When she materialized near her home, she hit the solid wall, the breath exploding from her body. Her eyes stung and tore from the impact, not for the misbehaviour she endured at the hand of that bastard, surely not. Her head was throbbing as she slide down the surface of the wall. This was the danger of having an impossible power. But every vampire had it. Every female vampire for herself. And her wounds would heal.
As she touched the tender spot that got brutalized from the impact, she realized she still had the book with herself. But Alas! it was the wrong book. Not the one she wanted. Still, it was by Nietzsche, the philosopher. 'Beyond good and evil', it said. Maybe this will do her some good.
A shadow loomed over her. She looked at the feet to see that it was a maid. She didn't dare look up. If Thomas could reconsider her so easily, then the maid could too. But then nobody knew about the small unprotected area except the trio of them. So, he was expecting her.
She hoped for a stroke of good luck as she pulled the veil closer to her In an attempt to hide most of her face. Lord bless her if she was to get recognised.
"What in Lord's good world are you doing here leaving your work?"
"Well, I-I was just.." She sputtered. Her mind- muddled and chaotic with nothing to provide.
"Is that a book, I'm seeing?" The cruel old maid tried to snatch the precious book from her. But not this time, she holds onto it firmly. She won't let herself get bullied for the second time that day.
"You must have stolen it" The old maid accursed her entertaining a vicious frown.
No, I didn't. The young miss gave it to me" She explained, with a hope that the maid would leave her alone and carry on her own work. She was clearly unfamiliar with the way old maid did their work. They were great supervisors.
"That dark skinned filly? She is an ugly little thing always buried beneath useless books. Lord have mercy on whoever married that uppity pampered lady"
Anais's mouth twitched at that and she struggled to stay level headed. How dare the old fat hag called her gorgeous dark skin ugly? She will give her a good berating next she saw the maid inside the house and nitpick her cooking to death, she swore on herself.
"Miss Anais is a fine young lady with a generous heart. Whoever married her will know the happiness of a fine woman" was what she actually said.
"Beauty she wasn't, at least she could learn some chore and try to please her future husband through her skill" But the maid of all work carried on as if she didn't hear her.
" Why old maid? You know many a skill but that didn't stop your husband from abandoning you for one of his whores. Couldn't make up for your hideous face?" Oh, she knew all the good ole tales that circulated the hallways of Marcelo's.
"You dare disgrace me with your disgusting mouth, you little fool. Wait till she hears about this stolen book. Then you will know how nasty that young lady of yours is" Then the fat old hag wrestled the book away from her causing the cover to tear in the middle.
"See, you brutalized the precious book the young miss gifted to me. I will go and tell her right away " The old maid of all work tried to grab hold of her. But she twisted away from those beefy hands and ran at a pace faster than the old maid could catch up hurtling all those pot bellies. Vile words carried over to her, attacking her, names and words, dirtier and harsher than she had ever heard before as she ran to the house.
As she entered her house, she could see that her mother madcap was furious but she quietly skipped and tried to scuttle away. The best way to be a housemaid was to be invisible and insignificant or else you got shunned. She clearly didn't do a good job of it for she was suddenly called
"You there, go up and tell Anais to come down and tell her to join us in the garden" She furiously nodded her head before darting for the stairs to her room before she could be stopped again.
Once she was inside her room, she firmly closed the door and hurriedly got out of her maid uniform and into her usual clothing with much hassle almost making the armoire fall on her. She saved the armoire from falling but the same could not be said about her clothing. Her room was one hell of a mess by the time she emerged from her chamber. Gowns and under corsets littering the floors and bedding, a small chest of hair fastener knocked over, half of its content missing. The maid will surely cuss at her for increasing their workload tenfold.
When she left her house and entered the backyard garden, she looked to see her mother and Evie huddled together discussing something furiously with an additional company, a lady whom she recalled as Mrs Burton. Her mother looked up at her and the shift in her face was so dramatic, Anais was sure she could be an actress.
"Anais Joan Marcelo!" Marianna loudly boomed
"Yes, mother, what is the matter?"
"Is what Mrs Burton saying true?"
"I don't know, what is she saying?" Anais couldn't be bothered. She was used to her mother getting furious all the time.
"That you wrote erotica for Ezra?" That she didn't expect. Her secret to being out so soon
"Mother, I- I needed some money" She didn't know why she lied. She had loved every minute of writing that novel.
"Is that true?!"
"Yes, it it"
"Why would you write something so disgusting? We have everything " Her mother started panicking. Anais just remained silent. There was naught she could say or do to make things ok.
"You must be taught a lesson right away. You're misbehaving" Marianna took hold of her arm, dragging her inside the house. She shouted at anyone who stood in her path, a shout that got them scrambling away.
Once in the hallways, she was put in position, standing yet bent over at 90°. Hearts trudging in her chest she waited, sure of the pelts that were about to come. She could see she had an audience. Mrs Burton was there with some curious butler and maids.
Luckily Kurt came in at that time and saved her some trouble.