(I own none of the characters except Ava and Kellie/Katie)

Kellie POV:

I'm heading to the kitchen to get Will another snack when I hear a knock at the door. I open it and see three girls who are around my age.

"Hello miss, we would like to speak with the head maid." The one with the brown hair in a neat braid over her shoulder asks. "Sorry, I didn't introduce myself. My name's Reyna, this is Thalia," she says pointing to the one with black hair and blue eyes, "and that's Ava." She points to the blonde girl who has her hair in pigtails.

"Um, the head maid is out sick right now, so I'm taking over for her." I say confused, what would they want with a maid?

"Well," says the one who's apparently Thalia. She's wearing jeans and a band t-shirt. "We want to help out around the castle. We are hoping to become maids."

I stare at them for a second in silent shock, who would want to become a maid? They may just be here to become friends with royalty, because that would help them if they got in a sticky situation. The girls just stand there, waiting for me to say something. I guess it may be nice to have friends my age. All the other maids are way older than me, and Will's my only other friend.

"Uh, sure." I say, making up my mind quickly.

The girls just stand there. "That's it? No background checks, no pat downs, no nothing?" The blonde girl asks. I think her name's Avery? Or maybe Ally? No, those aren't it. Ava? That sounds right.

"Well, I could pat you down if you want me to." I say, somehow staying serious.

"No!" They all shout in unison.

"No," Reyna repeats, "we're good."

I smirk, and move so they can enter the palace. What else am I supposed to do? I'm just some random maid who took over when Emily, the head maid, got sick! Am I supposed to say no? Us maids need as much help as we can get, especially with the Shadow Kingdom royal family coming.

"Follow me!" I say, walking in front of them. "Let's head to the South wing's tea room. Queen Neomi spends a lot of time there. We'll ask her which post to put you guys at." I yell over my shoulder.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, what's your name?" Ava asks.

"I'm Katie, but just call me Kellie." I say, sending her a wink. She blushes slightly in response to it.

The tea room isn't far from the entrance. The floor is oak planks, and the walls are a soft yellow. There are huge windows facing the garden, light beaming in from them. As I guessed, Queen Neomi is there, knitting something.

Today she has her hair in a big French braid, with a little sun clip at the end. She's wearing a simple white dress, with yellow embroidery. She has sandles with pieces of gold on them, making them shine. In terms of jewelry, all she has is her gold wedding ring.

"Your majesty," I say, bowing. The other girls follow my lead and curtsy. "These are some new maids, where would you like them posted?" I ask.

The queen smiles, and puts her knitting needles down. "I would love to know all your names first." The girl named Rachel, wait no, her name is Reyna, steps forward.

"My names Reyna, your majesty and this," she says, gesturing to the other two girls, "is Thalia and Ava." They both curtsy to the queen.

The queen flashes a huge smile. "Fantastic." She says, then she turns to me. "I'll have them at the same post you're at, Katie." I nod, smiling. I guide the girls out of the room so the queen can continue her knitting.

"Well," I say smiling, "it'll be good to have some friends." I look at the three girls. Reyna is wearing leggings with a plain purple shirt. Thalia is wearing dark jeans and a shirt that has some band's name on it. Ava is wearing a green dress with small flowers on it. She looks quite cute in it, to be honest. They're all probably 17 or 18, around my age. "You guys are going to need different clothes, I'll get some for you."

Author's Note:

Another chapter done! We're still in the very, very beginning of this story. I hope y'all enjoy the rest. I'll probably upload another few chapters Sunday:)