Chapter 2

I slouch over to pick up her laundry basket when she kicks me in my leg making me fall over. She busts out laughing as I sigh under my breath and dust myself off. I pick up her clothes and walk down the stairs. On the way down, she pushes me down the stairs causing me to drop the laundry and fall face-first onto the hardwood floor.

“Hurry up and get it done, you loser!” she yells at me before walking back up to her room. I cough and wipe some blood from my forehead as I continue my dreadful way to the laundry room.

I find myself limping before I get in there with the other maids. “I guess that fall messed up my ankle…ah, it hurts…” I hiss out to no one in particular. The others look at me in pity. I ignore their concerned looks and limp over to the washer. Thankfully, my sister didn’t have many dirty clothes and that the washer was free.

“Hey, Jennine, what happened this time?” one of the maids ask me. She places her hand on my shoulder and I flinch. “Sorry,”

“N-no, it’s okay.” I reassure with a melancholy smile. “I’m just, uh, not used to the physical contact, you know?” she nods and for the nth time that morning, I sigh and I can feel the tears burning the back of my eyes. My shoulders begin to shake violently as I bit my tongue and held my arms to try and not break all the way down. I heard the maids coo and sob in sympathy, but it doesn’t help.

I look up with bloodshot eyes but no tears. Everyone could tell that I was miserable and that I couldn’t take being handled this way. Because, hey, I’m a human being too and I do have feelings and emotions and I am easily bruised.

“I can’t go on like this forever, guys…” I say with a sad smile and cracked voice. “I think that it’s time that I take my leave, from this house and this world.” They gasp, obviously shocked.

“Jennine! Y-you can’t do that!” one of the maids sobs. “We know you’ve gone through hell and you just want it to end, but you have a bright future ahead of you. We aren’t trying to bring you down and try to convince you into staying here, but do kill yourself, please?”

“I’m sorry,” I say wiping my eyes. “I just can’t do this. I can’t continue to live like this for the rest of my life. It just isn’t possible because at the rate I’m going, it’s just going to get worse and worse and before we know it, they’re just going to kill me off!”

By this time, tears have already fallen from my dark brown eyes. I sniffled and opened the garage door. My “parents” weren’t home yet and won’t be home until later tonight. I open up the storage closet and pull out a rope.

“Could one of you guys give me a hand?” I ask as I tie the hoop. My closest maid friend, Jasmine, nods and helps me tie the rope to the top of the garage. “Thanks, Jazz; I can always count on you.”

She sends me a sad smile. “Anytime,” Just as I was about to stick my head in the loop, she pulls me down. “I want one last picture with all of us before you go.” I nod and we take the most emotional picture. We couldn’t stop crying and I climb back up the ladder and stick my head through.

“It was nice knowing all of you. “I sob. “I’ll miss you all. Hopefully, we’ll all meet again in a better time and not have so much weight on our shoulders.”

I kick the ladder and Jasmine pulls it away and then, my body floats limply. All life vanishing from me as I die instantly. Even as a ghost, a free spirit, I can hear and see my companions crying, wailing their hearts out as they look away from my corpse.