carnal desires.

At least the few he selects to indulge in his perversions, they hope that if they indulge him, he will provide them with some extra nourishment by killing them. The less fortunate are abused by the guards, and even in broad daylight.

If you are beautiful, this is when your worry should increase, the thing that occupies the time of your day the most is seeing how you can sneak around the mansion without finding any of them. There are only a few who do not try to take a slave by force and avoid such suffering whenever they can.

__ I'm worried about Carla __. The girl next to me gives me a look of being crazy for my comment.

__ Why do you care? At least now it will be safe for a few days. __ Elina looks at me with her brown eyes as if what she had just said was the most logical thing to do.

__ You can not be serious. __ I turn to Carla who is sitting on the floor with her knees close to her chest, all of her lost in nothingness wrapped in a tangle of black hair.

The night before Argus went into his bedroom, Carla refused to be with him and as punishment her face was disfigured by the swelling of the blows she received. __ If they hit her again like that, she'll end up dead.

__ Isn't death a better destination than this? __ suddenly lets go, making me avoid his reproachful look.

It is easy for her to get angry with me, she must feel that I cannot understand them.

If only I knew it wasn't.

__ Maybe __ I just say before I continue drying the floor.

__ Suhaila I'm sorry, I didn't mean to be rude __. He touches my shoulder to make me look at him.

__ It's okay __. I let a small smile come out.

__ No it's not __. Take my hands wrapping them in hers with affection __. You have always been like an angel to us, you give us food that you take from the kitchen, even at the expense of being punished if you get caught. You worry about being close to us so that they also take care of us __ he points to Brazy who is watching us attentively __. If our life has not been worse, it is because of you __ he wraps me in a warm hug that I reciprocate in the same way.

We slowly parted, smiling sadly at each other __. Now let's get work done before we get punished for lazy __ kidding.

At last the day is over, and to my fortune, Georgeo saved me a large quantity of bread, meat and fruits, as well as half a blackberry pie. He is a very renowned chef in Italy, my brother brought him in, he pays him a small fortune not to run out of here to see things that happen.

In his country there are white trafficking and mafia, but according to him, he never saw such cruelty as here with the slaves. So she showed solidarity with our cause by helping Caili hide food to give me, or send it to me and I can share it with my sisters in slavery. The two of them are kind of like, undercover rebels, he loves to be called like that.

After a long shower, my body just screams for rest, so much so that my old mattress feels like heaven. Every bone in my body aches from the physical exhaustion of incessant work. There is nothing else I long for other than to fall into a deep sleep, one that helps me escape my reality for at least one night. But even the most beautiful dreams can turn into the most terrifying nightmare in a second and I know that well.

It must not be more than midnight, a slam of the door has just taken me out of the dream I was in. My heart is overflowing to the point of believing it will leap out of my chest, my hands clinging to the sheets in an attempt to mitigate the tremors. Deep in my chest gasps a gasp.