by Melissa
Part 25. The Hands
of the Fox.
The dawn light was
gray and unforgiving, filtering through the high, barred window of the maid's
quarters. I lay stomach-down on my hard cot, the thin sheets feeling like
sandpaper against the fire still smouldering on my skin. I was drifting in that
heavy, post-traumatic sleep - the kind where your brain tries to hide from
reality when a sudden, jarring vibration
shook the metal frame of my bed.
"Wakey-wakey,
Melissa, little jailbird," a voice drawled, sharp with mock cheer.
I bolted upright - or tried to. Before I could even clear the mattress, a jagged line of white-hot pain shot up from my lower back, searing through my nerves. I gasped, a strangled sound escaping my throat as I collapsed back into the pillow with a low moan.
Sabrina stood over
me, leaning against the door frame. Her maid's uniform was impeccably pressed,
a sharp contrast to my dishevelled state, and her eyes glinted with that
familiar, predatory mischief.
"Oh, look at
you," she cooed, stepping closer until she was hovering over me, her eyes
dancing with malice. "The prodigal servant returns. I heard the charges
were dropped. Quite the creative defense your lawyer cooked up. So, what should
I call you now? Our little resident thief? Or should I go with 'the little
masseuse'?"
The blood rushed
to my face, a heat that rivaled the sting of the Dean's paddle. I forced myself
to look at her, my voice trembling with indignation. "I didn't steal that
money, Sabrina! And I'm not... I'm not that kind of girl. I never gave anyone a
foot massage for money. It's a lie. A legal trick to keep me out of a
cell."
Sabrina threw her head back and laughed, a dry, melodic sound that echoed off the cramped walls. "Deny it all you want, honey, but that's a pity. Truly. If you're actually good at it, you're wasting a talent. In a place like this, everyone is selling something - their names, their loyalty, their bodies. If you've got a skill that makes a girl melt, you'd be a fool not to put a price tag on it. Survival isn't about dignity, Melissa. It's about leverage."
