Chapter 3
I'd better tell the Persian about this. He'd like to know, she thought, before standing up and heading up the stairs. She tried to be very quiet, for if someone caught her, they would surely take her to the managers. The last thing she needs is to have her friend think that she is trying to destroy his business. I wonder what that opening stone leads to… She pondered this for a while, but soon realized that she would never know.
Once she was out of the cellars, she rushed to the entrance and left for her home. She caught the attention of a brougham driver, who then pulled over and gave her a ride. That's good luck! I was getting really tired of walking, she thought with a laugh. She looked out the window and watched the happy couples dancing in the slushy snow. With a sigh, she turned her head to look forward, refusing to think of her William.
When they arrived at her flat, she hopped out and paid the driver his money. She then went to her door and leaned against it, too sad and tired to actually open the door to her beautiful house.
"The bad thing about catching a ride is actually seeing the people you pass. When I walk, I never notice the people around me." she said to herself. She opened the door, and walked in, not surprised by the mess. "Emily!" She called, patting her knees. After a moment, a Great Dane ran through the house, kicking up papers with her massive paws. "There you are! Mama missed you!" Max cooed to the dog. Emily wagged her long, stick of a tail and hit the walls of the hallway they were standing in. "Come, let me get you some food. Then I can rest." Max said, half to herself.
After filling the dog's bowls with food and water, Max walked through the mess to a room that was perfectly clean. It had pink wallpaper, a large bed in the middle, and a large window with white drapes. Flopping on the bed without bothering to change to her nightgown, Max rolled on her side and stared at the picture on the bedside table. In the picture was a handsome man with curly brown hair. Though it wasn't noticeable in the picture, he had bright green eyes that would take any women's breath away.
Max dreamt that she was in a room, and the only outlet led to a bathroom. Three taps on a wall startled her and she gave out a small cry. Then a door that she hadn't noticed opened and a black shape, that appeared to be a man, walked through it. When the man turned around, there was a black mask where his face should have been.
Max woke with a start and shook her head violently. She had been having strange dreams lately of rowing on a dark lake, but none were like this one.
"Perhaps I have gone mad." She muttered to herself. She stood up and called for her faithful pet. Emily trotted through the door a second later and sat next to Max's feet. "Do you think I'm crazy?" Max asked. The large dog stood and left the room. Max stared after her and laughed. I'll take that as a yes! She thought. She then changed into a new dress and slipped a pair of pants on underneath. Then she put on some boots and tucked in the legs of pants, trying to make it unnoticeable to others that she was wearing pants.
"Today is the only day I will wear pants, for I have an adventure waiting for me at the Opera House." She said, looking at herself in the full length mirror.