Chapter 5
"I don't bother myself with gold and silver," Maya said. "It's just that I can't stand to see things wasted. I'm only looking out for the Foster family. So, are you going to sign or not?"
Maya raised the stick again, poised above Eliza's lower back.
The stick hovered dangerously over Eliza's spine.
If Maya brought it down, Eliza would be paralyzed.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
"I'll sign," I said.
Maya grinned.
Her laughter deepened the lines on her face, all her wrinkles gathering together.
She handed me a writing brush and an inkpad.
I bit down on my finger, drawing blood.
Then I pressed my bloody fingerprint onto the paper.
Maya snatched the document away.
She looked it over carefully.
Then she carefully tucked it away, keeping it close to her chest.
"If you'd just been this smart earlier, Lady Joyce," Maya sneered, "you could've spared yourself all this pain.
"Soul cleansing hurts, but it's effective. It gets results in the end."
Maya spun on her heel. "Let's go."
An eerie silence settled over the courtyard once more.
I dragged myself over to Eliza, barely able to move.
I gathered her into my arms, holding her close.
My hands were covered in her blood.
"Eliza..." I whispered. "Eliza, wake up..."
Eliza's eyes fluttered open.
Her breathing was barely a whisper.
"Lady Joyce..." she murmured. "I'm sorry... I'm so useless..."
I clung to her, desperate to keep her with me.
My tears fell onto her face, soaking her cheeks.
"No," I choked out. "Don't speak. I'll save you. I swear I'll save you."
I lifted my head and looked toward the main courtyard.
The night sky was pitch black, not a single star in sight.
On the document Maya took tonight, there was a hidden mark she'd never figure out.
My fingers trembled at the edge of Eliza's wound.
Her forehead was burning up.
Her breathing was fading, growing weaker with every moment.
Yellow pus began to seep from the wound.
I brushed her face with my hand.
I stood up.
I walked over to the courtyard gate.
I banged hard on the wooden door.
"Open the door," I yelled. "Eliza's burning up. I need a doctor."
A cold, mocking laugh came from outside the door, the old maid's voice dripping with contempt. "Give it up, Lady Joyce. Maya already gave the order.
"That girl's a traitor to the Foster family. Her death means nothing. Doctor? For her? Ridiculous!"
I pulled out the only silver hairpin I had left from my hair.
I shoved it through the crack in the door.
"Take this," I said. "Go to Elm Street and bring Dr. Coleman Osborne from Elmwood Infirmary—now."
The old maid took the hairpin.
She weighed it in her hand.
"What, you think this worthless junk is enough?" she sneered. "Are you trying to send me off like some beggar? Maya's orders. Your soul's not clean yet, Lady Joyce. I'll donate this hairpin on your behalf."
Outside, her footsteps retreated, leaving nothing but silence behind.
I clenched my fists, anger burning in my chest.
I went back into the room and pried up the board under the bed.
I retrieved a wooden box.
Inside was a wax-sealed medicine pellet.
It was the life-saving medicine my grandfather had entrusted to me.
Holding the medicine pellet, I walked out.
Suddenly, the main gate burst open.
Maya marched in, flanked by several old maids.
She was dressed in a brand-new brocade gown.
Three pure gold dangling hairpieces were pinned in her hair.
The rubies on those ornaments sparkled so fiercely that they nearly blinded me.
I recognized that set of hair ornaments.
It was the one I had smashed to pieces.
Maya actually had those hairpieces fixed up and restored.
And now she was flaunting them herself.
Maya cast a quick glance at the wooden box in my hand.
She stepped forward and snatched the box from me.
"What's that you've got in your hand, Lady Joyce?" Maya sneered. "What, hiding more of your luxury contraband again?"
I threw myself at her, desperately trying to snatch the box back.
"Give it back," I shouted. "That's Eliza's life-saving medicine."
The old maids grabbed my shoulders, forcing me down.
I couldn't move an inch.
Maya opened the wooden box.
She picked up the medicine pellet, held it to her nose, and sniffed.
"Well, what do we have here?" Maya sneered. "A premium pill. I bet this little thing's worth ten dollars, isn't it?
"You just can't help yourself, can you, Lady Joyce? Pathetic little wretch. Does trash like her even deserve something this valuable?"
I locked eyes with her, desperation written all over my face.
"She's dying." My voice trembled as I spoke. "Please, give me the medicine."
Maya let out a cold, mocking laugh.
"Her death is a blessing for her," she sneered. "It's payback for her stealing. This medicine reeks of your dirty money. If she takes it, it'll just mess up her karma in the next life."
Maya loosened her grip and let the medicine pellet slip from her fingers.
The pellet hit the ground with a soft thud.
She raised her foot and pressed her heel down on the medicine pellet.
Twisting her heel, she ground it mercilessly back and forth until it was nothing but dust.
Its remains scattered into the dirt, wedged deep between the bricks, lost forever.
I was trembling all over.
"Are you crazy?" I shouted. "It could have saved Eliza!"
Maya brushed her hands off, as if the matter was settled.