The Hunted: Book One In The Hunted Trilogy

Work

    "Your late!" Mrs. Danshum stood on the front porch of her mansion. She was a plump grumpy looking woman. Her hair, a pale brown, was braided on the top of her head like a crown.

"I am very sorry for making you wait ma'am," Sally curtsied, " Father threw me a small birthday party. He got me this," Sally twirled in the new dress.

"Very nice," Mrs. Danshum said snootily, "now, I need my bath drawn for me, clean the sitting room I'm having guests."

"Bye dad," sally gave Johnathan a hug.

"Are you listening!" Mrs.. Danshum bellowed

"Yes ma'am," sally curtsied again.

"Well," Mrs.Danshum continued, "I need you to sweep and scrub the foyer, as well as change the sheets in every bed room."

Mrs. Danshum had thirty different bed rooms and had never even had one child.

"Yes ma'am" Sally trooped inside the large oak doors.

The foyer was an magnificent sight. High above Sally's head was a large crystal chandelier. Out in front of her where oak steps that curved to the second floor. The floor was a tinted blue marble spreading from the door to he back room. The walls where bleach white and plastered with paintings of different dukes, duchesses, and earls. The large glass window, that made up the wall that the door was on, let sun bounce of the crystal chandelier making a rainbow form across the walls.

"Oh," Mrs. Danshums voice bounced of the walls, "you also need to cook a three course meal by nine o'clock tonight."

"Yes ma'am," Sally's legs grew weary with all the curtsying she had to do in the last ten minutes alone.

"Remember now," Mrs. Danshums fat finger was shoved into Sally's face, "if anything goes missing you gone, and I'll get the authority's!"

"Yes ma'am," Sally went to draw her masters bath. It took sally five long hours to finish the chores. After the house was sparkling clean, sally headed for the door. Sally had a list of things for dinner to buy, Mrs.Danshum gave her some money for things Sally needs to buy for the mansion. On her way out Mrs. Danshum stopped her.

"Here," Mrs. Danshum, thrusting a golden colored silk gown at sally, grumbled, "put this on around eight o'clock and come have fun at the party, you can have the smallest room up on the fourth floor."

"Thank you Mrs. Danshum!" Sally's face light up, I get to go to a party? Sally thought excitedly.

"Oh," Mrs. Danshum opened her purse, "take this as well," Mrs. Danshum plopped one leu into Sally's palm, "happy birthday Sally."

"Thank you so much," Sally graveled.

"Just be back by five o'clock," Mrs. Danshum said in her snotty tone.

"Oh my word," Sally groaned, "Yes ma'am," Sally ran to the carriage that Mrs. Danshum usually rode in "to town pleas good sir."

"Yes ma'am," a voice came from behind the dark cloaks hood as the carriage pulled out to the road.

* * *

"I need to go to my house," sally popped her head out of the carriage, "I've got to eat lunch."

"Yes ma'am," the driver turned toward the middle of town.

Sally saw friend from Sampsons school for hunters selling and trading at their stands. As they rode along she saw people going to Sampsons or going to work, running around and playing silly little games.

Ester was sweeping the front steps of Sew one!, where she worked as an apprentice to Jolly Moore.

"Sally?" Johnathan looked puzzled when Sally walked through the door, "you're home for lunch early!"

"I know," Sally laughed, "Mrs. Danshum sent me to buy some food for dinner, she's having a lot of guests over tonight."

"That must give you a lot to do," Johnathan placed a bowl of grits in front of Sally, who had sat down by now.

"I haven't had a brake all day! I swear I have cleaned every nook and cranny of that house!"

"Well, days almost done, then you can come home and go strait to bed."

"Actually, I was invited to go to the party as a guest and stay the night."

"That's good."

"So I can go?"

"Of course!"

"Oh dad!" sally jumped up and hugged her dad, "thank you!"

"Why don't you put on your old dress so you don't stain your new one in one day!"

"Thank you dad!" Sally ran upstairs. Pulling her birthday gown off sally lay it on her bed.

"See you tomorrow," Sally waved to her father and jumped out into the carriage.

"Have a nice day miss," the driver tipped his hat once the carriage pulled up to Mrs. Danshums house. Sally swore that he gave her a smile she had only seen from transforming werewolves, but when she looked again his face was normal. Running toward the kitchen, Sally threw the basket of food onto the counter. Sally started to cook around six o'clock. Still cooking an hour later, Mrs. Danshum opened the servant door.

"Go get dressed sally, the party starts in two hours and I also want you to go take a bath as well!"

"Yes ma'am," Sally whipped her hand on her apron and ran to the servants courtiers.

A gasp escaped her lips at the size of the servants tub. Other tubs where the size of a medium pool. Turning on the water, steam filled the room.Sally got washed and went to put the golden gown on. A servant came in, by Mrs. Danshums orders, and did Sally's hair. As Sally got into the hall the clock tower rang, almost time for the party!