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разум: нυят

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Time: 2:03pm
Date: Unspecified. Somewhere not too long ago
Weather: Cloudy, looks like rain soon
Season: Summer
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l̸i̸f̸e̸ c̸a̸n̸ b̸e̸ t̸o̸u̸g̸h̸. b̸e̸c̸a̸u̸s̸e̸ l̸i̸f̸e̸ d̸o̸e̸s̸n̸'t̸ r̸e̸a̸l̸l̸y̸ l̸i̸k̸e̸ u̸s̸. w̸e̸, w̸h̸o̸ c̸o̸n̸s̸t̸a̸n̸t̸l̸y̸ m̸o̸c̸k̸ a̸n̸d̸ d̸o̸u̸b̸t̸ i̸t̸, a̸r̸e̸ l̸o̸a̸t̸h̸e̸d̸ b̸y̸ i̸t̸. w̸e̸ p̸r̸a̸y̸ t̸o̸ d̸e̸a̸t̸h̸ a̸n̸d̸ c̸a̸l̸l̸ l̸i̸f̸e̸ a̸ p̸r̸e̸t̸t̸y̸ l̸i̸e̸. w̸e̸ s̸c̸o̸r̸n̸ l̸i̸f̸e̸ f̸o̸r̸ i̸t̸s̸ e̸x̸i̸s̸t̸e̸n̸c̸e̸, e̸v̸e̸n̸ t̸h̸o̸u̸g̸h̸ d̸e̸e̸p̸ d̸o̸w̸n̸ w̸e̸ k̸n̸o̸w̸, i̸t̸s̸ a̸l̸l̸ w̸e̸ h̸a̸v̸e̸.

I stared at the ground, watching my feet shuffle against the grimy muck on the sidewalk. Why did dad have to send me out for groceries today? I kicked a stone down the sidewalk. Not like he was worried anyway. It was getting colder, that meant the creeps would be out soon. I held myself with my arm as a man in a black hoodie shoved by. I thanked the lord he didn’t grab me. Dad said it would be nice in France. Dad said the people would be nice is Paris. Dad lied. Dad only came to get away from past regrets. That’s what Mother said to him before she left for good. Before she left us for good. Before she left me for good. I held my arm tighter. I turned a sharp right out of the crowd and up the driveway. The house wasn’t looking too hot lately. There were gaping cracks on the left side of it. The door was slightly broken open from when Mom ran. A large spider crawled up the side of the roof and into the gutter. I shivered, I hadn’t cleaned the gutter yet. I sighed, and dismayed at the sight. The house was completely ruined. I gathered up my courage and stepped inside. It reeked of wine and smoke; I staggered back a little. The tv was on, and I shut the door as much as I could. The head that poked above the couch cusions turned a little.
“Did you get the groceries, Q?” A man grumbled in a raspy voice.
“Yes, Dad.” I replied, setting down the bags and beginning to put them away. I opened the bag a little and froze. I forgot the wine. Well, I had to! I wasn’t of age to buy liquor. Hopefully he would sober up and remember the law this time. I shook off my anxiety and focused on the tasks at hand. The fridge creaked open, almost empty except for some milk that smelled past the date. I replaced it with the new milk. My stomach grumbled, and I sucked in to shut it up. Dad would be angry if I interrupted his show. It wasn’t like this before. The house was nice and the people were nice and the door wasn’t broken and the fridge was full and we were happy. We were happy and full and complete and it was all fine until—
“Q.” Dad barked.
I nearly jumped out of my skin, “Yes..?” I prayed and prayed I didn’t do something wrong.
“I’m out of wine. Bring me the new one.” He commanded, putting his empty wine glass out expectantly. My heart dropped onto my stomach, and I almost threw up.
“D-Dad I.. didn’t bring any.” He went quiet, the silhouette of his hand disappeared behind the couch.
“Why not?” He questioned, I could slightly see a glint of rage in his eyes from the reflection of the tv. His eyes looked black, black like the dark pits of bruises that were about to consume my body.
“They.. were all out of wine.” I lied, I panicked.
“Bull, why didn’t you go to the liquor store then?!” His voice was rising.
“I can’t. They.. won’t let me in.” He went quiet again. Doom. Doom was ahead. I could see it in the corners of my gaze there was doom. He stood. Oh no. He turned his body and began to make his way over in a half stomp. No please.. He grabbed me.
“Then why didn’t you tell me that when you read over the list?!” He yelled, and he yelled hard. He let go of me in a drop/throw. I hit the ground. Bruise number one. He yelled again, “Now I have to get my drunk ass in the car and drive there!! I could go to jail!!” He knocked over a box from the grocery bag that fell onto my thin bicep. Bruise number two. He lifted me up again, bringing me face to face.
“And you wouldn’t want daddy to go to jail.. would you..?” He angrily seethed through his wine stained teeth. I held back a scowl at the smell.
“N-no.” That was mostly a lie. I hid my hatred behind my iris. He was dirty, dirty vermin that belonged in jail. Dad is a bottom feeder. He dropped my, and I hit my shin on a misplaced tile. Bruise number three.
He stomped outside, “I’ll be back in an hour or so.. make yourself useful and uh.. I dunno. Just do something you lazy pest.” He slurred his speech. God willing he wouldn’t be taken by a cop. He slammed the door, and cursed when it slightly opened again. I began putting the groceries away painfully. I could hear him slam the car door and skid off with a screech. Lord save me. I prayed, putting the cheese away. After putting away the groceries, I slowly moved over to the couch area, my leg crying out for me to sit. Mess. Mess everywhere. Wine spills on the couch, a chip in the wine glass, smoke stains, and a remote covered in Cheeto dust.
“And he called me a lazy pest..” I growled, beginning to clean as much as I could. I miss Mom. I want to run back to Mom.. a small voice chirped in my head. I shook my head at myself. She’s gone, we don’t know where she went, idiot! The voice chirped again. I don’t wanna be here.. I wanna run away. I almost laughed at that one, where to, huh? Gonna swim to America!? I almost slammed the towel onto the table. I sighed, I was getting angry. I calmed myself down and threw away his cigarettes, then looked at the tv. He was watching the news. A reporter was speaking in French.
I did my best to translate, “Three young girls went missing last night and are nowhere to be found. Witnesses say they heard a loud bang, before a small scream, then silence. The girls lived around..” I barely made out that part. Sounded like an address. The only part that sounded familiar was “Bois de nuit.” Or, “Nightwood.” I dipped my head in respect for the lost, and prayed that the girls would find their way home. Nightwood wasn’t near me and was rumored to be a bad neighborhood, somehow worse than ours. I shrugged it off, hopefully I would be fine here alone for awhile.

It was getting late, I was thinking of going to bed since I finished cleaning all that I could. Then, the door creaked open. I looked up, then lightly settled when I recognized dad. He set the wine on the table, then poured himself a glass. Shame.. I thought. He looks like he’d sobered up, too. He yawned and brushed past me without looking. He sat back down and put his mucky feet on the table. Not even a thank you. Who was I kidding? He never said sorry or thank you anymore anyways. I looked outside, it began raining a few hours ago. A strip of lightning lit up the road, cars still rushing by. No wonder Dad was so late.
“Q. Bring me more wine.” Dad uttered, putting his glass back out again. I shivered, picking up the bottle gently. I slowly inched forward, and lightning struck again. I didn’t see the misplaced tile. I felt my feet slip from underneath me as my breath caught in my throat. D͓̽o͓̽o͓̽m͓̽. I fell to the ground. D͓̽o͓̽o͓̽m͓̽. The wine bottle shattered. D͓̽o͓̽o͓̽m͓̽. My hands trembled in front of me, my face covered in merlot. I was absolutely, D͓̽o͓̽o͓̽m͓̽e͓̽d͓̽. Dad turned very slowly. “What.. the hell.. was that..?” His hand was trembling with rage. I inched my way to my feet slowly, quaking with each movement. Bruise number four and five.
“I.. dropped the wine. T-the tile! I.. didn’t see it.” I clenched my shirt in helpless terror. “I’m.. sorry, Dad.” He threw his glass at the wall, I watched it shatter in slow motion. He stood and stomped toward a closet. What was he getting..? He tore a dog cage out from the closet and stomped out the back door. After a couple seconds he came back inside and stopped in front of me.
He looked me in the eyes, “I am so disappointed in you. I give you one simple task and you mess it up!” He slapped me hard and grabbed the collar of my shirt. Bruise number six. He dragged me outside and threw me into the cage. And bruise number seven, my lucky number. He locked the latches and gave me a final look. “If you escape, god help me I will find you. You understand?!” He bellowed, pointing a big finger at me. I trembled with disbelief and fear, barely managing a nod. “Good. I’ll be back for you in the morning, trash heap.” He spit on me. His gross, sticky, wine colored spit on my face. I felt oddly, underestimated. He slammed the door, and I watched as the rain fell through the bars of the cage, and onto my head.

It had been an hour. The rainwater had started to really seep, along with my anger and grief. If Mom hadn’t left, this wouldn’t have happened. If Dad hadn’t thrown the punch, the wouldn’t have happened. I wouldn’t be in a cage soaked with French rainwater at one in the morning. I clutched my bruise on my leg. I didn’t wanna be here. I didn’t wanna be in this cage. I glared at the latches in hate. What? Did he think I was an idiot? Even a toddler can undo those.. No, he didn’t think I was dumb.. he thought I was obedient. My rage grew. Well that was the end of that. No more, I wouldn’t take the abuse any longer. I slipped my hands through the thin bars and undid one as quietly as I could, along with the other one. I took a deep breath and held it, slowly pushing forward.

C͟͟r͟͟e͟͟e͟͟a͟͟a͟͟a͟͟a͟͟a͟͟k͟͟k͟͟...

Crap.. I heard footsteps nearing the door, and I shut the cage closed again, I tried to make it look like I was just gripping the bars as the back door opened. Lightning struck, and faded just in time so they looked locked. Looked locked enough for his drunk mug at least.. I added, dropping my gaze. He stood for awhile, then went back inside. I waited until I heard the TV unmute, then grabbed the latches and opened the door quickly to avoid creaking. I slowly crept out, my legs singing in pain. I winced and stood. I familiarized myself with my surroundings and turned behind me. There was a bush that had an opening to the sidewalk. I could make it, but I would have to run. My adrenaline pumped through my veins. All the power and fear I felt burst at the seam, and I sprang forward, booking it toward the bush. The grass made my steps quiet, until I splashed in a mud puddle. I ignored it and kept going. I crouched under the bush and crawled. I knew I was in pain because of the crappy mulch we had, but I was too rushed to feel pain right now. Screaming and crying and cowering from him was the last thing on my list. All I could do now, was run. I burst through the opening and onto the other side of the large bushes and trees. I panted and my heart jumped as Dad’s car gave a pained start. Hide, hide! The voice rang out, and I flew behind a tree, cupping my hand over my mouth in an attempt to quiet down. His old 4x4 slowly creeped around the corner. I used the tree shadow to my advantage and moved with it to avoid being seen. It crept along and along slowly. Me heart pounded to the point where it hurt. I prayed harder then every before, and his car finally turned the corner. I began to run in the opposite direction. Away from the house, away from his car, away from the bruises, away from the memories, away from the door, away from the fridge, away from the cage. Both of them.

I held myself tightly. I was cold, wet, and sobbing, along with my eyes. It was dark and scary, I had managed to find my way into a tree line. My crappy shoes broke so I threw them, now I regret it. My feet ached with every step, my legs weak from the bruising and bleeding. I was tired, I wasn’t going to make it much longer. I walked through the tree line and into a clearing. It looked like.. a yard. A big, big yard! I could see the biggest house I’ve ever laid eyes on in the distance. It was.. so beautiful. But I couldn’t, quite make it out anymore. The grass was soft, and I felt myself lower to my knees as a bright light shined in my eyes. He found me.. didn’t he?

I let out a groan, my soggy eyes opening up. I expected an angry father, but instead I got a girl. A girl with long pigtails who looked about 16. She lifted a wet rage off of my head.
“Oh thank goodness you’re awake. A guard found you covered in cuts and bruises.. you looked roughed up.” She carried a heavy French accent.
I shivered, “w-where am I..?” She gave a gentle shh.
“You’re safe, I promise.” I opened my eyes all the way. Was that a maid outfit?? I looked around. I was in a big room, a nice comfy bed, and bandages that were on my legs. There were curtains, a big desk, a tray of medicines and food, a big closet, and a door that looked to be an exit.
“Why am I.. here? I passed outside didn’t I?” I asked, looking up at her.
“Well, as I said. You were found by a guard and shown to Master Florian. He demanded we get you to safety, so now you are here. He was waiting for you to wake up, I’ll go fetch him. Take a moment to rest, the medicine is on the table, take it.” She hurried with her speech, apparently not wanting to keep this “Master Florian” guy waiting. My head began to spin. Mansion? Master? Maids? Guards? Medicine? Someone actually.. caring about me? I was stunned, the only thing I knew right now was take the medicine and figure out where to go from here. I slowly sipped the medicine, cringed at its bitter taste, and took a sip of water. There was a knock at the door.
"C-come in?" I lifted the blankets over my white gown they had clothed me in. Someone came in, a boy. He wore formal clothes and was tall. He looked my age.
"Sorry, for the intrusion." He sat down on the chair beside the bed. His accent was slightly.. British. "I bet you're confused, yes?" His voice was gentle.
I nodded, "Yeah.. I am."
"May I ask what happened to you?" He ventured, tilting his head.
"...I.. ran away from home." I answered slowly.
"What? Why would you do that?" He replied, chuckling a little.
"My dad.. he.. beat me. My Mom.. left. That's why I'm covered in bruises, I ran." His eyebrows raised a little, and he put a hand on my shoulder.
"I'm.. very sorry for you, young lady. I'm guessing you wouldn't want to return to him..?" I shook my head and shivered.
"No.. No please don't send me back, I don't know what he'd do to me.."
"I don't either.. Which is why I won't send you back." He replied, looking me sincerely in the eyes. I nodded frantically and smiled.
"But if you live here, you're going to have to know how things work around here. Who was the maid in here earlier?"
I shrugged, "I didn't get her name or anything.."
He scratched his palm while he thought, "hm, what's she look like then?"
"16.. Long, red pigtails, green eyes?" I informed.
“Hm, one moment.” He stood to his feet and walked toward the door. He paused with his hand on the door handle. “Ah, yes. Before I forget, what is your name?” I paused, could I really trust this boy?
“Um.. Quince. Quince L’Oréal Finch.” I spoke, twirling a hair between my finger nervously.
“Alright, Quince. The maid will be with you shortly, I’ll have her take care of the introductions. Have a... pleasant stay.” He gave a smile, then left. The door closed with a quiet ‘click’. I let myself process for a moment, then looked around for my old clothes. No sign of them, until I saw a piece of black cloth sticking out of the trash can. I grumbled to myself. Ugh! My leggings.. I guessed they had clothes for me. Maybe in the closet..? I got out of bed and made my way to the closet. I couldn’t wait to get out of the white gown. As I neared the closet, the door clicked open. I flinched, and turned around. Holding my breath, I went to see who it was.
“Hello? Quince, was it?” The French accent came again. It was the same girl, so Florian was right.
I lowered my arm, “o-oh! Hello..” I awkwardly shuffled away from the door.
“I don’t know what you were doing but.. please stay out of closets, okay? It’s not very proper to snoop, I don’t know if you knew that.” She chided politely.
I nodded, “Yeah! Sure.. sorry.” She smiled and sat on the chair next to the window. She invited me to sit on the other chair with her hand. I walked over slowly and sat down, feeling a bit intimidated. She was a lot taller than me, and looked strangely.. tough. Her shoulders were squared and her chin slightly lifted; baring some of her freckles. Her hands were positioned over each other on her lap, slightly clenched. But when she spoke, she was soft, polite and intelligent.
“Anyway, Master Florian has informed me that you are staying here; that meaning I am in charge of you.” I nodded as she continued, “my name is Wendy.. hm, last names aren’t important. Just call me Wendy.”
“Alright..” I agreed, sitting up a little.
“Before I continue, you’re staying here forever, right?” She questioned, tightening her grasp on her lap. I hesitated, it was a bit of a commitment but.. what other choice did I have?
“Yeah, forever. I don’t have anywhere else to go, really.”
“Alright then, welcome to the clan.” She reached out to shake my hand. I froze up. Clan..? Clan?!
“Y-yeah.. thanks!” I shook her hand back. She had a firm grip. I really had no idea what I had gotten into, but I didn’t have anywhere else to go.
“Do you know how clans work? No, never mind. You don’t.” She laughed. I blinked, she was a bit odd. “A Clan is a group of people who band together for a purpose. That being to reproduce, share food, or for some, kill things.”
My hands twitched, “K... kill things..? What for?!”
She lifted her finger to her lips, “Hush! Quiet down, will you? We’ll get to that later. I can’t tell you anything more until you undergo initiation.”
“Initiation??” I was a little scared now. “This isn’t a cult, is it??”
“No no no! Of course not! We are not here to worship anything. If the opposite, actually.” She seemed a bit irritated. Time to stop asking stupid questions.. I guessed.
“Well.. when do I start?” I had to admit, I was a bit eager to see what was before me.
"It depends on when Master Florian is available again. He just left for a meeting so he will be back in an hour or so. Meanwhile, how about I show you around?" I felt I didn't have a choice really.
"Alright, sounds good. It'd be good to know where I am now at least.." Wendy smiled, and stood.
"Stay close behind me and try not to talk too much. The people here are very busy and would greatly appreciate it if you would not disturb their work, okay?" She sounded like a forewarning sign before you walked into an office. I nodded and followed behind her out of the door.

The hallways were big and long, to the left of me were large windows that looked out into the yard. There was lots of tall grass and even some corn growing nearby, but only a small patch. In the distance, a large barn-looking house was visible.
I leaned up to whisper into Wendy's ear, "what's that building for??"
She whispered back, "I'll tell you later." I began to perceive 'I'll tell you later' as 'you're not one of us and I can't trust you'. I shivered, suspicious.. We kept walking, door by door. The one's on the top floor must've been other rooms because she didn't start talking until we got in the elevator. "By the by, there's nothing that interesting on your floor besides rooms and storage and things.. You live on the third floor. The second floor is full of offices and main bedrooms. The first floor is the lobby and the basement is the break room. We also use that as storage.”
“Alright.” The elevator door opened. A man with a phone to his ear rushed into into it immediately. Wendy put a finger to her lips to signal this was a busier floor. I kept my mouth shut as we walked past two large double doors. She said nothing about them as we walked past, sparking my curiosity. She continued showing me around the places on the second floor I could and could not go, we made our way to the basement.
"Wendy, am I going to be a maid like you even if I don't undergo initiation?" I turned and looked up at her.
"Well, yes. But you won't go very far." She fixed her bow on her chest, straightening it out. I tried to think of a definition to far, but couldn't find one. She stepped put of the elevator to reveal the break room. Maids and butlers sat on couches and chairs, watching old shows on a giant flat screen and eating food. They turned to us when the elevator opened, then all eyes on me. I hid behind Wendy sheepishly, not really knowing what to do or say. After awhile they looked away, except for a maid with dyed blue ends. She came over, and peeked at me.
"A new one? She's cute!" The girl pinched my cheeks. I twitched a little, confused at the sudden contact.
"Now now, Sylvia. She's not very used to her surroundings yet so give her some space."
"Ha! Whatever, Wendy." She retorted, turning back to me. "What's your name, darling?"
"Um.. Quince." I replied, fiddling with my fingers.
"Oh! How Regal. You'll fit in here just fine." I decided not to mention I changed my name when I moved to Europe. Someone on the TV screamed, and she turned. “Oh my! I gotta watch this part, see you later, Quince! If you ever get tired of Wendy I work in-“ Wendy lifted a finger to her lips again. Sylvia cleared her throat, “If you ever get tired of Wendy I’ll be around, okay?” I nodded, a little confused. Her job must be cleaning toilets or something.. poor thing.
“Familiarize yourself, you’ll be here a lot.” Wendy remarked, smiling at me.
“The room? By myself?” I questioned. I wasn’t ready to walk around by myself I didn’t think. I looked over at the couch. Everyone seemed strangely.. tired. Bothering them wouldn’t be the best idea.. I assumed.
“Mhm! Go ahead, if anyone gives you trouble I’ll step in alright?” She pat me on the head. I nodded, and stepped away from her for the first time.

It was cold in the basement, no one seemed to be bothered except me. They must be warm on the couch and chairs. Wendy had gone to sit beside Sylvia and watch the TV. I gazed at the people on the couch. The people ranged from about ten years old to nineteen, some older, but mostly in that age group. They seemed to have their own groups despite their ages. They must be close.. I shrugged and walked toward the fridge, I was starving! Opening it, I was hit with dismay. Every scrap was labeled with someone’s name; and ‘DO NOT TOUCH’ written on it as well. My stomach growled, and I sucked it in to stop it. Suddenly, I caught a glimpse of something. Bread, no- a sandwich! It wasn’t labeled, either. It was a the most beautiful sandwich I’ve ever seen! Brown, crisp edges. A gorgeous smell, a plain old ham sandwich. Just like I used to eat them!! My mouth watering, I reached out for it eagerly. Just before I could reach, a black sleeve blocked my way. It was a messy sleeve, like the Grim Reapers’ sleeve. The Reaper, coming to take my precious sandwich!! I gazed to the side, a boy. A boy about a year older than me. He looked like the Grim Reaper. A gaunt, pale face. A sleek black haircut, and dull but pretty gray eyes, with hints of a light green somewhere. I had never seen such gray eyes before in my life.
I gathered my voice, “H-hey! That’s mine!” I reached up for it, but he lifted it up. I was too short to reach.
The grim boy took a bite, “I didn’t see your name on it.”
“Yours wasn’t on it either!!” I retorted, tugging on his messy butler sleeve. He grunted and tugged it out of my reach. I huffed, watching him stride over to the couch to join the others. He didn’t sit close to anyone, lone wolfing it on a old wooden chair. My stomach rumbled in defeat, as there was nothing left for me in the fridge. I closed it slowly, watching the light creep back into the crack, and then vanish. I turned to see if Wendy saw anything. Nope, still absorbed in the horror film. I held back a whine and walked away from the couch and the fridge. Beyond them was a large closet and boxes scattered around. I got on my tippy toes and peered into the box curiously. Weird dolls and abandoned kitchen ware. Mostly forks and knives, a few spoons scattered around. The dolls were oddly normal, for a basement most dolls would’ve been creepy and dusty and smiley, but these were oddly.. not so scary. I shrugged and went back to the abandoned kitchen ware. It reeked of old food and some sort of meat, like steak, but not exactly. Weird.. I contemplated, backing away from the boxed clutter. I neared the closet and put my hand on the handle. An old, rusty, ragged handle. I could’ve cut myself on it if I wasn’t careful. I slowly turned to knob, and it stopped. I turned again, and it stopped again. Locked.. I guessed. With nothing else to explore, I made my way back to the couch where Wendy was. I paused between the wooden tile floor and where it cut off into rug. Am I allowed to sit with them?? I feel like I’m missing some sort of hierarchy here. I pondered, staring at the groups on the couch. I coughed politely, trying to get Wendy’s attention. It worked, and she turned an eye to me quizzically. I pointed to the couch, and she shook her head. I blinked, a bit hurt and feeling a little left out. She looked around, then pointed to the old chairs behind the couch. So I probably am missing a hierarchy.. I scowled quietly and made my way to an old wooden chair. I moved some splinters off of it and sat. I wished even more I wasn’t in a white gown. Luckily, I had been given a bra at the very least, but I felt quite exposed and unladylike. I turned, and narrowed my eyes. The Grim Reaper wiped his mouth from the remains of a sandwich. My sandwich!! I flared, clenching my fists in frustration. I glared at him, until he looked back. My heart jumped as he looked me up and down, raised his eyebrows, then looked back at the movie. I felt strangely.. violated. I’d never felt that, no one ever looks at me. I held myself, don’t be so absorbed!! He’s just taunting you. I nodded in agreement with myself and moved my gown down over my knees. It was getting colder down here by the minute, no thermometer in sight from all the junk and dust. I shivered, who can live down here?? I glanced at The Reaper boy, then quickly away. Probably someone like him, I could see him living in a creepy place.. I decided to raise my eyes to the movie. It seemed to be coming to and end. Someone in cuffs was being dragged toward a French police car, and shoved in. As the cop car slammed, a battered man glared through the back window at the camera, and kept looking as they drove off. It cut to a man staring at him go in satisfaction and relief, before muttering something in French to a woman, and walking off. I kept watching, even though it was mostly ending. It was hard to understand, but I could make out the main idea of the plot. Man loses his son to a murderer, chases him down for years, finally finds and puts him behind bars for life, and is somewhat able to move on. Not the most interesting horror movie plot, but enough debt to keep someone close to my age watching. I turned and looked past Reaper Boy. All the ten to what looked like twelve year olds weren’t watching T.V. I could barely see them when I was by the fridge. The teens and kids were separated, which made sense, but they seemed to have hierarchies within themselves as well. It was as if this were an elementary to middle school building. I looked back at the T.V and watched the credits roll. A bunch of French names, brands, and such. A person stood from the couch, followed by a couple others. It was a large couch, could fit at least 20 people on it. Big room, too. Some people were even on the floor! There were a lot more people here then I first saw, at least 22. Made sense for such a huge building. There were a few other people on the wooden chairs behind the couch, but not a lot. In fact, only two others. A girl with black hair that covered her face, looking like she was straight out of a Japanese horror film, and a girl with long brown, almost blonde, hair. The messiness of her hair made it look like she had two ears on the sides of her head. I turned away from them and fixed my gown once more. I glanced at Reaper Boy again, he was watching the credits. I began to get up and felt my skin jump off. Wendy was standing right in front of me, I didn’t even see her move! She reached out her hand again, and I took it, kinda like if she were my mother. She gave a gentle smile and led me to the elevator, pressing the ‘3’ button. My floor. I examined the buttons.

3
2
1L
S
o

There was an empty button underneath the storage room button. It didn’t even have a button, just an empty shell where you could see the wires and things if you looked through it.
“Wendy, what’s that one?” I pointed at it.
“Sloppy engineers, accidentally added an extra button. No reason to fix it anyway, it’s no bother.” She replied quickly, looking back at their reflection in the elevator door empty-faced. I nodded and the doors opened. She led me to my room, and closed the door behind us.
“Hey, when do I get new clothes??” I finally asked, looking down at my gown.
She bit her lip, “Uhh… hm. Do you know what size you wear?” I nodded. I always knew, Dad never liked clothes shopping, I even knew his size.
“My shirt is a Women’s extra small, my pants are a size 6, and so are my shoes in Women’s size.” I informed, holding my arm. She nodded and left. Or just leave without saying anything.. I sighed, sitting on my bed and eyeing my leg bandages. A little blood, but a lot better and not hurting anymore. My mind drifted, it had been a little over an hour, the Mr. Florian kid should’ve been back by now. Who is he..? I wondered. Wendy came back holding casual wear, but fancy at the same time. A shirt with a frilled collar, and a skirt. Socks that came up just below the knee, and white shoes. I gawked, I hadn’t had nice clothes in a long time.
She turned around, “Go ahead and change, I’ll lock the door.” As she walked toward the door, I got undressed, shaking off the white gown easily. Feeling bare, I dressed as quickly as possible, and eyed myself in the mirror. I smiled, I felt.. good. Wendy smiled, “My, you clean up nicely young lady! The young master has just arrived, let’s go meet him in his office, shall we?” I took her hand happily and followed her to the elevator, down to the second floor, and to the big double doors. I gulped as they loomed over my threateningly. I held close to Wendy, and she gave a warm grin. “It’s alright, Quince. Just act respectable and you’ll be alright.”
“Okay.. I’ll do my best.” I replied. With a deep breath, I watched as she pushed open the doors slowly. They gave a low creak as they opened, letting all the pretty light shine in and onto a desk. A white bird whistled in it’s cage, staring at me. It was a very pretty bird, almost like a swan, but having the size of a dove. I turned my attention back to the turning chair, and there sat Mr. Florian, fiddling with a pad and paper.
“Young Master, I have brought the girl, as requested.” She dipped her head, closing the doors.
He nodded, “Very nice. Quince, right? Do sit down.” He motioned to an empty chair, and I sat as straight as possible. “So, you’ve been showed around, hm? Meet anyone new, perhaps?” The Grim Reaper, actually. Did you know he lives in your basement?!.. is what I wanted to say.
I cleared my throat, “I met a nice friend of Wendy’s. She was quite charming.”
He smiled, “Good.” He looked back down at his paper, and wrote something. I turned to Wendy swiftly and mouthed to her. Am I being GRADED?? She shrugged in return. I turned back, a lot more nervous than before. He looked back up, and put away the notepad and pencil into a drawer. “Now, to the point. Do you have any idea what you’ve gotten into??”
I jumped, “I-I.. uhh, just a little bit, sir— I mean. Master.” I cursed myself for my awkward stuttering.
“Hm, well, I’ll give you a start. You’re on French Mafia territory. You’ve made a promise to stay forever, and you know we’re a clan who has some sort of motive; most likely greedy, correct?” I gulped, nodding. “Ah, so you do have a bit of a hint.. Wendy. Emphasize on what exactly we do.” He turned to her. Wendy stepped forward politely, her black heels clicking. She took of her maid hat.
“We are a line of highly trained assassins who work for a Mafia that kills the corrupt of the world. We belong to the French Mafia Guild. Our Mafia is called “The White Youth.” She moved her hand to point out the White glow of the building. She lifted her skirt and pulled out a knife in the blink of an eye, then flung it, hitting a painting of a man precisely between the eyes. I was impressed, definitely impressed.
“So, you want me to fight for you..? For this Mafia?” I pointed at myself in disbelief.
Florian stood up straight, “Well, do you accept?” He moved a contract toward me quietly across the table. I went quiet, reading some of the finer details. At the bottom it said, “I, ____________, hereby promise to serve, and protect the Mafia and the French guild, and to bring an end to a Corrupt World. For Stability! Amen. I read the words over and over.
“This is the only way to save the world, and to bring an end to all liars and treacherous people, like your father.” Wendy added, sliding a pen next to my hand. I read the whole thing again, something in the back of my head.. sparked. Something like a voice, screaming for me to sign it and wreak vengeance for the broken and the damned of the Earth. It was as if it was meant for me to sign. I lifted the pen, and signed my name.

Quince L’oréal Finch

I put the pen down, and slid the paper back to Florian.
“Master, I accept.” I declared, looking him straight in the eyes as my determination thundered in my heart.
“Then recite it, clear and loud like you mean it.” He challenged, putting his hands together. I moved myself and stood directly in front of him.
My voice rumbled with sudden surge, “I, Quince L'Oréal Finch, hereby promise to serve, and protect the Mafia and the French guild, and to bring an end to a Corrupt World.” I looked up at the skylight, watching the white clouds drift above. “For Stability!” I looked back down to him, “Amen.” He was quiet, then clapped slowly with a grin.
“Yes, good. Wonderful performance, dear.” I couldn’t tell if he was sarcastic, and then he took my hand. “Congratulations, you’re ready for the final step of inauguration.” His hand was warm, and his eyes sparkled with pride.
“You mean.. that wasn’t it??” I was confused, and he rolled up my contract and put it away in a locked place.
“That was step one, your soul contract. Next is step two, your physical contract.” He signaled to Wendy, “Put her in the maid outfit.”
“Wait, what?? B-but I just changed!” I grunted. He shrugged, and chuckled, turning back around in his chair as Wendy walked me out, closing the doors behind us. I followed her back to my room, and she opened my closet, taking out a maid outfit that looked perfectly to my size. “T-this isn’t gonna get freaky.. is it?” I piped up, nervous.
“Isn’t this already freaky enough?” She answered, handing me my outfit. Yeah, great answer. That totally answers my question. I jeered as I began to change.

It was a little difficult to put it on, I had no experience whatsoever with maid outfits. Wendy lightly scolded me for taking up Florian’s time as she took me back to the elevator. I stepped inside, and she took something out of her top pocket. It looked like.. a button??
She turned, “You cannot tell anyone outside of this Mafia about this button, understand??” I nodded immediately, I didn’t think I had anyone to tell it to anyway. She took the button and put it in the place where the shell was visible. After getting it in there, she pressed down. An “I” pinged on the elevator screen to show which floor you were going to.
I scooted closer to her, “Wendy, I’m a little.. scared.” I admitted, fiddling with my fingers nervously in my new maid outfit.
“Don’t worry, just try not to fidget, okay? I’m not going to lie to you and say it doesn’t hurt, but endure it. It’s quick, I promise.” A shiver went down my spine, and she gave me a hug. A warm, gentle hug. A mother’s hug. I slowly hugged back, this was the hug that was missing from my life. She pulled back slowly and looked me in the eyes, “It’s going to be okay, Quince. Just don’t look at anyone and keep your face straight. Everyone is down here tonight.” Oh, god. Reaper Boy’s watching me??
“Okay, I’ll be brave. I can do it.” I prepped myself. Wendy nodded and went back to standing and watching. I breathed in, breathed out, and moved back to the straightest face I could manage. I was ready, I knew I could do it. The doors slowly opened, revealing a tunnel-like entrance with dim, dark blue and white lights. I followed Wendy as the tunnel opened into a large cave, revealing butlers and maid all lined up. I averted my gaze immediately as told and followed Wendy, until she broke off and joined the ranks. I was alone, I had to walk by myself now. My feet were heavy, but I moved forward. The path was flat, but beside the path was rugged, rocks terrain, outlines by blue and white in the dark cave. I slowly moved toward the end of the path, where there were two blue and white torches lit. I stopped in front of a table between the two torches. There was one of those thing you use when you kneel at church, and I used it, getting on my knees and placing my hands in the drawings of where they ere supposed to go. There was no one on the other side of the table. The only thing there was a knife. Between the two hand drawings was a large “W” carved on the table. I looked at the knife, my hands, and the W. Oh god.. I knew what I had to do. I slowly took the knife in my hand, and neared the top of the other one. I took a deep breath, and slowly put the knife into my flesh. I bit my lip to keep from crying out in pain, I could only imagine how the little ones reacted. I winced slightly as the knife slowly began to carve into my skin, blood oozing out slowly as the light from the torches began to sway. I was a little dizzy. I gasped as i tugged it out, my hands trembling in pain as a string of blood connected my hand to the knife. I caught my breath and switched hands, they shook ferociously as I dug into my right hand. I caught my breath and began to carve again. Somebody gasped in the crowd as I wiped my tears and began the second half. My blood stained the blue stoned table as I dragged the knife slowly out of my skin, putting it down. I stared at the white cross on the knife in disarray, putting my hands together and reciting the prayer inscribed in the stone. “Hail Mary, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed are thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb Jesus. Holy Mary mother of God pray for us sinners, now and at the hour of our death. Amen.” I put my hands down and stood. It was quiet. What now? My questioned was answered by Butlers and Maids rising and cheering. A familiar boy began walking down the path. I smiled as Florian made his way to me slowly with white bandages that had crosses on them. He slowly wrapped them.
“I am proud of you.” He whispered to me through the crowd of cheers, “Not many people can do it on their own.” He wrapped the other hand. “You are one of the strongest I’ve seen out there for your age.” He kissed both of the W’s on my hands, “never stop, no matter what. Okay?”
I began to laugh, crying a bit too, “Okay.. I will. I promise my Master!” He shook my hand, and walked away.
“The meeting is dismissed, you may all return to your duties. Feel free to congratulate Miss Quince on your way.” He winked, and disappeared into the elevator. Once the cheering died down, people began to relax, disappearing through different tunnels. Wendy and Sylvia jumped down, running toward me.
Sylvia jumped onto me, “Eek!! I’m so proud of you!! I bet that hurt HELLA bad, didn’t it?!” She examined my hands, “You poor, poor thing..”
I shrugged, “Nah, I think I’m alright. I hope it’s worth it.” I took her hands, glad to have new friends. I was totally faking the “I’m alright”, though. I could barely feel my hands and I wanted to scream. Now I understood why gloves were in the dress code.
Wendy reached for something, “Oh, right! Some boy wanted me to give you this.”
She pulled out a take-out box that said in red marker, “Congrats, Q. I look forward to ordering you around.”
-V
“Ooh! You’re getting boxes from boys already?? What is it? Jewelry? Chocolate?” She held my arm eagerly.
I opened it up, and inside there was a plain ham sandwich, nothing else. “A sandwich? That’s not very romantic..” Sylvia grumbled, disappointed.
I began to laugh, “No way! Hahaha!! Oh, wow.” My hunger began to return as I took a bite out of the sandwich, Sylvia and Wendy looking confused as can be beside me. The sandwich was as delicious as it looked.

After the ceremony, only a few people came to congratulate me. No Reaper boy, though. They must’ve been busy already.
“Now that you’re officially one of us, I’ll show you what your duties are. You’re not starting today of course, I just don’t want you to be confused tomorrow. After all this is over, I have to go back to my duties.” Wendy informed, walking me around the second floor.
“So.. I won’t see you anymore?” I felt dismayed, she was like my family so far.
“I mean, yeah. I’m still your overseer since I’m older.” She pinched one of my cheeks, “don’t look so sad! Aren’t you excited? You’re fighting to save the world now!”
I felt a bit more assured, “W-well, I’m a bit nervous. But yes, I’m excited. Though I would’ve never guessed I’d be throwing myself into battle at such a young age..”
“There are ten year olds here. Imagine how they feel. They’ll never have a childhood, and it’s all because of corruption.” I twitched with fury just imagining the awful things those children went through, and how they all got here. “Anyway, your workplace is in this building. There are twelve other maids and butlers that work here, so the jobs are split pretty evenly.” She walked me into a room labeled “Staff Only”, and unlocked a drawer. Then, she handed me a paper. “If you feel underneath your skirts you should feel an extra layer with pockets. This is your schedule, it is what you’ll be doing while working in this building.” I nodded and opened it up.

QLB Schedule: (week 1)

| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday |
7-10am 7-10am 7-10am 7-10am 7-10am 7-10am
Floors(A) Floors(A) Floors(A) Corn(R3) Corn(R3) Meeting

11-12pm 11-12pm 11-12pm 11-12pm 11-12pm 11-12pm
Break Break Break Break Break Teams

1-5pm 1-5pm 1-5pm 1-5pm 1-5pm 1-5pm
Doors(F) Doors(F) Doors(F) Storage(C) Storage(C) Break

5-8pm 5-8pm 5-8pm 5-8pm 5-8pm 5-8pm
Dishes Dishes Dishes (AD) Team(BE) Training
+ + +
Laundry Laundry Laundry

9-11pm 9-11pm 9-11pm 9-11pm 9-11pm 9-11pm
Training Training Training Training Training (AD)

After reading it through I stared at the things I didn’t know. “Wendy, what’s ‘A’ mean?” I stared at the floors from seven to ten am.
“Floors’A’ means all floors, meaning you help clean all the floors in this building. Doors’F’ mean you’ll stand and hold the front doors. Corn’R3’ means you collect the corn from row three. Storage’C’ means you’ll be cleaning the storage rooms. ‘AD’ means Assassination Day. Team’BE’ means team building exercises. That’s basically the gist of it.” Wendy explained.
“Oh, okay… wait. Assassination Day?? Team building exercises??” I glanced over the paper again, then put it away in my pocket.
Wendy began to leave the room, “Well, your first Assassination Day is on Thursday, that will be an evaluation of your skills in the field solo and alongside a team. The next day at the same time will be team building exercises to see who you’d fit well with and it what field. Finally, Saturday will be the day you are assigned your team of people. You will go with your team around ten o’ clock and assassinate someone. If you do well, you pass. If you do bad, you’ll stay a regular maid and have to try again in a month. Make sense?”
I nodded slowly, “Yeah.. but how do you fail? Besides not being able to assassinate the victim of course. I mean team wise, how do you fail?”
“Talk back to the leader, fail as a leader, go off on your own, don’t get along, disobey, etcetera.” She walked toward the elevator doors. “Anyway, are those all the questions you have?” She stopped in front of the elevator.
“Yeah, I guess.. are you leaving?” I put my hands together, waiting for a response.
“Um, for now. I’m sure you’ll see me around. Get yourself familiarized with the floors and get some sleep, okay? You don’t want to be tired tomorrow, I’d recommend going to bed around nine.” She added quietly to herself, “while you still can, anyway.”
I chuckled a little, “Okay. Bye bye, Wendy! I hope we can talk again soon.” She nodded back, then stepped into the elevator. She turned around, and her face went quiet again, looking at me as if I were just another person. The doors closed. I sighed, I guess I better get familiarized with the floors..