The Slave's Secrets

Chapter V:

Jessica

I wake up groggily to find that it is already morning. The bed sheets stick to me, my palms warm again as I reconcile with the fact I had another nightmare. I sit up, my muscles strained with fatigue as I rub my eyes realizing my hair is now down against my shoulders. I never have my hair down when I sleep. Unless it came undone whilst I was asleep? I shrug away the thought, light spilling through my bedroom creeping from behind the shades. The earliest it could be is 6.30am. That would mean I was asleep for at least 13 hours excluding the time I woke up after my nightmare. I must have really needed the rest. Wasn't Jace in here when I fell asleep? I remember falling asleep next to someone- which must have been him. He must have left halfway throughout the night. It had been a long time since I had slept so well- enough to miss dinner. My stomach grumbles at the thought of food, and I shrug the covers off of me in realisation of sleeping in my grey dress robes.

After finding the bathroom unoccupied, I take a long shower and brush my teeth, changing into a black long sleeved above the knee length dress that I found in my wardrobe(if it was up to me I'd be wearing jeans) -which is surprisingly my size making me return to my thoughts of whether Jace had planned all of this. I decide to make a start on breakfast, remembering them as one of the conditions that was required of us 'slaves'. I still was not accustomed to the word. I find a loaf of bread in the kitchen, and decide on making French toast. Thalia had taught me how to make it. I make a pile of French toast, coffee and tea unsure of what Jace liked, and set the table with it all alongside a cartoon of Juice. I wondered whether he would sit with us at the dining table to eat breakfast or dismiss us or whatever. It didn't seem like him...But it had been so long. I couldn't be sure of his character anymore. Especially after hiring 'slaves' and his stupid speech of expectations from us. One of the other 'slaves' walk into the kitchen. "Erm.. Hi. I er, I already started on breakfast." I start.
"Morning." The male smiles, and I can't help but admire the fact he's kind of handsome with chiselled features and a strong jaw line. His eyes are a deep cerulean, almost stirring. His hair is chocolate brown; naturally messy from his bed head but nonetheless making him seem appealing. "Oh great. Ill wash up instead. What did you make? I'm Chase by the way."
"French toast.. I'm Jessica." I murmur sheepishly back trying to glance away from his gaze.
"Oo Yum..." He grins, and I instantly feel at ease. "Help yourself. Where's Er...Jace? There's no way on earth I'm calling him Master." I smile, and he laughs in response. "Neither am I. He's in his study. Says he won't be down yet since he got a late start on his work."
"Oh," I frown unable to hide my disappoint, and take a seat by the table taking a slice of French toast watching Chase mirror my actions except his were done with grace whilst I walked and completed actions like a lost duck.
"Don't look so sad." He smiles. "You have me to talk to instead." I can't help but laugh. He takes a bite of his toast. "Speaking of, how do you two know each other? I mean you don't greet your ex like that. And I met what I think is his girlfriend yesterday." Girlfriend? The word rings in my head a thousand times before I reply.
"Girlfriend?" I say dryly. He shoots me a bemused look, a slight grin apparent on his face.
"Yes Girlfriend. Unless.. You know, he sleeps with prostitutes or something." He replies back yet my brain is only more baffled whilst my heart aches suddenly at the thought of him sleeping with someone. Why should I care? Why do I care? We're friends. Just friends right? Friends I tell myself repeatedly. He could go sleep with a whore for all I care. It doesn't concern me. Yet my questions tumble out before I can stop them. "How do you know he was sleeping with someone?" I ask, trying to seem curious more than hurt, heat rises to my cheeks and I realise I'm probably blushing. Curse my inadequate socialist skills. He laughs in response and I furrow my eyebrows at him. "Your cute." He grins and continues, and I'm pretty sure I'm transforming into a tomato as I look down.
"Well, firstly they sat down together yesterday for dinner and she couldn't practically keep her hands off of him at the dinner table. I wouldn't be surprised if she was from a brothel, but even I wouldn't want to fuck her. But I got to admit, she was kind of hot." I avert his eyes, embarrassed by his bluntness when he had said all those things. I just clear my throat urging him to continue ignoring the pang of jealousy I felt. "Then later on, 10 or 11pm I heard he called one of the other slaves to go bring a packet of condoms from the bathroom cabinet or something like that." He shrugs, the words spilling effortlessly as if they weren't directed to hurt me. I realise he probably didn't realise how much they would stab into me, it surprised myself. Condoms I think. Condoms could only mean one thing. I swallow the tennis ball lump in my throat, determined not to show my feelings. My hunger's suddenly quenched. I pick up my plate, and throw the rest of the remains into the bin- No hungry children to give rations to this time. I could feel Chases gaze on me, but right now the last thing I wanted was any sympathy. "Shit..Listen I didn't know there was something going on between you..I mean I'm sure that girl is nothi-" His voice is sympathetic, but I cut him off before he can continue. "There is nothing going on between us." I reply back, emphasising the 'nothing'. I pick up the courage to face him wiping my hands on a dish towel to prove how unaffected I was- but inside my heart was on the verge of crumbling. "We we're childhood friends before I got swept away to an orphanage. I was just a little shocked that's all." Shocked was sugar coating it by a mile, but I played on with it anyway. "Oh Good." He gives me a million dollar smile, and I instantly feel warm. "Besides, you deserve a lot better than an arrogant millionaire prick like him." Ironic right? I laugh in response, but shake my head.
"I'm sure you know that no one wants to fall in love with a slave Chase. It's despicable to any of them. No offence to you." It was true, falling in love with a slave was perhaps the most disgraceful thing anyone could do. Slaves were all handpicked from orphans; they were the ones that no family wanted, some who's parents died. Many were children of convicts or criminals who had been taken into custody, some were just missing- yet believed to be the children of criminals they too were thrown into the orphanage. And whilst it was absolutely fanatical to think these children would follow in their parents footsteps of criminal lives just because of 'faulty genes' as our government explained it, they threw them into slavery. Slavery was seemingly the only way to 'shut them up' and get rid of 'the criminal race' as the government called it. The minority were actually children from the criminal race, maybe around 40% but politics is always corrupt on some scale.