Masks

Chapter 4

Like a dove wishing to be let free,
To explore the skies above.

  ~~~

  "From your tasks yesterday, I would rate your work efficiency to be about 6.5/10. You clearly have to learn to work as fast as the other maids." Mrs. Waters sighed disappointedly. "Unfortunately though, I am usually busy during this time of day so I will no longer be observing you from today on. I'll have Irene watch you, as long as you get the work done."

  "Y-Yes ma'am!" Violet replied, determined. "I will not let you down."

  "Good. Because you'd be going over your shift if you did."

  Violet nodded, and skipped over to the cleaning supplies closet. Mr. and Mrs. Waters watched her leave in confusion.

  "She's unusually cheerful about this," Mrs. Waters said. "Maybe her shift isn't long enough."

  "Don't give her more work to do," Mr. Waters protested. "She's already doing enough in this house, she has the power to do what she wants in her life."

  I can deal with two hours, Violet thought while sweeping the living room floor. It's only till then until I can talk to him again.

  ~~~

  Quinn hated waking up early. Finishing his homework usually kept him up for hours, sometimes even past midnight, so he'd usually sleep in past breakfast the next day. Despite this, he reluctantly set his alarm clock to ring at 7:30am for the following day.

  "Was that your alarm earlier?" Ian walked into the room, rubbing his eyes. "Woah, you're already doing your homework."

  "Better get it finished now than later, right?" Quinn replied, the pencil in his hand dancing all over his page.

  "What's gotten into you today?" His brother asked. "You never wake up early, even to finish your homework."

  "I finished pretty early yesterday, so I went to sleep earlier." Quinn said, his eyes still on his notebook. "I decided to wake up early so I can finish everything before the evening."

  "It's her, isn't it?"

  Quinn set down his pencil on his sheet, turning around to face his brother. "It is not, it is purely on my own obligation."

  Ian raised an eyebrow. "Quinn's got a cru-ush! Quinn's got a—"

  "Who's causing the ruckus, this early in the morning?" Mrs. Hayes walked into the room angrily. "Ian, go back to bed, it's still too early for you to be awake. Quinn... you're already up."

  "Quinn's weird today." Ian explained. "He's never up this early."

  "You've been acting weird recently." Their mother said. "Well, glad to know you're up early to do schoolwork. Self discipline is a good habit to get into."

  "Y-Yes!"

I just have to get through this now, Quinn continued to write on his page. I'll do this now, so I can talk to her again.

  ~~~

  "You're working faster today." Irene remarked. "Did something good happen?"

  "Not particularly." Violet shrugged. "Guess I just didn't want to disappoint Mrs. Waters this time."

  "At this rate, you'll be finished before your shift is over." Irene said. "You think she'll let you go early?"

  "Probably not." Violet sighed. "I hope she'll be less angry at me though."