Disclaimer: I do not own Divergent.
Dinner yesterday was a normal affair. Mrs. Eaton said that she had some things to attend to, Mr. Eaton wasn't at home and wouldn't be till tomorrow afternoon. Apparently, they have a son.
Tobias is his name.
He is also the guy who called Mrs. Eaton when we arrived home yesterday.
And he is also coming home today night on a train, all the way from New Jersey for he is studying computer programming in Princeton University. That is where he is also going to spend the last half of the summer holidays this year. Being brought up with a dad who have forced him into volunteer works, Tobias voluntarily signed up to be a part of the counsellor team for the Princeton University's Summer Camp for its four last weeks.
"Sometimes, the things which you were forced to do for years turns into a way of life", was what Mrs. Eaton said last night. "That is the reason why Marcus forced him into all of the volunteer works. He wants him to grow up as a man who will enjoy volunteering himself for such activities so that he will be more involved with helping the society."
They also have a daughter by the name of Christina who is studying at a boarding school around town. She returns home every weekend; arriving on Friday nights and leaving on Sunday evenings.
Since today is the last day of school before the summer breaks arrive, both Tobias and Christina will be here today.
As I descend the steps of the wooden staircase, I see Mrs. Eaton pass by with a book on cross-stitch in her hands.
"Good morning, Mrs. Eaton", I greet with a small smile.
Mrs. Eaton turns around and looks up from her book. She smiles and replies, "Morning Teresa. Please, just call me Joanne."
Please, just stop calling me Teresa is all I could think, but I forcefully paste a sweet smile on my face and nod. I need to get used to that stupid name.
"We don't usually buy herbs since we plant them by ourselves in our garden", Joanne says as she cuts a bite from the pancake I fried a while ago.
"You have a garden?" I ask excitedly.
I wait for her answer while I silently wonder if Mrs. Eaton is going to answer my question considering the focused look on her face, clearly showing that she is paying full concentration in judging the quality of my food.
"Mmm... This is good. You should lessen the amount of sugar. It's not that your pancakes are too sweet. Just that Tobias and I love to eat pancakes with lots of honey and cinnamon powder, so too much sugar will make the pancake a bit too overwhelming", Joanne says after swallowing her first bite.
As she finishes her second pancake, she wipes her mouth with a napkin and rises up from her chair. "I'm going to the market to buy some butter and some apples. Tobias loves to munch on them when he gets hungry in the night. Would you like to come along with me or stay back and have a stroll in the garden or something?" She asks.
"You have a garden?" I query again.
"Oh yes. If you go through the back door, you'll find yourself in the garden."
We had a garden, back on the Buffalo Mountains. Dad was just about to expand his land for the garden. And mom had just bought her new batch of acacia seeds. That was before the inevitable happened...acacia seeds. That was before the inevitable happened...
"Hey. You're good?" Joanne's speech disturbed my thoughts.
"Yeah. I'm good", I assured with a nod. "I think I'll stay."
"Okay then. I'll be back by 11 a.m. just to drop the groceries. Then I'll be leaving for the women's Whiting community service's meeting. By the time I'm home, I'll be expecting the groceries sorted out. Am I clear?"
"Yes, Joanne."
Joanne picks up her khaki coloured Chanel handbag and drops her house keys and iPhone in. Just as she touches the front door knob, she turns around and says, "One more thing, I need you to clean Tobias's and Christina's room. They only needs some dusting I think. Tobias's room is the one opposite to yours and Christina's is beside his."
"Yes, Joanne", I nod. So I am going to be the maid of the Eaton household.
I unlatch the back door in the kitchen and swing it open. Strong smells of flowers greet my entrance as the pine door reveals a beautiful garden.
Never have I ever seen a garden as enchanting as this. It is surrounded by tall yellowish brick walls, crept by morning glories. A yellow cobblestone road floors the path around the garden. There are sweet scented roses, unique wild-orchids, eye-catching dahlias and a thousand others. I dare say that this garden nurses the most types of flowers any garden ever has. It is as if "The Secret Garden" has come to life.
Walking around the garden, I find myself under a large oak tree. It's bark is so wide that I am sure it will take more than ten men to hug it.
The sound which are supposed to be emitted as I walk towards the tree are morphed into crunching sounds as the brick road is covered with dead leaves from the oak tree. Many times I find myself almost tumbling as I accidentally step on the acorns covering the floor. I decide that I must gather the skirts of my grey blue dress and walk with my eyes on the floor instead of the tree.
"Oof!"
I rub the bruise I feel forming on my forehead as I realise that I had bumped my head on the hard bark of the tree. I silently scold myself for being the careless girl I am and look up.
Multiple shades of green leaves cover the trees. The tree was so thick that it is as if I am sitting under a roof.
I slowly rise up from the ground and I look up at the bark of the oak tree I bumped my head to. Deciding that the pain isn't bad, I rest my head on the tree trunk and allow my body to rest.
God my head is killing me like hell.
I am not sure why is my head pounding so heavily when I am quite sure that I only lightly bumped into this tree, but I do know that I really need to get an ice-pack.
I walk into the kitchen and find a block of unsalted butter on the kitchen counter with droplets of water surrounding it because of condensation; an obvious evidence that the butter had been there for quite a long while. I must have fallen asleep... The sleepless nights I've had are eating me back...
I grab an ice-pack from the freezer and hold it to my head before I hurriedly attempt to place the silver foiled butter in the refrigerator, only to find out that the butter compartment is too high and out of my reach. I silently scold myself for inheriting mom's short genes as I look for a stool to climb on. After minutes of searching, while still holding the ice pack to my forehead, I resort to climbing a wooden chair and keep the butter in its 's short genes as I look for a stool to climb on. After minutes of searching, while still holding the ice pack to my forehead, I resort to climbing a wooden chair and keep the butter in its compartment.
After I finish putting away Joanne's groceries, I climb up the stairs to dust Tobias and Christina's room.
I wake up to the sound of the front door slamming shut and realise that I have fallen asleep on the couch. I make my way to greet Joanne, only to find a tall, well-built man walking in with a scowl on his face. I shrink back at the sight of him and silently wish that he won't notice me.
However he freezes in his tracks and glares at me with his dark, midnight blue eyes.
"Who in the world are you?" He demands.
"I-I work here." is all I could stammer out.
"I don't think I remember hiring any females in this house. Who the hell are you and what do you think you are doing in my house?"
The man advances towards me and suddenly, I find myself in a dark back-alley. The man slowly advances towards me...
And I run.
I run and run as fast as my legs can carry me. Until I find myself facing a wall.
I stop dead in my tracks and my heart starts to beat in my ear. Sweat trickles down my forehead as I turn around and find the man standing in front of me with a malicious smile. I back up slowly as the man advances nearer and nearer to me.