" You have to help my daughter get into that household! I don't care how you do it but I want to see results," a plump man yelled in his seat, sending glares at the man in front of him.
" I know your daughter wants to get in but it isn't that easy. There's no partiality when it comes to picking the handful, it's luck and fate respectively," the man standing replied with a stern face. He had seen many people do worse than shout to get their children into The Brannigan Manor.
The plump man sighed and leaned on his seat. His daughter won't be happy if she doesn't get into the Manor. " What should I do?" He asked the man who was yet to sit.
" Her application would be looked into. Everything we need before bringing anyone into the Manor is considered there, especially in this part," the man paused to pull out a brown paper from his suitcase to show the plump man.
He pointed to a part where there was a question on the paper "~any special ability~ " in this particular question, you're free to open up any quality or thing you feel inside you. I hope your daughter passes. I'll take my leave if that's all Mr Connor." The man then left. He had seen a lot of applications to know the man's daughter would surely not pass the application review. They question is about the supernatural but he had seen people put Singing, dancing and playing instrumentals there which was terribly wrong.
Well, out of thousands of applications, only one person gets into the Manor. That one person doesn't come from the applications, they are sought out for and brought to the Brannigan Manor.
***
A brothel;
A girl with curly red hair bumped into a woman wearing a hat bigger than her head. The wine spilled and the woman turned angrily to see the fool who bumped into her.
" Oonagh? What are you doing here?" She asked in surprise instead of scolding the Courtesan. Lately, the new Courtesan, Oonagh, had been causing troubles here and there despite all the teachings and practices.
" I'm sorry Mrs Morris, it was an accident. I was heading to the kitchen," Oonagh replied while looking straight ahead out of the brothel door.
" Mannerism darling," Mrs Morris was being sweet because she didn't want to cause a scene in her business. " Walk like a princess, shoulders high and back straight," she gave the red haired girl a little lecture before walking away to clean off the red wine on her dress.
Oonagh immediately shot out of the brothel door and ran towards a carriage. She was by the window when she saw it at first but what was inside caught her attention.
The window of the carriage window was shut. Intricate beautiful designs filled the body of the black and red carriage giving it a cool yet scary vibe. Oonagh's fingers brush the body of the carriage to feel the texture of the wood. The people in this carriage weren't ordinary people because blackwood was an expensive wood in Blue Isle
In this Kingdom, mannerism, society class, connections and education was the top priority for every parent except the poor who were trying to feed their stomach rather than go to expensive schools or engage in mannerism.
Oonagh is from an average family. The busy body girl who half the village knows because of her bright colorful red hairs like no other.
The window finally opened and a woman's head popped out to look at the girl they've been looking for. " It's good to see you, Oonagh." The woman said weirdly and before Ms red hair could figure out what the woman meant, a sack was pulled over and and her body was raised in the air before throwing her into another carriage.
Screams filled the street as people watched what had unfolded before their eyes and parents quickly hid their daughters. They could only stand or run and watch. The wealthy often do this and they are fond of doing it to the less privileged.
Oonagh struggled inside the sack and she gasped for oxygen. The heat inside consumed her and she tried to remove the piece of cloth from her mouth but to no avail because the sack was tightly tied.
Yellow and black particles appeared in her vision and her head dropped to the carriage floor with a thud.
***
The ceiling was black at night. A frown appeared on Oonagh's forehead as she stared at the carriage roof. It took a few minutes for her to remember she was kidnapped and taken to an unknown place.
" Thanks goodness you're awake, my ears was about to blow up because of your continuous snoring," the woman who spoke to her before the people threw her into a sack complained and then looking at the spot Oonagh had slept to see a big patch of drool on the silk seat on the carriage.
Oonagh quickly stood up only to hit the carriage roof and the carriage stopped.
Mrs Beckett rolled her eyes and hit the carriage body lightly for it to start moving. Then she looked at the red haired before her, " do seat. I'm not going to hurt such a special gift. We've searched this entire kingdom just to find you."
" Why? What do you want?" Oonagh asked and sat uncomfortably on the seat, far away from Mrs Beckett.
" We want you. You're our last hope," she replied with a gleam in her eyes.
Oonagh coughed drily, " I've no use for you Mrs…, I'm sorry to say but I've no hope for myself not to talk of you."
A warm hand on her back made Oonagh relaxed and she looked at Mrs Beckett.
" Everybody has a destiny. Where you're being taken to will change your life forever." She smiled at the girl who didn't know what she could do.
" Nothing can change me, I'm a Courtesan." Oonagh had tears in her eyes now. Saying she was a Courtesan was the hardest thing in her entire life after her mother sold her out just for money. It was a painful experience and still is.
Mrs Beckett felt for the girl and touched Oonagh's face for her to fall asleep immediately.
Watching the girl sleep, she smiled to herself. " It doesn't matter Oonagh, it's the heart that matters. I hope you'll enjoy your time with me."
****
The second time the carriage stopped, Oonagh looked at Mrs Beckett who was yet to tell the girl her name. " We're home. Get down from the carriage."
The world spun beneath Oonagh's feet and she steadied herself from falling. Walking to the other side of the carriage just like Mrs Beckett, Oonagh's eyes almost popped out at the view before her. Her legs wobbled and her eyes lit up after that. Food. She was deadly hungry.
Mrs Beckett sighed in exasperation as she watched the girl run towards the mansion like a seven years old kid. A man then walked up to her looking smart in his uniform.
" Welcome back Mrs Beckett, the boys were obedient this time," the man nervously said to her.
" And why were they obedient? I know those boys, even money can't stop them from disobeying." Sbe then looked at the man.
Butler Walsh scratched the back of his neck and looked at Mrs Beckett who was doing the same. " I told them you're going to bring a girl home if they obey. It was a guess and they bet on it, you can't tell how happy I am."
" So wonderful of you Walsh, it should not repeat itself again or you'll lose half of your salary. But…thank you." Mrs Beckett then smiled as she started walking to meet Oonagh who was gazing at the beautiful castle-like building in front of her. The surrounding was green and well trimmed gardens were lined up.
" Where am I ?" Oonagh asked Mrs Beckett when she showed up at the door.
" You're at the Brannigan Manor girl, oh…I should let you know to not expect the best inside because it's scary."
Mrs Beckett pushed the door which Oonagh has been admiring inward to reveal a beautiful interior. As a girl from an average family, it was heaven for her.
She stepped on the floor carefully and stuck her hands to herself so as not to break anything. Even the vases were shiny and ceramic.
" Mrs B? You're back? Where's the girl? I hope Butler Walsh wasn't joking?" A young man who looks twenty asked as his eyes skimmed behind Mrs Beckett for any sign of someone but nothing.
" Of course, I brought…" she looked back to find the space empty. God, where's this girl.
Oonagh yelped when she saw another man coming out from the corner she was hiding and ran to Mrs Beckett for help.
" Oh my! She's red!" One of the young men exclaimed while looking at Oonagh's hair. Before Oonagh could process what was happening, young men started filling out of their rooms, surrounding her and throwing questions.
" Where am I ?" She asked.
" Brannigan Manor sweetie, you look beautiful and we'll scented. Don't you think Caelin?"
" I don't think and certainly, don't touch her."