First Life! An Invitation

"Miss, master has invited you for lunch," Maya said and then closed the door of the room gently behind her.

As usual, Aisha was sitting on the balcony railing, to let some fresh air touch her body and enter into her ventilatory system. The beautiful flowers and grasses and golden swings that Aisha could never touch or even get close to were a sight of joy for her. She loved capturing the picture of the blue sky and fixing her gaze on the pigeons who flew freely, making it their own.

Looking at them made Aisha realize how little freedom she had and even though human eyes could settle the entire world inside them, her eyes only had the pictures of the mansion and the view from her balcony. Every time that view only gave Aisha a bucket full of dejection, instead of happiness.

However, that day was euphoric in Aisha's life. Her father had never once called her to eat with him whether it was lunch or dinner not even a snack. His call was always for the extraction of her blood. That father had called her today for lunch.

To Aisha, it seemed like her father had been changing. Aisha had been eagerly waiting for such a joyous day to come, all her life, when she, her brother, and her father would sit together at a table and have lunch.

"Maya take out my best dress." She ordered, jumping down the railing and rushing towards the dressing table to get ready for the upcoming event.

"But— miss!"

"What?" She shouted, busy looking at the mirror, and combing her hair swiftly until they were nice and smooth. One thing that Aisha had that was different from her father and brother, was her long straight silky hair like her mother's. Aisha's mother Nisha was like a foreigner, no one knew which country she came from.

Nisha had bright green eyes and light pink hair soft, silky, and long. Nisha had a beautiful smile and a warm heart that Aisha was never able to experience. A portrait of Nisha on the third floor's last room, which is treated like a store room and is never cleaned, is the last of the remains of Aisha's mother. Which Aisha I not allowed to see.

"All your dresses are stained by blood." She replied bowing.

Of course, Every Monday when Dhananjay calls Aisha, she always wears her newest clothes and stains them with blood after the difficult blood extraction. Aisha always wanted to look presentable in front of her father, but soon she started to think he didn't care, so she wore one of her old clothes on one Monday.

Dhananjay immediately sent Aisha back to her room and asked her to get dressed and only then the weekly routine took place. To Aisha, it was an act of love. She believed that there were some circumstances and that's the reason why he needed her blood. Unaware of how it is used.

'If there weren't any such circumstances he would have loved me enough just like Neel. After all, I am his daughter and I have responsibilities and if that is to give blood for the welfare of this house, I will do it happily' Naive Aisha had no idea that Dhananjay never cared about her or her brother.

"Fine, just get the newest one. I'm in a good mood today so I won't hit you for your mistake. Go now, quickly. " She calmly said the rudest sentence and then stood out of the chair, raising her two hands to the side, waiting, as a sign for Maya to start dressing her up.

The newest dress that Aisha's father had got her was like that of a doll. A beautiful navy blue colored gown, it has a turtle neck, long enough to cover up her whole neck, and had sleeveless sleeves. The gown is a simple one with not many diamonds or embroideries on it. It just had a silver border at the bottom of the skirt.

'Maybe people wear such clothes outside and why not they are pretty. '

The world outside the mansion? Aisha has never seen it in her whole 23 years of life. But soon she will be able to leave this place and see the outside world. Is what her father promised.

After Aisha was done wearing the gown and applying makeup, she rushed out of her room however before she could set her foot outside her room, Maya stopped her by grabbing her wrist.

"Be careful, my lady. Please be clever with the words you use." She said. This angered Aisha. A mere maid dared to touch her without her permission, moreover, she also gave her advice.