The Fourth Knock

"Why the hell did you do that?" Eden slapped Diamond's hand away from the lions head.

"He was just fucking with us." Diamond's brow furrowed as they listened to the silence, "What do you think is gonna happen?"

"I don't know." Eden's back stiffened. "Knock four times, and you lose that nice payday you were hoping for?"

The sound of metal scraping against metal filled the silence. Eden nervously backed away from the door, thinking that at any moment the other foot was going to drop and neither one of them was going to like the outcome.

Moments later the door creaked open, and a plump young girl, dressed in a freshly ironed maid's outfit, stood on the other side of the doorway.

When she spoke, her voice was timid like she was afraid to even talk to them, "Master only likes visitors to knock three times. Never four." She met Eden's gaze for only second before casting her eyes back to her shoes. "Who was the one to knocked?"

Eden glared at Diamond with a look of 'I told you so!' etched over her features. But Diamond only shrugged her response.

Like a disciplined child, Diamond raised her hand in silence. "I wanted to see what would happen."

Eden studied the girl a little closer, eyeing her features with a critical stare.

There wasn't anything unique or rememberable about her; she was ordinary at best. Her thick blonde hair that was pinned back into a tight bun and dark lashes lined her round blue eyes.

What surprised Eden the most was the fact that there wasn't a stitch of makeup on her skin. No foundation. No rosy blush or mascara. Not even a coat of lipstick graced her plump lips.

How odd, working a ball without any sort of coverage to hide her blemishes. No wonder she looks so homely. With the right shade of lipstick, she'd be pretty. The girl caught Eden staring and she blushed.

"Olivia dear, don't be rude. Let the ladies in." A much older man, who was rail thin and lanky, appeared almost magically at Olivia's side.

He opened the door wider and ushered Eden and Diamond into the foyer. "Please excuse this child's deplorable behavior." He glared at the young girl, "She's new to this house and is still learning our ways."

"It's okay." Eden's words fell on deaf ears.

Olivia glanced up at Eden and managed a meager smile in thanks but remained silent as the older man continued to scold her. "Master will hear about your incompetence. I will make sure of it."

Olivia's eyes widen with terror as she pleaded for him to reconsider, "Please! It was a simple mistake. It won't happen again." Tears filled her eyes as she grabbed his arm in a state of panic. "I swear it."

"Enough!" He raised his hand, threatening to strike her. Olivia's coward away from him. Her hands clasped firmly in front of her.

"Yo dude, give the girl a break. Relax. Everything's good here." Diamond stepped in, defusing the situation.

"Olivia don't just stand there like an idiot! Get their bags and take them up to the Red Room. I'll personally deal with you later." He ordered.

"Yes, sir." Olivia moved with great hast to gather their bags and struggled to carry them upstairs by herself.

The man lifted the sleeve of his suit jacket and sucked his teeth, "You're officially late." He glared up at them to add, "Master will not approve of this."

"Where is this Master anyway?" Diamond started, "I'd love to let him know how cruelly you treat children."

"Follow me." He turned on his heel and led them through the magnificent foyer, past the grand wooden staircase that rose up in a drawn-out switchback.

There was too much to take in all at once. The group past multiple doors and vacant rooms filled with antique furnishing. There was a fireplace aglow with flames in one and hushed voices coming from another yet Eden still hadn't seen another person.

The man's strides were broad, and the girl almost had to jog behind him to keep up.

"Excuse me?" Eden spoke.

"Hurry now. We don't have time for chit-chat." He cut down a dimly lit hallway, made a right then a left then another right, bringing them down another narrow passage then abruptly stopped.

The girls collided into him, nearly knocking him to the tiled floor.

"Sorry." The girls said in unison.

He composed himself, adjusted his suit jacket, and glared at them with disgust.

"Through those doors there," He pointed to the plain black door at the end of the sterile white hallway, "you'll find the other performers in the dressing room. When it's your turn, someone will come to fetch you, until then you are to ready yourself and do not be one second late. Is that understood?"

The girl's nodded.

"Now which of you two discided it was smart to knock four times instead of the required three?" His gaze bounced between the two of them. "Hurry now. Speak up; we're wasting valuable time."

Diamond awkwardly raised her hand. "Hey man, it was just a joke, okay. We just wanted to know what would happen."

"Duly noted." He glanced at his watch. "You'll be performing first. So now you know."

"Are you kidding me? We just got here."

"You play stupid games. You win stupid prizes. Or whatever it is you American's are so fond of saying. Anyway, you've only yourself to blame here. You were properly instructed by your driver upon arrival, yes?"

"Yeah, but we didn't think-"

"That's precisely what you didn't do. You didn't think to obey proper orders. Now hurry along. I will not be held accountable for your tardiness."

Eden tugged on Diamond's hand when she opened her mouth to argue. They hurried down the hallway and away from him.

"Oh, and ladies," He stopped them in their tracks. "The men attending the festivities tonight expect their women to be seen and not heard. It would be a pity if such arrangements fell through over one's lack of class." His gaze drifted between the two of them before lingering on Diamond, "Do you catch my drift?"

"Loud and clear," Eden spoke up for the two of them and grabbed Diamonds hand to pull her further down the hall and away from the creepy skeleton-like man.

The whole while she could hear Diamond mumbling a string of hateful words.

"Farewell for now ladies. I'm sure we'll meet again." A weird high pitched giggle echoed down the hall as he left the way they came.