Author's Note: Hey Guys! I'm back again. Looks like I have the next couple chapters ready. Please read and review my story! On that note... The next chapter!
Chapter Two: His Maid, Unlucky
Unlucky- lacking good fortune, ill-fated, ominous
Five Miles Later, At the Top of the Mountain…
"Finally! Were here!" I sank to my knees in happiness. The young earl had worked hard to get to the top of the mountain, trying to make it seem as though it was easy as pie. I didn't bother to put on a show, letting every living being know all the blood, sweat, and tears I shed to get there. Like hell I would come to the top without breaking a sweat. William had tried to, but let's be real here- No human can do that.
"Yes, finally." He glanced towards a building that said 'Hawthorne Hotel' and motioned to go towards it.
"Did we really have to walk all the way up here? What a waste of time." I sniveled, melting under the intensity of the sun.
"Weren't you the maid at the top of the staff at the manor?" He questioned me, raising an eyebrow in curiosity.
"The training wasn't as lame as this." I frowned, sticking my tongue out at him.
"It's lame to you, but it's fun for me." He grinned, not caring what my feelings were about it.
"Rude snob." I muttered, looking towards the hotel. From the looks of it, the building seemed ancient and probably hadn't had a refurbishment in a very long time.
"What did you say?" He faced me suddenly, mock tears spilling from his eyes.
"Retard." I shoved his face away and yanked on the main entrance doors. Taking the last bit of strength I had, I hauled the heavy doors open so William and I could get inside.
"Helloooo! Anybody in here?" William's voice echoed throughout the empty hallways. "Did we get the wrong place?"
"Good Afternoon!" A friendly woman greeted the two from behind what looked like a giant desk. "How may I help you?" I tried to hide my stunned face as best I could. I could have sworn she'd just appeared out of nowhere!
"A-Ah yes, we're here to stay for the night." William said, wearing the same shocked face as I was, but appearing more composed.
"Can I have your full name please?" She looked down from the notepad she had been writing in.
"William Aldridge." He said clearly.
"and the young woman?" she said, expecting me to be a noblewoman.
"Raegan. Raegan Ettore." I watched her curiously. She looks like she doesn't get out much...
"My name is Opal Hawthorn, but people around here like to call me Obaba. You could say I've run this hotel since the beginning of time. Do you know how long you'll be staying?" She asked politely.
"Only for one night." I smiled.
"Great. You'll be staying in room 142. Enjoy your stay, you two."
"We will." William said as he began pulling me towards the room Obaba had let us use. He found the door to room 142 and pressed the key into the keyhole. I pushed the door open, shoving a doorstop on the floor to keep the door from closing. I set down my bags, wiping the sweat off my brow.
"Time to eat!" I dug into my suitcase to find a croissant sandwich and a packet of Chamomile Tea for the young earl. I grabbed a banana, some Nutella and bread. Quickly cutting up the banana and spreading the Nutella on to the bread, I made myself one of my favorite types of sandwiches. I handed Will his croissant sandwich and started preparing the tea happily.
"Thanks for the food." He said, talking with his mouth full. I sighed. It never gets old. He looked at my banana Nutella sandwich with scorn.
"You're only going to get fat if you keep eating that." He laughed, drinking the tea I'd just poured him. A tick mark formed on my forehead as I poured myself some tea and sat down.
"Jerk." I mumbled, taking a big bite of my favorite dish. My eyes lit up as the flavor seeped in and it took all I had not to dance with joy. "So good."
"Whatever." Will took a peek at the clock and sighed. "I'm tired after walking for so long. I think I'm gonna take a nap. You can do whatever you want I guess."
He turned to walk towards the bed and fell asleep almost on instant. Dang. I walked outside the room, making my way quietly outside. I closed the creaky door, making sure it was locked. Walking away from the room, I was greeted by a happy Obaba in the room we'd first met her. It seemed like she always managed to appear out of thin air. The old woman sure knew how to be sneaky.
"Hey, Girlie! What was your name again?" She inclined her ear, my identity already forgotten.
"Raegan." I smiled a close-eyed smile. I hope she doesn't want to start up a conversation. I really hate having to repeat things more than once.
"Would you mind walking for a bit in the hotel garden with me?" She said walking towards me enthusiastically.
"Sure, I don't have anything else to do anyways." I said, shrugging as she led me to what looked like the hotel backyard. Except it was far more vast than any backyard I'd ever seen and far more beautiful. "Amazing!" I praised the scenery.
"Thank-you. I do my best to keep the flowers healthy." Obaba said smugly. In the beginning, I'd thought she hadn't worked to keep the hotel together at all. The place hardly looked like it had any new things to offer and seemed a bit run-down. But now I realized that all of the time not spent on the building had been paid in the garden. This old woman doesn't seem old at all. It's a miracle she's been maintaining the whole garden.
"How on earth do you do it?" I sat in the field of daisies dumbfounded.
"Do you want me to let you in on a little secret?" I nodded. "I use magic. Would you like to learn how to use some?" She showed me her hands and gestured to the lines on her palms. "My ancestry fades back to long time ago where magic-users were known as witches, demons, and faeries. Everyone granted magic power knew that with that great power comes great responsibility. Each magic-user has the ability to bless and curse other beings. In some cases, a magic-user will bless or curse another being to teach them a valuable lesson or to twist their fate. But in most cases, it's just so they can pass on into another life." She looked at a growing sprout and pressed her hands into the soil. The flower grew into a beautiful sunflower and it began to sway in the wind.
"Cool.." I complimented her.
"Do you know why I asked you to come with me to the garden today?" Obaba said, leaning against an oak tree.
"I'm not sure why, but I'm glad you invited me." I said, watching the sun set.
"I brought you here to bestow a gift upon you, but before I give you it I am going to ask you a favor. Can you stare into this bonfire and tell me what you see? It's very important." She walked over to a pile of wood and lit it in a snap.
"S-Sure, I guess..." I looked into the flame and was astonished when I found a chestnut-colored cat's golden eyes watching the night sky through the blaze of the fire.
"What do you see, Rae?" Obaba asked me, touching my shoulder lightly.
"I-I see a cat staring at me a-and it's looking up into the night at the moon." I stuttered.
"Is the moon full?" She questioned me.
"Y-Yes. But why does that matter?" I managed to turn towards Obaba. "What does it mean?"
All she did was chuckle and say, "You'll see in due time." She blew golden dust onto my head from her palms and whispered, "videte lunam."
I looked up at her with curious eyes. "Was that a blessing or a curse?"
She smiled and said, "It is whatever you wish it to be." I followed her down back to the hotel and she opened the doors for me to enter.
"Thank-you for taking me to the garden, Obaba. Good night." I waved farewell to her and opened the door to our room to find the earl still sleeping from his nap. "Good Night, William." I planted a kiss on his small forehead and tucked myself into the other bed. I turned out the light, and soon fell asleep.
A Peaceful Night Later...
"Ah! What a lovely day!" I stretched my arms, looking over at a sleeping William. I guess the hike up here had taken more of a toll on him then I'd thought. "Wakey Wakey!" I put on a goofy grin and set out his clothes. I heard a few grumbles from him and a slight shifting noise. "Good, you're awake!" I greeted him. "I'll make breakfast." I pulled out the bread and began to toast some. Then as soon as they were done, I grabbed the jelly and spread it evenly on to the toast with the knife. All the while the Oolong Tea had been boiling in the kettle and it was now ready. The young earl slumped out of bed and rubbed his eyes tiredly. He glanced at the clock. 7 am.
"Why are we waking up so late?" He grumbled.
"You mean why are YOU waking up so late. I woke up at 5 am." I smiled proudly.
"Then why didn't you wake me up?" He bantered.
"You looked so cute when you were sleeping though~! Should I really have woken you?" I cooed at him, pinching his chubby little cheeks.
"Yes!" He said, slapping my hands away. "We should have been out the door an hour ago."
"Weren't you the one who wanted to get out of the mansion?" I cocked my head to the side questioningly.
"W-Well now I want to go home is there something wrong with that?" He stuttered, caught off-guard with my curious question.
"Not at all." I giggled, handing him his grape jelly covered toast. "Here's breakfast." We ate quickly and packed the remainder of our things inside our bags. After we'd finished cleaning up our mess from the day before, we exited the room and came up to the same big desk we'd seen the previous morning.
"Obaba-san!" I called to the all-too-familiar old woman. She appeared before our eyes and made me take an involuntary jump. "A-Ah! You scared me, Obaba!" I scratched my head nervously. I was still wondering about that gold dust she'd blown on me last night. What did the chestnut-colored cat with golden eyes mean? Was it a symbol? Perhaps an omen? And the "videte lunam" thing?! It's all just so confusing! Suddenly Obaba stopped my train of thought when she put a hand on my shoulder.
"Be careful tonight, Raegan." She said, and waved to us as we turned to leave. Will grabbed my hand and led me out the door. I turned around to ask what Obaba had meant but she had already vanished. Sneaky old woman.
What magic has been placed on Reagan?
Find out in the next chapter of "His Butler, Parental Guardian"