Cinder-Mari

A job to do

The next morning, Marinette woke up in her own bed, and for a moment struggled to remember what had happened. Then she remembered the death of her parents, and Lord Bourgeois's offer. She sighed, and heaved herself onto the cold hardwood floor of the attic of her family's bakery. Her house had been sold to pay for the unexpected funeral of her parents, but she was allowed to keep the bakery as long as she brought in enough money each day.
She put on an old pink dress with a white apron, and hurried down to start baking. Once she had made enough money for the morning, she took off her flour covered apron and changed it for a fresh one. Soon she was ready to go to Chateau Bourgeois, and she ran outside and jumped onto an express carriage that was thundering past, holding onto the brass bar provided and feeling the morning mist in her face.

The carriage kept to the main road for a while, but when it turned to the right instead of the left, Marinette jumped off and started walking. She gasped when she saw the stately mansion come into view, towering over smaller buildings like it had risen up in the clouds. She was so busy gaping at the stature of the grand house, that she did not see the girl who was about to walk straight into her.
"Oof!" Marinette heard a voice sound behind her, then frantically turned around with a hurried "sorry!" When she did, she saw a girl about her own age, with long dark hair and brown skin. "Oh, please, don't apologize. I was so focused on a shopping list my mother gave me, that I wasn't even looking to see who was in front of me." Marinette smiled at the kind girl, holding out her hand for the girl to shake.
"My name is Marinette. Today is my first day working as a maid in the Bourgeois estate." Marinette's new friend shook her hand vigorously, smiling widely. "You'll be working at Chateau Bourgeois? I work there too! Well, not exactly, I only help my mother out. She's the head cook there, and I can't wait to introduce you to some of the other maids! Their names are Juleka, Rose and Mylene, and they're all our age. Oh yeah, I almost forgot to tell you my name. It's Alya, and I'm so excited to meet you!"
Marinette had never met someone who talked so much, but in a way she really liked it. "Well then, what are we waiting for? Let's get the rest of the things that you need, and then get to work!" Alya looked at the slip of paper, then shuddered visibly for Marinette to see. "What's wrong?" "Well, the only other thing I need to get is ground ginger, but the only place that sells it is the apothecary over there." Alya then gestured to a building marked, Mlle Mendeleiv's herbs and remedies.
"Well, come on then! How bad could it be?" Marinette pulled her hand and dragged Alya inside. A little bell rang when they opened the door, and a stern looking woman stepped out of the back room. Marinette nearly felt a chill as she came into the room, this thin woman who had gray hair cut in such a strange, short way. "Yes, what do you want? I have a long day ahead of me, full of customers, and I do not want to waste it on two empty headed girls." Very visibly shaking, Alya handed the list to her.
"We need the last one on this list, please." She squeaked out, while Mlle. Mendeleiv picked up a pair of spectacles from the counter and looked at the piece of parchment closely. "Ah, yes. I see." She plunked down a mortar, put a ginger root inside, and began grinding it up with the pestle. She then put the medicine into a little cloth bag, and handed it to Alya when she got the right amount of money.

Marinette and Alya wasted no time to get out of there, and felt much better when they were out in the sunshine. "Oh my, I see what you mean." Marinette said, rubbing her arms to make the goosebumps disappear. Alya nodded, then held out her hand to her friend. "Well then, since I now have everything I need, we can now go and introduce you to everyone!"
Marinette nodded. "Okay then, let's go!" The girls quickly crossed the street, before walking up to the magnificent stone steps to the large mansion. "Where have you been?" A hard and cynical voice rang out, and Marinette and Alya looked up to see a red haired girl looking at them, a frown stuck across her face. "Oh, Mlle. Sabrina!" Alya spread out her skirt in a curtsey, and nudged Marinette to do the same.
"That doesn't answer my question. You were supposed to get the things that your mother needed and come right back, without any distractions. I'm waiting, and so is my dear sister." Alya nodded, and quickly looked down. "I'm sorry, miss. I met the new maid on the way, and we got to talking." Sabrina looked down her nose at Marinette, and she instantly felt small. "Ah yes, I see. Does this new maid have a name?"
Alya nudged her, and she dipped her head to match. "Marinette Dupain, mademoiselle. I thank Lord Bourgeois for thinking of me in such a kind way." Sabrina received her words with a bored expression. "Yes, you'll do. Now that introductions are out of the way, please go down to the kitchen and deliver the medicine, so my sister does not pass out from excruciating pain."

They curtseyed again, then ran down the steps leading to the servant's spaces. "Wow, if that's what Sabrina's like, I'd hate to get a mouthful from Chloe." Marinette breathed a word of surprise, for she had not thought that a girl whose father was a war hero could be so unkind to those who served her. "Yes, Chloe. My advice is, try not to get her too angry. I'm afraid she woke up in a disagreeable mood, several years ago."
Laughter bubbled out of Marinette, and she looked to see that Alya was the same way. "That's why I had to go shopping today, in fact. Apparently, Chloe had woken up with a very painful stomachache, though it's probably a ruse to get more attention. Still though, I'm actually glad that I was sent out, so I could become such good friends with you."
Marinette linked hands with Alya, and laughed. "Well then, that was quite a happy accident!" Before Alya could reply though, three teenage girls ran up to Alya. One of them, a golden haired girl with a pink dress and green apron, started talking fast in a high pitched voice. "Alya, where have you been? Mlle. Chloe's mood has been getting worse every second, and Mme. Cesaire needs those ingredients if we all hope to keep our jobs!" Alya smiled at the girl in front of her.
"Calm down, Rose. I have everything my mother needs, and you know Chloe is probably doing this so people can fuss over her more than usual." "Don't say that, Alya!" A short girl, wearing a blue dress and a multicolored apron that looked a bit like a patchwork quilt, glanced around herself nervously. "All you need is the wrong person to hear you say something bad about the mademoiselle, and your mother will lose her job for sure! Oh, who's this?" Suddenly the attention of the three was turned to Marinette.
"This is the new maid, everyone! Her name is Marinette. Marinette, this is Rose, Mylene and Juleka. They all work here as well." Marinette exchanged greetings with Rose and Mylene, but when she tried to say hello to Juleka she simply looked down and did not say a word. "Oh, don't mind her." Rose said, and put her arm around the tall girl, who sported black hair, a purple dress and a black lace apron.
"Juleka's always a little shy and quiet around newcomers, but soon enough you'll almost be sick of the sound of her voice." The five girls began laughing, until a loud screech from above silenced them. "Daddy! When is a maid going to get off of her lazy rump, and bring me my medicine?" Marinette looked at Alya, and she nodded. "Right, I'm going to go give this to my mother, finally."