Just the Maid

Chapter Fifteen- Bonds

"So, what's my punishment?" I ask.

"Well, we couldn't come up with anything good, so we decided that you have to show us something amazing that only you can do," said the leader.

"Really? That's it? I thought it would be something embarrassing, like wear a cat suit for a day or something. But this is cool. And I think I have the perfect idea. Let's go!" They cheered and raced after me.

Eventually, we stopped in a clearing in the forest between the gate and the "checkpoint", as I call it, where Canary is stationed.

"Why'd you bring us here?" asked the second maid.

"Because I have a surprise for you," I replied. Birds flocked overhead as the ground shook beneath us. The trees in front of us swayed.

"Wh-What's going on!?" panicked the third maid.

"Stay calm. You'll be fine." I reassured her. Then, it stopped. The girls looked straight ahead with their mouths wide open. They cowered together in fear.

"Meet Mike! If you haven't already that is." I smiled at them and turned to Mike. "Hey buddy, I brought some friends to meet you." I reached up to pet his nose, but then he started growling.

"Wh-Why is he doing that?" asked one of the girls.

"I... I don't know," I replied, worried. "Mike, what's up?" I reached again, but he just growled even louder. He was staring at the maids. I tried to read what he was doing and what it meant. The growling became much louder. Then, I understood.

"Run!" yelled the leader. They all took off running. I stayed, watching them. Then I looked down, sighing.

"I'm sorry, Mike. I shouldn't have brought them here. I'll leave too," I said, and I started to walk away. Then I felt a tugging on my skirt. I looked behind me to see Mike pulling on me.

"I thought you were mad at me," I said, sarcastically. He whimpered.

"Yeah, well, what was that then? You scared them-..." I stopped.

"Oh, right, that's your job... Sorry! I'm dumb!" I laughed nervously. "Sorry, Mike. But I do have to leave now. I'll come back and make it up to you." I patted him on his nose, then walked back to the mansion, the setting sun on my back.

When I got back, I saw someone standing on the roof of the mansion, where I stood yesterday. I raced to the entrance and climbed quickly. As I walked closer, I recognized who it was.

"Katrina?" She whipped around quickly, staring at me.

"Katara! Wh-What are YOU doing up here?" she asked, startled.

"I came up yesterday and the view was so beautiful, I figured I'd make it part of my schedule," I replied. I stood next to her, looking out at the sunset.

"I come up here every evening," she said. The light breeze blew through her loose, blonde hair.

"Well, company is always nice, you know." I let my own hair down.

"But company brings noise, and... I don't care for noise much."

"No wonder you're so quiet."

"It reminds me too much of my sister, that's all."

I looked at her. "Your sister?"

"Yes. She and I played and grew up together in a land far away from here. But, our parents left us, then some-how we got split up one day, and I haven't seen her since. I don't even know what she looks like now." She turned away from me for a moment, but I saw the tears that brimmed her eyes.

"Katrina... I'm so sorry!" I hugged her tightly around her midsection. She was trying to wipe away her tears, but to no avail, it seemed.

"Just let them flow. You don't need to hold back when I'm around," I said. That must've hit the spot, because sorrow and grief radiated off of her in waves. Her entire body convulsed with the strength of her sobs.

A few minutes later, she stopped crying and we sat on the roof together.

"My dream, is to one day find my sisters," she whispered. She brought her knees up to her chin, and held them there by her arms.

"But, how can you do that here?" I asked.

"Well, I overhear what our Masters talk about, like their missions and stuff, and so by listening to those, I hope I can hear some information of her."

I leaned back and stretched out my legs. "Well, if it was me, I wouldn't be here looking for her. I'd be out there. Listening to stories from different travelers. The Masters just go to certain places. They don't travel the world, the seas, the land, the air. You have to get out there and actually look. The chance of you hearing about her from the Masters is one in a million. Hearing about her or finding her yourself out there in the world is about one in a hundred if she's popular, and one in a thousand if she's not."

"You... You're right. I never thought of it like that before. I guess... I guess I'm just not that adventurous. I'm a bit shy actually," she confessed.

"You!? Shy!? Nooooo..." I said sarcastically. She laughed with me.

"But, how could you tell? I have to be so commanding and confident, or else no one listens to me..."

"I kinda figured this out along the way, but you're the head maid, aren't you?"

"Yes, that's why all eyes are always on me. It's quite nerve-racking, to be honest." We chuckled a little at that.

So we sat there, watching the sun set over the shining sea beyond. But eventually, we had to leave in order to reach our quarters in time for curfew.