One Hope Left

Chapter 1

Sofia walked quietly down the long corridor, careful not to make a sound. After all these years, it was practically second nature. She walked by one of the many security guards and kept her head down. Don’t make eye contact. That was one of the rules. She reached the end of the corridor and opened the door that led to her room. It was a simple room, one that didn’t have a lot of character to it. The walls were gray and there was a queen-sized bed on one wall, a nightstand on one side and chair on the other. There was a closet, a bookshelf, and a window. The window was Sofia’s favorite part. All her furniture and clothes were shades of black or gray. The window offered her colors. The blue of the sky, the grass and flowers growing outside the walls she was confined to, the soft glow of the city far away from the mansion she lived in. Sofia could, and had, stared out this window for hours. It made the long days shorter, and more enjoyable. She also spent many hours reading in the library. Even though the selection of books was out of her control, she would read anything she could get her hands on. Books offered her a glance into another world, one that was different from her own. Her father hand picked the books in the library, choosing the ones deemed ‘safe’. Sofia knew he didn’t want her getting ideas from books. But what else could she do? With limited ways to spend her time, she took what she had. A bell sounded in her room, telling her to report for dinner. She hurriedly went over to her closet and looked in the mirror. She picked up her brush and brushed out her long, blond hair and tied it into a bun. It was another rule. Always keep your hair tied up. Sofia let it fall free when she was in her room, but anywhere else it was in a bun. The bell rang again, signaling she only had a few minutes to make it to the dining hall. She put on her boots and smoothed her clothes out. Her black pants and gray shirt were not that ruffled, but she didn’t want to take any chances. She walked down the halls and went down two flights of stairs and made it to the dining hall just in time. Her mother was at the long table, waiting for her. “Two bells, Sofia. What have I told you about punctuality?” she asked. “I’m sorry Mother, it won’t happen again.” Sofia said. “See that it doesn’t.” her mother said coldly. Sofia sat at the table across from her mother, not meeting her gaze. Servers came out and laid plates in front of them. Peas, corn, a warm buttery roll, and chicken. Her mother only had salad. Sofia ate while her mother flipped through a magazine, every once and a while glancing at her. Sofia finished her food as quickly as possible. “May I be excused?” she said quietly. “Hmm? Oh, yes.” Her mother said. Sofia left the table and went into the kitchen. She walked through the doors and turned to talk to the chef, Marcus. “Thank you for dinner. Is there anything I can do?” she asked. “If you could do the dishes, that would be very helpful. Thank you, Sofia.” Marcus replied. Sofia often came into the kitchen to help. She thought the servers and chef were underappreciated and didn’t mind the work. She went to the back and smiled when she saw Thea there. She was scrubbing a dish, trying to clean it. “Here, let me help.” She said. “Oh, Sofia, you don’t have to, kokhana.” Kokhana was the Ukrainian word for sweetheart, something Thea often called Sofia. Thea came from Ukraine and told Sofia many stories of her life there. “I don’t mind. I can scrub if you put it in the dishwasher.” Thea had told her that her hands would get sore towards the end of the day. She had arthritis, and Sofia didn’t want Thea to push herself. “You’re so sweet.” Thea said with a smile. Sofia took over scrubbing and smiled to herself. Even though she felt she didn’t belong in the oversized house, she had Thea.