“You have lovely hair,” Dreca commented while running her fingers through it. I searched for some ulterior motive behind her kind words as well but found none.
“Thank you,” I said sincerely. They both started for the door and headed to supper.
I looked into Ana’s bright white vanity mirror. The dark glow that radiated from my black smock mimicked my emotions. I didn’t cry, though I wanted to, at the thought of having to do this day after day. There were no tears left. I felt desperate, alone, and dreadfully miserable. I finally made my way back to the kitchen to have my supper. We ate leftovers from the night before. Madeline sat next to me, and I couldn’t help but feel grateful to see her face again. She was the only person that I found to be friendly here, and I desperately needed a friend.
“How was your day?” she whispered to me as we ate.
“Hell. How about yours?” I asked.
“Same. Another day in the Mezz. Listen, I assume that you met Humbert last night, right?” she asked.
I nodded.
“He’s a swell fellow. He can take messages from one side of the kingdom to the next in a matter of minutes. Incredible, he is.”
I wish I had someone to write to. Chester, maybe? I desperately wanted to know why he thought it would be okay to leave me with two kidnapping brats.
“Would it be alright if I asked him to deliver a message for me?” I lowered my voice until it was barely audible.
“Yes. But don’t tell me about it. We’re denied contact with outsiders here. So keep it quiet,” she said in the same low voice. I agreed.
After getting the girls up to bed and dressed, I went to close Dreca’s door. That’s when Mrs. Tresels walked past me. She stopped momentarily at seeing me, gave me a cold stare, and continued on her way.
I returned downstairs to clean the kitchen and was finally released late in the night. I trailed down the narrow hall of windows feeling despair again. The two moons shone bright and the scenery outside reminded me of a fairy tale. Everything about this place felt surreal, like it couldn’t possibly be my new reality. The real world doesn’t live outside of time with immortal people and magic. Does it?
When I approached my cell, I saw the guard trying to peek into Madeline’s room.
I coughed, and he scurried back to his post.
I washed my hands and face, put on my nightgown, and curled into bed. That’s when I saw Humbert appear. He had another piece of paper, only this time it was blank. Thanks, Madeline. I remembered seeing a pencil in the vanity yesterday as I searched through it. I retrieved it and wrote a note to Chester.
Chester,
I have no idea why someone would allow another person to get kidnapped. I really needed a friend here and hoped you were one. Now I’m a slave at the Tresels’ manor, and it’s all because of you. All I want to know is why?
Rowena
I rolled up the note, gave it to Humbert, and watched as his wings took off into the night. I curled up in my bed and prayed for the nightmare to be over. But it was only the beginning.
Chapter 6
Weeks passed with nothing new to the days. I kept up with the time by carving a mark on the side of the chifforobe. I never heard back from Chester. The only highlight was passing notes back and forth to Madeline. I found out that she had been abducted from her family in Cassel, an area on the outer edge of the kingdom. She was the oldest of ten children. A man on a horse swooped her up one day when she picked fruits from their garden. She kept in contact with her family, though, via Humbert. I couldn’t understand why they never tried to help her escape, but she explained that escaping was not an option. Where would she escape to? The same place they found her? Pointless. Not to mention the danger her family would be placing themselves in.
I also asked her occasional questions about Mezzanine. I didn’t understand how people who never aged had children. She said that though children are no longer born in the kingdom, at one time Mezzanine lived under Time. Then people lived just like in my world, but when the portals closed the chasm, they were no longer open to Time. Now children stay children and adults stay the same age.
By my calculations that would have made her over 600 years old. I tried not to think about that. The creep factor was too great.
I also noticed that she had some type of attracting quality. I caught Mr. Tresels eyeing her on more than one occasion, and a few of the garden men did too. She was pretty, I thought, but nothing extraordinary. The brats were even better looking. It baffled me, but I chose not to ask her about it.
She said that Mr. and Mrs. Tresels are royals, but low ranking ones. Their magic was weak, though still effective. They employed unreliable soldiers, like Hans and Greta. She said the twins are known for torturing some subjects before turning them over. They’ve even reportedly “lost” subjects. Rumors have it that they eat them in their famous muffins. I asked her how that was possible if there is no death.
“I think it’s just a myth,” she said.
I couldn’t help but grip my stomach and imagine the irresistible banana nut I’d ate while in their possession. And that conversation ended. Sometimes it’s best not to ask questions you don’t want to know the answers to.
We found time to chat during meals, if we were quiet enough. Mistress Rue kept the kitchen on whisper orders, as to not get complaints from our royal neighbors.
I followed orders the best I could. The sisters kept me busy from sun up to sun down, and I hated them for it. Every day was the same thing, with the occasional switch up of piano lessons for Latin lessons and so on. I wondered if they knew that Latin was a dead language.
I kept up my work, but by month two, I was beyond homesick. I suffered from spontaneous bouts of crying. Even Mistress Rue was moved to show some compassion. She let me off an entire half day once on one of my more severe outbreaks, which would have been Christmas day. I missed everything about home. I thought about it constantly. I would feel guilty if I caught myself allowing a few moments to go by without picturing their faces in my mind, but details faded with every passing day. I could no longer hear Lil’s weird laugh. I could just barely trace Dashielle’s palm creases in my mind like I had millions of times. Even the shade of L'Oréal Mom dyed her hair, now had left my memory. My mind’s grip on the people I loved was slipping. I knew I was losing them, and losing them meant losing me.
I also wondered what they must be thinking. I’d been gone a long time now, and I couldn’t imagine what they must be going through. I could just see my stocking hanging lonely and unfilled on the ceremonious mantle. Do they miss me as much as I miss them?
Madeline and I set off towards the kitchen on our daily journey. We could smell breakfast the moment we hit the windowed hall.
“Look!” Madeline exclaimed. She pointed out the glass. I had long since stopped peering out. It was too painful and too difficult a reminder of my lost freedom. But I conceded since she never remarked about what was going on outside.
“Wow…” I was nearly speechless. White had blanketed, from what we could see, the entire kingdom. “I knew it was cold last night, but I hadn’t realized it was that cool.”
“Isn’t it… amazing.” Her voice trailed. We stood still for a moment and relished in what was the only thing that had really changed since I had been here.
“It’s beautiful.”
“We should sneak out and play for a bit,” she whispered, her eyes still fixed on the white. I stared at her, astonished. Madeline was a rule follower, even more so than I, and I knew she must have been joking.
“You’re kidding, right?” My words broke her stare, and she laughed a little.
“Of course.” Her demeanor then saddened. She was dreaming of freedom, and so was I.
We walked the rest of the way in complete silence. We had our breakfast in quiet and went about our day with barely a word. What could have been a beautiful moment, seeing the white twinkle in the breaking dawn, in reality was a sore reminder of the prison we lived in.
The comb sitting on her vanity caught my eye. The one she had stolen from me. I noticed she hadn’t worn it since the day she took it. She didn’t really want it. She just wanted to take something away from me. Spiteful girl. I made my way towards it, nonchalantly. Ana was still busying herself with her dozens of dresses. I swept the underside of my apron across the table, as if I were wiping away dust and pocketed my once beloved treasure. She wasn’t the wiser.
After getting them dressed, I escorted them to their lessons. Ana was feeling a bit tired after lunch and insisted she get more beauty sleep before supper. Her mother approved. I was just thankful to have one less witch for the day. It wasn’t until then that Mrs. Tresels informed me we were having unexpected guests tonight, and that the girls should look their best and be down early for conversation before supper. I nodded. What do you know? There are two abnormal things about today already. Three if you count me getting my comb back.
Dreca finished her lesson early, and I escorted her upstairs to dress. Once we reached the landing, I heard Ana’s voice wailing.
“That bloody wretch stole my comb!” she squealed. My heart sank. What was I thinking? Of course she would notice. She’s probably been leaving it there as bait! I tried to take a deep breath, and even though it was totally illogical, the words “innocent until proven guilty” kept running through my mind.
Ana stormed out of her room, darted towards us with ferocious eyes, and screamed, “What have you done with it?”
That’s when I realized she wasn’t talking to me. She was accusing Dreca. Relief swept over me like the summer sun, and I let out an involuntary sigh.
“What is your problem?” she asked me.
“Nothing, Miss. It’s just that we don’t have time to worry about this right now. It’s a special night, and Mrs. Tresels wants me to make sure you both look your very best.” I stuffed my hands into my pockets and squeezed the evidence.
“Well, get on with it then,” she griped. “But we’re not through with this conversation,” she said to Dreca.
After getting them ready and sending them downstairs, Headmistress Rue instructed all the servants to take a fifteen minute break to freshen up. She gave us each a clipping of lavender, I suppose to supplement for perfume. Mr. and Mrs. Tresels wanted us all to look presentable, which was rarely the case for us after a long day’s work. We moved like a mob to our rooms.
“How often do the Tresels have guests?” I asked Madeline, who was obviously still gloomy.
“Not very. They only have them when another royal family is cooking up some atrocious scheme to further destroy our little kingdom.” She frowned. I felt her pain. I wrapped my arm around her and hugged her. For a moment, we embraced one another, and all the sorrow that we had been ignoring burst. Our eyes erupted with tears. It was cathartic, really. We laughed at our overly emotional episode afterwards and rushed to our rooms.
The guard didn’t bother locking our doors since we were only going to be there for a few minutes. I went to my vanity. I couldn’t help but think about how nice it was to have a friend here — a true friend. Even at home I didn’t have one of those outside of Dashielle. I worry about him. I brushed my hair, put it in a bun, placed the lavender in it, and washed my hands and face. Just when I was about to walk out the door, I saw Humbert perched on the sill.
“What are you doing here little fella?” I whispered as I approached him. He had a note for me, which was almost a nightly thing from Madeline. But how did she have time to write a note and get ready? I gently took it from him, unrolled it, and read:
Rowena,
I know that you don’t understand why I didn’t do something about Hans and Greta that morning in the woods, but I had my reasons. I also had my reasons for why I have chosen not to write to you until now. I just want you to know that I’m sorry about what has happened to you, and I’m hoping that things will change very soon.
Me.
I held the note in amazement. After two months, he finally writes me back. Just to say, “I had my reasons.” What a jerk! I hid the note in the shoes that I’d worn into Mezzanine, at the bottom of the chifforobe with the other notes I’d received from Madeline.
I shrugged his useless words off and headed back. I must have missed Madeline. I should have waited for her, but I was too shaken by Chester’s note to remember.
When I got into the kitchen, the maids frantically worked to prepare the evenings meal. The food team was running behind, I was told. It was chaos. By the time the guests were fed by the dining servants, we were sweaty and just as wrecked as we were before getting freshened up. After eating, the waiting servants informed us that Mr. Tresels had requested us all in the dining room.
We nervously wiped the sweat from our brow with our aprons and lined ourselves from one end of the room to the other. I faced the strangers at the end of the line. A man, about forty, sat in front of me. He had dark, menacing features with black hair peppered with gray. He wore a shiny, tailored, black suit complete with a cane. He eyed us as if he were judging us. His wife, I assume, sat next to him. Her blonde hair sparkled in the candlelight. She looked to be about his same age, dressed in a heavily sequined gown with white gloves. I glanced at Ana and Dreca. They sat at the opposite end of the room, quietly bickering over something, probably the comb again. I nervously felt my pocket. Crap! I meant to leave it in my vanity.
As we all stood, Mr. Tresels talked to the guests. “To date, we have twenty-four servants. They work hard to make our lives pleasant. Isn’t that right, ladies?” We nodded. “Of course, we also have a handful of garden hands, but they’re dismissed before sunset every day. I would have had them stay if I’d known about your visit earlier, Mr. Dresdem.” He seemed anxious. These people must really be important, I thought.
“Never mind them. Last time we were here you only had twenty-three household servants?” he questioned.
“Oh yes. We’ve since added Ms. Rowena. She tends to the girls.” He came next to me and stopped. My heart sank at the attention. The last thing I wanted was for him to call me out. My butterfly twitched rapidly.
“Well, how do you do, Ms. Rowena? It’s nice to meet you.” There was something eerie in his voice. Something wicked.
“Nice to meet you too,” I said, barely audible.
His eyes met mine and he stared at me for what seemed like minutes. He looked me up and down, and then suddenly seemed uninterested. We were all dismissed. I couldn’t wait to get out of that room. Mistress Rue gathered up a team of women to serve drinks in the parlor to the guests, but I, thankfully, was not chosen.
Grateful for her mercy, I enjoyed looking at the fresh flakes falling in the twilight as I walked down the long hall. The moons’ glow made every piece of perfect white glimmer. The night literally glittered.
“May I have an extra blanket?” I asked as I approached the guard. He handed me one from a locked closet, and I silently went to my room. When I saw Madeline’s number right next to mine. That’s when I realized that I hadn’t seen Madeline all night. I was so caught up in my own anxiety that I hadn’t even noticed. Fear struck me. I looked back at the guard, who was counting the blankets, probably to see if he had enough to give everyone. I took the opportunity to peak through the opening in Madeline’s door.
“Madeline?” I whispered.
“I’m here,” her voice trailed.
“Are you okay?”
“Yes. I’m just not feeling well.” I felt relieved. The pervert of a guard probably didn’t even know she was there.
“Does Mistress Rue know you didn’t come up tonight?” I asked. I leaned against the door, trying to get a peek of her to make sure she was okay. The door flung open, and within seconds I was in the
re with her. She jumped out of bed, looked in the direction of the guard, which must have still been distracted, and closed the door until it nearly latched.
“No. I didn’t tell Mistress Rue. I figured there would be a lot of commotion, like there always is with visitors, and no one would notice if I were gone. It obviously worked.” She looked at me with disappointment. I knew she was upset that even I hadn’t noticed.
“I was nervous all night. The guest, this dark terrifying man came up to me, stared me down, and greeted me. My heart was pounding louder than a rock concert,” I said trying to deflect.
She gazed at me confused.
“Why would he care who you are? They never address us,” she questioned, her voice turning concerned.
That’s when it happened. Suddenly we heard footsteps trampling down the hall. No one ever comes down here.
“Find her, now!” I heard Mr. Dresdem say.
Madeline and I quietly hid under her bed.
Chapter 7
Within seconds of our disappearing, we heard three voices in my room. One of them was the calm, cool, and terrifying voice of Mrs. Tresels, the other Mr. Tresels, and of course, Dresdem.
“Mistress Rue said she sent her to her room a few minutes ago. There’s no reason for her to be anywhere else,” Mr. Tresels said with a quiver in his voice.
“I’m returning upstairs to finish my drink. She’d better be placed in my wagon before I finish,” Dresdem warned.
“Yes, sir,” Mr. Tresels whispered then yelled, “Guard, find Rowena, number three, fast! Recruit some help.”
Madeline and I looked at each other through the darkness. Her eyes pierced me, and I could see that she was as nervous as I was.
“What’s going on?” I whispered as quietly as I could. She put her finger to her lips, motioning for me to hush. She slowly made her way out from under the bed.
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