When Beauty Met The Monster (NinaWonderworlds & random_thoughts)

[NinaWonderworlds]

It was mid-morning, but the weather was cold. Ellie held her light blue coat tighter against herself as she made her way past the throng of colorfully leafed trees that seemed to line this one way street.

It had been nearly a week since she’d seen the job opening on that newspaper: “Hiring housekeeper. Food and board included.” It had seemed odd, to say the least, but desperation sometimes made you do crazy things. It had been months since Ellie had been let go from her waitressing job, and her rent had been so far overdue that she’d finally been evicted. Her life was in shambles, and this job offered a place to stay while earning a living again. It wasn’t something that she could simply pass up.

Yet, this place had the appearance of an abandoned mansion. There were three stories of dull red brick that nearly took up the whole block. Every foot or so, there seemed to be a window giving hints as to the status of the inside of such a monstrosity. At least, there would have been, had the windows not all been boarded up. Who would live in such a place?

When she’d called about the job opening, she’d spoken to an older man who only referred to the inhabitant of this house as ‘the owner’. While she had no idea who this ‘owner’ was, she knew the terms of her employment, and she knew how much she would get paid in a day. A bit of mystery wouldn’t scare her away from a well-paying job that guaranteed to keep her from sleeping on the streets.

At last, she reached the large wooden set of double doors which sat situated in the center of the front of the building. The front doors.

She made certain to straighten her coat, as well as the blonde hair that she currently held in a ponytail, and proceeded to knock on the door.

 

[random_thoughts]

It was another chilly morning on the trot.
But it mattered little to James.
The only change he made to his daily routine was the decision to stay in bed a little longer.
That is if the hard mattress on the floor can be called a bed.
His room on the top floor had a weird, almost eerie feeling to it. The windows were boarded, the room had no furniture except for the mattress, a table and a chair. There was a small book shelf nearby. But that was it.
As if, even after being free for almost six months now, he was still leaving in the prison.
Or maybe he found calm and a sense of familiarity in making the room like a cell?
The memory of the day still fresh in his minds. The day was as cold as today. But it was almost 6 years back. James was a naive kid from a family that lost everything they had. His father went bankrupt when the business failed. The only thing they managed to keep was the three storeys building. Both his parents started working, sometimes double shifts. And yet, comfort was something that was missing most of the day, leave aside the luxury he was so accustomed to.
It didn't take him long to realise he needed to find his own source of income. But being affluent for so long, James was never introduced to a hard day'ls of work. And the company he kept didn't help much either.
So when he came to know about the plan to rob the jewellery store, he wanted in.
And to the leader of the gang, James presented the naivity he could use. A perfect front man. And James looked the part too. The reflection of affluence was still not lost from his face. A nice dress and he still looked like the heir of a business empire.
And the best part about him was that he was dispensable.
And that's exactly what happened.
While he waited for the gang to show up from the backroom, pointing a gun to the manager of the store, hands shaking uncontrollably...his supposed partners left the store via the back alley.
When police showed up, he was the only one captured.
His journey through the hell began.
Any shread of innocence he managed to keep till that day, eroded over time. An intense bitterness took place. As if it was him against the world.
But he still kept a glimmer of hope, something told his to hang on. And he tried his best to do that.
Untill the fateful day came. His father shot his mother and turned the same gun on himself. They became free, finally.
Those selfish parents didn't think about James. He wasn't prepared for the hardships. Yet they left him to fend off for himself.
And they made the monster he is today. His own parents and everyone else in the whole damn world.
James didn't realise how much time has passed since he woke up when he heard the knock on the door.
He wasn't expecting anybody at this hour.
He got up from the bed, slapped his cheeks to get awake, fully and stepped towards the ground floor door.

 

[NinaWonderworlds]

Her blue eyes faced the worn stone on the ground as she waited for the door to open. After a moment, it did, and an older man with glasses let her in. His nearly white hair was trimmed close to his head, but his eyes seemed sharp. “Ms. Bell, I presume? I’m Roger; I manage the labor related details for the master of the home.” His words were crisp and rehearsed, a sign that he’d practiced this speech many times before.

“Ah; we spoke on the phone.” A soft smile crossed Ellie’s features as she recalled the voice from several days ago. Still, she found it odd that she wouldn’t refer to the owner by name. Perhaps he ran a tight ship, and formality was expected at all times? She might have to make a note of that.

Together, they walked into a space that she was certain was supposed to be a living room. It was bare, with minimal furniture.

“No, Ms. Bell, do you have any questions regarding your responsibilities?”

In reality, she had a ton of question; but a strange fear caused her to bite her tongue. She didn’t want to jeopardize her employment before she even started.

So instead she replied, “No sir. Nothing at all.”

 

[random_thoughts]

James could hear Roger's voice from the living room.
Although he couldn't hear clearly what he was saying, still groggy from the sleep.
And there was another voice, a female voice. He couldn't recognise the voice either.
James passed a mirror, but he could be hardly bothered to fix his messy hair or unkempt dress. This was who he has become.
As soon his steps were audible from the outside of the room, Roger stood up. Attentive. He knew James for too long to make any mistake.
James came in, "Morning Roger. Who is this?"
There was no need for formalities, neither James had the mood.
"This is Ms.Ellie, Master. She is here for the housekeeper job. I will now excuse myself Master. Do you want me to send your morning coffee here?" Roger was formal as usual.
"Yes Roger." James said while sitting on the couch placed at the centre of the room.
As Roger left the room, James turned his attention to Ellie.
"So you are looking the job? Tell me about your past experience?" The chill and calm in his voice matched that of the morning.