Sold

"Hello my dear." I heard a soft, sweet voice come from the table as we walked into the large dinning room-looking thing. I looked toward the voice and saw a neatly made bun in the middle of a bundle of black hair. Slowly, the woman turned her head with a stern look on her face, until her eyes landed on me. "Oh! Is this her Justan?" She said, excitedly. He only nodded, eying her plate of pancakes longingly.

"Oh! Dear, you must be hungry. Claudia! Please, would you make 3 more plates?" I gave her a questioning look as she giggled. "He always eats at least 2 plates." I could feel the side of my mouth twitch. Boys. "Come on then, sit down." She ushered me toward the chair next to her own. I went to grab the back of the very expensive looking leather chair, when an arm reached between my arm and my side and pulled it out for me. I blushed as Justan sat in the chair next to mine, and I waited for him to tell me I could sit down as well.

He raised an eyebrow up at me, then patted the chair's seat. I guess it was a habit for me to wait for everyone else to sit and then be told to sit myself. Justan gave me a quizzical look as I sat down. I just shrugged at him and scooted my chair in, it's legs scraping the floor and making an ear splitting screech. I froze right then, not moving a muscle, and gasped.

"Sorry." I said quickly in a very soft and candy sweet voice that came naturally when around people I didn't know. At the auction, I was thinking I would be killed, and I was being bold. But, now, my natural instincts are back and fully awake.

"Oh, don't worry hunny. Justan does that more than you would think someone could." The lady giggled at me. She looked between 35 and 40 years old. So, either she was Justan's mother...or he had a taste for much older women. "Oh!" She noticed the way I looked between her and Justan. "I'm Daneese. I'm Justan's mother." She smiled at me, and I returned it, much weaker and a lot more forced than her own.

"Yeah." Justan mumbled as he licked his lips at the 2 plates of steaming pancakes set in front of him. I looked behind me at the lady placing my pancakes in front of me and smiled warmly at her. She blinked at me in shock, but then smiled back. I knew how she felt. To have to serve people and make things for them; to be at someone's beck and call. I knew how tiring and depressing it was. Although, she was probably paid. I didn't, however, know how that felt.

"So, Lillith, is it?" I nodded my head as I cut into the pancakes in front of me, watching the translucent brown liquid run down the sides of the 3 pancakes sitting on my plate. I brought it up to my mouth and took a small bite. They wouldn't poison me, would they? "Are you ... okay?" She giggled at me as I closed my eyes and felt the sweety, runny liquid run down my throat along with the buttered pancake.

I opened my eyes with a small smile, and nodded. This was so good. I haven't eaten in just about 2 weeks, and this was the best thing I've had since I was 13.

"Don't you talk dear?" She asked me sweetly, very innocently. I shook my head slowly as I gazed up at her, doing my best not to scarf down the delicious treat in front of me. "Why, in heaven's name, not?" She didn't sound mad like I thought she might, but surprised. I simply shrugged and took a much bigger bite than the last. A glob of syrup caught on the corner of my mouth, and began to run down my chin.

My hand quickly shot to my mouth, as I wiped away at the syrup. However, it stayed sticky, and I sighed. Looks like I'll be sticky for a while. Then, kept eating, bite after delicious bite of sweet pancake.

"Claireese!" Justan called out, causing me to jump. That was ... loud, not to mention unexpected. "Could you please bring a wet washcloth for Miss. Lillith? She seems to have made a mess." He smiled at me as he told the young, sandy haired lady what to do. I frowned at him and shook my head at her.

"I'll get it. If you would just show me where they are, please." I said softly as I stood up, making sure not to scrape my chair again. All eyes were on me in shock.

"Y-yes ma'am." She smiled slightly, obviously trying to hide it from Justan and Mrs. Daneese. She began to walk away slowly, making sure I was following. I did so, and quickly, as to make sure not to get in trouble for stopping his maid from doing what she was told.

"You don't have to call me ma'am." I smiled at her as soon as we were out of hearing range of the two in the kitchen. "I'm Lillith. Or Lilli." I smiled at her and held my hand out. She gave me a warm smile and took it lightly.

"Why, Miss. Lillith, are you being so kind?" She asked, and I could hear the slight English accent she had.

"Because, I know how it feels to be in your shoes. Well, minus the payments. And it's just Lilli, no miss." I smiled when she looked back at me with a smile of her own.

"I can tell I'm going to like you very much Lilli." She said as we came up to a large narrow door in a hallway. I honestly wasn't paying attention to where we were going.

"I'm very glad. I could use someone that understands something that I know." I laughed lightly. My sweet, soft voice was gone, and I was using my normal, strong one that I automatically used when I liked someone enough to talk to them. I don't know why it's like that, it just is.

"Do you need anything else?" She smiled as she handed me a washcloth from the closet.

"Uh, I honestly don't know where anything is." I smiled at her sheepishly.

"Okay, come with me." She laughed and started walking back the way we came. I nodded and walked behind her. Soon, we were walking past Justan and Mrs. Daneese, who gave me questioning looks once again, and into the kitchen-kitchen, not the dining room-kitchen.

"Claudia, this is Lilli. She's actually cool. And she's living here as a master." Claudia turned and smiled.

"Yeah, she actually smiled at me earlier." She said to Claireese as if I weren't there.

"Well, we need to wet this washcloth so that she can clean up the syrup off her chin." Claireese poked my chin and I laughed.

"Thanks." I smiled at the both of them as I walked up to the sink and ran warm water over the rag. After I rung it out, I rubbed my chin viciously and soon, it wasn't sticky, but smooth as it was before.

"So, why are you so different?" Claudia asked, leaning her small frame on the counter.

"I know how you all feel. I've been in your shoes...without being paid that is." I added, looking at the floor when they laughed.

"Surely not all of us." Claireese laughed at me.

My cheeks heated and I nodded sheepishly as I heard their gasps.

"Then, are you hear to work?" Claudia asked in amazement, and I shook my head.

"Justan bought me." When I looked up, they were looking at me with weird looks that I couldn't pinpoint.

"Bought you?" Claireese asked, and I nodded.

"My dad sold me in an auction, and Justan won. I don't know what he's wanting me to do, but he's treating me nicely, and hasn't put me to work yet." I looked back at the floor as thoughts of him acting like my dad flashed inside my head.

"Wait..Lillith as in Lilli Cartwright?" I looked up at Claireese with wide eyes and a slow nod. She giggled at me. "I'm not a stalker, I just saw papers about you in the master's bedroom when I was cleaning." She gasped at me. "You were in his bed this morning!" She squeaked. My eyes narrowed and I looked back at the tiled floor with a blush.

"Oh, deary, don't worry. That's not a bad thing." Claudia said when I heard a pop and an 'Ow!' come from Claireese.

"I just want to know wh-" I was cut off.

"Lillith! Are you coming back in here? Your food is getting cold!" I heard Daneese scream from what I now thought as the dining room.

I smiled at the two. "I guess I'll see you two around." They smiled and nodded as I waved and walked back into the dining room.

"Sorry." I mumbled and sat back in my chair, just noticing the washrag in my hand. I set the washrag next to my plate and began eating again. Not being hungry anymore, I only ate a little more, then put my hands in my lap, listening to the conversation. Turns out, I've been the topic.

"So, Lillith, how's your mum doing?" My eyes widened at the table as Daneese asked the question that stung my heart most.