One of the women jerks her thumb toward a shelf. “Grab a uniform and start filling your cart. We roll out of here in five minutes.”
I don’t see where I’m supposed to change. In fact, the toilet is out in the open and I see a stack of beds lining the wall. Six. I count the women. Twelve. Do they all live in here? I’ve never thought about the people that worked at the Academy before. I honestly thought this place was fueled on magic or the will of the gods. The shame I feel as I undress isn’t about being exposed. It’s about not realizing who all lives in this place and what they do for us.
“Here’s your assignment,” the woman who told me to change says as I button my shirt. I’m three feet taller than the women that live in these tiny quarters and it makes the outfit three times too small. It’s not supposed to be sexy. It’s basic and plain. Unfortunately, when I bend over, anyone nearby will see my ass.
She holds out a sheet that lists what needs to be done in each one. Take out the trash, make the beds, clean the bathrooms… All of that is bad enough but it’s not until I see the room numbers that I pause.
“These are the dormitory.”
“Yes.”
“The top floor.”
“Yes,” she starts pushing her cart out the door. The others follow. “The suites.”
I’m well aware of who lives in the suites. Marielle for one. Luke is another. And down the hall from both of them is Marshal.
This isn’t about making me pay for skipping the challenge.
It’s about humiliating me in front of my allies and enemies.
“So what? I’m supposed to just clean up after these people?”
“You do what’s on the list and anything else they ask you to do,” she says. “And you do it quietly, with zero attitude and as fast as possible.”
“What if I don’t want to?” I ask, feeling the familiar wave of defiance roll up my spine. I’ve never been great at following directions.
All of the woman pause, their carts stopping in unison. The woman that’s been speaking to me this whole time looks up at me. “I don’t know what you did to get sent down here, but trust me when I tell you that it’s important you do your job as you’ve been told. We’re judged as a whole. If one of us screws up, the rest of us are accountable.”
“What?” I frown. “That’s ridiculous.”
“We aren’t seen as individuals. We’re seen as a unit.”
I search the faces of the others and they all hold my eye, confirming what she’s said.
“What’s your name?” I ask. “Who are you?”
“Names don’t matter, but our people, we come from a realm called Alante that provides servants to the royals.”
I don’t like the fact she said names don’t matter, but I sense the nervousness in the women around me. “Fine. I’ll do my job and not cause any trouble.”
She nods. “Thank you. Usually, the students ignore us. Maybe they’ll ignore you, too.”
I grip the handle on my cart, pushing it ahead of me, knowing for certain there’s no way in hell Victorine will allow that to happen.
I dump the trash.
I scrub the toilets.
I wipe down the countertops.
At first, no one says a word, at least not to me. I see their mouths move. The whispers. And everyone watches me closely.
In response, I bite my tongue.
For the women of Alante. I can do one day of this while they suffer through a lifetime.
I push the cart down the hall and tap on the next door. “Housekeeping,” I call, knowing most of the students are now at breakfast. I have a key that allows me entry to all the rooms, which makes me think that if someone accuses an Alante of stealing, they’re screwed.