-16-Miriel sat on her bed in her room, staring at the girl standing before her. Light permeated the room through the panes of the windows and the balcony doors."Greetings, my lady! I am Anne. I will be your maid from today and will definitely do my best."The girl's voice was boisterous and lively. She thumped her hand on her chest and bowed."Have you ever served as a maid before, Anne?""I haven't, my lady." She shook her head. "But I am very excited to." Her bright hazel eyes glistened as she looked at Miriel.Anne was dressed in her maid attire - black dress, white apron, black shoes and a kerchief on her head - and her grey hair reached her shoulders. Her fair skin was a few shades darker than Capitol folk."How did you and my uncle meet, Anne?" Miriel asked, "I met him while I was working in my family's inn. I was helping out and serving food and drinks and he came up to me and asked if I would like to be a maid. I've always thought they were cool so I said yes. He said I could be one if I followed him so I told my parents and left." She blushed and turned her eyes away.Miriel stared at Anne with her mouth slightly ajar."A stranger approached you and asked if you wanted to be a maid, and you just followed them?" She said.Anne nodded fervently.Miriel kneaded her brows and covered her mouth with a cloth as she coughed."Did you not think he might be lying?""Well," Anne put a finger to her lip, "He seemed like a good guy. He was nice and unlike the other people with nice clothes and didn't cause any trouble. So I thought it would be fine." She had a smile on her face as she recounted.Miriel sighed as she feebly shook her head."So you had no formal maid training, Anne?""I haven't, my lady. But don't worry, I learn quick and I took care of all my siblings. You can count on me." She pumped her hand."How many siblings do you have?" Miriel asked."Hmm." Anne stared at her fingers as she straightened them one by one, until she had seven fingers up."There's seven of us and I'm the eldest, my lady." She flipped her hands and hoisted them in front.Miriel's eyes widened."Seven? Will your family manage without you?""They'll be fine, my lady. All of them can take care of themselves now, except for our youngest." Anne continued, "And, well, it's not the first time I decided to head off somewhere so they're used to it. They'll just get more workers from the town if they need to." She had a sheepish grin on her face as she scratched her head.Miriel covered her forehead with a palm and closed her eyes."Would you brew tea for me?" She opened them and looked at Anne."Yes, my lady. Which one would you like?" Anne replied."The green ones. Ask the servants in the kitchen and they will tell you. You can ask how they brew it as well.""Okay, my lady. I'll be back with the tea very soon." Her feet bounced as she left.When the door closed, Miriel laid her back on the bed.She crawled and rested her head on the pillows, then covered herself with the quilt.She closed her eyes.-*thud*thud* Someone knocked on the doors."May I come in, my lady?" Said a voice outside the doors.Silence loomed for a moment."I'm entering, okay?" Said the voice again.Anne opened the doors, carrying a tray with a teapot and two teacups in her other hand.She noticed Miriel covered by the quilt on the bed.She gently walked to a table and set the tray down, then went to Miriel.Anne stared at Miriel, then fixed the quilt covering her.She went to the windows and balcony doors and unfurled the curtains.She made for the doors and closed them as she left.-Miriel spent the following days on her bed.They called for the town physician, who chalked it to mild fever - added to her cold - and mentioned it was unlikely to be anything more.She tried to leave her room but was confined to her bed.Yorn is handling the work, Louis was instructing Mark. What would she do? They asked. She returned to bed in a daze.Anne brought her food and drink, and put a damp cloth on her forehead when needed. She would entertain her with chatter when Miriel couldn't sleep; she told Miriel of her gossip with the servants - they already warmed up to her - and how Mark kept messing up in his lessons with Louis.When Miriel wanted to bathe, Anne stopped her, saying that Miriel shouldn't get off her bed. Instead she wiped Miriel down, which Miriel begrudgingly agreed to.With an ardent Anne making Miriel take her tonics on time, Miriel's fever subsided and her health slowly improved.-Miriel left her room and was walking in the corridor - a pale brown dressing robe covered her nightgown and slippers covered her feet - when she saw a familiar figure in front."Mark?" She called. She extended her left hand and hoisted her lamp forward.He turned around and he flinched, his eyes wide. His mouth opened but no scream escaped.Miriel frowned."It is quite late for your antics." She said."Sorry," Mark replied, scracthing his head as he straightened, "Just thought you were a ghost.""I am not that pale." Miriel shook her head, "And I have this lamp." She pumped the lamp and made it sound."The light blinded me and there is a ghost who carries a lamp, just so you know." Mark said."There is?" Miriel squinted her eyes."Yes." Mark nodded his head fervently.Miriel shrugged.Moonlight seeped through the panes ensconced on the walls. Mark had black trousers below his white shirt - tied with a belt - and leather shoes."Have you not even changed yet, Mark?" She asked."Don't feel sleepy, so I'm just wandering." He replied. "What about you?""Lavatory." She said."Hmm?" Mark raised his eyebrow, "Can't you just…" He didn't continue as he saw Miriel glaring at him."Well, let me walk you there at least." He said."How gallant." Miriel rolled her eyes.She continued walking with Mark to her right."So, are you well now?" He asked."Well enough to walk around." She replied."Just so you know, I did try to visit but that new maid of yours shooed me away.""She did good," Miriel nodded, "You would only trouble me and skip your lessons.""I wouldn't use it as an excuse to skip. At least, not so often." He mumbled."How are your lessons fairing?" She asked."Slower than I thought. The old man makes me repeat them if I forget even once. I had the same lesson for three days straight before we went to the next one." He grimaced."Louis is doing good as well." She nodded."Pity me as well, would ya'?" His head drooped.Miriel patted his back with her right hand.They reached a wood door with two vertical lines bisecting three wavy horizontal lines etched near the top."I'll wait out here." Mark said.Miriel nodded and entered, lamp in hand.-She came out and turned to her left. Mark was sitting on the ground - elbows crossed and resting on his knees - staring at the wall across him.As he turned to her, Miriel saw his eyes and his mouth widen for a moment."Even the first was not funny." She lightly shook her head."Ha, ha." He gave a dry chuckle.He stood and arched his back, then straightened."That ghost story, Mark. Where did you hear it?" She asked."The one with a lantern?" He replied.Miriel nodded."At the barricade. We exchanged a lot of stories at night, and whenever we were free ""Any other interesting things you heard there?" Miriel said."Well," He scratched his head, "While I was there, I realized monsters are real."They stared at each other for a moment."Can you head back by yourself, Miriel?" Mark asked."That is something I am familiar with." Miriel replied."Good night, Miriel." He said."Good night." She replied.Miriel watched Mark turn and walk further and further along the corridor.She did the same and returned to her room.