Original Stories Fan Fiction ❯ Hazel Eyes ❯ The Young Miss ( Chapter 6 )

Hazel Eyes

 

Chapter Six

 

The Young Miss

Introducing

(Princess Claudia vs. Princess Skye)

 

 

 

"I said I wanted this room clean! Does this look clean to you? Worthless, the both of you…"

I shook my head, knowing what would happen if I said yes. Claudia was really riding my last nerve, she wanted me cleaning, vacuuming, moping and anything else that could make my life hell here. The sooner whoever wants me - and comes and gets me, the better.

I finished re-scrubbing the tiled hallway floors and got to my feet, my back cracked and I had to lean against the wall for support. Claudia gave me the evil eye and walked over, staring down the floor.

"This is better" she said and smiled.

"Tessa!" she roared. Did this girl ever take a break? I wonder when throat cancer will…

Breaking my interesting thought was Tessa who bounced down the stairs like the Easter Bunny on a sugar high. Her mousy hair bounced up and down with her every movement. She stood in front of Claudia, her hands folded behind her back and her face firm. Claudia shifted her weight and perched her shoulders in that dominating type of form.

"Take Skye to Dean's office, it needs cleaning" she ordered, a sly smile spreading across her lips.

Tessa's eyes widened "But Claudia, you know that---" Claudia raised her hand.

"I don't want to hear it, disobey me again Tessa and I'll have to inform your father of your back talk" Claudia threatened, an odd grin spreading across her face.

Tessa narrowed her eyes, a very uncharacteristic thing for the seemingly shy girl. A silent conversation seemed to go on between Tessa and Claudia's eyes before they abruptly broke away and Tessa nodded her head lightly. Did I just see her eye twitch?

Alice hadn't been around all day; she was out food shopping which left Tessa to give me my chores. Then there was Claudia, who liked nothing better than to see me on my hands and knee's doing the dirty work. Dean had been moping around the house all day, angry and frustrated for no apparent reason.

Tessa sighed, obviously defeated. She started over towards me before Claudia pulled her back by her forearm rather harshly, she whispered something and Tessa nodded her agreements. My mind clicked, something was up and a certain red head was behind it all. Tessa made her way over to me; she tugged my arm lightly and pulled me through the kitchen to the living room where Dean's office was.

"Get in and out quickly" she whispered.

My mind did a double-take "What?"

Claudia was standing at the door we just came out of, her arms folded and her body leaning against the door-frame of the swinging doors. I wished one of them would come loose and hit her right in the backside. Tessa immediately shut her mouth after noticing Claudia. She pointed towards Dean's office, before I could ask any questions she was already talking to Claudia. I guessed she was taking more orders from the harsh whispers between the two.

I walked through the door and was again welcomed with the same oak desk, couch, bookshelf and random portraits. There was already a cleaning cart, but everything looked clean. Maybe some dusting and a wipe over for his desk would do. I was never used to cleaning; in fact we had our own cleaners back home. I picked up a few things from Alice over the passing week, two weeks I had been captive. Home sick couldn't even begin to describe how I was feeling. But I tuned it out, why make it more unbearable than it already was?

I grabbed a cloth, sprayed the desk with some wood polish off of the nearby tray and started wiping it down. After, I moved onto dusting. The portraits were very clean, except one that had dust bunny's the size of a twenty cent piece. It was the picture of that woman; her face was mesmerizing in a way. Yet, she looked so sad. I moved around looking from portrait to portrait before I spotted something between Dean's desk. I pulled out the bit of rolled up paper and almost gasped.

It was that same woman in the portrait before, her eyes still clouded and sad. In this painting though, she held a small infant in her arms. I guessed it was Dean. I turned it over and blew on the dust, there was writing on the back, much like Doctors writing, all scribble, but I could make it out.

'To my darlingLiana, and daughter,Artesia'

I was to busy gazing at it to notice someone come in.

"What the hell are you doing in here?" come an all too familiar voice.

I shoved the painting beside the desk and turned around to notice Dean staring at me, his hazel brown and blue eyes void of much emotion. I hoped he hadn't noticed me dispose of the painting. I stuttered to speak, thinking frantically that my voice had betrayed me and ran for the hills. It had the right idea.

"I-I- Cleaning" I managed to get out.

Dean raised an un-amused eyebrow as he leaned against his desk. I got up and straightened my 'uniform'.

“`I cleaning' eh? Nice to know your vocabulary is still intact" he muttered sarcastically "I suppose you didn't know Alice cleans my office"

I gathered myself up, or whatever dignity I had left, before answering.

"Claudia sent me up here, she told me to clean your office. I had no idea Alice was the one to clean in here"

Dean nodded. He looked very tired from my point of view, his white button down shirt had the first three buttons undone and his hair was disheveled into that morning look. Dean didn't seem to edgy today, which I guess was a good thing.

"I guess I'll leave now" I said after a moment of silence.

I went to leave, but the moment I went to pass him, he grabbed me by the arm and pulled me close.

"Next time Skye, ask before doing anything. I'll speak to Claudia. But remember, your not a Princess anymore, none of Daddies money will get you out of this one" he said.

I glared and tore my arm out of his grasp, his eyes showed anger for a split second before returning to that neutral look they had not so long ago.

"And you remember this Dean; I'm not a Princess, it's you who makes me out to be one. Ever read Fairy Tales? In the end, I always win" I muttered before walking to his door, stepping out, and slamming it shut.

 

-

 

"Its not gonna' fit!" I cried for the umpteenth time.

"Yes it is" grunted Spencer.

I winced as Spencer tried again; he pushed it in a little at a time.

"Spencer, it's going to-"

A loud cracking noise sounded as Spencer tried drilling the bolt in, the bolt he had just recently tried to shove in manually - with his hands no less. All morning we had been trying to put in a bolt to hang one of the paintings Spencer had brought back with him. So far, it wasn't working.

"-Crack the wall..." I finished lamely and sighed. He was hopeless.

Spencer looked at the wall with a dull expression. Two hours and this is what we get, Dean is going to mount Spencer's head to the cracked wall when he sees this. I wasn't 'working' today since Alice pretty much had everything under control, so I was in some clothing Alice had forced Claudia to lend me. I could have throttled Claudia after what happened yesterday, but with her confined to her room for the day, I was pleased enough.

Tessa had apologized; she explained how her father was strict when it came to this place. I found it kind of odd, but nodded either way, when she was ready she would tell me the truth. I had to at least have one friend here if I didn't want to drive myself insane. Spencer and I had become friends pretty quickly, he's a funny guy if you look past the fact he's even more useless with a power tool than my mother.

Dean was pretty much buried alive in his office, paperwork or something. I really didn't care, as long as I had no more run-inns with him, it was all good.

"I give up" Spencer sighed and gave the drill to me. I looked down at it and then back up at Spencer.

"And I would know how to work this thing because…" I trailed off.

Spencer grinned "You seem to know everything Nurse Know-It-All"

I rolled my eyes and walked over, positioning the drill onto the bolt that was sticking out. The crack in the wall was noticeable and I almost laughed.

`Someone is in trouble' I sang childishly in my mind. I drilled the bolt in a little more; it was in a good enough position. I picked up the lovely flower sketched portrait --- whatever they called it, hanging it up nicely.

I turned and smiled victoriously at Spencer.

"And that, Doctor Do-Nothing-Right, is how we hang a painting"

Spencer glared at me before folding his arms over his well toned chest and huffing, he looked like a child right now.

"I could have done that" he huffed.

I grinned "Sure you could, just like you made that crack in the wall"

I ran from the room laughing as Spencer chased me for revenge.

 

SSS

 

I put the ice pack to my head for the umpteenth time. It stung and I had to take it away, it didn't help that Alice pushed it back down, for the umpteenth time.

"Oww" I moaned. Tessa stifled a laugh and I shot her a dirty look.

After Spencer had chased me from the room, I collided with Claudia. Right now she was with Dean being a major suck up. She only had a busted ass, I had the busted head! I winced against as Alice took the ice pack away from me.

"I guess you and Spencer will think twice before pulling another stunt like that, aye Lassie?" giggled Alice.

Now she was just taunting me, if having to apologize to Claudia wasn't enough, I had to sit there and get a full out lecture from Dean about running in his house like a child. I felt like such an idiot, did he think I was five?

"Yes" I muttered in response to Alice.

Tessa giggled "She's so much like the Miss" she said.

I lifted my head towards Tessa and gave her a questioning look; Tessa realized her fault and turned red.

"Who's the Miss?" I asked. Alice coughed and shook her head.

"No one Lassie" she murmured.

I leered at her and turned back to Tessa and then back to Alice.

"You never did tell me about Dean's Mother, Alice"

Alice shook her head, wiping her hands on her apron and sitting back down "I don't like to speak ill of the dead Lassie, you should know that"

I smiled in a bored fashion and lay my head onto the table "It's not speaking ill of the dead… call it some information that will soon be turned upon deaf ears"

“You mean you won't speak a word of it to Master Dean?” she asked, a little hopeful.

I made a zip with my hands on my mouth and smiled “My mouth is closed from here on out, what is said in the kitchen, stay's in the kitchen”

I heard a giggle or two and knew that my argument had indeed won the battle.

"Well, Dean's mother is my aunt by blood on my mothers side" Tessa explained.

My head shot up from the table.

"But - doesn't your mother work here on the grounds?"

Tessa nodded "She's my step-mother; I never knew my real one"

I looked at her sadly before hugging her briefly. It must have been hard growing up, not knowing the woman who gave you life.

"Well lassie, you want to know so here it is, but please do not tell Master Dean” I nodded

“The young Miss had had her baby boy, Dean, six years earlier. She was only a child --- poor dear --- when she fell pregnant again, it was not to the Master, Deans Father, she had fallen pregnant to, it was her sister's husband. When the Master found out, he was furious. The baby had been born not a month before, and Tessa had been born two years before hand" Tessa lowered her head to the table "I was there through the whole thing and only months before, Claudia had been taken in. That was a terrible night I do not wish to relive."

"Where's the baby now?" I asked.

Alice shook her head and put a hand to her heart.

"Please dear, I don't wish to speak of the young girl or that poor child any longer" she murmured.

I nodded and looked at Tessa, who sat staring at nothing. Though I'm sure she had heard the story many times before, it still may have shocked her to know her father and aunt had did that.

"Her name was Liana, right?" I asked.

Both Alice and Tessa nodded their heads. Alice looked a little stunned, maybe thinking that perhaps Dean had put me up to this.

"That would mean your Artesia?" I asked Tessa, sure of the answer. It made sense, since Tessa had to be the nick name for Artesia.

Tessa shook her head numbly, but I knew she knew something about it. Alice choked back a sob and stared at me, silently asking what I knew. I shook my head.

"Tessa is my full name" she spoke, her voice distracted.

Tessa was Dean's cousin, how could he make her do this, make her his… maid? Shouldn't Claudia do it since she is basically only his god-sister? I was so confused, but maybe he resented Tessa for what his mother had done. Maybe that's why he had that picture stuck down the side of his desk. That baby she was holding was her daughter, the baby no one wished to speak about.

"I don't suppose your father can paint either?"

Tessa shook her head "He's not my real father, just a man that Dean paid to take me in after my real father passed away"

That made more sense. It only added to my theory as I looked at Alice once more.

"Artesia was her Daughter, Tessa's half sister" I murmured.

Alice and Tessa nodded. Something happened, where was the baby now? Did Dean even know about her? And what ever happened to the famous young Miss? My thoughts floated in and out until Alice and Tessa both left the room.

There was more to this dysfunctional crime family, other then the illegal acts and the ever mysterious Dean.

-

 

Final Words

Tessa: “My father… eh?”

Claudia: “It worked at the time.”