In the blink of an eye, night turned into day.
Having slept late last night with anxiety on their mind, the applicants woke up with dark circles under their eyes early in the morning. Unable to fall back asleep, they all got up and got moving.
The continuous clamoring outside the doors immediately woke up Blake who rubbed his eyes as he sat up in bed.
On the other two occupied beds, Chase and Rip were still sleeping away, unaffected by the external noise.
Getting off the bed, his unruly black hair lay in a curly manner around his head.
Gathering his morning necessities, Blake headed to the public bathroom shared by the entire population of applicants. It was the last day they were going to share this public bathroom.
After today, some of them will leave and find jobs elsewhere, while the rest of them will stay here for their employment.
Placing down his toothbrush, toothpaste, and cup, Blake soaked his face towel in warm water from the running sink.
Twisting the towel and squeezing out the excess and dripping water, he placed the moist towel on his face.
Gently but firmly wiping his face with the warm, wet towel, Blake felt much more awake.
Staring into the mirror in front of him, a pale, white face marred with visible dark circles under the eyes greeted his dark, gloomy eyes.
It was a pair of clear, almost transparent eyes that reflected the image of a black-haired and black-eyed young man much like himself but without the dark circles in the mirror, however, something about them exuded an unexplainable gloom.
After he washed his face and brushed his teeth, Blake took his stuff and went back to the dorm room where he found Chase and Rip up and awake.
Rip was on his phone, bored, and playing a random game, while Chase was changing his clothes and brushing his long hair. The mix of orange and yellow looked rarely mellow in the weak light coming from the windows.
Seeing Blake returning, Chase greeted him with a bright and sunny grin, "Good morning, Blake."
Having been concentrating on playing the phone game, it wasn't until Chase spoke that Rip noticed Blake's presence. Throwing his phone with the game still on onto the bed, Rip jumped off the bed agilely and greeted, "Good morning!"
Blake nodded to the both of them, then he walked to his area and put the things in his hands away.
"Sooo~ Are either of you nervous about the results coming out today?" Rip asked cheekily as a topic of conversation as he jumped onto Chase's bed. Rolling around, the covers and pillow flew everywhere.
Rolling his eyes, Chase threw the shirt he had just changed out of onto Rip's head as payback for messing up the bed he had just made.
Pulling the shirt off his head, Rip stuck his tongue out at Chase with a playful glint in his blue eyes. He threw the shirt back to Chase who threw it into his laundry basket.
"Nothing to be nervous about," Chase replied calmly and confidently.
Because of his childhood circumstances, as soon as he reached the age where he could be considered for employment, Chase found himself a job. This was so that he could support himself and his little brother when it comes time they leave the orphanage.
After all, the orphanage can't support them forever.
Having been out in the society for his whole life, he had gradually gained the ability to read people's eyes and their general emotions and thoughts, this allowed him to survive in the cruel world known as the workplace.
In this situation, this ability of his has once more come in handy.
That's why he was so confident and not nervous at all. Nerves wouldn't help him at all anyways, they would only increase his stress for no good reason.
That and he has great confidence in his cooking skills.
On the other hand, Blake did not respond.
Indifferent and nonchalant as ever, Blake clearly did not feel nervous.
"What about you? Are you nervous?" Chase shot back the question at a restless Rip.
"Nope!" Rip answered almost the instant the question came out.
"Oh?" Chase raised an eyebrow. "And why are you so confident?"
'I'm not nervous because I know that I'll be by big brother Ian's side no matter what, it's only a matter of time. Even if I don't get hired this time, I will be taken in sooner or later. My dad is under him so it goes without saying that I will also work for big brother Ian one day!' Rip took it for granted and thought secretly to himself, tasting the sweetness of having connections and a background to propel himself without any effort for the first time.
"It's a secret~" Rip smiled smugly.
"It's always a secret with you." Chase chuckled.
Bzz. Bzz.
Suddenly, a loud buzzing sound from an electric speaker sounded throughout the dorming area.
The sudden and unexpected noise startled all the applicants.
"Hello and good morning, applicants. This is Instructor Mary. Please gather in Room A, we will be announcing the hirings."
Sss.
With a static sound, the speaker quietened and no voice could be heard.
The moment of truth has come.
Everyone started heading towards Room A. Some of them were so nervous that they had to sling arms over their companions' shoulders to be able to walk, otherwise, their jelly legs would have buckled.
After going through that gruesome special training that was simply hell on earth, many of them were trained to perfection as a household serving staff, however, because of the unusual testing format, most of the applicants' hearts were knocked off balance.
It was similar to the feeling of studying hard for a test with the goal and confidence of acing it, only to discover that everything you had studied before did not apply to the test. That feeling of doing something in vain discouraged a few of the applicants who were more mentally vulnerable compared to the rest of the applicants. They were also the ones who performed the worst out of the whole group in the talent showcase.
Inside Room A, the only auditorium within the special training building.
Holding a wireless microphone in her hands, Instructor Mary and a few other instructors were given the important mission of appointing the newest recruits of the Everett Mansion staff.
After saying a few pleasantries, she read from a clipboard the predetermined names of those who had passed the test and were hired.
Those whose names were called cheered silently in their hearts while their bodies remained straight and firm, but noticeably, their chest puffed out in their pride. Although the entire journey has been long and harsh, they have survived and made it through. Now that they were hired for the job with a high salary, they only need to enjoy life and won't need to worry about the livelihood of their family.
Unnoticeably, a feeling of gratitude welled up in their hearts towards the magnanimous Everett family, their new masters.
Those who waited until the end of the announcements but still haven't heard their names were sad and angry. Mutterings of discontent bubbled into the air from time to time, but none of them dared to speak them out loud for everyone, especially the instructors, to hear.
What the special training has taught them the most—the lesson to be engraved on their hearts, was to never talk back to their superiors or question their orders.
Subconsciously, not one of the people who were not chosen voiced their complaints and dissatisfaction outside a murmur. However, that doesn't mean those negative emotions and feelings were weak.
As an ending remark, Instructor Mary specifically said this for the ones who were not on the list, "First and foremost, for those of you who are not hired by us, do not carry resentment towards the Everett family."
'How can we not hold resentment?! After everything we went through we still lost the good job opportunity! And some of the ones who did worse than us still got picked! It's unfair!' Disgruntled, they all grumbled in their hearts.
Instructor Mary continued as though she could hear their inner voices, "Do not worry. Need I remind you of the special training certificate you were awarded with unlike those who quit halfway. With it, you won't have to struggle with finding a good paying job outside of the Estate.
"Let me make it known: Our special training course is very famous outside. Those graduates who weren't chosen by us can quickly find themselves another job. That's how honored and grateful you should be to have been here, because it opened the road to numerous hiring possibilities from different employers. You did not suffer your hardships in vain! Remember that!"
It was not the first time Instructor Mary spoke those lines, albeit the wording was slightly different each time, so she spoke them with practice and a strong momentum, moving the hearts of those resenters and clearing away their discontentments.
Knowing that they can now find other jobs easily, their raised hearts settled back down in their chests.
Having cut off the roots of any future hostilities, the announcement came to an official end and Instructor Mary dismissed everyone.
Those who should leave should pack their stuff and leave the estate under the escort of the guards. While those who should stay on for their new job here, should pack their stuff too and leave for the Everett Mansion's staff dormitory.
After Room A emptied out, Instructor Mary left with the other instructors. Since the special training and the test was over, they were packing up and moving out of the building as well.
While all the dorms were either bursting with joy and excitement or looming with depression and dejection, one dorm in particular was calm and peaceful, relaxed even.
Rip stuffed his suitcase a little cleanly this time with all his things, showing his maturing mind.
But, as always, Chase was the cleanest and neatest one of the three.
Apart from the familiar two, the third addition had nothing to pack except for a few changes of clothes and his white headphones. He only owned the bare minimum.
Once they finished packing up all their stuff to move to the staff dormitory, they left the building they had stayed in for over a month with the rest of the group.
Once they exited the building, the river split into two streams, each going their respective ways.
Looking back on the leaving backs of the applicants on the path to exiting the estate, Rip's heart did not feel any sympathy or pity for them.
Those who fail do not deserve to serve big brother Ian!
An uncharacteristic glint of coldness flashed past Rip's bright eyes.
Just as he was about to turn his head back, a whisper entered his ears coincidentally.
Instantly, a ferocious fire of anger broke out in his chest, burning his heart to ashes.