For the record, I do NOT own the Twilight series and it's characters...but I DO own the plot of this story :D
Chapter two: Sally and Charlotte
She shuddered once one of the young maids helped her out of her tattered brown dress. Her fair cheeks caught fire as the compassionate eyes of the honey-skinned maid examined her naked body. Never in her life has she ever felt so exposed and she shouldn't be; she and the maid were both young women.
She flinched when the maid's soft hand reached out to touch her arm.
"I'm not gonna to hurt ya, miss." she told the frightened young woman, whose doe eyes remained wide with fear. "I only will be givin' ya a bath."
The maid smiled sweetly at the girl and carefully helped her get in the porcelain tub, which was already filled with warm water.
"This ain't so bad now, is it?" asked the maid, who began to wet a small cloth to help bathe the frightened newcomer. "When I'm through with ya..." she began to rub away the dirt from the girl's frail shoulders, "you'll feel like a new woman."
The tiny elfin girl remained silent as the mulatto maid scrubbed lightly at the dirtied white skin. In the back of the tiny girl's mind, all she could think about was home. It's been only two and a half hours since her kidnapping, and she desperately missed the warm embrace of her loving family.
At the thought of her blind grandmother, a soft cry passed her plump pink lips as her soft brown eyes tinged with tears.
The maid heard the tiny cry of sadness and laid the wash cloth on the lip of the tub.
"Aww, sweetie..." she lamented, brushing the wet strands of dark hair away from the small girl's eyes. She then took the girl's elfin face in her hands so she could look into her doeish eyes. "Please don't cry, suga."
The elfin girl's bottom lip quivered as more tears trailed down her cheeks.
"Everything will be okay." the maid assured her, her hazel eyes sincere as the smile forming on her brown-pinkish lips. "I swear it."
"H-he took me away..." whispered the teary young woman through quivering lips, " from my grandmother..." her face crumbled and her shoulders slumped over in erratic shakes and trembles "she has no idea where I am..."
"Shh, now suga." the maid gushed, rubbing a comforting hand on the girl's bare back. "I know what you're goin' through. It's alright now, sweetie."
It took a while for the maid to calm the newcomer down, and when the cries ceased, the maid attempted to lighten the mood by introducing herself.
"My name's Sally." she said, massaging the girl's tender scalp as she poured more warm water with the use of a silver pail. "What's yours, suga?"
"M-Mary Alice..." answered the young woman, crossing her arms over her breasts. "But I prefer Alice."
"Alice." repeated the maid, smiling as she did so while dumping more water on the elfin girl's chest. "Such a pretty name that is."
"Thank you." replied Alice, her thoughts still focused on her beloved grandmother and sister.
"Alice? I need you to tilt your head back, suga."
Alice nodded slowly before tilting her back a little. She held her breath as soon as Sally poured the pail of warm water to wash away the remaining soap suds.
"There!" exclaimed Sally, carefully getting to her feet after placing the pail beside the tub. "You're all clean now, suga! Just wait a lil' longer 'til I come back with your towel."
"Alright." sighed Alice, dipping her tiny hands into the soapy water. Once she heard Sally's quick departure, Alice angrily splashed an enormous amount of water onto the smooth marble floor. She didn't care if she made a mess. She just wanted to return to her family.
Alice wondered what she did wrong for her to be taken away. It was so unjust! She was such a well-behaved girl.
She cried a little more at the horrible memory of her abduction. It all happened so quickly...
Alice sat on a tattered old bed with her little sister sitting between legs. Her tiny hands gripped the end of a wooden hairbrush as she smoothed it over and over again on sick little Cynthia's long dark hair.
"Will I ever get better?" asked the twelve year old and then coughed into her small hands.
"Of course you will." responded Alice, gently tilting her little sister's head back so she could place a loving kiss on Cynthia's clammy forehead.
"Promise?" squeaked Cynthia, turning around slightly to meet her big sister's loving gaze.
Alice smiled warmly at her before kissing her cheeks. "I promise."
Cynthia smiled weakly and laid her feverish head against her sister's heart. Alice set the hairbrush beside her and wrapped her arms around her baby sister. Their sweet moment was shattered when both girls jumped at the sound of kettles and pots dropping in the distance.
"Grandmother?" squeaked Alice, letting go of her little sister by getting to her feet to check on her beloved caretaker. She walked into the kitchen of their small cottage, where she spotted a mess of rusty old kitchen appliances scattered all over the stone floor. "Is everything-"
Alice gasped in horror when she saw the little old lady struggling to get back on her feet.
"Grandmother!" she shouted and ran to her aid. She knelt on the old woman's side. "Are you hurt?"
"Grandmother?" croaked Cynthia, who followed her big sister.
"Cynthia, you know you can't be out of bed in your condition." Alice said to her as she helped her blind grandmother. "Please return to bed."
Cynthia nodded sadly and slowly stalked to the bed.
"Are you hurt, grandmother?" asked Alice, her soft brown eyes boring into her grandmother's blank gaze.
"Much better, dear." she chuckled, squeezing her granddaughter's little hand while she carefully moved forward in a limp.
"Is there something you need me to do?" wondered Alice, her concern filling her doeish eyes as she stared at her grandmother's wrinkly face. "I don't want you to hurt yourself. Once is enough."
The old woman laughed heartily and reached out with shaky hands to touch Alice's cheeks. She sighed in contentment, having already mesmerized her grandchild's face by touch for she cannot see. It baffled her that the little girl she cared for, had grown up to be a lovely yet humble young woman. Her thumbs caressed the softness of Alice's fair cheekbones and a sigh escaped the old woman's lips.
"Even though my sight is poor..." she said, her voice sad but her heart humming with happiness, "I can imagine you'd look just like your mother."
Alice choked back a sob, remembering the last time she saw her parents. She was only thirteen while her younger sister was eight when their parents died in a fatal train wreck. It's been so hard for the girls, and even for their grandmother; she lost her only daughter.
"I miss her too." she told her grandmother and on her toes she raised herself to plant a soft kiss on the old woman's cheek. "I miss them always, but for now... Cynthia and I have you. And we love you."
"I love you and your sister." the old woman croaked, her flaccid heart warming as she pulled the young girl into her arms. "You both mean everything to me."
Alice smiled and gently removed herself from her grandmother's embrace and began to clean up the accidental mess made on the kitchen floor. After she finished, she asked her caretaker if there was anything else to be done.
"I was just going to fetch some fresh water by the river." she answered, limping her way to her rocking chair, which was sitting close to kitchen's open window.
"I shall fetch it, grandmother." chirped Alice, bouncing over to the cabinets and pulled out a wooden pail. "I will sing to you like I always do."
"Lord bless you, my child." smiled the old woman once Alice headed out of the small cottage.
Alice merrily skipped through the forest and came to a halt at the swooshing sounds of the river's fresh water. She inhaled nature's sweet perfume and closed her eyes as she continued walking to the splattering sounds of water. She loved living here. Everything was so fresh and so beautiful.
Her eyes opened when she heard something rustling nearby.
"Hello?" she said, gripping the wooden pail as she spun on the spot to find out where the noise was coming from. "Who's there?"
There was no answer. Alice simply shrugged her shoulders and continued her small journey. She stopped when she heard it again. Her heart began to beat very fast and she turned around to run back to her family. Just as she did, her heart jumped to her throat when she saw a strange dark man sauntering towards her. Her legs moved back as her eyes remained fixed on the stranger in front of her.
He smirked evilly at her while he brought his grubby hands to the front of his beige trousers.
"Who are you?" squeaked the frightened young girl as she watched him struggle to undo his belt while she continued walking backwards. "What do you want?"
"Don't play coy with me, little lady." he sneered and Alice gasped when he exposed his disturbing sex as he kept walking to her.
The bottom of Alice's handmade dress got caught on a branch and Alice shrieked when she fell over. Seeing this as the perfect opportunity to assault her, the dark man launched himself at her. His grubby hands began to tear at the front of her dress, making Alice scream and thrash underneath his large body.
The dress her grandmother gave her was soiled by the time she pushed the man off of her. He staggered backwards in shock at the tiny girl's strength.
Alice scrambled to her feet and swung the pail hard at the man's face before running for her life. Up ahead, she saw her grandmother's cottage and opened her mouth to scream out to her.
A new set of strong arms locked her small frame and lifted her off the ground. Alice kicked and scream with all her might and within seconds, a brown bag covered head, muffling her loud screams.
She cried for mercy and thrashed for her freedom while her captors carried her far away from her family.
"Ready, Miss Alice?"
Alice blinked away from the horrible memory and saw that Sally had returned with a white towel.
"You're not going to live in that tub, are ya now?" she teased watching Alice with amusement as she outstretched the towel.
Alice frowned and carefully stood. Sally wrapped the flimsy white material around Alice's naked body, and began to dry her off.
"Gimme your right leg first, suga." Sally ordered, her voice patient when she finished wiping away the soapy residue from the tiny girl's upper body.
So she won't fall over, Alice rested one hand on Sally's shoulder as she slowly lifted her right leg up. Once that was done, Sally placed that leg on the cold floor and began to dry her left leg.
"That should do it." sang the honey-skinned maid, straightening herself up to meet Alice in the eyes. She smiled tenderly at Alice and lightly flicked her tiny nose. "You're such an adorable little thing, aren't ya?"
Alice clutched the towel to her chest and bowed her head. She would've said "thank you", but considering the fact that she had been taken from her own home, she stayed silent.
She heard Sally sigh softly.
"Don't ya worry so much, Miss Alice. Things will turn out better before ya could say when."
"I wouldn't be so sure..." muttered Alice, her thoughts lingering on her sister and grandmother coping with her absence until Sally's voice cut in.
"I don't reckon this will fit ya but..." she said, walking away from Alice to fetch a black material from a cedar basket sitting beside the bathroom door, "it's the closest thing I could find of your size."
Alice scowled at the dull black dress in Sally's hands.
"I'm wearing that?" she asked, her adorable doe eyes scrutinizing the unsophisticated features of the dress.
"Yes, ma'am!" giggled Sally, amused by the girl's reaction to the uniform. "Come on, let me help ya put it on."
But before Sally could do anything, the restroom door swung open causing Alice to squeal and clutch the towel to her body very tightly. In the doorway stood one of the other maids. When she saw that Alice was indecent, she whispered her apologies and closed the door a little so only half of her body could be seen.
"For all that's holy, Charlotte!" hissed Sally, glaring daggers at the blonde maid, who nervously bit her lip. "Knock first!"
"I'm terribly sorry, Sal," whimpered Charlotte, her fingers fidgeting with the frills of her white apron," but Master Hunter demands to see Mary in his room."
The fear Alice once had, returned. Why is this happening to her? What had she done to deserve this? Something wet fell on her cheeks and Alice raised a trembling hand to touch it, only to discover that she's crying.
"Right now?" asked Sally, her brows raising to her dark hairline.
Charlotte nodded, still fiddling with the bottom of her apron.
"But she's indecent, Char-"
"Please, Sally!" Charlotte begged, her eyes wide with fear and desperation. In a much quieter voice, she added. "He'll tell Demetri to punish me if I don't follow orders."
Sally's eyes glazed over in horror and nodded at the frightened blonde maid in understanding. Sally then turned look down at Alice, and her heart gave out to her. She couldn't believe the horrible things that had been done to her and the rest of the young maids were now going to happen to Alice. For all Sally knew, a person as tiny and fragile as Alice, did not deserve such cruelty.
"I'm so dreadfully sorry, Alice." she told her, her voice slightly cracking.
"Sally...please... hurry!" urged Charlotte, trembling as hard as Alice and making the bathroom door quiver as well.
The maid tending Alice swore under her breath as she wrapped a supporting arm around Alice's thin shoulders and lead her out of the bathroom.
Sally knew that Alice not being fully clothed would bring shame to the Hunter manor, but being punished by both her master and his colleagues was nothing great to look forward to. The three young woman walked into the divine halls of the mansion until they reached the polished staircase.
Alice was trembling so badly that she almost tripped to her death, but luckily for her, the maids were there by her side. Once the three girls reached the large double mahogany doors, Alice wanted to faint right then and there. There's no way these strange maids were going to let her go inside...where he sleeps.
"Oh deary me..." sighed Sally, staring at the doors as if it will snap at her at any minute as Charlotte hesitated to knock on them.
"I'm too scared..." admitted Charlotte, slowly backing away from the closed doors while tucking her hands behind her back. "You do it, Sal. You're much braver than the rest of us."
Sally sighed again and then looked down at the panic-stricken girl under her arm. She smiled sadly at her as she rubbed her shoulder.
"We'll always be here when ya need us, Miss Alice." she whispered to her and kissed Alice's damp hair before raising her hand to the dreaded doors.
Out of the corner of Alice's eyes, she saw Charlotte throw her a sympathetic look before turning on her heels. Alice wished she could switch places with the pretty blonde maid so she wouldn't have suffer momentarily. But then again... she takes it all back. Charlotte has been through enough so why wish for something so cruel? Alice had no idea she could be so cruel? Hasn't her grandmother taught her better than that?
She was so lost in thought that she didn't hear the grunts coming from behind the doors. And when they finally opened, Alice let forth a soft cry at the danger that lay ahead.
Ummm... sorry! Don't kill me! Stay tuned for the third chapter! You-know-who will make an appearance! And thanks a lot for the awesome reviews! :)