Free The Life of Anna, Part 1: Enslaved by Marissa Honeycutt Page A

                         
     
     
    The days passed by quicker than I expected and I decided I liked being in Devin ’s Manor. No one hurt me. No one yelled at me. It was relatively quiet. Devin had visited me several times throughout the course of the week, each time showering me with love and devotion. Wednesday night he even stayed with me the whole night.
    Ian drove me to my ballet classes on Tuesday and Thursday, and I danced better than I had in a long time. Even my teacher seemed impressed. I spent my free in my little yard reading. Could life get better than this?
    Friday afternoon, Maggie and another girl came to my room to help me get ready for my first Gathering. The other girl was a few years older than me, with bright blue eyes and light brown hair tied back with a purple ribbon at the nape of her neck. The color purple seemed significant.
    “Mistress, this is Sarah. She will also be serving you.”
    Sarah bowed her head and curtsied as Maggie had before. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Mistress. I look forward to serving you.” Her voice was as soft and sweet as Maggie’s was, though her eyes had the same edge of fear in them. She smiled a sweet smile and I liked her instantly, as I had Maggie.
    I bowed my head in greeting. “Hi, Sarah. It’s nice to meet you as well.”
    “Did you enjoy your lunch, Mistress?” Maggie asked, walking towards the table. She picked up the tray, walked to the door and knocked.
    “Yes, it was delicious. Thank you.”
    The door opened and Maggie handed the tray to someone unseen in the hallway. The door closed and she turned back to me. “Shall we begin?”
    “Begin what?”
    “Pampering you.” Sarah walked into the bathroom and a moment later I heard water running.
    The words took a moment to register. Pamper me? I remembered Devin saying something about it the previous day but it hadn’t sunk in.
    Maggie led me into the bathroom and I wondered, for the hundredth time, why it wasn ’t cold. I asked Maggie about it.
    “The floor is heated,” Maggie explained. “Nothing worse than stepping onto a cold floor in the middle of the night when you have to relieve yourself.” She giggled and so did I.
    A wave of unrecognized tension flew out of my body as I allowed myself the luxury of a giggle. How long had it been since I had giggled with another girl? Years . Tears sprang to my eyes as I realized how something so simple felt so good.
    “Are you all right, Mistress?”
    “Yes. I...” How could I explain how I felt? Would she understand? Had she gone through the training as I had? “It’s been a long time since I’ve been around other girls and...laughed.” I shrugged, embarrassed.
    Maggie reached for my hands. “It can be a difficult transition, moving from training back into everyday life in the Manor. I can imagine it’s even more difficult for you because you weren’t raised here.” She squeezed my hands and looked at me tenderly. “It will be okay, Mistress.”
    I sniffed and held back my tears. “Thank you, Maggie. You’re so nice. I’m not used to ‘nice’ anymore.”
    “It’s my pleasure, Mistress.”
    “Can you call me Anna? Mistress is so...strange.”
    She looked up, horrified, as if I ’d asked her to strangle a kitten. “Oh, no, Mistress. Your status in the Manor is much higher than my own. That would be highly inappropriate! And Master would get very angry.”
    I certainly didn ’t want her or Sarah to get in trouble. “Okay. I understand...I think.”
    “The conventions of this place will become natural to you in time, Mistress. We will help you.”
    “Thank you, Maggie.” A thought occurred to me. “Is it okay for me to call you by your name?”
    “Oh, yes, Mistress. That is allowed. We call each other as ‘Sister’ if not by our names. But the other girls should not address you so informally. We are not your equals. I believe everyone knows of your arrival by now and should know how to address you.