I threw on a dress with new pair of underwear and made it past lunch without talking, keeping my head down. Hailie must've noticed my quietness because I occasionally caught her glancing at me, but she must've chalked it up to me being sad that my favorite maid was going in three days.
Me and Eirlys had an awkward 15 seconds of eye contact where neither of us said anything.
When it was finally over, I went straight back to my room. The air there was still and dry, carrying the faint scent of filth that was quicky cleaned away, probably by Anshur during the meal.
I turned to my bed, and widened my eyes.
On the nightstand lay, surprisingly, the shock color—black, glossy, its little metal contacts catching the light—with the small clicker sitting right beside it like a matching accessory.
"..."
Her words echoed in my mind, something about she had taken the batteries out and I still responded to the shock.
No, no way she had Pavlov me, it is just unthinkable.
