Chapter Two
I clutched my bag like it was my lifeline as I walked up the steps to the palace. Besides Lou, it was the only thing familiar to me here. It was a worn, leather bag that I'd had for years and was starting tear at the edges, but it reminded me of home. It was full of pictures of my family, including Aspen, the last letter I received from my father, and a couple other small trinkets to remind me of Carolina.
I glanced down at what I was wearing. I hadn't brought any extra clothes besides the jeans and faded blue T-shirt I was currently wearing, but I assumed maids had a uniform that would be provided.
Suddenly I wished for Raychell. We had been split up when we landed because she had been called by her aunt who lived somewhere on the other side of the palace. I didn't know her very well yet, but she was the only person here I knew and who knew me. I was a little uncomfortable being without her, since she had seemed so confident.
All thoughts of Raychell flew from my head as we walked through the door. My eyes widened as we entered through a door, even though it was a side entrance. It was a servants' quarters, I assumed, and a few maids were scattered across the room. For a servants' quarters, it was extremely clean and nice.
My eyes scanned the room. A couple maids sent curious looks in my direction, but none came up to say hello. I frowned. I hoped not everyone would be this cautious and unfriendly.
I started when someone tapped my shoulder.
I turned around to see a maid standing behind me, her eyes alight with humor. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said with an embarrassed giggle. "I didn't mean to startle you." She smiled at me, revealing bright white teeth. Overall, she was very pretty, with wavy blonde hair and light hazel eyes. Her cheeks were blushed light pink, but I couldn't tell if that was usual or from the excitement of a new maid.
"I'm…" she frowned, as if she couldn't remember what she had been about to say. "Mallory." She stuck out her hand. At least one person around here was friendly. I wasn't sure why she had been hesitant on her name, of all things, but I wasn't going to judge.
"America." I shook her hand. "I think you're the maid I'm supposed to ask for. That's what it said in my acceptance letter."
Mallory smiled. "Oh, yes! I'm just here to welcome you, though, and then Miss Chelsey will be the one giving you a tour." She looked over to the other side of the room, where a woman was waving for her to come over.
She sighed. "Sorry, America, I'll be right back. Duties, y'know?" She grimaced and then pointed over to a couch in the corner. "You can stay over there while you're waiting for me. Hopefully I'll be back soon." She hurried over to the impatient woman in the corner, so I ambled over to the couch. A couple maids looked at me and smiled, but I didn't feel like talking. I'd introduce myself later.
Instead I sat and leaned my head against the wall. The first day and I was already exhausted...
I sighed. I desperately needed a reality check. Thanks to a letter, my whole life changed, and I didn't even see it coming. One day I was scrubbing floors at a rich woman's home, and another day I was accepted to work in the Palace. It was crazy. Although it concerned me greatly that the Queen was ill, what was really bothering me was that I especially was chosen to work at the Palace- the place where the Royal Family lived... I would be living amongst Ones.
But while I was awed by the Palace, I missed home. The main reason I was staying at the palace was to send home money for my family.
And then everything was just so confusing and surprising too. In the first place, I was incredulous Raychell's Aunt Chelsey had accepted me in the first place, since I didn't have a lot of experience. I was also pleasantly surprised at how welcoming Mallory had been to me. At least I had someone on my side here. I was always conscious about what other people thought about me, but when I married Aspen, it had all disappeared. But now that he was gone, that eerie feeling had made it's way back to me, and I was just as self-conscious as ever.
"Is she asleep?" I heard someone whisper. My eyes snapped open, and Mallory laughed.
"I guess not!" Mallory smiled and stuck out her hand. "C'mon, America." She pulled me so I was standing up, and I wobbled a bit.
"Are you okay?" A maid near the two of us asked when Mallory had to steady me.
I nodded, steadying myself and blushing. I was embarrassed to have acted so foolishly on my first day.
The concerned maid stood up and walked over to me. "I'm Anne," she said with a smile. "You're America, right?" I nodded, but Mallory grabbed my hand before I could say anything.
"Sorry, Anne," she apologized as she gently pulled me towards the door. "She's gonna be late for her tour and she still has to change into her uniform." Anne nodded and turned away, and I glanced down at my outfit. I had forgotten that I was still in my jeans and T-shirt that smelled like home. I dreaded having to take it off. Hurriedly, Mallory grabbed a dark blue dress, a white apron, white socks, and small black flats from a shelf and shoved them into my arms. "Change." she ordered, and pushed me into a room. Quickly, I changed, smiling at the familiar feel of flats on my feet. The long dress and apron were a little uncomfortable in the warm Angeles heat, but the fabric was extremely soft and smelled like vanilla and laundry detergent- an interesting combination of smells, but I liked it all the same.
Once I was finished, Mallory helped me tie up my long red hair up in a bun and tuck it under a thin white cap, then led me up a set of stairs into a long, pristine hallway, which I assumed was part of the main castle.
I gasped. "Why on Earth do they have chandeliers in a hallway?"
Mallory laughed. "I know right? When I first came, it was so weird. I wasn't used to things like that as a Four and-" She broke off suddenly, and I processed what she just said.
"Wait… how were you a Four…" I frowned, not paying attention to the beautiful paintings lining the hall anymore.
Mallory winced and rubbed her hands, which were covered in scars. I immediately felt bad for not noticing, but Mallory just muttered, "I'm sorry, but I don't want to talk about it."
I opened my mouth, and then shut it as Mallory stopped in the middle of the corridor. While I had no idea where in the palace we were, she seemed to recognize the pure white marble hallway.
"I think this is the place where Chelsey will be meeting you." She gestured to a padded bench next to a green potted plant. I raised an eyebrow. Why would someone put a plant indoors? It didn't make sense. "You can wait here," she said quickly. "Chelsey will be giving you the tour, okay?" She gave me small, sad smile. "I'm sorry I brushed off your question, but that's a sensitive topic for me… I hope we can still be friends."
"Of course," I nodded. I had secrets of my own I didn't like sharing, and Mallory seemed a very nice, good friend to have.
Mallory smiled, bigger and happier this time. "Wonderful!" she clapped her hands. "I'll see you around, then?"
I smiled as she walked off, and then sat on the padded bench, but I had no time to relax before a voice called out from down the large hallway. I jerked my head in the direction of the foreign voice, and squinted to see who it was. It was a lady. I hesitated in whether I should greet her or not. But I didn't get the chance to decide.
"Are you Miss America Singer?" The lady asked. Her voice was sweet. I nodded awkwardly. Oh, I felt so stupid. I should've said "hello" or "hi" at least. It surprised me that the lady with the sweet voice didn't point out my baffled complexion. Instead, she smiled.
"Anyways, my name is Chelsey."
Chelsey? Aunt Chelsey? But she seemed so young! And to be quite frank, she was a bit shorter than I had originally thought. But, it made her a better person no matter what she looked like. Her hair was a deep brown, which matched her sparkling eyes almost identically, and her skin was fair and flawless.
She looked at me as if I was puzzled.
"America, are you alright?" She asked, her face showed the worry she already had for me. I was touched.
I nodded. "Yeah, I'm sorry, I'm just a bit tired from the long flight here," I replied, scratching the back of my head.
"That's fine! I can show you around quickly then so you won't fall asleep on me during the tour. Even though the Palace is a wonderful place, I would find it difficult to sleep through since it would be your first time here. It really is magnificent!"
Chelsey was so bubbly and friendly, how could anyone not like her? I smiled brightly. Chelsey had already made half of my day, since the other half was wasted on the flight.
She quickly dug through her dress pocket and pulled out a ring of keys. I was amazed she could walk around the Palace so quietly with all that in her pocket.
"America, I'll start with the maid's and butler's quarters," She chimed as she turned the corner, which revealed a line of beautiful doors and well-lit quarters.
"Number 20. You'll be sharing a room with a maid, but it won't be assigned to you until nightfall," I knitted my eyebrows together, worried. Chelsey instantly caught this. "Don't worry, we're just getting your room setup, no need to worry!"
Chelsey chuckled softly as she skipped along the corridor, taking another sharp turn. Instead of a hallway aligned with rooms, it was a beautiful marble staircase which split into two stairways at the top. From the ceiling hung a glistening chandelier and hoisted upon the wall was a portrait of the Royal Family. King Clarkson, Queen Amberly and a younger version of their son King Maxon. Next to the large family portrait was a picture of King Maxon and Queen Kriss smiling together. There was a black curtain that seemed ready to drape over the frame.
Just as I was about to ask Chelsey why it was placed there, she quickly took my hand and pulled me to the other side of the room. She seemed troubled, but I didn't bother asking her why.
Chelsey cleared her throat and spoke up. "Up that staircase is Royal Family's rooms and lounging areas. I bet you'll be allowed to go up there pretty soon, you have a lot of potential." She winked at me and nudged my arm.
I laughed lightly at her comment, and she joined me in my "giggle-fest"
"The kitchen is on the third floor, the laundry room is next to it, and the rest is all listed here," Chelsey hummed as she handed me a neat paper with detailed paragraphs describing the rooms. I realized it was a very detailed map of the huge palace.
"This is a map of the Palace, so if you ever get lost, take a look at the map." She said cheerfully.
"Alright, I'll definitely keep that in mind." I replied. Chelsey glanced around freely and looked back at me. She placed her hands behind her back and looked over my shoulder.
She tossed her head back and groaned openly. I was shocked at first, but then I turned around and had the same expression as she did. A group of maids were hurrying out, carrying a white dress with a red stain, probably from wine, drenched all over the skirt. I felt really bad for the girl who wore that dress.
Chelsey's face seemed disappointed. "Well, that's my cue. I'll show you a couple of the safe rooms later today. It was fun meeting you, America!" She exclaimed as she ran towards the group of maids holding the dress.
Before I could respond to her to say I enjoyed meeting her too, and to ask what safe rooms were, Chelsey had bolted off to deal with the dress problem. But it was nice meeting her. Raychell was right.
Oh, Raychell! I had completely forgotten about her! I buried my head in my hands and grumbled to myself a bit. I felt terrible for forgetting her all this time. She was probably getting her tour of the Palace too.
I smiled, sitting on a bench. I missed my family already, but I knew I would be happy here. I already had three friends here, a feat I was extremely proud of. Marlee was really happy, Chelsey was very friendly, and Raychell… Raychell was my familiarity, I supposed. I hoped I would always be able to count on her, at least.
END OF CHAPTER TWO
