She tried looking for her around the chambers, and the building, but she could not find Minerva anywhere.
She fell down to her room floor weakly, feeling empty and alone.
Tears fell down her cheeks uncomfortably, her mind going back to memories starting from when they were little even up till the present.
She wailed, mourning the fact that Minerva had always chosen her and never got the chance to live only for herself.
Merva cried her eyes out till nighttime, thinking about how she was supposed to move on with her life without her sister who was half a part of her
"Merva." A distant voice called.
Merva opened her eyes, her blurry vision clearing as she blinked.
She felt fresh tears fall down her puffed cheeks as she looked up at Minerva's smiling face.
She stood up quickly and embraced her, her tears falling faster as she sobbed like a child.
"I thought you were gone." She choked. "I thought you left me all alone." She added, squeezing Minerva tighter.
Minerva patted her gently on her back to calm her down. "Its okay. Shh."
Merva smiled, her heart feeling light. Her sister was alive.
She held tightly to Minerva refusing to let go.
Minerva chuckled, indulging Merva. "I am fine. I just have to stay here for a while."
Merva let go of Minerva in shock. Her surroundings was not somewhere she had seen before. The sun shone like a picture, and Minerva's smile was too wide.
She moved back shaking her head in denial. "No. No. This is not happening." She muttered and turned around walking away from everything.
"Minerva is not gone." She kept chanting as she went.
She woke up on the floor, breeze blowing gently in through her open windows.
She shut the windows with a flick of her wrist, pressing her head into her bed as new tears flowed.
'Merva.' She heard a voice call in her head, but she shut it out.
Merva cried till her tears stopped coming out, and then she stared into the ceiling without seeing anything.
'Merva.' The voice shouted in her head, and she jerked up looking around for who was shouting in her ear.
'Seriously?' She heard the voice say. 'Is this girl ignoring me now?'
'Merva if i get out there, i will dunk you in a pool of boiling water.' The voice threatened.
Merva stayed quiet, registering all that the voice told her, and then she began laughing hysterically.
It was Minerva.
'What is so funny?' Minerva asked, and Merva imagined Minerva's expression as she asked the question.
A tear slipped down her cheeks, but that was all, her lips hurting as she smiled.
'I thought you were gone.' Merva said sorrowfully, wishing she had tear left to cry.
'Gone where?' Minerva asked, her voice showing her puzzlement.
'You faded like that, and I thought you died without me.' Merva said, a sob escaping her lips.
'Are we supposed to die together?' Minerva asked, and Merva wished she could see her just so she can punch her in the face.
'I am telling you about my emotions, and you keep riling me up.'
'Don't worry, I am fine. I just need to remain here for a while to recuperate.' Minerva assured her.
'What got you in that state?' Merva asked Minerva, but she did not answer.
'I lost most of my energy, when I get back, I will tell you everything.' She promised her.
'Okay.' Merva told her.
She was relieved.
Merva stood from the floor, and decided to start her day.
Without Minerva's presence, it felt like before when they communicated only as voices in their head.
She started with her devotional dances, but kept on disturbing Minerva instead of concentrating, until she finally gave up on it for the day.
Merva had nothing much to do, and so she took a shower and then lay on her bed, calling Minerva again and again to assure herself that it was not a dream.
She heard the sound of an alarm ring through the speaker attached to her switch panel and quickly went out to find out what was happening.
The ladies quarters was still quiet, most of the ladies still fast asleep or doing their early morning routines.
Merva knew that the alarm was from matron Nadine's chambers and headed there as fast as she could.
Matron Nadine's door was ajar, and she was not inside.
She ran to eunuch Sephas door and knocked, but the door creaked open instead.
Merva ran out quickly, suspecting that it had something to do with the night before. The elevator was delaying, but she knew there was no use in trying the stairs.
When she finally reached the ground floor, she saw Sephas coming in looking downcast.
"Where is Miss Nadine?" Merva asked him. "She is gone. They took her." Sephas told her without looking at her.
Merva wanted to go after them, wondering if there was anything they could do to save her.
"Don't bother trying to go after them."
Sephas said as he walked past her. "It's no use anyway."
The ladies were assembled by first light, and all informed that Matron Nadine was gone, and before a suitable replacement would be brought in, eunuch Sephas would be in charge.
Many questions were asked by the ladies, but none was given a clear answer leaving them to speculate and come to their own conclusion.
Merva hid in her chambers for days away from everyone. The guilt on her mind gnawing at her everyday as she stayed idle knowing that she had taken what Sephas said as final because it was an easy way out of the situation for her.
There was a knock on her door, and then nothing.
Merva wondered who it could be and hesitated about finding out, but she forced herself to.
There was a large parcel waiting for her by her door, wrapped in silk, with a large bow made of multicolored ribbons.
She picked it up and looked about, wondering who had sent it and what for before she shut her door.
In all her three years in Volataire this was the first time such had happened. While it was normal for the other ladies, it was almost foreign to her.
She loosened the ribbons, curious about what was inside.
A card with her name written in italics fell from the top of the large box as she loosened the wrapping.
She turned the card around and saw that there was a message written behind saying. "Wear this for tonight and wait outside." But it made no mention of who the sender was.
'What is happening tonight?' Merva wondered, pulling off the cover of the box.
She pushed aside the layers of tissue and saw a beautiful sage green dress nestled inside.
She checked the smaller boxes and saw earrings and other jewelries inside.
Merva scoffed. Did the person think she could not afford such.
She started putting everything back together when she thought that it could be from Zeus.
'But he would write that it was from him.' Merva reasoned, besides she was in no mood for a party.
She pushed the boxes aside, thinking about a way to save Nadine without bringing harm to herself.
Pleading would yield nothing, and staging a prison break was impossible, but she also did not like any solution that involved any criminal act.
She decided that she was going to ask Zeus and see if her publicly pardoning Nadine would absolve her from any perceived disrespect.
It was already noon.
Merva decided that it was best she started getting ready as she did not have her maid or any makeover crew at her beck and call.
If it was a stranger, she would not go.
Styling her lengthy hair took most of her time, before she started her makeup and dressing herself.
Merva stared nervously at her reflection in the mirror wondering if she was doing everything wrong, and if she was an uncaring person.
There was a crisp knock on her door.
She sighed deeply, wishing Minerva was present with her.
She decided on leaving her fears behind and headed towards the door.
At the parking lot was a vehicle bearing the insignia of palace Aetheria.
The chauffeur stepped out and opened the door for her, bowing slightly as she made her way in.
A part of her mind warned her that this could be a trap, but she blocked it out of her mind.
It was not from Zeus but the royal family, and she guessed that Lady Metis would not have her dressed if she wanted to end her.
Merva sat nervously in the vehicle, fretting about how she would get Nadine free, and the purpose of whatever party it was.
The vehicle took to the sky, but Merva could not be bothered by the view.
When Merva was dropped off in front of the main ball room of palace Aetheria, cameras welcomed her.
She forced herself to walk gracefully like she had been taught since she was a child.
Palace Aetheria was a splendid beauty, everything about it perfect.
The hall was grander than she had ever seen, the air scenting like it had been filled with incense of the supremes.
"Merva." A voice called and Merva turned around to see her grandfather beaming at her.
"Grandfather." She called breathlessly in fear.