Allison woke to the cold of her small room. She didn't know why, but her room in particular always felt cold and it wasn't just her opinion either, everyone said so even the owner. They had tried finding the problem but the room seemed fine, built exactly like the rest with no holes or anything. Allison always thought about it when she woke up. It was still dark out and she hadn't even heard the early morning bird calls.The sheets, again ,were already scrunched at the bottom of the bed. She pushed a deep sigh out of her lips and got up. There was no point in lingering in bed any longer, she was awake and nothing but pure exhaustion could put her to sleep again. It was time to work.
Allison worked as a maid , a head maid in fact. The position had nothing to do with her age or experience but rather the odd inclination that employers have to promote those good at their jobs to higher stations. She didn't mind it really,but the requirement to delegate and manage people who had been maids in the mistress' employ longer than her was a bit tedious. In truth she didn't care, but it was annoying having them gossip and grumble about her and then plaster fake smiles on whenever she entered a room.
Her mistress wasnt very fusy or demanding, in fact she often dolled out rewards generously so her employees could be happy. The promotion was one such reward. The maids often had tea together with the mistriss to enjoy each others company and conversation. Allison worked. She worked constantly, going over everything with a fine toothed comb,it was a welcome distraction.
Still in her small clothes she quitly stalked to the staff bathroom ,her maids uniform tucked tightly under her arm. The water was cold, heated water only meant for her mistress, it was refreshing though jarring. Drying herself of she slipped into maid dress and proceded back to her room . Walking to the the mirror in her room she studied herwself. Her dress was neat ,her headress was tidy, her face blank and expressionless. It was hard to figure out expressions and she didnt know why she could do it before and remembered that it was meant to be effortless. brown eyes , dark hair , thin lips. she attempted a smile and it was wrong, dont know why or how just that it was . she never smiled with her mistress or her colleagues. there were four of them, the gardner and groundskeeper, who lived a short distance away with his wife, they were expecting a child soon. The two maids who were her subordinates and had lived in the servants quearters with her, they were a few years older than her, and finally there was the coach driver. he was the oldest member of staff and took care of the horses and managed the stables and stable boys.
Her clothes prim and proper she stalked out of her room and entered the kitchen, she usually made the breakfast since she was always up first. she liked the quiet. though this morning felt a bit too quiet. She hadnt heard the rooster yet, and it would usually be up just after she would reach the kitchen, screeching at everyone else to get up. There was none of that today though, just the bubbling of the pot of oats she was preparing. When the bubbling ceased and the only sounds were her spoon scrapping her bowl Allison felt something was odd. The sun was starting to paint the world with its glow and none of her colleagues had appeared.
This was odd. She knew that her colleagues disliked her but she didn't believe it was grounds for insubordination. Surely they knew that such behaviour would lead to their prompt unemployment.
Allison gave them another minute before she would investigate and yet when 60 seconds had elapsed they still had not appeared. Vexing. Slinking back towards the servants quarters she passed her room, it was closest to the exit, feeling it's familiar chill briefly and pried at the handle of the next door over. The homely built maid stayed here, Allison couldn't remember her name, just that she was the younger of the two and was for some inexplicable reason madly in love with the married groundskeeper.