Chapter 1- A whole new Girl
Location- The present day (3 months after the attack on the Conference), Winner Estate 26- Kitty's Winter House.
Jonathan ran a begloved finger along the top of the fireplace. Rain smattered on the window pane as an august shower rattled over head. The old brickwork house's metal drain pipes clicked and hummed as the rain drummed on it's surface.
"That's fine, Li," Jonathan commended, "now, the taps all need polishing, the plugs need de-scaling and the rug needs beating." Li cocked his head.
"How can I beat the rug in this weather?" he asked. Jonathan sighed.
"Take it into the basement and beat it there. She'll wake up soon, and you know what sort of foul mood the rain puts her in. Go on!" Li scurried away, beckoning Abby to come and help him. The telltale creak of the wooden floorboards echoed in the open house. Jonathan shuddered. He had been in Mr Winner's service for some years now. His father, being a maguanac soldier, had made him become employed in the service of 'Master Quatre'. However, though Jonathan had stood by Quatre through the confrontations on 96, and the quiet times of early 97, this was an unexpected and unpleasant turn for the worst. Quatre had gone missing again. His father had said something brief about the war and gundams, but Jonathan knew no more than that. An explosion had taken place at the National Conference Hall on L7 colony where Quatre had been residing. His little sister had been the only major injury, and something else had happened. Her entire temperament had changed. She had been once kind and gentile, though a little prudent. Now she was rude, bossy and a little over bearing. Jonathan couldn't help but dislike her. No one liked her. She had fired her Father's handmaid, Una, a few weeks ago, and she had a constant stream of new employees flowing in as she kicked out almost every employee she had. Abby had been there three weeks now. She was doing well. Li's father had been the Winner chef, employed for special occasions. Li had been employed to replaced Una, having all the cleaning and cooking skills she had possessed. Abby ran out of the kitchen, rug under arm and vanished down the steps into the servant quarters. Li ran back into the kitchen from the under-stair closet, 'SINK DOCTOR' and cloth in hand. Jonathan sighed. He was supposed to be an assistant, not a butler. He tried to loosen his shirt collar a little, but to no avail. He replaced the six ornaments on the mantelpiece and walked back over to his post next to the entrance hall of the old manor house. There was a snuffling nearby as half grown pet bull Sagittarius begged for food. Jonathan frowned. Quatre's pet- he was a gift from a nearby farmer on L7 for the Winner family's cheap rental of their land for fallow grazing. There was a shuffling, and then a small thud as a person upstairs started their walk across the landing. Kitty still wasn't strong enough to walk completely unaided, though she practised gymnastics, martial arts and sword fighting everyday. The walking frame knocked against the floor again. Sagittarius rocked back on his haunches, actively begging.
"Go away!" Jonathan muttered. Li dived back in the under-stair closet, before shutting the door and resuming post beside Kitchen door.
"You're sweating," Jonathan hissed. Li mopped his brow with his apron.
"So are you," he replied. Jonathan frowned. Abby was still beating the rug. She was going to get fired. The thumping came to a stop. Sagittarius looked away from Jonathan, and trotted to the base of the stairs.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Kitty said quite pleasantly, folding up the frame under one arm and slipping into the stair-lift. It was the only reason she stayed at this house. It was installed with a stair-lift, and she didn't want to damage the beautiful staircases in her other properties. The lift hummed as it moved down.
"Where is Abby?" she asked formally, eyeing Jonathan. Jonathan kept his gaze central.
"She is cleaning the kitchen rug, ma'am," she said calmly. Kitty frowned.
"Why has she not finished her morning duties? It is nine fifteen, Jonathan!"
"I am quite aware of that ma'am, but…"
"Was she not up by five thirty?"
"She was up at five, ma'am."
"Then why isn't it ready?" Kitty smacked her frame against the floor and climbed out of the chair. Kitty tried to unfold it again. The clasp was stiff. Kitty frowned, trying to ease it open. As she applied pressure with her thumb, her nail split and broke. Kitty growled and flung the frame away, where it promptly opened. Li bit his lip. He wouldn't laugh. It wasn't funny… oh god…
"ABBY!" Kitty bellowed, spooking Sagittarius the coward away. There was a clacking of heels and Abby entered the room, brown hair tinged grey with dust, bearing the rug.
"My lady," she curtseyed. Kitty squinted at her.
"Is that dust in your hair?" she asked. Abby swallowed.
"I had to beat the rug in the basement, madam, it's too wet outside. I got dust on me then." Kitty pressed her fingers into her temples and sighed a quavering sigh.
"Do you have any idea why I have a porch, Abigail?" Kitty hissed. "Do you think I use it for sunbathing?"
"N-n-no ma'am," Abby stammered.
"Do you think I keep my house plants there, Abigail?"
"No ma'am."
"Then why is it there you blundering oaf!" Kitty bellowed, thumping the banister. Abby jumped. Kitty sighed and took a steady step forward. "The porch is there so when it is wet, my rugs can be beaten without my incredibly idiotic staff looking like street urchins! Get out of my sight, Abigail! And get yourself cleaned up. I want you in my office in an hour." Abby burst into tears and ran off, leaving the rug on the floor. Kitty rolled her eyes.
"What has happened to the serving staff nowadays?" she asked no one. "Li! Pick up that rug! I want it re-laid in the kitchen! Have you finished your morning jobs?" Li snatched up the rug.
"Yes ma'am!" he replied, forgetting his giggles. He was actually quite furious. Abigail was going to get the sack. Kitty nodded and rubbed her knuckles.
"Then make me some breakfast… something light." Li bent a little at the waist and stiffly re-entered the kitchen. Kitty took another step without her frame. Jonathan walked behind her, quietly and discreetly as possible, and collected the frame.
"Your frame, madam," he said gently. Kitty shot him a violet* glare.
"Don't patronise me, Jonathan," she barked. "Go an fetch my mail. And I want the television in my office on the news when I get in there, alright?"
"As you wish, madam," Jonathan said as sweetly as he could. He marched off towards the front porch. He had to get out of this place. And fast.
*AN- It's meant to be violet*
Kitty sat in her oak panelled office, nursing her arching legs. She hadn't had to balance herself in a long while, and it had really taken its toll. She picked up and ornate letter opener, encrusted with rubies, and sliced open the top of her first letter neatly. She removed the letter and laid it on her table, before getting up to check her appearance in the mirror. She frowned. Her hair was duller than it had previously been. Being an invalid didn't help you hair treatment skills. Kitty undid the clip which held it up, letting the brushed-bronze locks fall about her shoulders in their natural curly mess. She groaned. Another problem with being an invalid is that you don't have time to straighten your hair on a daily basis. Kitty turned a little to examine the length. It was already half has short as it had been- Her hair had been so matted with blood, and there had been so many injuries needing stitches to the head they had shaved it all off in the hospital. It was now just along the top of her shoulder blades in length, a little ragged at the ends due to the erratic hair growth she had, and the dreadful spilt ends which shot up the delicate shafts. Kitty scraped her hair back in disgust and clipped it up swiftly. She pulled at the darkened rings below her eyes. She needed to sleep more. It made her feel sick to think how dainty and delightful she used to look. She was no more than a wreck of what she had been. She had lost a lot of weight, which had flattened her chest, and reduced her once attractively shaped legs to only the bare minimum of muscle. That was changing as she trained, but it wasn't good enough. She could never re-gain what she once had. She had already come to terms with that. Her hips were still nicely curved, but her backside was no more than a shadow of the curvaceous cheeks which had used to adorn the bone. Kitty frowned and opened the top button of her cream blouse. Her collar bone stuck out more than she liked, making her seem even more rickety than before. Her skin was paler than it had been. Her cleavage was a disaster. No push-up bra was going to change that. Kitty grinned at her own self criticism and re-did up the button. She placed a hand on her stomach. Flat, concave even. She lifted her blouse up to reveal the pale skin. Ribs left faint shadows across her torso, joined by something worse. Scars. Puckered, purple and white lines ricocheted across her frail form. And down in the left hand corner, just above her skirt line, was the pies de resistance. A large, about the size of a plum, and almost round bulbous scar, slowly subsiding to become flattened and ugly, bulged out of her abdomen. Kitty crinkled her nose. Great. I've got a grapefruit stuck to my side, just great! Kitty dropped her shirt once more and shrugged her midnight blue jacket back onto her shoulders. Her mirrored eyes met her own, blue, almost liquid as the iris swirled with varying shades of blue. The eyes scanned both faces. Both were disgusted by was the saw. All down the left hand side of the face were reddened, bubbled, ugly scars of the burns and scrapes which had attacked her face that night. She had been told that they would slowly heal… leaving no more than scratch marks. That wasn't good enough for her. That was going to take far too long…
Knock Knock.
Kitty dashed back over to her desk and sat down. She smoothed the top of her hair.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Jonathan, madam," said a voice, "I have brought you your breakfast… and Sagittarius." Kitty smiled.
"Come in, then," she called, smoothing the folded paper of the letter before her. The door opened and Sagittarius trotted in, chewing on a carrot. Jonathan waited for the creature to move before entering, laying down the tray of apple slices and cereal, and then switching on the television. The news of another mobile suit battle flooded the screen.
"Madam?" Jonathan said quietly.
"Yes, Jon," Kitty replied, pouring the milk onto her cereal.
"You do realise that I am not supposed to let you see this sort of thing… it might give you a relapse."
"Yes Jonathan," Kitty sighed, reading through another condolences letter. She glanced at a picture on her desk.
We are all deeply moved by you relentless struggle to carry on, even after you have lost so much. We all hope for the finding of your brother, safe, in the near future, and we all wish you health and happiness in this trying time.
Trying? Kitty stared more closely at the picture. She was standing, the old her, with a young gentleman, very handsome, with startling blonde hair and a pale complexion. This was Quatre. This figurehead of the news. This monotonous topic of all her mail. And every time she replied to these well-wishers, she had to pretend she knew what the bleep they were droning on about. How could she even pretend to care about someone she didn't know? To her, the face was just an image. No memory, no voice, no more pictures flowed into her blank mind from this picture, or any of the others people had sent her or tried to put up around her house to help her remember. Maybe she didn't want to remember. Maybe this fresh start was a nice, relaxing change for this tired soul. She had the feeling that she had had one too many new starts, like new gifts of life, and she was troubled to appreciate it. This was why she wanted to keep things simple, her mind free from the tiresome emotions that others experienced. She was happy just being her, not sister to the missing Minister Winner. He was dead. Big deal. Why was she the only one who could accept the facts and get on with it? Maybe it was because she didn't know this 'brother' of hers. Maybe he had been something special- a tool of the world. Maybe she ought to miss him greatly…
"Madam?" A voice awoke her. Kitty blinked and sat up.
"Yes Jonathan?" she said quickly, folding the letter again and brushing it aside. Jonathan loosened the top button of his shirt.
"I want to give you my notice," he said meekly, handing her the plain white envelope. Kitty arched her brows.
"I see," she said, placing the envelope under the pile of mail. She looked up and met eyes with her butler. Although he numbered more years than she did, she felt so much more mature than he was. Probably because she had lived so much more than he had, although she had little memory of it. She smiled weakly.
"I'm not going to fire Abby," she said lightly, "if that is what this is about." Jonathan shook his head.
"My father told me to work for Master Quatre. I feel I am failing in my efforts. I am going away to find out what I must really do to aid Minister Winner, wherever he is." Kitty sighed.
"I understand, Jonathan," she whispered, toying with the soft hair atop the bull's head. "If you wish to leave, that's quite alright with me. I will miss you, of course, and I will expect you to find me another butler before you leave." Jonathan nodded.
"Of course madam," he answered. There was a pause. The tv droned on in the background, reporting on an outbreak in a hospital of legionnaires. Kitty frowned.
"Isn't there something you could be doing?" she asked. Jonathan straightened up immediately, and with a quick "yes, madam," he shot out of the door to get to work. Kitty looked around her, before leaping from her chair, dashing to the door and shutting it. She dashed over to the window and shut the curtains. She picked up the phone and dialled a number, waiting for the screen to come on when the person at the other end answered. She was getting rather tired of playing the incapable, not to mention her ungrateful staff.
Location- The present day (3 months after the attack on the Conference), Winner Estate 26- Kitty's Winter House.
Jonathan ran a begloved finger along the top of the fireplace. Rain smattered on the window pane as an august shower rattled over head. The old brickwork house's metal drain pipes clicked and hummed as the rain drummed on it's surface.
"That's fine, Li," Jonathan commended, "now, the taps all need polishing, the plugs need de-scaling and the rug needs beating." Li cocked his head.
"How can I beat the rug in this weather?" he asked. Jonathan sighed.
"Take it into the basement and beat it there. She'll wake up soon, and you know what sort of foul mood the rain puts her in. Go on!" Li scurried away, beckoning Abby to come and help him. The telltale creak of the wooden floorboards echoed in the open house. Jonathan shuddered. He had been in Mr Winner's service for some years now. His father, being a maguanac soldier, had made him become employed in the service of 'Master Quatre'. However, though Jonathan had stood by Quatre through the confrontations on 96, and the quiet times of early 97, this was an unexpected and unpleasant turn for the worst. Quatre had gone missing again. His father had said something brief about the war and gundams, but Jonathan knew no more than that. An explosion had taken place at the National Conference Hall on L7 colony where Quatre had been residing. His little sister had been the only major injury, and something else had happened. Her entire temperament had changed. She had been once kind and gentile, though a little prudent. Now she was rude, bossy and a little over bearing. Jonathan couldn't help but dislike her. No one liked her. She had fired her Father's handmaid, Una, a few weeks ago, and she had a constant stream of new employees flowing in as she kicked out almost every employee she had. Abby had been there three weeks now. She was doing well. Li's father had been the Winner chef, employed for special occasions. Li had been employed to replaced Una, having all the cleaning and cooking skills she had possessed. Abby ran out of the kitchen, rug under arm and vanished down the steps into the servant quarters. Li ran back into the kitchen from the under-stair closet, 'SINK DOCTOR' and cloth in hand. Jonathan sighed. He was supposed to be an assistant, not a butler. He tried to loosen his shirt collar a little, but to no avail. He replaced the six ornaments on the mantelpiece and walked back over to his post next to the entrance hall of the old manor house. There was a snuffling nearby as half grown pet bull Sagittarius begged for food. Jonathan frowned. Quatre's pet- he was a gift from a nearby farmer on L7 for the Winner family's cheap rental of their land for fallow grazing. There was a shuffling, and then a small thud as a person upstairs started their walk across the landing. Kitty still wasn't strong enough to walk completely unaided, though she practised gymnastics, martial arts and sword fighting everyday. The walking frame knocked against the floor again. Sagittarius rocked back on his haunches, actively begging.
"Go away!" Jonathan muttered. Li dived back in the under-stair closet, before shutting the door and resuming post beside Kitchen door.
"You're sweating," Jonathan hissed. Li mopped his brow with his apron.
"So are you," he replied. Jonathan frowned. Abby was still beating the rug. She was going to get fired. The thumping came to a stop. Sagittarius looked away from Jonathan, and trotted to the base of the stairs.
"Good morning, gentlemen," Kitty said quite pleasantly, folding up the frame under one arm and slipping into the stair-lift. It was the only reason she stayed at this house. It was installed with a stair-lift, and she didn't want to damage the beautiful staircases in her other properties. The lift hummed as it moved down.
"Where is Abby?" she asked formally, eyeing Jonathan. Jonathan kept his gaze central.
"She is cleaning the kitchen rug, ma'am," she said calmly. Kitty frowned.
"Why has she not finished her morning duties? It is nine fifteen, Jonathan!"
"I am quite aware of that ma'am, but…"
"Was she not up by five thirty?"
"She was up at five, ma'am."
"Then why isn't it ready?" Kitty smacked her frame against the floor and climbed out of the chair. Kitty tried to unfold it again. The clasp was stiff. Kitty frowned, trying to ease it open. As she applied pressure with her thumb, her nail split and broke. Kitty growled and flung the frame away, where it promptly opened. Li bit his lip. He wouldn't laugh. It wasn't funny… oh god…
"ABBY!" Kitty bellowed, spooking Sagittarius the coward away. There was a clacking of heels and Abby entered the room, brown hair tinged grey with dust, bearing the rug.
"My lady," she curtseyed. Kitty squinted at her.
"Is that dust in your hair?" she asked. Abby swallowed.
"I had to beat the rug in the basement, madam, it's too wet outside. I got dust on me then." Kitty pressed her fingers into her temples and sighed a quavering sigh.
"Do you have any idea why I have a porch, Abigail?" Kitty hissed. "Do you think I use it for sunbathing?"
"N-n-no ma'am," Abby stammered.
"Do you think I keep my house plants there, Abigail?"
"No ma'am."
"Then why is it there you blundering oaf!" Kitty bellowed, thumping the banister. Abby jumped. Kitty sighed and took a steady step forward. "The porch is there so when it is wet, my rugs can be beaten without my incredibly idiotic staff looking like street urchins! Get out of my sight, Abigail! And get yourself cleaned up. I want you in my office in an hour." Abby burst into tears and ran off, leaving the rug on the floor. Kitty rolled her eyes.
"What has happened to the serving staff nowadays?" she asked no one. "Li! Pick up that rug! I want it re-laid in the kitchen! Have you finished your morning jobs?" Li snatched up the rug.
"Yes ma'am!" he replied, forgetting his giggles. He was actually quite furious. Abigail was going to get the sack. Kitty nodded and rubbed her knuckles.
"Then make me some breakfast… something light." Li bent a little at the waist and stiffly re-entered the kitchen. Kitty took another step without her frame. Jonathan walked behind her, quietly and discreetly as possible, and collected the frame.
"Your frame, madam," he said gently. Kitty shot him a violet* glare.
"Don't patronise me, Jonathan," she barked. "Go an fetch my mail. And I want the television in my office on the news when I get in there, alright?"
"As you wish, madam," Jonathan said as sweetly as he could. He marched off towards the front porch. He had to get out of this place. And fast.
*AN- It's meant to be violet*
Kitty sat in her oak panelled office, nursing her arching legs. She hadn't had to balance herself in a long while, and it had really taken its toll. She picked up and ornate letter opener, encrusted with rubies, and sliced open the top of her first letter neatly. She removed the letter and laid it on her table, before getting up to check her appearance in the mirror. She frowned. Her hair was duller than it had previously been. Being an invalid didn't help you hair treatment skills. Kitty undid the clip which held it up, letting the brushed-bronze locks fall about her shoulders in their natural curly mess. She groaned. Another problem with being an invalid is that you don't have time to straighten your hair on a daily basis. Kitty turned a little to examine the length. It was already half has short as it had been- Her hair had been so matted with blood, and there had been so many injuries needing stitches to the head they had shaved it all off in the hospital. It was now just along the top of her shoulder blades in length, a little ragged at the ends due to the erratic hair growth she had, and the dreadful spilt ends which shot up the delicate shafts. Kitty scraped her hair back in disgust and clipped it up swiftly. She pulled at the darkened rings below her eyes. She needed to sleep more. It made her feel sick to think how dainty and delightful she used to look. She was no more than a wreck of what she had been. She had lost a lot of weight, which had flattened her chest, and reduced her once attractively shaped legs to only the bare minimum of muscle. That was changing as she trained, but it wasn't good enough. She could never re-gain what she once had. She had already come to terms with that. Her hips were still nicely curved, but her backside was no more than a shadow of the curvaceous cheeks which had used to adorn the bone. Kitty frowned and opened the top button of her cream blouse. Her collar bone stuck out more than she liked, making her seem even more rickety than before. Her skin was paler than it had been. Her cleavage was a disaster. No push-up bra was going to change that. Kitty grinned at her own self criticism and re-did up the button. She placed a hand on her stomach. Flat, concave even. She lifted her blouse up to reveal the pale skin. Ribs left faint shadows across her torso, joined by something worse. Scars. Puckered, purple and white lines ricocheted across her frail form. And down in the left hand corner, just above her skirt line, was the pies de resistance. A large, about the size of a plum, and almost round bulbous scar, slowly subsiding to become flattened and ugly, bulged out of her abdomen. Kitty crinkled her nose. Great. I've got a grapefruit stuck to my side, just great! Kitty dropped her shirt once more and shrugged her midnight blue jacket back onto her shoulders. Her mirrored eyes met her own, blue, almost liquid as the iris swirled with varying shades of blue. The eyes scanned both faces. Both were disgusted by was the saw. All down the left hand side of the face were reddened, bubbled, ugly scars of the burns and scrapes which had attacked her face that night. She had been told that they would slowly heal… leaving no more than scratch marks. That wasn't good enough for her. That was going to take far too long…
Knock Knock.
Kitty dashed back over to her desk and sat down. She smoothed the top of her hair.
"Who is it?" she asked.
"Jonathan, madam," said a voice, "I have brought you your breakfast… and Sagittarius." Kitty smiled.
"Come in, then," she called, smoothing the folded paper of the letter before her. The door opened and Sagittarius trotted in, chewing on a carrot. Jonathan waited for the creature to move before entering, laying down the tray of apple slices and cereal, and then switching on the television. The news of another mobile suit battle flooded the screen.
"Madam?" Jonathan said quietly.
"Yes, Jon," Kitty replied, pouring the milk onto her cereal.
"You do realise that I am not supposed to let you see this sort of thing… it might give you a relapse."
"Yes Jonathan," Kitty sighed, reading through another condolences letter. She glanced at a picture on her desk.
We are all deeply moved by you relentless struggle to carry on, even after you have lost so much. We all hope for the finding of your brother, safe, in the near future, and we all wish you health and happiness in this trying time.
Trying? Kitty stared more closely at the picture. She was standing, the old her, with a young gentleman, very handsome, with startling blonde hair and a pale complexion. This was Quatre. This figurehead of the news. This monotonous topic of all her mail. And every time she replied to these well-wishers, she had to pretend she knew what the bleep they were droning on about. How could she even pretend to care about someone she didn't know? To her, the face was just an image. No memory, no voice, no more pictures flowed into her blank mind from this picture, or any of the others people had sent her or tried to put up around her house to help her remember. Maybe she didn't want to remember. Maybe this fresh start was a nice, relaxing change for this tired soul. She had the feeling that she had had one too many new starts, like new gifts of life, and she was troubled to appreciate it. This was why she wanted to keep things simple, her mind free from the tiresome emotions that others experienced. She was happy just being her, not sister to the missing Minister Winner. He was dead. Big deal. Why was she the only one who could accept the facts and get on with it? Maybe it was because she didn't know this 'brother' of hers. Maybe he had been something special- a tool of the world. Maybe she ought to miss him greatly…
"Madam?" A voice awoke her. Kitty blinked and sat up.
"Yes Jonathan?" she said quickly, folding the letter again and brushing it aside. Jonathan loosened the top button of his shirt.
"I want to give you my notice," he said meekly, handing her the plain white envelope. Kitty arched her brows.
"I see," she said, placing the envelope under the pile of mail. She looked up and met eyes with her butler. Although he numbered more years than she did, she felt so much more mature than he was. Probably because she had lived so much more than he had, although she had little memory of it. She smiled weakly.
"I'm not going to fire Abby," she said lightly, "if that is what this is about." Jonathan shook his head.
"My father told me to work for Master Quatre. I feel I am failing in my efforts. I am going away to find out what I must really do to aid Minister Winner, wherever he is." Kitty sighed.
"I understand, Jonathan," she whispered, toying with the soft hair atop the bull's head. "If you wish to leave, that's quite alright with me. I will miss you, of course, and I will expect you to find me another butler before you leave." Jonathan nodded.
"Of course madam," he answered. There was a pause. The tv droned on in the background, reporting on an outbreak in a hospital of legionnaires. Kitty frowned.
"Isn't there something you could be doing?" she asked. Jonathan straightened up immediately, and with a quick "yes, madam," he shot out of the door to get to work. Kitty looked around her, before leaping from her chair, dashing to the door and shutting it. She dashed over to the window and shut the curtains. She picked up the phone and dialled a number, waiting for the screen to come on when the person at the other end answered. She was getting rather tired of playing the incapable, not to mention her ungrateful staff.