Chapter 1

He pushed his cup to the edge of the seat and let it fall to the ground. Jucie spilt everywhere.

'Maid,' He yelled.

I grumbled but did as I was told; I could not afford to give my identity away to him while I was still under investigation and forever would be until the day I die or am captured. I did not know his name, nor did he ever look at me, yet I knew what he looked like. His short black hair was cut like all the other boys, spiky with the side fringe. His eyes were a rich dark chocolate, yet I did not know what he looked like when he smiled. He never smiled when I was around. Actually he never smiled when anyone was at home at all. He left the seat as I came, head bowed, to clean up the juice with a cloth. I could have sworn he was doing it on purpose. These last couple of days he has been pushing me to my limits by making a mess of everything and I say he was about my age or a bit older. Not since he came home did the house look clean. I sighed. The day was almost up, yet the heat still stayed the same. I heard the door close behind me. He had gone out for the night. Good! Now it is my time to relax. I only need to do this job for a couple more days to get enough money to try and survive out there. The phone rang.

'Hello?'

'Clean the second lounge room by the day after tomorrow.' The deep voice could be distinguished as my employer.

The phone went dead.

I sighed. I'll do it tomorrow. I went around and turned off all the lights in the apartment then left, locking the door behind me. I got into the lift and travelled down 12 levels until I reached the ground level. I got out of the foyer into the bustling streets of the city. Around the building in a dark alley way, I undid the suspenders and let my wings unfold. I sighed in relief. Reaching around I undid the little flaps that allowed my wings to come out of my shirt. I spread them wide and took off into the heavy and polluted night air. I flew higher and higher towards one of the many tall nice looking high rises. I gently landed on my small sleeping mattress. I could sleep in the apartment but the room was absolutely horrible. It was small and tiny and there were cameras in the corner of the room, watching my every move. It was kind of disturbing being watched 24/7. I lay down to sleep on the mattress with my small pillow supporting my head. There were no stars up in the sky, there never was because of the clouds constantly covering them up. I thought of home and the stars that could be seen from out in the backyard. Nancia loved to look at the stars. Lasers, all different colours, shined into the clouds creating a pallet of neon colours and a sign, a promotion, for a new technology upgrade

I woke up to the sound of my mobile phone alarm. 5 o'clock. Whoop Dee Doo! I had to get down there before the guy woke up.

I flew down and around the building so that no one would see me. I landed swiftly in the same abandoned alley way and strapped up my wings again. I followed the same pattern I did the other two days and travelled up to the apartment. I unlocked the door and went inside. I checked the guy's room first but no one was there. Yes! I had the whole house to myself. I went to the second lounge room. Great! It was a mess, with dust covering everything and rubbish and crap like that everywhere. I went and got the mop, dustpan, cloth and cleaning stuff from the small laundry room and got to work. I tried to turn on the old stereo system but it would work. I checked the back and a couple of plugs weren't connected. I plugged them back in and saw a loose cable. I plugged the cable into the speakers and turned on the machine, nothing. I fiddled with some buttons and pulled a few cables and switched them around and finally got it to work. I cranked the volume up and started to mop the floor to the sweet sound of music.

I took the cloth from the table and went around lifting all the little figurines from their places and wiping underneath them. The lounge room was relatively big with the entrance in a big arc with no door. There was a television on the far wall and large shelves with a stereo on the east and west wall.

I started to sing to lighten the mood of the already depressing day. Never had I been so sour or so annoyed at anyone. At home, everyone always commented on my nice manners but now, I was constantly berated for my lack work that was being done.

I could feel some one watching me. I spun around and there he was, leaning up against the arc with his arms cross. Surprise flicked across his face when he saw me but then a mask of stone came crashing down. I could play that game too. I quickly turned it off.

'How did you get it to work?'

I shrugged in reply.

He grunted and left but I could see he was intrigued and suspicious.

I left the apartment at around 7 o'clock. I think the guy was still in there but I didn't care. I was in need of some good food. I travelled down the lift and left the foyer and came on to the familiar bustling street. I looked left and right but I saw no one that could be a hazard to me, so I went left.

I walked on passing many people that stared at me. This attention was bad, but how could I change my appearance. It was inevitable but I continued on.

I turned left up the next street and found myself on the market part of the town. The cheap night market was filled with tourists and shop keepers trying to sell their fake handbags and sun glasses. I walked down the centre so as not to get stuck in the small path ways they made between their shops and other shops on the side.

'Hey Miss. Yes you.'

I walked on. I stopped briefly because I could feel someone was watching me again. I turned to a small shop next to me selling fake designer handbags. I looked left and there he was once again staring at me, my employer's son was following me. He thought he could follow me without me noticing. I'll show him!

I moved along quickly, occasionally turning to look at a store and using my peripheral vision, I saw he was still following me. I kept walking until I came to the main road again. I turned right onto the foot path and turned right again into a small alley and waited just on the inside. I didn't have to wait long. I heard him before I saw him. I stuck my leg out so my body was concealed by the wall and hoped my senses were correct. They were. He tripped and fell face first into the ground, but he jumped up shortly after.

'Why were you following me?' I demanded.

He didn't answer. A frown was fixed upon his face.

'Serves you right for the way you have been treating me these past couple of days!'

I walked away from him, heading towards the food stalls. I went around looking at all the dishes and decided to have some bread and roast chicken. I sat down at one of the cheap plastic tables and waited. This was in the poorer part of the technological booming town, where all those not in the loop went to grab a bite and buy clothes that weren't so expensive.

She was deaf and held up two fingers.

I fished out two dollars from my pocket of my pants and gave it to her.

I sighed and put my head in my hands.

'Why did you ask for this job?'

I looked up and there he was, again. Is there no way to have peace anymore?

'Why do you care anyway? You probably get maids in and out of your apartment every week with the way you treat them. Do you go following them too?' I retorted.

He sat down. Was that a smile was playing around his lips?

'You clearly know how to hand it back maid,' he said.

I gave him a hidden glare from beneath my hands.

'Why were you following me?' I asked.

'No reason.' He said simply as the lady delivered my juice. He signalled to her for one more.

'Do you treat all your maids like trash?'

He looked at me.

'That is none of your business.'

I sat there fuming. So he followed me here then he sits down without asking me and then he doesn't answer any of my questions. I can play that game too.

My food arrived. I quickly forgot about him as the smell wafted up to me. I took my knife and fork and started to eat, ignoring him completely.

'What is your name?' he asked me finally.

I kept eating.

'Maid, I asked you a question.'

I shot an evil glance at him but continued to eat. I was taught always to ignore those who didn't speak to me properly.

His drink came. He glanced at it then started to tap his fingers on the table.

'You're not earning yourself a good reputation for yourself. My father could easily hear about how the maid has gone against his orders. Or maybe I should just tell my father that the maid has stolen something. That is if you do not reply to your masters questions.'

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wasn't hungry anymore.

'You listen to me, whatever your name is. I wouldn't give a crap if you told your daddy about what I did. Who in their right mind would work for some 'master' who pays them a pathetic wage of 12.50 a day, and a son who purposely makes a mess of the place. You're probably wondering why I even took the job. But of course I'm not going to tell you because you probably don't even care anyway. Go on, go get me fired. What do I care?' I hissed.

He was silent.

'Don't tempt me girl. With what you look like now everyone in this city will see you. You will be put to the streets instead of living in the conditions you are now. I say you should beg for forgiveness before I do take that step and kick you out onto the streets in the middle of the night with nothing at all. You need us,' he replied evenly.

I laughed.

'You know nothing of what I am and what I need. I welcome the streets with open arms. So if you would excuse me Your Royal Ass-holiness. I will be going out into the night now and never shall I return to you and your apartment.' I said finally as I stood up and walked out of the small eating area. All in a good days work, I thought miserably.

'Hey! Wait up!'

I turned around and could not believe my eyes. Was he running to catch up to me? After what I said to him, surely that would hurt him enough. Is he coming back for more?

My own mask of stone came crashing down.

'What?' I snapped.

'You interest me. You clearly are not a maid, nor do you come from around the city. You can barely speak the language of the rich and you hang around in these poor areas...well not that I would expect a maid to hang out in the rich areas yet there is something more about oyu. I'm must admit I am intrigued.'

I was silently stunned.

'Why don't we start afresh this time?' he asked.

'What so that you can treat me the same way you have?'

'No. As something along the lines of newly acquainted co-workers,' He replied.

I studied him for a moment.

'Co-workers...' I said.

He nodded.

'First of all, we are not co-workers. You do nothing to help with the 'work' and second of all. I have already quit so we can no longer be 'co-workers,' I said sarcastically.

'Would you settle for friends?'

'I thought that Would you settle for friends?'

'I thought that the rich don't mess with the servants of society.'

'I thought you said you weren't,' he commented.

'Fine...Let us be friends,' I sighed giving up. He had a way to start arguments.

'Names Seth, and yours?'

'Serriarn' I smiled faintly

For the first time he smiled. His face lighted up and I saw something else there but it was quickly gone.

'Intriguing name,' he remarked.

'Why do you treat your workers so horribly?' I asked as I started to walk forward hoping he would follow. He did.

'It's complicated.' He said. I laughed out loud.

'That phrase is so lame.' I said. He smiled softly staring at the ground..

'Well my parents are constantly at work so I am usually at the house alone except for the maids. They don't do much.'

'Except clean your entire house,' I said. He grunted.

I could see that he didn't like me when I had started working. How many had they been through?

'Anyway, where did you come from? You are not a maid because you do not sleep in the maid room and you know how to work technology. Obviously you have some education.'

'I'm here on a holiday and I need to earn up some cash.'

He looked at me sceptically. I was a pretty lame excuse to avoid the question. Clearly he could see that if I was on holiday then I would have got my own place to live in. Surprisingly he did not question it.

'Where do we go now...Seth,' I said slowly.

'Home, my father would be arriving home tonight. He has to see that I am there.'

We walked on in silence. I admired the tall buildings and how the city lighted up at night. Though the ground wasn't that pleasing nor was some of the smells of this area. I didn't smell that good either. I hadn't had a shower in at least two days and I needed some new clothes. Luckily the prices of the poor area were relatively cheap. I decided to go shopping tomorrow. It was my day off...wasn't it? Do maids even get days off?

I was about to ask him when he turned left. I realised we had made it back to the apartment blocks, back into the really posh area.

He stopped and turned around.

'Aren't you coming?' he asked curiously.

I shook my head.

'I've have got to go somewhere. Just tell him that I am in the room.' I said. It was a lie of course because I would have had no clue where to go in the city but thanks to my wings, it wasn't that hard to find things.

His eyes narrowed. He didn't believe me either. Was I that bad a liar?

'You are not running away are you?'

'No, we are friends are we?' I said.

He still watched me as I turned to keep going straight. But then I noticed a couple of guys that looked like the ones that were chasing me. I froze. They were the ones that are trying to capture me and take me to the corporation boss. How did they find me here? They can't see me now, I thought, panicking now.

'Are you alright,' Seth asked me. He had seen the look of terror upon my face.

'Yep fine, I'll see you around,' the mask came crashing down. He can't know. I'm not going to bring an innocent into this.

I turned the opposite direction and had to restrain myself from running. I walked further along trying to look for a dark area. There was one about 20 metres up ahead.

I breathed in slowly trying to slow my heart beat down.

I managed to reach the alley way and peeked around the edges of the wall once in the cover of darkness.

They didn't follow me though they did stop to look at the apartment where Seth and his family were staying. I sighed. Safe for the moment, I guess. I thought.

I unstrapped my wings and set off into the sky. I defiantly needed to do some shopping tomorrow. Or at least wash these clothes and myself.

I lay down to sleep on my makeshift bed. Seth was actually quite nice, when you are on his side of course. I closed my eyes thinking of what this could mean.