Kacy dropped onto her bed, a yawn catching in her throat as she glanced at Alina. "Sterling went to talk to Lolita about our workload. Did he…" She trailed off as Alina turned onto her side to glare at her. "He didn't get through to her, did he?"
"He got an answer, alright," Alina muttered. "She offered to send him to the camps."
"The camps?" Kacy gasped, sitting up straight. "But we work ourselves to the bone looking after her—"
"You think that earns us mercy?" Alina's voice was cold and hollow. "To her, this is the bare minimum to stay alive. That's why no one wants to work for her."
"But..." Kacy's voice trailed off, a desperate plea for denial in her eyes. "She's not that cruel...."
"She is," Alina responded flatly. "In fact, she's proud of it."
Kacy's eyes welled with tears, her voice fracturing. "I would have never taken this job if I'd known! I should have just waited longer—held out for another job posting, anything—"
"Well, you didn't wait, so stop wishing for a time machine," Alina snapped, her cold composure finally breaking. "Why do you think I'm constantly on edge? I can't afford a single slip-up, Kacy. Not when it could cost me my life!"
"But surely she shows some compassion—"
"Kacy." Alina's voice dropped to a dangerous whisper. "She made me watch her execute staff in the courtyard. I know exactly what she is. Don't you read the news?"
"No!" Kacy choked out, a fresh wave of tears spilling over. "We never read the news back home—we couldn't afford to buy the papers! We couldn't afford anything...Why didn't you tell me about this beforehand?"
"What difference would it have made?" Alina replied bitterly. "This isn't a normal job. You can't just resign. The penalty for walking out is the camps."
Kacy stared at her, stunned. "They never mentioned that in the interview…"
Alina let out a dry, humourless laugh. "Of course not. 'Competitive pay, housing, and a free trip to the camps if you step out of line.' Really attractive advertisement."
Kacy's voice trembled. "So what happens if no one applies? If they can't find anyone—"
"Then they force someone," Alina cut in, her tone harsh. "They always do."
The room fell silent after that, broken only by the faint ticking of the clock on the wall.