Chapter 3
Just a heads up, I made Celine a bit more of a bitch. I think of her as the darker side and more manipulative side of Dark. With that in mind she is only a bitch to Alex.
Damien parks the car in front of the door. He walks around and opens the door for me and grabs our bags. He looks at Celine, but she is only looking at me. I look down at the ground.
"What the hell are you doing with it? It could ruin every chance you have to run for mayor. Did you not think? Did you not think of all the people that saw you with it?" Celine released a torrent of hatred at me but asking Damien. The words cut me deep. "Mark control it. It is not allowed to hang out with Damien." I clench my fists as she gets closer.
"They had the day off. It is their life to live when they are off. I have no control over them." Mark says in a calm, even tone, but there is a slight change. Like he himself is getting frustrated.
"Does not matter. It should not be parading around in a suit and try to ruin Damien's career!" She is close to me and I feel my anger flaring up even more. I cannot speak out of turn.
"They made the decision to come with me. It was their choice." Damien's voice is giving way to some of his emotions as well.
"You are wasting your money and your time on it. There is no point." I cannot hold it back anymore. I look up at her. I can feel my face heating up.
"I am not an it!" I yell at her and immediately regret that I opened my mouth. Next thing I know I feel a sting on my cheek along with the sound of a distant crack of lightning. Her hand is raised still in the air. She hit me. She actually hit me. I touch my face where she hit me.
"You little-" Before she can say or do anything else I see a hand grab her wrist. Then Damien steps between us with his arm around me protectively. I look and see Mark is the one holding her wrist. There is a faint crackling of thunder coming from far away.
"Leave. Now." Mark says shortly and firmly. "You have overstayed your welcome. You did not agree to stay here. And you do not touch my staff. Under any circumstances." He is calm but I can see his eyes. They seem almost red with anger. I glance up at the window. I can see a figure standing there. I think it is William.
"It will be your downfall. You will regret not listening to me." Celine huffs and storms off back into the house.
"I-I am sorry. I should not have yelled." I manage to get out. Mark turns and looks at me. All anger gone from his eyes. He glances at Damien.
"Head inside and get washed up. I will talk with you. You are not in trouble. I just need to talk to Damien." Mark says calmly and gently. I nod and pull away from Damien and grab my bags. I head inside and the men follow behind me but stop in another room. I keep walking but want to listen. I head down to the servant quarters and put my stuff away. I hear something.
"She is right. I should not have gone." It is Damien's voice. I think it is traveling through the vents.
"It was good for them to get out for a day. Enjoy some actual time off. But Celine is right. If people find out about you hanging out with a servant who identifies as a guy and a girl then you will have less of a chance of getting the position." It is Mark's voice. I hear a sigh come from Damien.
"If the world was a more accepting place then it would not matter. It would not matter about anyone's preferences or how they choose to express themselves." I smile a little and put away my things. I walk to the bathroom and turn on the sink. I grab a small towel and wet it. I hear footsteps enter the room. I turn and see Mark standing there.
"Master Mark…. I…." I do not know what to say. He walks forward and touches my cheek where there is now a red mark.
"Does it hurt?" The look on his face is pure concern. It makes me almost forget to respond.
"A little… I should not have yelled at her…" I glance at his hand. It feels cool against my skin that is now heating up. He grabs the washcloth from my hand and dips it in cold water and holds it against my face.
"Celine was way out of line. I am not mad at you. I am not mad that you left." He pauses for a second. "I am a little upset at myself. You should have had more clothes. I am the head of this household so I am supposed to take care of everyone in it. If you had more clothes then your uniforms there would not have been a problem." I glance at his eyes.
"I… it is okay. I never really needed anything else." I look away to my hands.
"Did you have fun?" He keeps his hand on my face.
"I did. I got some books and swimwear. Oh. Tea. I figured I could make everyone a cup since I did not get to last night." I say with a small smile. Mark nods and pulls his hand away.
"Get some rest. Back to your duties in the morning." Mark says as he heads to the door. I smile kindly after him.
"Yes sir. I will see you in the morning." I watch as he leaves the room. I touch my face where she hit me and he was touching.
What is this feeling… Why is he being this kind all of a sudden? I do not mind… but I am just confused on why all of a sudden… Is it because Damien is hanging out with me? Is he jealous? No. I cannot think that way. He is my boss and Damien was just being nice to me. But… what if Damien does like me…. That is okay. I make my way back to my room and look around. My new books are next to my bed on my nightstand. The new swimwear is in the wardrobe. I get changed into my white nightgown and lay on the bed. I stare up at the ceiling reflecting on the day and slowly fall asleep. My dreams are filled with weird, dark images and sounds. I cannot make out what the images are but they look like people. I cannot tell what they are saying.
The next day I find myself in the kitchen after I have completed my morning routines. I look around and grab the kettle. I decided earlier that morning to wear my freshly cleaned dress.
Some tea will be nice for everyone today. It is a little cool outside. I think to myself as I fill it with water. I set it on the stove and wait. Letting my thoughts just come to me. I am so lost in thought that I do not notice someone came into the room.
"Hello Alex. Are you okay? I saw what happened with Celine." I jump a little startled by the sound of William's voice. I did not notice it before but he seems to have a strange accent. I cannot tell where it is from. He is wearing a white shirt and black pants.
"Good morning Master William. Yes I am alright." I say with a small smile. I reach up and grab the white teapot from the cupboard. The pink flowers on the side are so beautiful. Upon closer inspection there seem to be no cracks or damage to the teapot even though it did fall on wooden floors.
"Call me Will my friends call me that." William says as he watches me. I shift under his gaze a little.
"Yes sir. How do you like your tea?" I ask as the kettle starts to scream. I take it off the stove and add the water to the pot.
"Mark says you make the best tea. I trust him and if he trusts you then I trust you." His smile reaches his eyes. They seem very bright and full of life.
"I just like making it sir." I let the tea leaves settle and set up the tray.
"So I was wondering if you would like to come with me somewhere." He watches the tea and then glances at me for an answer.
"Uhm….. what did you have in mind? Master Mark would have to approve of it." I look down at the tea. What does he have in mind exactly… why?
"I was thinking of bringing you to my gun range and teaching you some things. Self defense is very important you know." He pulls out some kind of revolver and sets it on the table. I take a step back from it.
"I ah…. I do not know about that Will….." I glance at the gun. Another person enters the room.
"Come now. Life needs a little bit of madness. Come with me. What is the harm in it?" He walks towards me and leans in close to me. "It will be so much fun!" He grabs my hand in his own. I stare up at him and am scared to move.
"William what are you doing?" It is Mark's voice. I look over at him in the doorway. He is with Damien. I take the opportunity to pull my hand away from him.
"I figured if Damien got to take Alex out somewhere then I should get to as well." William picks up the gun and smiles. Mark shakes his head.
"Guns are too dangerous. You will not be taking them there." Mark narrows his eyes at William as it looks like he is about to say something more.
"Is this your new tea that you bought?" Damien asks and looks at the teapot. I smile kindly.
"This is. I hope you all enjoy it." I start to pour the tea into 3 cups with the same pink flower on them. I distribute sugar and milk into each of the cups. "If you would like I will bring the tray into the sitting room. The Chef is very particular about people being in his kitchen." Even though today is his day off he does not like people in his kitchen. The men leave and I follow a minute later. I set down each cup in front of them.
"Thank you Alex. One more thing before you leave to attend your other duties. I will be taking you with me into town tomorrow. I have some things for my work to attend to, but I thought I could take you to get some new clothes. So you have more than just your uniform." Mark says as he picks up the cup and holds it gently.
"Understood sir. What about my other duties?" I question politely.
"The others will take care of it." Mark adds and slowly sips along with the others. I smile kindly in hopes that they like the tea. "Amazing as always. You are dismissed for now." Mark adds. I bow and leave the room.
"They are so cute when they bite their lip. Do they do that all the time?" I can hear William's voice say faintly.
"Yes it is very frustrating. When they are thinking they do not realize it." I can hear Mark's voice this time. I decide it is time for me to keep to my duties and leave the immediate area. I walk around the house and pass one of the new butlers. He has blonde hair and blue eyes. He smiles at me as I walk past him to go to clean up the room that he is in as well.
"So you are Alex then. My name is John. What is it like working here? I heard that Mark is a little tough to work for." The butler named John says.
"He is an okay man to work for." I walk around the room and dust off some of the surfaces.
"Why do so many people leave? Is it because of Mark himself?" I can feel him watching me move around the room.
""I think it is because of this place? Mark is very kind and never even raises his voice. This place… is a little strange." I do not look over at him. I usually do not try to talk with the other workers. They come and go so often.
"Do you think that you could give me a tour of this place? It seems very large and I would like to get to know you and the other workers." Something in his voice sounds a little weird when he says that.
"I suppose I can try. This place is very confusing. Once i get a few more things done I will take you around. I kinda just found my way around the place on my own." I finish up my work and start to leave. He blocks my way. "Excuse me. I have a few more things to do." I try to push past him but he grabs my arm.
This is the end of Chapter 3. Hope you like it. Go check me out on Instagram hunjess96 and if you are from Instagram check out the picture for this chapter. Really amazing work which is not mine.