A Secret Hidden From You
Chapter 2: Of Jobs and Meeting You
Authors Note
Hi there everyone! Thank you so much for putting this story on your alert list, favoring it, and giving it reviews! All of these good things are boosting my confidence in my writing. Thank you so much!
When I was going through my posted chapter I realized that I forgot a disclaimer so:
Disclaimer: I don't own Hetalia. I wish I did but I don't. I do, however, own Charles the butler.
"Wake up!" A forceful shake to the shoulder broke Matthew's peaceful sleep. Opening his eyes, he saw Charles, already at the dresser, a pair of black pants in his arms. Matthew got out of bed and joined Charles, who proceeded to give him the pants as well as a nice white shirt. "Put these on and get ready. Meet outside in the hallway in ten minutes." Matthew nodded at the instructions while Charles turned and left the boy so that he could go and wake the others.
Matthew looked at the clothes given to him. The shirt was a little too big for him as well as the pants. After he put on the clothes, he looked in the tiny mirror above the dresser and tried to fix his hair. "Darn you," Matthew thought at the one unruly hair atop his head. "Why can't you stay with the rest of my hair?" The curl bobbed up and down as if it were mocking him. Giving up, he left his room and joined the other boys in the hallway.
Charles arrived soon after and carted the boys off to the kitchen. Along the way, the group passed the large staircase that led from the main hall and foyer to the back bedrooms, libraries, studies, and other mysterious hidden rooms. Matthew couldn't help but stop and gaze at the marveling staircase. Its rails gleamed a golden color as the light from the chandelier above shone upon it.
"You there! Boy!" Charles' voice broke him out of his trance. "Hurry up! We don't have all day!" Matthew turned and ran towards the rest of the group as they headed into the kitchen.
Each boy received a half filled bowl of porridge and nothing else. Matthew couldn't help but think that it was the blandest porridge he had ever tasted. He was, however, too hungry to really care and quickly finished his bowl. As he sat ad waited for his peers, he examined each person around him. To his left there was a dark skinned boy with a lazy grin upon his face. He had stunning green eyes that matched his dark complexion. Next to him were two identical looking boys. Though they looked alike, one had darker hair and eyes. Apparently, to Matthew at least, the green eyed boy had made the dark haired twin angry and they started to argue rather loudly. While they fought, Matthew turned to the two boys on his right. They were pale, much like himself however, they had jet black hair and brown eyes. One of the two boys had such long hair that Matthew almost thought he was a girl. It took him a while but he noticed that the other boy lacked feminine qualities.
After all the boys were finished eating, Charles came and ushered the boys back to the main hallway and lined them up in front of the stair case. Matthew was on the end of the line closest to the main door. As they waited, he took the time to look around using his peripheral vision. He saw the fancy front door, the gilded staircase, the man coming down the gilded staircase…wait, a man was coming down the stairs? At this Matthew had to turn and look. The man moving down the stairs had wavy blonde hair, much like Matthew's own hair. He was tall and thin and his face was lively and full of color. He sauntered over towards Charles and began a conversation with that Matthew could hear but couldn't understand.
After a few minutes, the blonde man turned to look at the boys. "My name is Francis Bonnefoy. I am the owner of this house and your new master. Every thing I say and tell you, you will obey and listen." He looked towards the boys and walked gracefully to the first boy, the tan one with green eyes. "What is your name boy?" "Antonio sir" "Antonio…How old are you Antonio?" "Eighteen sir." "Ah…Alright then." So it went, Francis would ask for the boy's name and age, and would study each boy as he gave his answer. Matthew listened intently, learning and memorizing each boy's name. Besides Antonio, he learned that the twins' names were Lovino and Feliciano, both seventeen, the boy with the feminine hair was Yao, age eighteen, and the last boy was Kiku, age seventeen.
As he was mulling over his newly found information, Matthew never noticed Francis step in front of him until his chin was thrust upward so that he was looking into Francis' ocean blue eyes. He watched as Francis studied his face and took in how the chandelier light made his blue eyes shine in clear flowing waves.
Francis had never seen a boy so beautiful, if that was the right word. The boy's eyes shown like two amethyst stones in a shade of purple he had never before witnessed. He continued to examine the thin boy in front of him taking how sickly pale and frighteningly skinny he was. "What is your name son?" "M-Matthew." The boy's voice was soft and Francis had almost missed his answer. "How old are you Matthew?" "Six-Sixteen." Francis let go of Matthew's chin, letting it drop down, taking the gorgeous eyes with it.
"I have decided which boy will get which job. Antonio, you and Yao will work as general servants. You will greet visitors, clean, and run errands. Since visitors will see you, you must keep yourselves clean and well kept. First impressions are a must. Feliciano and Kiku, you two will work in the kitchens helping the permanent chefs prepare general meals, banquets, and dinners. Romano and Matthew, you two will work outside as gardeners. You'll trim the plants and make sure that the gardens look presentable. These are the jobs you boys will be performing unless I change your position or assign you a new job. I expect you to start today. Charles has already been sent to deliver your job related clothing to your rooms. Change into them and begin your jobs at once." At this Francis turned and left the group of boys. Slowly, they began to make their way back to their rooms to change their clothing.
At the words "gardener" Matthew felt his heart drop. How would he be able to survive with his "condition" being out in the sun? "Maybe" he thought, "maybe I can talk to Mr. Bonnefoy…that's it, he might be able to switch my job with someone else…" Unfortunately for Matthew, Francis had already left, forcing him to join the other boys in retreating back to his room.
When he opened his door, Matthew was appalled that someone had removed his makeshift curtain. Sunlight from the morning sun filled his room causing him to press his body up against the wall. Moving along the wall, he made his way towards the dresser to find his clothes. Hastily, and without getting into contact with the sun, Matthew changed into his clothes. Looking out of the undraped window, he guessed that, by the position of the sun, it was almost midday. Sighing, he made his way towards the door, unwilling to start his job in the harsh conditions presented to him. Just the thought of what would happen with his "condition" made him shiver. "I'll get out of this one way or another" he promised himself. The only bad thing, he had to figure out a way to ditch his job first.
Well there you go chapter two. If you're wondering, Matthew's condition will be revealed in the next chapter. I'm sorry that the story is moving along really slowly but it will pick up speed after the third chapter which will probably be posted either Saturday or Sunday. I already have up to chapter nine planned out though I'm not sure when I'll get to actually writing chapters four through nine because of school...Anyways I hope that you enjoyed this chapter and like always please review. If you see any mistakes please make me aware of them. Thanks!