Colorless

Chapter Three

Maria led me to a small building that looked like a little house. The thing was nothing like the vast, beautiful mansion Mr. Tyler owned. No, this was a shack. It must have been painted a long time ago, because the wood was peeling off in large strips. The roof was caving in dangerously, and there were weeds everywhere. I stared at the building, trying to figure out the connection it has with Tyler.

"Hulien?" Maria asked. "Are you okay?"

"Yes, of course. I was just..." I dismissed my thoughts and turned to her. "What are we doing here?" Maria's eyes brightened.

"I teach you ropes now, and give you clothes!" She said excitedly. I smiled at her, appreciating her enthusiasm. "Come wit me!"

I followed her through a big gate -- or, rather, what used to be a gate; it was now a frame with no door -- into the shack. There was hay dusted everywhere, and it smelled of pigs and mold. God, how I hated pigs. Maria went up a weak, rickety ladder onto another level of the run-down shack. I looked at it skeptically for a moment. I guess if it got one person up there, it could get another, right?

I climbed up to reveal a little bedroom of sorts. There were clothes hanging on a banister near the wall, a broken mirror hung carefully on a bent nail next to it, and a thin futon mattress off to the side. Maria then turned to me and sighed loudly.

"Good God, I hate using that accent," she said, her Hispanic accent disappearing. She let her hair out of the bun it was in, and she let her thick hair drape over her shoulders and flow down her back. She shook her head gently, and the waves in her hair moved in beautiful curves. I stood there, confused.

"Wait. That accent was fake?"

"Well no, not fully." I stood there, dumbfounded. "I really am Hispanic, but my accent was never that heavy. I was born here, and never left. My parents taught me Spanish, so it's technically my first language."

"Oh," was all I could say.

"This is my home, now," she said. "Here, let's see what fits you."

"Wait, Maria. You live here?"

"Yeah. Mr. Tyler likes it when I stay here rather than with my family. I never get to see them anymore, but..." she trailed off. I could not believe what I was hearing. Nobody deserved to live like that.

"Maria.... You don't have to live here," I said softly.

"No, it's okay. He pays me more now because I work overtime a lot. Which is good, of course," she said, smiling. Then she turned back around to face her clothes. "Now. Let's find you something to wear, huh?"

***

Maria gave me a long sleeved white button up and a long black skirt with a white apron tied around it. The skirt was far too big for me, but Maria sewed it right so it fit around my waist snugly. The shirt fit okay, but it was a men's shirt so it was extremely baggy where the skirt went over it. Maria inspected my new clothes closely.

"You look..."

"Awful," I finished. She had also pulled my hair up tightly in a bun.

"No, no, not that, you look...." She trailed off for a minute, thinking. "You look horrendous." I groaned loudly and put my face in my hands. I don't even know why this was what I had to wear.

"MARIA!!!" I heard a booming voice scream out. Maria shrieked softly and jumped, then turned toward the sound. I heard her swear under her breath. Then she turned to me and cleared her throat.

"Excuse me," she said, making her Hispanic accent come back. She shuffled down the ladder as fast as her outfit could carry her. "Sí, señor?" I heard timidly.

"What in God's name are you doing, woman?!" The voice boomed.

"I--I show Hulien r-ropes, señor. I g-give her u-uniform," she stuttered. I heard an irritated sigh follow her voice.

"I thought I told you to make it quick, Maria," he sighed. "It's been nearly an hour, and I need her to scrub the floors!" His voice raised again, but then lowered so much I could barely hear it. "I swear, Maria, if you take another maid into the barn, you are fired. I will deport you back to Mexico. Are we clear?"

"Sí, señor," Maria whispered, barely audible at all. I heard shuffling feet as Maria came back up the ladder. Her accent vanished again as she said, "Come on. He needs you to clean the house."

I followed her back to the mansion. The door opened as I came near. I hadn't noticed the men standing there. Had I taken a different entrance? I turned to Maria. "Are those men always there?" She shook her head.

"No. They come every morning at eight and leave again at midnight," she answered.

"Isn't that a little foolish? Most crimes are committed at night...." I said gently.

"Yeah, I thought so too. But he has dogs patrol every night. They pick up scents of intruders and freak the hell out," she said, laughing a little bit.

We walked into the mansion. Jason was waiting there, leaning onto one of the columns. He gave me the crooked smile that gave me butterflies. I smiled back. He took in my appearance and chuckled.

"Wow. 1880's maid looks good on you," he said, earning a brittle laugh from me.

"Ha, yeah. Definitely rocking this look," I joked, doing a spin to see how far it flared out. It nearly hit Maria.

"Ay!" She exclaimed, jumping away. I giggled a little bit. Jason's smile grew as he looked at Maria.

"Hey, Marí. ¿Como estas, señorita?" He said. He stepped slightly closer to her. She blushed vividly.

"Bien, señor," she said shyly. She was trying so hard not to smile, but she failed miserably. At this point, Jason turned back to me.

"So, Julienne, your first job at the Tyler mansion is simply scrubbing the floors. The buckets and soap is in the kitchen. Marí can help you with that. Be very precise, but don't take up too much time. My dad likes getting things done," he said, smiling gently at me. I nodded and looked at Maria eagerly. She smiled softly and walked with me to what must have been the kitchen.