Chapter 7

I spend the whole day with Sylvana; it’s late and dark when I finally walk to my own home and yawn as I enter the hallway, letting myself in. I can tell by the silence down here that my parents have already headed to bed, and as all my siblings moved out before I ever moved in, the house is pretty silent. I drop my jacket on the rack and go to head upstairs quietly. Glad to have alone time and not interact while I am tired.

“Miss. Sophie.” The housekeeper, Ivana, calls me from the bottom of the stairs, and I turn with a smile. It still weirds me out that we have servants, maids, or whatever they call them. I am still getting used to this grand house and the money factor. It’s a far cry from where I started in life, and sometimes, I have to pinch myself that this isn’t a dream. Before this home, I never knew what it was like to always be warm, safe, and fed.

“Yes, Ivana?” I pause as she comes to meet me and hands me a gift bag with a sparkling silver design and satin ribb