I must’ve fallen asleep waiting for Jenny to arrive.
The door creaking open ripped me from my slumber as I sat up quickly.
A small girl entered the room. She tucked her ginger hair behind her ears and approached me.
“I’m Jenny.” Her voice was high, her freckled face so innocent.
“Violet,” I said in return.
“So, you’re the one who won the games, right?”
I nodded.
“That’s crazy cool.” She hopped up onto her bed, crisscrossing her legs, and rested her chin on her fists. “What was it like?”
My gaze fell to the floor as images of the dead bodies flashed across my vision. “Scary. Dangerous.”
Her mouth fell open. “You’re like the coolest person here. Everyone’s talking about you, you know? Everyone.”
A gave a weak smile. “I don’t think that’s a good thing.”
She cocked her head to the side. “How come? You’re practically famous.”
“I’m famous for winning a series of games in which I had to kill innocent people to survive.”
She waved a small pale hand in front of her face. “Nonsense. Everyone here loves you. Anyway, we’ve got to head to the dining hall. We set out the dishes while you were asleep. We figured you could use some extra time to get adjusted. Come on, I’ll show you where the hall is.”
As we journeyed down the stairs, I finally mustered up the courage to ask Jenny the question that had burned in my mind ever since I had arrived at the castle. “Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course,” she said cheerfully, clasping her hands together.
“There’s been thirty-seven other games before mine, right?”
She nodded.
“Which means there were thirty-seven other winners. But… I haven’t heard anything about them. Where are they? Shouldn’t they be here somewhere?”
Jenny pressed her lips together in a line. “They, um… usually get removed after a couple of years of service.”
“Removed?” My stomach fell out of my body.
“That’s all we are told. You’ll learn quickly not to question things around here.”
Before I could press her further, she pushed open a swinging door to a back room with a bunch of women all wearing the same outfits as Jenny and I. They all stood around chatting and laughing. When they caught sight of me, their smiles seemed to drop. Their burning stares make goosebumps crawl up and down my skin.
Irelda emerged from behind them.
“Good. You’re here.” As she spoke, the rest of the girls seemed to go back to their conversations. I was sure their topics of conversation had shifted toward me, though. “Grab an apron from your cubby. It’s the one at the end. You’ll be on…” She scanned down the list on her clipboard until she found my name. “floor duty. That means refilling drinks, fulfilling guest requests, and making sure everyone is comfortable. If you see someone with an empty drink, refill it. If someone’s unhappy with their meal, bring them a new one. You’re going to be the face of these operations today. Don’t let me down. And most importantly, don’t let the Queen down.”
My head was spinning from all the instructions she had rattled off to me. I frowned when I heard I’d oversee the guests. Why me? It was only my first day.
“Stay here with the girls until all the guests are seated and food starts getting served.” She finally looked up from her clipboard and around the room. “Who are my servers tonight?”
Four girls, ranging from all ages, raised their hands and made their way to Irelda.
“Good, good. You’re my top girls. I’m counting on you tonight. Now, hurry to the kitchen and prepare to send out the dishes,” she ordered. They all bowed their heads and frantically scrambled out of the room.
I made my way to the cubby and pulled out the white apron. I fastened it around my waist and rubbed my sweaty palms down the front of it. I only had a few moments to prepare myself before Irelda clapped her hands together, all conversations going silent.
“It’s time ladies!”
Everyone scrambled into line, and I found myself behind Jenny. She had pulled her hair into a high ponytail, which made me suddenly self-conscious of my own. I had no idea what I looked like after all the poking and prodding that happened after the games. I tapped on Jenny’s shoulders and asked her for something to fasten my hair back with. She pulled an elastic from her pocket and handed it to me. I quickly threw my hair up in a knot behind me.
I watched as Irelda pushed a set of doors open and we all filed out into what seemed to be the dining room.
I swallowed back the bile that was threatening to escape and attempted to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen.
The dining hall was a labyrinth of laughter and chatter.
All the tables were filled with guests, and their plates were now piled with a grand meal the servers had brought out to them. I tried to ignore my rumbling stomach as I saw the steaks that rested on their plates. I watched as all the girls disappeared, some leaving the room to go fulfill duties elsewhere, some greeting guests, and some talking to each other.
I tried to remember what Irelda had told me. I spotted a silver beverage cart towards the side of the large hall and quickly began pushing it around. On it held elegant glasses with something bubbly and yellow inside. I pushed it up and down the rows of tables, stopping every once and a while to distribute the drinks when someone would flag me down.
“Excuse me, miss,” a voice said behind me. I spun around on my heel and came face to face with a small elderly lady. Her gray hair was in a braid and rested on her shoulder. “Do you think you refill this?”
She tapped her glass cup up with her fingernail. I smiled and nodded.
I walked around aimlessly for a few moments, but finally, I spotted the water station in the corner of the room. Once I had refilled her cup and brought it back to her, she was now seated at a table with multiple other older women.
“If you don’t mind me asking,” I began as I handed her back the drink. “how long have you been working for the Queen?”
She tapped her finger on her chin and thought for a moment. “Well, I think it’s coming up to be about ten years now.”
My smile slipped slightly, but I continued. “And you enjoy it?”
A knowing grin spread across her face. “Do any of us?”
“Why do you do it then?” I knew I had overstepped my boundaries, but I couldn’t help the questions flowing from my lips.
“My husband was a guard here. He retired many years ago, but I guess the Queen believes a woman’s hand never grows too old.”
“Do you live in the castle?”
“Oh no, no. I live just down the hill with the rest of the residents in the farmlands. Only the most elite live in the castle.”
I leaned down and made my voice into a hushed whisper. “Have you met any of the previous winners of the games?”
Her face went blank as she focused her gaze on her glass. “A few. They don’t stay for long, though.”
“What happens to them?” I tried to keep my voice from cracking in fear of what she could possibly say next.
“Fired, I guess. Though, they don’t ever return home.”
My stomach twisted and my mouth went dry. It was simply what she was implying. I held a hand over my mouth as I took it all in. The Queen killing the winners after a few years was something I had never considered.
The games… it was all for show. A sense of false promises purely for entertainment. None of the rewards were real. The promises of success and riches are all an illusion. A lie to draw poor villagers into a deadly battle, all for the sick viewers.
I swallowed hard and excused myself. My eyes filled with tears as I stumbled to the back room, tripping over my feet and mumbling apologies along the way. I pushed open the door and fell inside. My hands slammed on the floor as my body went plummeting, causing them to sting, but I didn’t care. I was breathing fast, and crawled my way to the back wall, tucking my legs into my chest. I buried my face into my knees and wept.
“Violet?” A small voice said behind the door.
I quickly wiped my tears away and forced myself off the floor. Jenny opened the door and ran her concerned eyes over me.
“Are you alright?” she asked, closing the door behind her and approaching me.
“I’m fine,” I lied.
It was obvious by her expression that she could see right through me.
“The first days are always hard,” she explained as she lifted her hand to my face and wiped my wet cheeks.
“Will it ever get easier?”
“Full honesty? No.” She gave me a small apologetic smile. “You just need to find the right people to lean on along the way.”
She stayed there with me until I was ready to come out again. She shot me a thumbs-up as she busiest herself with her responsibilities.
I flatted out the wrinkles in my apron and continued making my way around the room, attempting to spot any empty glasses. I grabbed two and began filling them with water when my eyes caught sight of the Queen.
She was sat at the back of the room at a long table filled with elegant-looking men and women on each side of her. Her face was stoic as she pushed around the food on her plate.
I cursed and jumped as I felt the liquid spilling over the sides, running down my and soaking into my shirt. I slammed the glass down and began shaking my hand, attempting to dry it.
“Here,” an angry and slightly annoyed voice said. “Just let me do it.”
I recognized her as one of the girls in the dressing room. She grabbed a new glass and filled it with the right amount, then disappeared to go return it to the waiting men.
I closed my eyes and gripped the water cart with both hands. My breaths were shaky as I tried to hold back more tears from escaping. I quickly composed myself and busied myself with my assigned duties.
I pulled Jenny to the side of the room when I spotted her.
I pointed at the blonde girl from before. “Who is that?”
“That’s Aubrey. She’s one of the meanest maids. Her two little sidekicks follow her around everywhere. Don’t even bother with her.”
I spent the rest of the night standing next to Jenny against a far wall, away from the noise. We stood with our hands behind our backs, remaining professional, but every once in and while we’d whisper to each other, smiling and giggling at the jokes we made.
Finally, as the moon hung high in the sky, the event was over. Jenny pulled a watch from her pocket and peered at the time that read eleven fifty-two.
“Thank goodness,” I exhaled.
“The night’s not over yet, little one. We still must clean all of this up.”
I laughed at her referring to me as little, seeing that her height was significantly less than mine.
So, we settled in for a long night of cleaning, sweeping, and dishwashing.
Jenny was right, it was easier when you had someone by your side.
We made the process fun in any way we could. We’d spin around the broom as we swept the floor, pretending it was a man. Jenny even leaned back with the back of her hand against her forehead, pretending to swoon. We laughed and took turns clearing the tables and tossing the silverware into their designated box.
At the end of the night, we formed an assembly line to wash the dishes faster. She’d rinse, I’d dry, and another girl from the crew would put them away.
When we finished it was far into the night, and most of the girls opted to skip their meals so they could hurry to bed.
I grabbed a plate of leftover food from the kitchen before hurrying back up to my room.
Jenny was already buried under her covers and snoring softly when I entered. I wasted no time in digging into the meal, sitting cross-legged on my bed with my back against the wall.
I groaned as the lights in the room automatically clicked off.
“We can’t even be trusted to control our lights?” I mumbled under my breath and rolled my eyes. I blindly reached down and set the plate at the foot of my bed before slipping under the thin sheet.
I couldn’t help but wonder what Rose was doing back at Athea. I wondered if she was thinking about me… waiting for me to return home. I sighed heavily and turned to my side, facing the wall.
I pulled the covers up to my chin and prepared for a long, restless night.