Chapter 12 Scaeaha

As I lie down to sleep my last inch of energy drains away.

"Holiya?" I hear my other room mate Feskara.

"I scared."

I sigh.

"Feskara, how old are you?" I ask sleepily.

"I six." She says.

"Well...try thinking about some flowers...um, flowers blowing in the wind." I say, trying to sound sure of myself.

I lie looking upwards to the concrete roof until I hear Feskara's breathing steadily.

I let my aching muscles relax, and fall into a light, dreamy doze.

I awake to see Mizora standing above me.

"Hurry!!! Dress we have to get to the platform!" She says with a voice so full of panic it makes me jump out of bed and start to dress into the strange cloths that I had worn yesterday.

Mizora shakes her head and points to the end of my bed where another strange set of clothes lies.

They're the same as yesterdays only green.

I hurriedly dress as Mizora and I begin the winding journey to the platform.

We rushing to hear my name called over the loudspeaker.

As I step onto the platform I see that all the other girls are also dressed in green.

I spot Ali near the far right corner and walk over.

She hands me a metal pole and immediately began to start throwing blows at me.

Four hours and a billion bruises later I arrive back at the dorm.

As my eyes scan the room I see clothes thrown all over the floor.

The fresh flowers, placed in a vase only this morning are smashed everywhere.

Feskara sits wide eyed in the corner shivering like mad.

I step towards her but as I do the bathroom door slams shut.

In its place stands my father, my brother and Malanao.

Chapter 11 Scaleaha

I wake to a blinding light, hitting my delicate eyes, sliding through my membranes.
I sit up as yesterdays slides rummage back.
On the end of my bed sits a strange set of clothes, a towel and a girl.
The girl grins at me.
"Holiya?" She asks with a voice like sweet spring nectar, mixed with honeycomb and vanilla.
"Poya." I say in reply.
She grins again.
"I'm Mizora. Your room mate and your buddy until you learn your way around."
My brain begins to slip away but is then brought suddenly back by a huge clock chiming 6:00am.
"You'll need to shower, then dress," She says handing me my towel and clothes, all while pointing to an oak door that I hadn't noticed till now.
I jump out of bed and shuffle through the door.
I find myself in another room, smaller than the first but still comfortable.
To my right is a bath, to my left a toilet with a basin to its right.
I light the bath-fire, the fill it with water.
I find myself noticing the cold, nipping at my skin and am grateful to slide into the warm waters of the old tin bath.

After scrubbing myself all over and relaxing my aching body I find the energy to get up.
I wrap my towel around me.
After mopping the floor I dress in the strange outfit.

It consists of a pair of black shorts, a black t-shirt, a slightly-longer-than-knee length bluey green skirt, a tight cardigan and an apron.

The first layers were loose and ready for any physical activate whilst the second layer there to disguise it and the third there ready for a maid disguise and for any inside work.

I look in a gold rimed mirror at the image I've missed for weeks.

My features are sharper and my eyes a slightly darker blue.

I snatch a wide toothed comb from the bench and start to pull at my knotty hair.

After several minutes of struggling as bad as trying to outrun a cheater I give up.

I enter the main room to find Mizora dressed in the same kind of dress buckling up a hair ribbon.

She passes me a pair of flat Egyptian style shoes and tells me that I'm expected very soon in the main training hall so I must hurry.

I slide my feet in and buckle the stiff lases.

Mizora slips a grey ribbon into my hair as she finishes plaiting it and we stand to leave.

She leads me through a series of passage ways until we reach a huge room with a raised platform and around twenty girls training.

Another ten or so are sitting on benches around me and Mizora shoes me to a long bench near the end.

"You will be having a private session with Ali but it will still be held here, on this platform."

I nod then gaze upwards and fall in to a dream.

I've just got to thinking of the first ever ribbon I'd sown when I hear my name called.

"Holiya please take to the platform area 13...Holiya to the platform."

I stand my legs shaking and step forward.

I pull hard on the glass doors then shakily, step onto the platform.

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