The Descendant and Her Mates

ALICIA She was here, she really was. My mother. She was just a few feet away from me! “Mother!" I yelled, reaching out to her. I tried moving closer to her, but it seemed like the closer I moved towards her, the farther she became. I wanted to touch her and feel her hands wrapped around my cold body, but… but, I couldn't. I touched my face and realized that it was wet. I was crying. “Please, don't go!" I managed to voice out amidst tears. My sobs increased and I was about to break down at that point. However, I wasn't ready to give up. I kept on walking towards her, a sheer determination really visible on my wet and red face. While I was walking towards her, I noticed something: she wasn't alone. Someone was right beside her. My face squeezed into a frown as I screeched to a stop to see who it was. Slowly, the tall shadow became visible and I instantly recognised who it was. My father! My legs were fixed to a spot, and I couldn't move even though I really anted to. I couldn't stop the tears. No, it was more like I didn't want to stop the tears. I hadn't seen my parents since… I couldn't remember. It had been that long. "I'm coming to meet you both!" I yelled at the top of my lungs. But the moment I moved my right leg, a ball of fire came out of nowhere and swept my parents away. “No!" I yelled as my legs wobbled under me, and I fell to the ground, wishing death upon myself in that moment. *** “You're not dead, are you? Wake up, you lazy girl!" I could hear faint voices in the background, but I couldn't make out the words properly. Were the words from my parents? I didn’t think so. "Alicia!" Someone was calling my name but who was it? “Get up, you fool!" Those were the words I heard before I felt a full force of water hitting my face. "Wh-" I scrambled off my wet mat, my eyes roaming around to see if I was still dreaming. I turned my head sideways, and saw Helen hovering over me with a deep frown. "G-good morning, head! I-" Helen was the head of the maids. I raised my head to meet her squeezed face. She looked more angry than usual. Did I do anything wrong? No, I didn't, I argued within myself. I had been asked to clean the whole house, wash the dishes and also do some laundry before I was allowed to resign to sleep just three hours ago. So why was she looking at me like she wanted to kill me right on the spot? Gulping down air, I parted my lips to speak again. "I-um, I finished my work before sleeping, ma'am." I bowed my head after staring straight into her eyes. She stretched out her right hand, about to give me a very hot slap. But then a maid entered the room, saving me from that torture. "You're needed outside, ma'am." Helen slowly nodded her head at her before facing me again. "Everything you did was not done properly! You have to do them all over again, especially the laundry and you must do them now, sleeping beauty!" She scoffed before strolling out of the room. I quickly jumped up and dashed to the bathroom immediately, hoping my day would go well. When I heard the door click, my heart skipped and I opened the bathroom door and went back to the room before getting into more trouble. Something that hadn't happened to me in a while had actually happened just minutes ago. Well, it felt like it happened a few minutes ago. I’d had a dream about my parents, and that hadn't happened in a while. One minute, they were before me, trying to draw me closer, and the next, they were gone, leaving me all alone like they did when they left the world. Oh no! I subconsciously moved my hand to my face and I realized that it was moist. No, not from the water that was poured on me. I was crying… again. It was terrifying, so terrifying that I felt it was real. That could only mean that I was missing them so much, even though they had died years ago. I didn't know why I was missing them, because even though nobody ever made me feel good in the pack, I was always too busy with chores to think about them. "Alicia!" I heard Helen scream again and I jolted, running outside the room to finish off my chores. *** Two hours later, I was done with the work that I had been given, but I knew that I still had more to do. Slowly, I started feeling a bit dizzy. So I sat outside, facing the field and delved so deep in my thoughts. I was thinking about everything that had been happening to me lately, when I remembered that I was told to go to the kitchen to finish the dirty dishes and most importantly, to also make breakfast for everyone. When I got to the kitchen and saw that the maids were already doing the work that I was meant to do, I gulped down and parted my dry lips to speak. I knew that I was in for it! "Um, I-" I managed to voice out, even though I knew that I wasn't going to get a reply. The second head of slaves, Maya, instantly left where she was standing and came to stand before me, her eyes roaming around my body suspiciously. "This is the second time you're coming to the kitchen late. What did I tell you the first time this happened?" she yelled, her eyes twitching out of anger. I swallowed for the second time and forced my trembling lips to say, "You told me that if this repeated itself, then I would be done for." "Good, because that's what’s going to happen now." She rolled up her rumpled sleeves and smacked her strong, iron looking hands on my back, landing a stinging slap on my back and face at the same time. I felt the pain course through my body, which made me 'dance' out of the kitchen while screaming. Tears involuntarily streamed down my face without stopping. "I'm not done with you! Come here!" she shrieked, making my empty stomach churn in fear. My legs gave way under me and I fell to the ground. "P-please, I-I’m sor… sorry," I choked out with a sob. My voice was cracked and I inwardly winced at my state of vulnerability. "No. Come here now. I'm going to hit you so much that you wouldn't remember your name. After that, you'll stand up from where you're kneeling and finish all the jobs before the spit on this floor dries." She paused to dramatically spit on the floor. “Stop working, all of you. She will do everything!" she yelled to the maids and I heard them chuckle as they slowly walked outside the kitchen, a few of them throwing dirty looks at me. "I'm not done with you!" She removed her shoe and raised her hand to throw it on me. I shut my eyes tightly in fear. But then I opened them when I didn't feel the shoe land on my forehead. I slowly opened my eyes to see what was going on. I saw the task master of the pack holding her hand while frowning at her. He forcefully dropped her hand and said, "You can't punish her like that. You don't have the right to do that, I do. Right now, she has some chores that she also has to do for me. Now, leave." He turned his head and surveyed my body with his eyes, slowly raising his head to meet my gaze. I remembered the warning he gave me the day before. He had told me to never stare straight into his eyes right before he released his grip around my neck. So I lowered my gaze and fixed it on the floor. "Leave!" he ordered, resting his hands on his waist. Maya tried to argue, but he didn't give her the opportunity to do that. He was the taskmaster for a reason. After she left, he slowly turned his head to face me. He started walking towards me. When I felt his figure hovering over mine, I slowly raised my head, even though I looked down almost immediately. “Good morning, taskmaster," I started to say, but he stopped me. “I only saved you from her because I'm the only one allowed to cause you pain. You hear that? I'm here to make you suffer! Never forget that!" “Now, before you do anything, go and take care of the dirty clothes out there now!" My body was still trembling as I watched the task master stroll out of the kitchen. His deep voice was still booming in my ear, and his last words were still ringing in my head. I quickly went out of the kitchen to do as he said before I would get into trouble again.