Larkspur

Chapter 3

I woke to the sound of Sammy's nails hitting the floor, begging to go outside. With sleepy eyes and a tired body, I rolled out of bed and headed for the front door. It was still dark outside, letting me know that it was very early in the morning. There was no light coming from any of the windows; just darkness.

When I opened the door, Sammy dashing under my legs and into the woods, the cold air nipped at my bare legs. A cold shivered went up to my spine and erupted any feeling of comfort I had. I tried to tug the t-shirt down as much as I could, not having any memory of taking off my black sweatpants before I went to bed.

I shut the door, leaving it cracked just a little so I would remember to let Sammy back in, and headed for the bathroom. I still wasn't fully awake, my eyes half closed as I made my way through the hall. I kept a hand on the wall to steady myself until I made it to the bathroom door.

I ran the cold water under my hands, sending tingles through my body as I washed my face. It was defiantly a good technique to become more awake and aware of where I was. I was no longer tired and sluggish after a clean face and clean teeth.

I ran a brush through my thick, messy hair before finally flicking off the light and made my way into the kitchen. I had a small amount of gas station food left over from the long drive, but other than that I had no food. I opened up a small bag of granola mix and made a mental reminder to go to the store after meeting the Saxton's today.

I plopped myself down on the couch, pulling out my phone as I chowed down. It was only 6:00AM and I didn't have to be at the Saxton's until around noon; therefore, I tried to waste my time on my phone. It did not go as plan, though. As soon as I unlocked my phone I saw that I had no signal, but I was not surprised by this. With all these trees around here, there was shitty signal and probably shitty Wi-Fi.

I tossed my phone to the side and decided to go outside with Sammy for a while. A little exercise wouldn't hurt, I thought to myself as I threw my dirty clothes in the corner and put on some more sweatpants with a t-shirt. The shirt was clearly too big for me, but I liked the loose feeling of it; I felt free.

With a leash in my hand, phone in the other, I headed out the door. I had to call for Sammy for a few minutes before he came running up to me, panting like he had been running for miles. I gave a pat on the head before hooking him up to the leash. We both headed down the stairs of my house, following the road. I did not know anything about these woods and I wasn't about to get lost in them, so I followed the road.

I started at a slow pace, Sammy yanking at me to go faster. He was loving all of this open space to run and be free. He wasn't restricted by any fence or cage and it was a new experience for him. Eventually, I gave in and picked up my pace. It looked as if it was a piece of cake for little Sammy, but for me, it was not so easy.

After about ten minutes of full on sprinting I was gasping for air, slowing down to walking pace. Sweat covered by back and dripped down my forehead, making my loose t-shirt cling to my body. I hated the feeling of sweat and clothes swallowing my body, one reason I never really worked out. However, Sammy loved this so I tried to tolerate it.

As we were heading back home after a couple hours, feeling dirty and disgusting, I saw a house through the trees. I could not see much of it, making me stop and try to focus my glare. It was no home I saw, though. It was a huge mansion that went on for miles. It was the Saxton's house.

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After I got a hot shower and my in nicest clothes, a jet black dress with a flower pattered collar, I went out the door to meet the Saxton's. When I emailed them about where I would be leaving, they told me I could simply walk toward the end of the road and I would see a path that lead to their home. Without doubt, I followed their directions and made my way down the road once again.

The path was very wide and very noticeable. I don't know how I missed when I went running with Sammy earlier. The path was surrounded by a fence on either side and had light posts along the path. It was beautiful and I was just shocked by how neat it was. On the website, it had a picture of the house, but it was a close up. It did not expect it to be a huge mansion that took up half the town.

The path ended and went into a huge opening where the wooden mansion towered over me. I was speechless at the sight of it, frozen to the ground. It was an old timey house, but everything about it was breath taking. The window shutters were open in every room, the wind making the curtains inside flow like a song.

Before I could notice any other part of the house, I saw the couple walk out of the ginormous doors. They had a welcoming smile as they walked down the stone stairs to meet me.

"Welcome, Arwen! I'm so glad you could make it today!" the lady, Hazel, spoke with a soft voice as she wrapped her hands around me tightly. Her short blonde hair smelled of coconut and sugar.

"Thank you for offering me the job, Mrs. Saxton. This is a lovely home you have," I said with a smile as we broke apart from the hug. Mr. Saxton, Oliver, was standing up straight with a huge grin on his tan face. He had green eyes and a mouth that was bigger than two of mine put together.

"Oh honey, thank you for accepting it and finding the ad online. We have been ready for a maid for a while now," Oliver spoke is a deep voice, glancing over to Hazel for approval. She smiled at him and nodded her head. Her head was cute and tiny, matching her small body type. Oliver had to be at least a foot taller than her. He was the very masculine type with a sharp face, but once he smiled his hard appearance went soft and loving.

"Come on sweetie. We will show you around and introduce you to Lucas!" Hazel said with excitement as she guided me to the doors and into the mansion.