A Life Before (Ended)

Chapter 2

I felt the warm desert sun on my face as I slowly began to wake up. For the first time, my body didn't hurt as I slowly sat up in the bed.

With better light, I could see the room better now. I noticed that there were a few seats I hadn't noticed the night before. I also noticed that yellow and black seemed to be a repeating colour palette.

I hadn't noticed that the men had woken up until I felt his hand on my back, causing me to jump. "Relaxing, my little star. I won't hurt you." I nodded, trying to relax myself.

"Are you hungry, my little star?" I looked over, nodding to him. It had been a long time since I had last had something to eat. He gave me a pat on the head before getting up, going over to the door and opening it.

I couldn't see out of the door that well, but I could tell that someone had been standing there for a while. The men spoke quickly, but I could tell he was ordering breakfast.

Once he was done at the door, the men turned, smiled, and flopped down on the bed. Though he was clearly older than me, he seemed to have his childish side. I had to smile at him. He just seemed to bring out some happiness in me.

The men sat up, brushing my hair back. It was a soft touch that I wasn't used to, but I liked it. It was a kind action, one that made me lean closer to the men. As I did that, I felt a warmth coming off him that was relaxing.

"Don't fall back to sleep, my little star. We'll be eating soon." The men said, sitting me up. I pouted at the loss of the warmth, forgetting for a moment just where I was. "You're so cute, little star."

I felt my face flush and looked away, getting a chuckle from the men. The men. I looked up at him slightly, seeing a large smile on his face. He seemed kind enough, and I didn't get a bad feeling around him like I did with most people.

I bit my lip, wanting to ask this man something, but not sure how. I also wasn't sure if he was okay with me asking questions. Sure, he was nice now, but I knew he could be scary. I'd seen it myself the previous night.

"What's on your mind, little star?" I was forced to look up by the men, lifting my head. I opened my mouth, but nothing came out. I closed my mouth, swallowed, and tried again. "I... I was wondering if I... I could... Ask you something..."

He raised a brow before slowly nodding. I thought about my question before voicing it. "I, um... I was wondering... How should I, uh, address you...?" The man was quiet for a moment before speaking. "I don't see a reason for you to address me, but if you must, call me pharaoh."

I gave a nod before I fully realized what he had said. "P-Pharaoh...? As in...? Are you...?" He gave a laugh at my surprise. "Yes, my little star, I am. So there's no need for you to worry about anything."

I just stared at him in disbelief. He was the pharaoh. The ruler. A god among man. And yet all the signs had been there. And he had bought me.

A knock on the door shook me from my thoughts. Pharaoh got up, answering the door. I looked over to see him taking something before closing the door. When he turned around, I saw the object in his hand was a tray with food.

I smiled as Pharaoh sat down with the food. "Eat as much as you like." I couldn't believe it. This food looked amazing. Nothing like what I was normally given. I took one of the fruits, biting into it. It tasted sweet and was quite juicy.

"Do you like it?" He asked, playing with my hair again. I nodded, smiling to him before going back to eating. I had never been able to eat as much as I wanted before, and I sure wasn't going to pass up the chance to now.

I didn't really notice until I was done eating that Pharaoh was still playing with my hair. I finished what I was eating before turning to look at him. He just smiled, as though this was the most natural thing in the world.

"Are you full?" I nodded, looking at the tray, wondering what to do with it. "Just leave it on the side table. You can eat some more later on." I moved the tray over, feeling Pharaoh's hand slowly fall down my back.

Before I knew what was going on, I felt arms wrap around me, and I was pulled backwards. I looked at Pharaoh, confused as to what he was doing. "Pharaoh...?" He smiled, brushing my bangs back.

There was a knock on the door, and a quick flash of something pass through Pharaoh's eyes. He got up, answering the door, startling the people on the other side. "What?" He snapped. "The meeting is starting, my pharaoh..."

Pharaoh nodded, waving them away. I was about to ask what was going on when Pharaoh came over, patting my head. "I'll be busy, probably for the rest of the day. Remember the rules. I'll come back as soon as I can."

With a kind smile, he brushed my hair back once more before leaving. Once the door was closed, I frowned, feeling alone for the first time since getting here.

At first, I just tried to relax on the bed, enjoying the softness of it. But soon I felt the need to get up. Frowning, I got up to walk around the room. I only did that for a short while before sitting down next to a window.

Curious, I pulled back the curtains to look outside. It was a beautiful sight. The sun was bright, causing the sand to glow. I looked further and saw the river, shining under the rising sun. Everything was breathtaking, and I wondered how I had ever gone a day without seeing this.

I don't know how long I sat there, just watching the world. It didn't feel long, yet I knew it had been a while when I heard my stomach growl. Figuring I should eat, I went back over to the tray of food.

***

I was lying on the bed, staring up at the ceiling when the door opened. I sat up only to be knocked back to the bed with something heavy on top of me. "I've missed you, my little star."

I couldn't help but smile at Pharaoh's childish behaviour. "What did you do all day?" He asked, rolling off me. "Nothing really... Mostly just looked out the window and lied on the bed..."

Pharaoh looked around the room before turning back to me. "I'll see about getting you something to keep you busy while here." He brushed my hair back before continuing. "I've already ordered for dinner. It should be here soon."

I relaxed against Pharaoh as he went back to playing with my hair. It was a nice feeling to have someone caring for me rather than beating me. I knew I could get used to this