The kitchen was a mess.
Plates piled in the sink. The floor was stained with oil. Bits of food were scattered everywhere. I sighed and grabbed the rag again, bending down to wipe the floor for the fifth time that evening.
Everyone had already left. They always did. Somehow, every single time we had kitchen duty, I ended up being the last one standing.
I muttered under my breath as I scrubbed. "Lazy witches."
My back ached. My hands were wrinkled and red from the water. My stomach growled, but I pushed the hunger aside. I still had a long way to go.
I was halfway done with the last table when I heard the door creak open.
I paused. My first thought, one of them probably forgot something. Or maybe they came to laugh at me again. I braced myself.
But when I turned, I saw one of the maids walking in slowly, holding something wrapped in cloth. She had a small smile on her face.
That smile instantly made me suspicious.
They never smiled at me. Especially not her.
She was one of the worst. Always whispering behind my back. Always pretending not to see me struggling. Why was she smiling now?
I quickly looked away and kept scrubbing. I didn’t have energy for games.
But then she walked closer.
"Hey," she said gently.
I looked up briefly, then looked back down. "Hi."
She paused, then came even closer. "You’re Lisa, right?"
I looked at her, confused. "You know that."
She gave a small nervous laugh. "Yeah, I do. I just... I don’t know how to say this."
I stared at her, waiting.
"My name’s Cecilia," she said.
"I know," I muttered.
She looked down, then back at me. "I just wanted to say... I’d like to be your friend."
Cecilia bit her lip and moved a little closer. "I’m serious. I’ve been thinking... we’ve been mean to you. All of us. Me too. And I’m sorry. I don’t want to be that kind of person anymore."
I dropped the rag, slowly standing up. "Wait... what are you talking about?"
She stepped even closer and, to my shock, reached for my hands. "I mean it. I want to be your friend. For real. I know I don’t deserve it, but I’ll do better. Please believe me."
I stared at her hands around mine. Her palms were warm. Her grip was gentle.
"No offense, but..." I pulled my hands away. "Why now?"
She looked a little hurt but nodded like she expected that. "Because I feel guilty. You’re kind. You work so hard. And we just..." She shook her head, "We treated you like trash. And you never even fought back. You just took it."
"I didn’t have a choice."
"I know. And that’s even worse."
I looked at her again, eyes narrowed. "Is this a joke?"
"No!" she said quickly. "Gosh, no... no... I swear it’s not."
I folded my arms. "So... what? You suddenly grew a heart overnight?"
She gave a small laugh. "Yeah. Something like that."
I still didn’t believe her. Not fully. But she sounded so honest.
And she looked different. Nervous. Maybe even... ashamed?
"I’m not used to this," I said softly.
She nodded. "I get it."
There was a long pause between us. Then she pointed at the dirty plates. "Can I help you finish cleaning?"
My eyes widened. "Help me?"
"Yes. You’ve been here all morning, haven’t you?"
"I’ll help. I promise."
I stared at her for a while. Then gave a small nod. "Okay... if you want."
Cecilia smiled brightly. "Thank you."
She moved toward the sink and started rinsing dishes without waiting for another word. I watched her in silence, still unsure of what had just happened.
I stood by the sink, rinsing the last plate as Cecilia wiped the table beside me. For a while, we worked in silence. I wasn’t sure what to say. I couldn’t trust it yet, this sudden kindness.
She looked up from the table, her cloth moving in slow circles as she wiped it clean. Her voice broke the quiet.
"You’re fast with your hands," she said, with a small smile. "You do all this alone every day?"
I didn’t look at her. I kept scrubbing the plate in my hand, rinsing it one last time before placing it on the rack.
"Yes," I muttered. "No one ever wants to help."
She let out a long sigh, shaking her head. "That’s just wrong."
I didn’t respond. I couldn’t even tell if she meant it or not. I’d learned the hard way not to believe too quickly.
A few minutes passed in silence. We worked side by side until everything was clean, the dishes stacked, the table wiped, and the floor swept.
I wiped my hands on my apron, about to leave the kitchen, when she suddenly reached into her pocket and held something out to me. A small, folded packet wrapped in white paper.
"Here," she said, stepping closer with a soft smile. "You look like you’ve had a long day. This will help with the pain. It’s herbal, for stress. You’ll sleep better."
I froze, staring at the packet in her hand. It was wrapped too perfectly. No writing, no sign of what was inside. Just plain and sealed.
I frowned a little. "What’s this?"
"Just a pain reliever. Natural," she said, her tone light like we’d been friends all along. "I take it when I’m sore after long work. Helps me sleep like a baby."
I took it slowly, staring down at the packet. "You brought this for me?"
She nodded. "I just thought... maybe you needed something nice. I know I’m not exactly someone you trust. But I want to change that."
My brows furrowed. "Why?"
She shrugged, almost too casually. "Maybe because I see how lonely you are. And because I know we’ve all treated you badly."
I blinked. No one had ever said that to me. Ever.
"I just... I don’t know," I muttered. "This is all strange."
"I know," she said quickly. "But let me make it up to you. Please. Take it tonight. Sleep well. Tomorrow, I’ll help again."
I held the packet in my hand, still unsure. "Thanks... I guess."
She smiled again, then stepped forward and touched my shoulder gently. "Goodnight, Lisa."
"Goodnight," I said softly.
She walked away slowly, turning back once to wave. I just stood there, holding the little packet in my palm, watching her disappear through the door.
My stomach twisted. Something wasn’t right.