The witch opened the door as you organized the table with the mirror you had used. You made sure you kept your front to her, lest she notice your tail and longer, braided hair.
"I should have thought you'd be half finished by now!" the witch scolded. "Clean this room within the hour, and then start cooking dinner."
"Yes, ma'am," you respond obediently. You thought that was the correct thing to say, but you gulp when you see the witch's face twist in shock. After an excruciating five seconds of staring at you with her deep eyes, her gaze darts about your part of the room. They settle on something by your waist.
"Break that mirror."
She's onto you. Without hesitation, you pick up the mirror and throw it to the floor. It shatters on impact.
The witch appears satisfied, but cautious. "My obedience spell was supposed to deprive you of speech. I suppose I'm getting rusty in my years. No matter."
She raises her right hand and sparks fly straight at your face. You feel something reach down your throat and then vanish.
"There won't be as much as a peep from you now. Clean up the mess you just made, and then get to the kitchen! I grow hungry." The witch turned and shut the door as she left.
You stand where you are, clutching your throat. You try to speak, but words don't come. You can't even feel a vibration from the vocal cords in your throat.
What were you going to do now? Even if you escape from this place, you're still a girl, you're still 17, and you've still got a cat's tail. Plus you'll never be able to speak again! There were numerous potions and spellbooks around this room, but none of the bottles are marked and none of the books appear to be in a language you recognize. It was just as dangerous to try more potions as it was to test the witch's patience again.
You decide to continue cleaning, and quickly, before you lose anything else. Meanwhile you begin crafting an escape plan, though you're not sure if you want to use it right away...