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Spotless

It was early in the morning. I would say around half past four in the morning. I was getting dressed and tying up the lace to the back of my cheap maids corset. I walk over to the old vanity mirror and look at myself.

My hair is still dirty from my time on the streets and that would be washed tonight for sure. There was a bowl of water left in my room too. Instead of using it for my hair, I used it for my body. Better to have a clean body than hair. I look to my left to see the small, white apron that goes with the uniform. I pick it up and press it against my chest, quickly switching to fastening it around me. I brush my hair, and walk up to the door, pulling on the handle quietly.

In the hours I spent in my room, I learned that my door creaks, and since I'm in a stone castle, it would echo, so I put some cloths that I didn't need round the joints and opened the door slowly. Peeping round the corner to see if anyone was there, I bit my lip, hoping the door wouldn't creek.

All was silent and no one was in the hall.

I closed the door and headed up the hall and up the spiral staircase. When I reached the arch at the top, I looked around to see that all the torches, lanterns or any form of light were still alight. I take in a deep breath, and walk along the rug that ran along the middle of the hall. The sides were not cover and were bare. Walking along that would make a noise. I look from left to right at the doors, hoping to get a glimpse of some life form.

"Breathe Marie, just breathe. They don't scare you. You're a baron's daughter. Just breathe!" I whisper to myself. This kind of quiet hall is the kind I would expect to find in a haunted mansion or maybe a castle…like this one. I look to my right, there, is the kitchen. I walk to wards it directly.

Only to have my shoes clip-clop against the stone floor. I stop, and pivot at where I stood. I was now facing away from the kitchen. I thought I heard someone along here. Where is he? My heart was pounding. I felt like something was getting closer…and closer…and...

"GIRL! What do you think you're doing? Get in here, quick!" a lady whispered behind me. I jumped at her voice, falling over and landing on the rug. The lady was old. She had grey or silver hair. Her face was deeply wrinkled and her eyes the colour of water. Her face reminded me of someone back home.

She reminded me of my grandmother who has been dead for three years.

"Oh, I'm sorry dear. Get in here now, quickly!" She came over to me and grabbed my hands, pulling me up and hurrying me into the kitchen where she closed the door behind us. I looked at her again. She was wearing an older version of my dress. It was the same dress, but worn. She wasn't wearing any shoes and had a bracelet on. She started to fuss around randomly and I realised that actually, she was quite batty.

"Excuse me, may I ask your name?" I leaned around her, trying to get a look at her face. She opened cupboards and looked at cups and dishes. She opened another door leading into a store room. She finally calmed down and turned around, looking at me. She looked down and picked up a wooden stool and sat on it with a thump.

"Sorry, dear, my name is Anne. You can call me Annie if you want but I like Anne. Anne is proper, just like me!" Old lady Anne looked at me and smiled a cheeky grin. I giggled a little. She was definitely like my grandmother. "You, dear, are?"

"I'm Marie. I'm new to this staff." I courtesy and smile at her.

"Well," Anne snivelled, "you're definitely not from a working class background, curtsying like that. That was very perfect by the way. I'd say you're from a very noble background." I gape.

"How did you now that?" I stare at her, shocked that she got that on target.

"Word spreads. Some cleaners got word about you and everyone was talking about it last night, 'The last of the Archer line in Volterra'. You have a lot of weight and responsibility on your shoulders now, not to mention a load of money." Anne snivelled again.

"I'm not the last in my family line. My uncle-"

"Your uncle is dead, sweetheart. Some fellow burnt your entire house down and robbed some valuables beforehand. His body was found about a week ago along with some women. People say that he used your house as a sort of, hmm, I don't know, fun palace, I'd say. You're pretty slow on the news Marie." I could tell from the way Marie spoke in her tone that she, unlike me, was from a working class background. The news about my uncle…I couldn't really care. Yes, I was upset about my house being used for selfish reasons but I'd rather see it burned down than used as a gambling and sex house. Anne continued to look at me and she wiped her hands o her apron. "Marie, in here, it's easy to get over things. Anyway, people know what you're uncle did to you. It wasn't fair and to be frank, good riddance. So, what was it like, being introduced to the brothers?" Anne crossed her arms together and looked at me, her blue eyes boring holes into me.

"It was…not exactly pleasant but nice to meet new people. Aro was very kind and Marcus was too." I look down, thinking about Jane and Caius. Those two didn't seem to enjoy my company or my personality.

"Oh, I see, Master Caius and Mistress Jane not nice to you? Don't fret; they're never nice to new comers. They scowl at everyone. Marcus is a very nice man, although I will never understand why he looks so bored all the time. Did you notice that?" I nod and Anne looks away and starts talking again. I lean against the counter and look at the floor, crossing my arms. "Yes, he was like that with me too. But, of course, Marcus would be nice to you. Look at you, with your long hazelnut brown hair and your green eyes and dazzling figure. I bet you would make men stare at you in your fabulous dresses." I smile, that was right too. It reminded me of the first time I saw Anthony after going to England for a year with my family. I was fourteen and he was fifteen.

I snuck out of the house at night, wearing only simple servant clothes so I wouldn't get recognized. I walked all the way to Anthony's farm and there he was, muscular in his own way, dark brown hair and blue eyes, sitting on the fence, whistling and clicking to his horses. I cleared my throat and he looked at me, his face with shock, and he ran up to me and picked me up and hugged me hard. Like I thought yesterday, Anthony was my only true friend.

I came back to reality and looked at Anne, who was tapping her foot and looked at me with an annoyed expression. She raises her silver eyebrows.

"I'm sorry, Anne, what did you say?" I say and smile at her apologetically.

"I said did you have a man or a suitor before all this?" She turns her head in a circle when she asks her question. She looks back at me.

"Oh, no, but I did have a friend. He's probably forgotten me now. I haven't seen him in, oh, I think about four months. He probably thinks I'm dead." Anne nods along with what I say, agreeing with me at the fact that Anthony may think I'm dead. That reminded me. "Why did everyone think I was dead?" Anne shot up her head and looked at me. She sighed and shook her head, laughing at the same time.

"Everyone thought you died along with your parents. Your uncle kept your parents bodies and waited till you were out of the way, then went along with funeral processions for three people, including you. No one bothered to check because the fact was you disappeared. Your uncle got away with it until he died." Anne did a little 'humph' at the end. So, it was my fault everyone thought I was dead. It was for the fact that I didn't report my uncle that he got away with it.

"Well, if I'm ever allowed out for some free time, the first thing I'm going to do is see my house. Then maybe-"

"See your boy fellow? I gathered. I said that once, I've lived here now for, oh, forty years. I've only been let out…twice, I think." She looked up at the window she sat under and nodded.

"So how long ago did Jane and Alec come here?" I asked. Anne quickly looked at me the looked away. Her mouth opened and closed, thinking of a response.

"They…err…they came…err…Jane and Alec's parents were friends with Aro and…err…umm…they died and Aro took them in." Anne looked at me again and nodded fiercely. I arched an eyebrow. She giggled. "Me and my age…are making me a bit slow in here." Anne points at her head and I giggle with her and stopped soon afterwards. The way Anne said that, it was like she was hiding something.

There was a knock at the door and a talk man with a thick moustache entered, looking between me and Anne. He cleared his throat and began to speak. "Ladies, you have been requested to clean the kitchen and you," the man turns towards me, "afterwards; you've been requested to clean the brothers rooms, starting with Aro's." He walks over to me and stares at me in the eyes. "You better do a good job, or you'll get lashes…from me!"

Anne stood up quickly and came over to me, putting an arm around my shoulder. "Thomas, I'll make sure Marie dear, here, will do a fabulous job!" I look up to Anne and she smiles at me and squeezes my shoulder.

Thomas looks between us quickly like we have something to hide. He shakes his head and clears his throat. He looks at me. "Well, it's your first day Marie. Don't expect to be treated like a Baroness. You're a maid of the Volturi now. They expect the best. Good day!" Thomas quickly walks out the room and closes the door behind him. I look at Anne.

"The Volturi?" I put on a confused face. I hope Anne has some answers.

"That's the name of the family you serve. Volterra is partially named after the Volturi. See the resemblance? Volterra…Volturi?" Anne shrugs it off and heads to another door on the opposite end of the store cupboard. She opens the door and grabs out a broom, a scrubbing brush, a bucket and some liquid. I point at the liquid. "Soap dear. This kitchen needs a good scrub. It's hardly ever used and the toppings need dusting." She heaves the equipment on the counter. I walk over and pick up the bucket.

"Let's get to work then, partner." I smile at her and we head out to get water.

It was in the afternoon when me and Anne finished cleaning the kitchen and cleaning the equipment and polishing the wooden counters. Anne told me to go and do the Masters rooms. I didn't know where they were, especially Aro's.

"You go to go upstairs. The next floor is the bedrooms and all three doors to your left are the Masters rooms. The first one is Aro's, then Caius then Marcus. Marie, be careful and don't touch anything precious. There's a reason they're putting you on bedroom duty on your first day. The sheets that were used last night have already been stripped and replaced with new, clean ones. Be careful!" Anne nods to me and I run out of the kitchen, heading upstairs quickly and seeing that Anne was right.

There were three doors on the left, so they were the Masters rooms. I straightened myself and walked over to Aro's room, the first door which was closed, and I knocked. A maid answered.

"Oh, the new girl! The sheets are ready; I've been waiting for you for ages. Did Granny Anne give you the rules about doing the Masters rooms?" I nod and give a faint smile. The girl, who was a little bit older than me, grabbed my hand and shook it quickly. "My name's Wendy! Don't worry, everyone knows your name. Good luck, and don't forget, don't touch anything!" Wendy dashed off, waving at me as she disappeared down the stairs. I enter Aro's room.

Aro's room wasn't extremely big like my parent's room was but, gosh, was it grand and luxurious. The four poster bed with gold patterns was to the left as you walk in. To my right was a vanity mirror, the expensive, brand new and well cared for kind. That had gold on it too. In front of the mirror was brushes (hair and make-up) and pearls, earrings and the list goes on. Next to the mirror was a pair of shelves. On them was large jewellery in a glass cases. I look at the bed; the new sheets were folded on a large bedside. I walked over and look on the mattress. It was completely bare.

Even though my mother and father were nobles, they still taught me how to make my own bed. They weren't stuck up snobs like a lot of other Barons and Baronesses were. Making the king size four poster wouldn't be too hard.

The fact was I made it in about ten minutes. It was quick and simple and I was very pleased at myself afterwards. I walked over to the vanity mirror and turned back to look at my work. I smiled and wiped my hands on my apron. I look at the shelves and walk over to them; there was a particular piece of jewellery that caught my attention. It looked like something that was my mothers.

It was a large gold rope-like necklace that looks light but was heavy when worn. I looked at it carefully and leaned in, squinting my eyes to get a better look.

Oh my! That was my mother's necklace! Why did Aro have it? That was a gift from the Princess of France.

I clench my hands into balls, feeling the warm blood pool into my cheeks with the anger I had at my uncle for selling my mothers prized possession.

"Well, well." A girl spoke behind me. I turned around slowly and stood away from the jewellery. Jane stood in the door way and walked in right up close to me. She looked at the bed and looked at me. Her attention flickered. "What were you doing with Aro's jewel collection?" she asked acid in her voice.

I curtseyed quickly and look up at Jane. There was no point in tell a lie. "I was looking at the gold rope necklace. It looked exactly the same as one my late mother had from the Princess of France, Ma'am." I waited for a reply. Jane looked at the bed, then turned to it and walked over. She inspected the bed, running her fingers along the covers and pressing her palm against it. She did a 'humph' with a smirk and turned round to me. I nearly buckled over.

Because I felt a great pain in my head and body. It felt like I was burning. I closed my eyes and bit my lip but nothing could do against what was happening. I fell to the floor at started to cry. The burning went away and the pain soon afterwards. I stopped crying and looked up at Jane.

Who was smiling?

"Be sure to do my room after the Masters. Your work is…satisfying. By the way, my room is on the other side of the castle. I want it done in less than an hour." After that, Jane walked off, giggling as she left the room.

I stood and wiped my eyes and took a couple of deep breaths and walked out of Aro's room. The only thing that kept me going was a small thought. 'You're going to get a wash afterwards. The sooner the better.' I did a light jog downstairs and across the back way of the grand hall and found Jane's room and did it in the same time as Aro's then walked all the way back to the washing rooms, where I had the best soak in a long time.

Dun-dun-duuu!

Question of the chapter: do you think it was fair what Jane did to Marie?

Spread the word about this story pretty please.

Love Ya

Emma 'EePee' Paige