The Recipients - Chapter 2

A short chapter but I hope you enjoy!

Just so you know I only have chapters one and two edited. I don't actually have a plan for this story, and it's more of a concept. I will probably write it one day but so far I'm really not liking the direction the story went in the chapters after one and two.

I'm working on The Fall of Notsfe right now and am planning on writing a sequel so I won't have much time to write this until, like, a year from now.

-Victoria

Chapter 2

Dinner was always plentiful for the family. The servants and the family members ate at separate times, the servants, including Kiera, ate after the family.

Lina was not at the dinner table when it was time to eat, and Gretta excused herself to deliver her food. Kiera sat next to Hera, the cook, and thanked her for the meal, even though she knew the cook did not like her much and would prefer to pretend she didn’t exist. The food was good, the leftovers of a large steak, most of it eaten by the family already. 

The Younger children were playing upstairs with Kathryn, Gretta reported after she came back. And the older ones were walking Wolf around. Darsha, the eldest, was at a party with her friends and would not be back before midnight.

“Where is Lina?” Hera wondered.

“Sleeping,” Gretta replied softly, putting food in her mouth.

The dinner table fell quiet then. Lina was expected to wake up at around 5 in the morning and stayed up until Midnight. Dinnertime was her only break, to take a nap or put her feet up. She was wanted everywhere, needed for anything, and scolded constantly. Life was hard for her, but she rarely complained and always had good humor about her tired frame, which made the other servants like her.

“At least tomorrow's Sunday,” Kathryn smirked as she entered the room. “Any food left for me?” She sat down on Kiera’s other side and grabbed her food. Dinner ended at 8 for them, she had to hurry and be done in the next 5 minutes before the clock chimed and it was time to clean up the table and return to their duties.

Gretta stood up. “I’ll go wake up Lina.” She sighed and walked away.

Kathryn was always cheerful. Or maybe just looked cheerful. Kiera wouldn’t dig through her feelings. She would never defy her peers like that.

The dinner table was a long one, fit for all 7 children and their parents, and occasionally, guests. Thankfully, the wallpaper in this room, was not as complicated, and Kiera might even call it pleasant. It was yellow, with the occasional red stripes. The window at the edge of the table showed the vast plains and the setting sun. it always reminded her how utterly imprisoned she was in the house, as a Recipient. 

The grandfather clock struck 8 and all the servants stood up, some quietly complaining, and began the cleanup.