Chapter 1 The Toil

"I'm so sorry ma"Camille said with tears dropping from her eyes,sweating profusely she apologized and pleaded. The pain was becoming too much for her to bear.

Camille, dressed in a nanny's uniform, was being punished by Mrs Smith,mother to Zack and Alexis and a seemingly queen of Los Angeles.

Camille was punished for mistakenly dropping a ceramic that shattered into pieces.She had been kneeling for three hours and was now soaked in her sweat,her knees were sore.All pleading fell on deaf ears as Mrs Smith paid no attention to her.

"I'm so sorry ma,I won't ever repeat this again". She said crying,her tears flowing effortlessly tasting like salt.

She couldn't bear the pain anymore...

She sobbed as she felt the weight of her body becoming too much for her to carry.

Mixture of pain from being punished and grief of losing her father.

"Would you shut up and not add to my fury"Mrs Smith said, giving her a disdainful look.

Zack, who was coming from a house party, happened to witness where Camille was punished.

"Hi mum"Zack said drunk

"Hello son"Mrs Smith said with a wide smile

"What has this maid done this time?"Zack asked, sitting.

"She broke your favourite ceramic,"Mrs Smith said.

"What....???!,my favourite ceramic..?

"Yes son".

"Punish her more, let her kneel for two more hours, she deserves that and more"

"Of course son, she's been a very terrible maid.I'll do just as you say"Mrs Smith said as Zack marched to his room reeking of alcohol.

Hours passed and Camille was eventually released.Tired and with sore knees she dragged herself to her room to take a bath,she sat under the shower crying at how miserable she had become, recalling how her dad died and was left to suffer with her mum while relatives seized their properties.

She was jolted from her thoughts by the ringing of her phone,she decided not to pick but it was a persistent call and eventually decided to give up and pick,on reaching the phone,she saw the caller ID was her mum, Mrs Gomez.

" Hi sweetheart".

"hi mum,how're you doing" Camille said trying to sound ok.

" I'm fine ,how about you,how has work been treating you"?

"I'm fine mum"she pretentiously said.

"But you don't sound so honey,talk to me".

Camille couldn't hold back her tears and eventually collapsed on the floor crying.

"Mum I can't keep doing this,I'm sick and tired of the Maltreatment and suffering.

"Camille,there are always five words I say to you when you think you can't continue

_YOU CAN ALWAYS COME HOME"

"mum you know I can't,this is the only thing keeping you and I alive"

"When will you come home?"Mrs Gomez said anxiously.

"I'll be coming home during the weekend mum"she said absentmindedly.

" Ok Honey,I'll prepare your favourite meal just as you love"She said excitedly

" Ok mum"

"I'll call your cousins over for the weekend,how does that sound?"Mrs Gomez asked.

"That'll be great mum"

"I know right"

"It's surprising how you just alleviated my mood mum"Camille said

"of course,I'm your mum and I understand you"

"Thanks mum,"Camille said.

"Don't worry honey, everything will be ok,I'll sing you to sleep just as I always do when you were little"

"Ok mum"

She sang Camille a lullaby as she drifted off to sleep.Mrs Gomez muttered a silent prayer for her daughter and went to sleep also.