Chp 1
It was every girl's dream. Being chosen to enter such a rich house. To be truthful I was very excited when I first found out that I had been chosen for the House of Cremdeladd. It opened up so many new opportunities. I could move up in the social ladder. This would ensure my family a better life forever. Then why wasn't I happy about it?
My hometown was Haven. It was a small town on the southern border of Work House. We were a simple community with a small white church in the middle of the town and tiny dull fields surrounding our village. That's why on selection day I had been completely ready to join Work House. Most of my community had expected to. No one has been selected to be in a different house than Work House for the last four years.
I was now being carried to Cremdeladd in a horseless carriage. It had two leather bench seats that faced each other and in the front on the outside there was a seat and a wheel attached to a stick that could steer the vehicle. I had never seen one this close up and riding in it was interesting. Since our village was very poor no one owned a vehicle. I kept running my hand over the smooth leather trying to calm myself as I thought back to this day's selection ceremony and how my life was now irrevocably changed.
It had started out like any other day, my little sister Posey woke me up by excitedly jumping out of our bed and landing very unceremoniously on our old wood floor. She was so excited about selection day. It meant a chance to change your future. No matter how small that chance was Posey was going to be excited about it. My family was considered middle-class in our village. We had all the basic necessities; our house was a square shape. You would walk through the worn front door and arrive in our dining room. It had a table with a few chairs, me and Posey's bed, and our small fireplace against the wall opposite the bed. In the back was my dad's bedroom. It was small with a bed, a chest for clothes, and a mirror. The mirror was very old. It was a large shiny oval that hung on the wall with this weird crest symbol engraved on the bottom. My mom used to tell me it belonged to my grandmother. It was her prized possession and when she died my dad didn't have the heart to sell it. It's the only thing I have left to remember her by. When she died we had to sell most of her belongings to cover the cost of the funeral. Remembering the death of my mother is hard. My dad was never a very loving man and when she passed away every ounce of kindness dried up in him. He became a shriveled bitter man after that. She died in a factory accident when I was four and Posey was a few months old. I had nightmares for the longest time after that.
My mind started to shift back to the selection ceremony and how it had all happened as I looked out the window at the passing grain fields. The projectograph that is in the town square had turned on and on the image that popped up, as each sixteen-year-old crowded around to read their name, a weird ripple started through the crowd. They were all talking about the same thing I soon realized. Me. I was getting weird looks. People looked angry, sad, but mostly frightened. My heart felt like it was in my throat and I'm pretty sure that my stomach had dropped to the ground. I finally found my name and looked over to the line next to it. I was in Cremdeladd House. Now I understood why everyone had fearful looks. No one from our community ever gets sorted into a different house besides Work House. I was the first in a long time.
The Mayor came up to me and told me how all the arrangements had been made and I was to go back to my home and I could bring one item with me, as was the custom. I didn't listen very closely to what the mayor was saying. He was a short man who didn't do much for our community and was only in the job for the pay. He had a look on his face like he was pleased for me, but it didn't reach his eyes. Most of the government was corrupt and that was just a common fact. I should have listened closer because now I was very confused as to what would happen to me.
I now understand why so many of the citizens looked fearful when they saw where I was going. The unknown is something that most people fear naturally and now, as I was riding through the large wrought iron gates of the house, I started to get an uneasy feeling in the bottom of my stomach. The house stood large and imposing in the moonlight. It was the solitary building that chose to defy the flat land of the prarie. It was a huge light blue mansion with story upon story. The large rectangular windows were edged with golden trim and a huge grand door was in the middle. Large, green gardens spread out in front of the house. A good portion of the garden was devoted to a green hedge maze. It looked like a person could get lost in there and never get out again. The automobile was up the long driveway before I got a second chance to look at the gardens. It was headed toward the big door when it took a sharp turn to the right and kept driving parallel to the house. Finally after a few moments it came to the end of the mansion and rounded the corner. It stopped in front of a small plain door. The driver stepped out and got the door for me. I stepped down on the crunchy gravel. It was hot outside but with a cool breeze blowing through. The summer was starting to end and I imagined myself back in my village helping with the late harvest. Picking the wheat and getting ready for the festival dance. I looked at the driver, but he seemed to not want to make eye contact. "Right this way, milady," He said. He had a slight accent that made his vowels sound more distinct. The man walked through the door and I followed.
As we descended a flight of stairs I noticed that I heard many voices coming from the bottom. Also a warm glow and a great smell were wafting up here. My stomach started to grumble loudly at me, reminding me of the hunger that had been suppressed due to anxiety. Food isn't plentiful where I come from so it's always appreciated. When we came to the end of the stairs I saw that I was in a huge room with large ovens lining the walls and tables everywhere where people were creating new dishes for the house family to be served for their dinner I guessed. I stopped dead in my tracks to gape at a large woman with an apron putting icing on the largest cake I'd ever seen.
"We must hurry along. Unpunctuality is not dealt with kindly. ", My escort said with a very impersonal air.
"Well I guess he's not goanna be one of my new best friends." I thought to myself. So far this hadn't been what I'd expected. Although no one I knew had ever been put into a different house. Each person takes a test a week before the first of September and that sorts him or her into a house. Each house is a large mansion and the grounds that surround it support small villages and towns. You have to be sixteen before the day of the test to be placed in a house. The placement is supposed to be unbiased, but the people who live around Work House usually end up in Work House and the rich house people usually stay with their rich house. The fact that I landed in the richest house and I'm from the poorest place makes me excited and scared at the same time.
I continued to follow the driver as he took me down a long hall. He stopped at a door and opened it for me. When I entered he closed it behind me. I stepped into a huge room. It was a dark blue color and we were still under the house I thought. The floor was a shiny black marble and groups of girls were standing together in places around the room talking quietly. Just as I started walking towards a group a tall blonde haired girl walked in immediately all talking ceased. Her air commanded attention. I knew we were going to have problems with each other the minute she walked in. She looked like she was a few years older than me. Everyone's eyes fell on her. She was tall and imposing. Her golden hair, intricately braded and weaved together, fell to her waist and the floor length dress she was wearing was far better than any of the other girl's dresses. Mine was just dull blue ankle length cotton. The best I could afford.
"My name is Cela. You will address me as Head Mistress," she said with a clipped voice, "You are the house maids and I will oversee you. In a few moments The Head Master will walk in. He oversees all of the servant staff in this house."
Just as Cela finished her talk a young man walked in. He can't be two… maybe three years older then me. I thought to myself. He was tall with dark black hair that he had slicked back and wearing a very expensive looking suit.
"Line up!", he barked, "Now you will all be doing the cleaning for this glorious house. I am in charge regardless of who says so." at these words he made a sidelong glance at Cela. She turned absolutely scarlet. She gave nothing away but I could see her jaw tighten. At this display by Cela a girl laughed a little.
"Is something amusing?" Cela asked from across the room. She had enough venom in that look to resilience the room. At this The Head Master started pacing up and down the row of girls listing off jobs and how out duties would rotate day by day. He was a few yards from me when I realized that every girl had her head down in a sign of submission. No one would dare to make eye contact with him. He stopped rite in front of me, holding my gaze and waiting for me to back down. I stared straight back unflinchingly. I could see my own plain face in his black eyes. He moved on down the line without another word. I learned that I'm expected to cater to the every whim of the rich and stepping out of line involves "repercussions". I have always enjoyed being contrary. I grew up without a mother so when people in my town would try to step in and fill that role I would do my best to do the opposite of their will. Even if it had caused me more problems I wouldn't have cared.
That night was a sleepless one. The room I had been brought into was apparently the first year maids living quarters. The room was long and it was rows and rows of beds. It was also very drafty. I had a trunk at the end of my bed with a few maids' outfits in it and nothing else. Many of the other girls had brought personal items, but I didn't own much and what I did own I wasn't sentimental about so I left it. I rolled over determined to go to bed, when I saw that someone had left the kitchen light on.