The Maid's Guide to the Mafia

9

It was the bright glow of the sun emerging throughout the curtains that woke me up.
At first, I was numb. I felt nothing. That was when the scar on my face and back  decided to make its existence known and I felt a slight sting on my cheek.

I could barely feel the crack on the lower part of my face and which was mostly because of the numbness my cheek was experiencing.

The bruise on my back, however, was a whole different story. I could feel it cracking my skin as soon as I sat up from the bed.
I winced in pain and tried to compose myself while the memories came rushing in. I remembered all of it. Warwick getting the guards, Alister unintentionally saving me, my return to the kitchen, Kedrick taking me out....

I half expected to wake up in Kedrick's room l, but thankfully that was not the case as I was staring at the dirty wallpaper of my quarters.
There was no one else in the room which made me realize I just have only been out for an hour or so. The kitchen maids were still in the kitchen and this horrible day was yet to be over.

"Oh! You're awake!" Kendrick yelped from the doorway. I turned around to face him and he slowly flinched when looking at my face.

"I-Is it that bad?" I asked quietly. His eyes widened at my question and he nervously scratched the back of head.
"N-no. It looks fine. I'm sure it will heal soon." He answered and I couldn't help but notice his hesitant tone.

I got off the bed and almost fell down down to the floor when I felt the whip tearing up my skin on my back.

"Kamala!" Kedrick ran to my side and grabbed me from the floor back to the bed.

Tears sprinted down my face. This was just a mere reminder of what my life had become in the span of a few minutes. If I set back foot in the kitchen, I would be killed. If I didn't go to the kitchen, I would be killed.
And now all I had left was crying.

Kedrick's face morphed into one of surprise at my sudden burst of tears.
He must have realized what went through my head as he sighed and sat down next to me on the bed.

He hesitantly narrowed his hand to my shoulder before speaking again,
" Are you okay?"

I wanted to scream at him for stating the obvious but all I did was keep crying.

"I guess that was a stupid question." He said and held his head down in shame.
A moment passed with me in tears and him being indecisive on if he should comfort me or leave me be.

"So.. I spoke with Madam Chevrolet." He said suddenly cutting the silence. My head snapped to him at the mention of the Madam.

Madam Chevrolet was the main housekeeper. Not that she actually did any of the chores, but she was responsible for the majority of the staff. She was the person you would go to if you had any major problems in the work place. Emphasis on 'major'. Problems such as rape, molestation, abuse or workplace safety were not considered 'major' by any standard, meaning she would not do anything about it and yell at you for wasting her time.

That's why the mere mention of her name sent my mood into panic mode.
Kedrick saw my confusion and alarm so he quickly explained the rest of his point,

"I asked her if you could get another job. You know, instead of being the kitchen maid because of....obvious reasons."

His words both warmed my heart and felt like a knife that went right through it.
I was beyond flattered that Kedrick actually took time to try and fix my problems. It was not his duty nor his responsibility.However, it was no news that if there was one thing Madam Chevrolet loved, it was crushing the heart of any if not every maid in her work place.