a Primal Pursuit

sixty eight

"Where have you been?" She spat.

"Work," I muttered, staring ahead.

She scoffed. "You look at me when I am speaking to you, girl. Your father is no longer here, and I will not tolerate the lack of respect."

"Please, I just want to shower." I mumbled, exhausted of her tyranny.

Mother muttered something, and I felt my shoulders sag when her footsteps grew closer. She took my arm with barely concealed disgust, yanking me to the side. Her lips curled with repulsion, eyebrows knitting together.

"Where have you been?"

"Work," I repeated.

"Is work suddenly a mud bath?" She taunted. "Is it a new dining option?"

My jaw worked from side to side, but I kept my gaze on the space behind her shoulder. She hated eye contact, despite her need for us to look at her.

"I went for a walk and slipped in the mud. The ice has gone, and it's all slushy."

"Young girls do not go for walks in the woods. They do not get so dirty, and they do not dress in such clothes."

"These are my work clothes," I sighed. "I have a uniform."

"Yes, well, not for long." She muttered, moving away. "I expect you to clean up before I... go to bed."

My chest lit up with hope of her leaving me alone. "What are you doing?"

She scowled, turning back to me. "None of your business, girl."

My lips turned into a frown as she dismissed me, walking back to her room with a wave of her hand. Oh well, it meant I was free of her wrath for the evening.

The water of Evermore was always lukewarm, and the hit of its coldness shocked me more than I remembered. I washed quickly, rinsing my clothes in the water too before the little warmth it gave ran out. We only had a few minutes per shower before it turned too cold, and if there was ever a power cut, we had to heat it on the fire like the Victorian times.

The towels were small and scratchy, but thankfully we never ate much, so I had little to cover. I tiptoed out of the bathroom to grab some clothes from the washing rack beside the fireplace. The curtains were open, but I didn't see anyone out there that would peep long enough to see me run barely clad through the hallway.

Back in the bathroom, I dried, dressed and tied my hair back before finally finishing with a happy sigh. My muscles ached for some reason, and I wondered how hard I worked at work today. I was trying to pursue a job as a chef, because that meant more coins per day. I had worked for ten hours today, and the ache in my lower back must be a side effect.

I had worked in the cafe for the past three years, since I was twelve years old! I felt that as I neared my fifteenth birthday; so I deserved some recognition for my maturity. I was a good cook; I just needed a little guidance with the timings. Chef Louis had been teaching me when he could, but Evermore was awfully sexist. I may just have to play the pity card.

Mother was gone by now, and I didn't ponder on her whereabouts. Her bedroom door was closed, and that meant nobody was to disturb her. If it was open, she sought confrontation, or every hour you would have to take her a drink and hope she left you be.

A closed door meant I could stay up a little later.

I eyed the clock, noticing it was near eleven at night by the time I was clean and crawling into the sofa bed. Arabella was softly snoring after a long day of school and hanging out with her friends. She was in her last year of primary school. I never had the chance to go to school after I got a job; having no choice but to work the moment I became of a legal age. Our family was suffering before; Mother is too stubborn and proud to ask for help elsewhere.