Chapter 4
Maddie and Cattie
"And last but not least, this is the most important thing you need to remember: don't ever step on the sixth floor." Ara looked at her when she said that.
"Why, though?" Mrs. O'Neil gave her a meaningful look.
"What do you think is the reason?" Ara bit her inner lip. If it's prohibited to go to the last floor, there are two reasons. First, the upper floor kept a terrible secret that no one should discover; second, a very important person was living there. The king, perhaps?
Or is it both?
"Is the king living there alone?" she asked, which made Mrs O'Neil's lips form into a smile. She tapped Ara's back, "Yes, that's right. That's the reason why you shouldn't go there without any permission. Usually, the headmaid was the one who cleaned the area, so don't think too much about it." Ara nodded her head.
"Noted, madam."
"Good, you're quite aware that the king has a bad temper, right?" She nodded again.
"If you saw him, don't just bow your head. Kneel down, show respect, you don't want to lose your head, right?"
"Sure, Mrs. O'Neil, I understand it." The king is probably a cold-blooded man who doesn't give fuck to others but to himself only. Well, that's not really odd.
"Great, this will be the end of your orientation. Do you memorized all the simple rules I've mentioned?" they were going down on the stairs, they were from the fifth floor of the palace.
"Yes, Madam," Ara answered lowly.
"I wanted to hear it again in loud tone, do you memorized what I said earlier? I hope we didn't waste two hours of our time here." She shook her head and smiled a little.
"Of course not. Mrs. O'Neil."
"Okay then, you can rest and settle down for now. Tomorrow, you'll start. At seven sharps in the morning, Cattie will tell you the rest of your work. Stay with her, she's good company. I'll assign you both to work on the same floor for you to adjust quickly."
"I got it, Madam. Thank you for your time. Have a great day." Mrs. O'Neil nodded.
"No worries, dear, I'll leave you here now. I still have business here on the third floor. I believe you can find your way through your own room?"
"Yes, Mrs. O'Neil. No worries, I can go on my own. Thank you again." Ara bowed her head.
"Good luck to you, Arabella." She said before leaving her alone in the hallway. Ara watched her back while walking away, when Mrs. O'Neil is out of her vision, she shrugged her shoulder and started moving.
Tomorrow, she will officially start working here. This is going so smoothly. Later, she will start planning her revenge.
"Ara, why are you walking here alone? Where is Paulita?" A voice suddenly bloomed out behind her. Ara expressionlessly looked at that person. She saw Maddie with a big smile on her face.
"My orientation is done, and I believe if Mrs. O'Neil heard you call her by her name, she'll punish you." Maddie laughed hard.
"Come on, I'm just joking. Her name sounds so good on her, Paulita." Ara couldn't help but to grin, Cattie and her loves to make fun of Paula. They were mocking her name.
"I know that you know how much she hates that name." Maddie went closer to her and put her arms on Ara's shoulder.
"Completely aware, haha. So, why did she dump you here?"
Ara shook her head. It's funny that Maddie thought that Mrs. O'Neil left her in the middle of nowhere.
"No, she didn't dumped me here. As I said, my orientation is over. Mrs. O'Neil said that she still had some unfinished business on the third floor." Ara corrected. Maddie nodded her head, "Oh, I see. What did she say after your orientation?"
Maddie has the same vibes with Cattie, they were both talkative.
"She said I'll start tomorrow, and I'll rest."
"Oddly, she gave you consideration. She doesn't give consideration to new maids, but she did to you. I mean, I remember my first day here, after my orientation, she made me work immediately." Ara looked at her.
"She does?" Maddie nodded.
"Yeah, so I'm wondering why she's being nice to you. Well, I can see it now, you're pretty good in listening. And I think you're a fast learner, too." She shook her head, Maddie is flattering her so much.
"Not really. By the way, why are you here? Done working?" Ara started a new conversation.
"Yes, just a few hours ago. Working here is hard but enjoyable at the same time." She looked happy with her work.
"Good to see you happy." Maddie looked on her, she can hear sadness in Ara's voice but her face is black as paper.
"I'm curious, Ara. Can I ask something?" there's a certain question running in her mind since the first time she saw her this morning.
"Yeah, sure. Ask right away." Maddie nodded her head and looked on their way.
"Don't get it wrong, but why are you so aloof? I mean, you just talk to answer when I ask. It seems like you're caging yourself."
She's right, I'm caging myself. Ara admitted to herself.
"Oh, just forget about it. I shouldn't have said that, I'm---" Ara cut her off.
"No, you're right. But this is me. I'm not a sociable person. And to be honest, if possible, I don't want to talk." Talking too much causes trouble. Words can trigger someone.
"That's really weird, but I understand. Anyway, you're just going to have rest, right?" Maddie changes the topic. Ara nodded her head in answer.
"Great, come on. There are a lot of places inside the manor you can't miss to see. But before that, let's look for Cattie first. I think she's done with her work now." Before Ara could say something, Maddie held her wrist and dragged her with her carefully.
They go down together in the large staircase connecting the third and second floors of the palace.
"Cattie!" Maddie exclaimed when she saw Catalina walking in the hallway with three books in her hand.
"Oh geez, you shock the hell out of me. Why?" Cattie asked as she walked closer to their direction.
"Paula gave her time to rest; you finished your work now, right? Let's show her around." Maddie happily replied.
"Oh, really? That's freaking new. Sure, I'll just put these books in the library then we will go."
"Right. We will come with you," she pauses and looks at Ara. "It won't be a problem, right, Ara?" She nods her head. "Of course, it won't be a problem. And besides, I wanted to see the library too."
"Cool, so… let's go then?" Ara nodded her head the same way Cattie did.
After putting the book in the library, they go outside the palace since it stopped raining. Although it doesn't rain anymore, it is still dark outside due to the dark and thick clouds.
"Geez, it's so cold here. Can we do this some other time?" Cattie mumbled as she rubbed her hands together to produce heat. Maddie just gave her a look, "We're here now. You still wanted to back out?" She asked while raising an eyebrow. Ara stares at them with amusement dancing in her eyes.
These two girls were truly best friends.
"No, as you said, we're here now. But geez, it's really cold." Maddie chuckled at Cattie's reaction.
"You're wearing a soft and comfy jacket, and besides, you're a vampire; cold doesn't affect us." This Cattie glared at her friend. Ara was just standing beside them, watching their little argument.
"Who said vampires can't feel cold? Aren't you cold now?"
"I am, but I'm not showing it. Geez, haha, let's stop this nonsense argument. Ara, pardon for witnessing our childish argument." Maddie apologized.
"No worries, it's just normal. Where are we heading?" She asked to change the topic.
"Oh, right. We're going in the garden of roses."
"It's a wonderful place that I know you'll fall in love with. The red roses look pretty cool, like blood," Cattie happily said.
"I see, let's go then." The two girls nodded their heads as they slung their hands on Ara's arm. She supposedly felt irritated, but oddly, she didn't mind it at all.