Chapter 11: Chapter eleven

Layla

“Oww, take it easy Martha, it’s just fever, I’m not gonna die from it” I said as Martha applied a soaked and very cold towel over my chest and stomach, I could see it steaming, or maybe that was just my imagination, but I knew I was hot all over, and it had started just a few moments ago, although I hadn’t been feeling well since the day before, I mean, the change of environment from a peaceful one with my family to the violent one at the Lockwood household must have definitely caused this, coupled with the fact that I had discovered that I ingested Victor Lockwood’s blood, well since then I’ve been unable to get anything into my stomach, everything seems, well, wrong.

“What could be causing you such intense fever out of the blue, you’re really hot” Martha said with worry all over her voice “Awwn thanks, I think you’re hot too for an old lady” I replied her and tried to chuckle but it came out as a cough and Martha just rolled her eyes, she is actually old enough to be my aunt if not my mom, so I understand her motherly concern. “I think you need to be taken to the hospital, we can’t keep trying to soak you up, the water is dried off the towel already, again” she said obviously annoyed yet concerned, although she exaggerated the towel thing, I could still feel it’s dampness, but she was right, I probably need a hospital.

“It’s okay Martha, thanks, there’s nothing we can do though, I don’t have money for treatment and even if I do I won’t spend it on treating myself, there are far more important things. But can you please help with some antibiotics and painkillers? those would do the job” I said to her but her facial expression told me she wasn’t agreeing with me yet, I tried to sit up but I winced halfway up from the discomfort and she had to use her palm to press me back into a lying down position.

“Ok, ok I will, I’ll get you drugs, but you really need better treatment, the bosses wouldn’t want to hear that you are sick and that is why you’re not doing what you’re supposed to be doing at that point” she said still concerned, “Your bosses suck” I replied her and she couldn’t help but chuckle this time, “Our bosses dear girl, our bosses” she said and then she left my room, Martha seemed to be a sort of anchor that was holding the ship of this household afloat, she was probably the longest serving maid in the Lockwood’s mansion.

The fever spiked suddenly and I got really uncomfortable so I tried to get up and take the jug of water with the smaller towel in it so I can dab myself with its coolness, but instead, I knocked over the jug and it’s contents, at that point, the world seemed to move really slowly as the jug was tilting over, slowly spilling out it’s contents, “Nooo” came my own hoarse voice, slurred as well and my hand was stretched as if to grab the jug which was already long inches farther away, but then, something unprecedented and unbelievable happened.

In front of my outstretched hand, just centimeters away, sparks came to life and a glowing blue hue formed like a soft glowing blue flame or like a softly glowing willow wisp, it did not stop there, the jug was held in place still midair and I could see the same soft blue glow around it, only it was like a smoke surrounding the jug, rather than the soft but slightly intense flame-like glow in front of my own hands, the water and towel spilling out of the jug were also held in place, they seemed frozen solid like ice because of the blueish tint around the jar, but it was clear that it was still liquid because it did seem like it was still flowing.

Even my eyes had a bit of a blueish tinted lens flare, this told me that they were most probably glowing blue as well, it happened for the fewest of seconds, five seconds at most, but I saw it clearly, the blue wisp of flame in from of my palm which I had somehow seemed to generate was definitely causing the jug and water and towel to be suspended in place. After the few seconds of utter shock, I lost it, my brain seemed to get overwhelmed and overloaded with too many things at the same time. The wisp of flame got stronger in intensity and the smoky wisp around the jug got thicker too, in the next moment, the jug shattered to pieces still midair, the wisps vanished totally and the door to my room squeaked opened a crack.

“What the fff…?”

**

Sally (the angry maid)

I walked back to my room in the maids quarters, thinking deeply as I walked through the passageways, it really hurts to see that another maid had taken the position I’ve always dreamt of, and someone unqualified in many ways, she didn’t even know the first thing about being a personal maid to Victor Lockwood and I would have excelled at it.

Oh yes, I have always wanted to be the personal maid of Victor Lockwood so I can be going with him to anywhere he goes, always be with him and also, probably, eventually make him fall for me but then till the point that he requested to have a personal maid, he has never noticed me, I might as well be a ghost haunting the mansion for all he cares.

When the last maid who was acting that role before got fired, not that she was given the role, she just took it upon herself to serve Victor personally and most probably that was what got her fired by Olivia two years ago, more or less, I had been trying to ensure that it was I who got the post when he would finally request to have one, I had to be careful not to act as the first maid did so I wouldn’t get fired, but it seemed I got too careful and didn’t try enough because he still went ahead not noticing me and requested to have a personal maid, one that is not me.

Then he picked some worthless rag of a human being, even though she did in fact look pretty, and only for the bitch to start asking me stupid questions. I mean, the guts on her. I’ll definitely crush her, I’ll make sure I make her life in this mansion so miserable till she offers to quit.

I decided to act on that at that very moment, I came out if my thoughts and to my surprise, I noticed that I had actually been making my way to Layla’s room, I could see it just ahead, time to make her pay for insulting me the other day.

I got closer to her room and there was this blueish glow coming from the cracks on her door, above and underneath, what was she up to? I thought to myself and tiptoed towards her door, I put my ears to the door to see if I’d hear anything but instead the little pressure I applied to the door made it squeak open a crack.

“What the fffuck!” I heard her cuss after the sound of something breaking, I tried to peep through the crack in the door since she did not seem to notice that the door opened a crack due to my own presence but then, someone tapped my back making me jump in a startled rabbit way.

“What!?... Oh…” I said when I saw it was Martha, I couldn’t complete the question I wanted to ask because it was a very rude one and I possibly couldn’t say it to Martha, now ‘She’ could make my stay here miserable just as I planned to do with Layla because she was like the most revered person amongst all the workers, even the Lockwoods give her much respect, probably because she is also the longest serving maid in the whole mansion.

“Do you need anything? Specifically from Layla?” she asked me with a neutral tone as she usually does when she is speaking to someone she doesn’t really like, we all know Martha as one of the kindest person in the whole mansion, she will never speak to you in a way that will show that she doesn’t like you, rather she’d use a very flat and neutral voice and manner of speaking.

“Who me?” I answered her playing dumb, “Naa, not a thing” I said and smiled, my eyes caught glimpses of medicine in her hands so I quickly put two and two together and deduced that something must be wrong with the bitch of a personal maid.

“Is everything alright though? With Layla? I couldn’t help but notice that she hadn’t been about, is she sick or something?” I asked pretending to care, Martha was about to answer when Layla’s voice herself answered from behind me, making me jump like a startled rabbit once again.

“I’m very well thanks for asking, but if I might ask, what do you care if I’m about or not? You who wouldn’t even bring yourself to point out a place for me uhn” she said defiantly from the door which she had opened some more to fit her frame. She was wearing a tightly clinging night gown, it was slutty to say the least but it brought out her curves in a way that made me madly jealous for no reason at all, or rather there was a reason, what if Victor saw her in those uhn…

I smiled painfully at Layla, “Just looking out for a fello…” I tried being nice but I couldn’t bring myself to continue “You know what? You’re right, I really don’t care, so kindly piss off if you can ok?” I said and my smile was now that of spite.

“Uhm, might I remind you that this is not your wing?” Martha said before Layla could “So you should do the pissing off, please” she finished and backed the wall as a way of clearing the way for me to exit from, I really didn’t like that, even while Martha was trying to diss me she was still polite about it and that was annoying, and why the heck has she taken a liking to the stupid bitch of a girl, I shot the girl an evil eye before leaving.

I have to make sure I get Layla on Olivia’s crosshairs, that girl needs to go, I smiled inwardly because of the plan that started to form in my head, it went perfectly in line with the mission I got, I remembered the mission and hissed, I’ve not been focused on that at all ever since I got it, I’ve been focused on Victor. But now I have a reason to focus on it so I can still get Victor at the end as well.