The first rays of the sun had barely escaped the northern hills that Arabella was already up on her feet.
Her eyelids sure were heavy but sleep refused to grace her. Not that she’d have allowed it either way for the nightmares would have revealed unbearable.
Amongst all of the screaming voices in her head, she still managed to distinguish the one that suggested freshening up and getting dressed.
The tremors that had plagued her body the entire night had finally subsided, but they left the mories behind for her to deal with.
It was hard to conceive that all that took place happened in a little over one day, and since Arabella wasn’t the adventurer type, that one experience was enough to satiate the need for more beyond the next two decades of her entire life to co.
The customary roaring of the breakfast trolley rose through the hallway only to stop by her door, followed by the usual knock of Ada.
"May I co in, Miss?"
"Yes," very subdued her voice was.
"Morning, Miss," the smile on Ada was quite ta too, mirroring Arabella’s energy.
"Morning to you as well, Ada," the young woman barely looke away from the window she faced.
The maid began to unload the dishes onto the table, a grimace taking over her features here and there.
The entire ti, Arabella did not turn her way, not even once.
When done with the table, Ada decided to break the heavy silence that had claid the room, "It’s ready, Miss. Co now, you need to eat," she spoke softly, as though afraid even her voice could break the young woman.
"I... I am not very hungry right now. Maybe a bit later, Ada," barely above a whisper her utterances were.
"That is... Please, Miss," Ada’s shoulders slumped further, "You probably haven’t eaten a thing since yesterday. You didn’t even have a proper dinner," she pleaded.
In response, Arabella very slowly brought her legs up on the chair she occupied and hugged them against her chest before resting her chin onto her knees without ever looking away from the window.
At which point, Ada’s arms completely fell to her sides as a sign of clear defeat.
No other objections were made and instead, the maid approached Arabella’s figure only to kneel down near her.
"Would you like to speak about any of it? Any part of it at all?" the maid stuttered a few tis throughout her questions.
But Arabella kept on breathing in and out at the sa exact rate, barely even acknowledging Ada’s presence.
There was that nebulous look in her eyes, only not the fun kind. On the contrary, it was the kind that caused the light in one’s eye to dim, dulling its colors. A heart wrenching sight that was further exacerbated by the droopy eyelids threatening to shut the curtains at any mont.
"Arabella!" although soft, Ada made sure to be as clear as possible.
That seed to finally break the young woman out of her stifling daze, her gemstones flickering onto the face of the maid staring back at her.
Her lips parted for new whispers to be... Heard, "You finally did! You finally called by my na!"
Through her choked vocal cords, Arabella still managed to convey surprise despite the weakness of it.
"And all it took was this...," she looked down at herself.
"No, I didn’t an to upset you more than you already were! Please, look at again," Ada’s head tilted, attempting to catch up with Arabella’s eyes.
"You didn’t upset , Ada," the ghost of a smile appeared on her seemingly heavy features, "This is the best thing that happened to since yesterday," she muttered.
At those words, Ada’s brave façade cracked, completely failing to contain her tears any longer.
"I am sorry, I really am sorry," she cried, "I tried to be strong. I tried very hard, but seeing you like this... I am so sorry," the maid put her forehead against Arabella’s leg to hide her crumpled face.
Instinctively, Arabella’s hand reached over to pat Ada’s head, "I am sorry too, Ada," her eyes returned to the window.
"You are the last person in this world that deserves to be put through all of this. Why did it have to be this way?" Ada sobbed, every barrier in her down.
"And it’ll happen again and again and again and again... I can tell you that," she spoke so very slowly, nodding along as though trying to convince nobody else but herself.
"Why would you say that?" the cries paused when Ada’s gaze snapped up to et Arabella’s.
"Because it is the truth," without turning, her irises drifted towards Ada, "People like you and I had better accept it. Otherwise, the pain will only be all the more unbearable,"
For a mont, both of them kept quiet, Arabella looking back at the sky and Ada in utter disbelief.
"Do you think that people in power can ever walk in our shoes? Do you think they ever feel like their own lives are being written by soone else’s hand? Do you...," she dragged the last word along, "Do you think they too can feel like side characters in soone else’s story?"
"I am not sure but if I had to take a guess, I’d say yes," Ada gave up on trying to make eye contact and turned towards the blue sky as well, "I’d say they feel that way even more than we do. That is why they seek power and how they stay in it,"
"That...," a chuckle! ek but a chuckle, nonetheless, escaped Arabella, "I’d never thought of it this way. I’d never considered the reasons people who crave control do the things that they do to take it," then out of nowhere again, she turned to Ada, "Do you think that if we start now, we might soday gain control over our own lives?"
"We just might, but...," Ada trailed off.
"But what?"
"It wouldn’t be right to say we are starting now when you and I know that we, at least you, already have... And that from your very childhood," Ada smiled sweetly.
"How?" her question ca out in a breath.
"You are here today because of the things you started doing years before this ti. Things you weren’t allowed to do and yet went against all odds, persevered only for it to payoff years down the line,"
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