Djinn_S : Tales Of Rome

Chapter 4 - secrets

As I came near the gate , I found uncle Max standing there and waiting for me . As soon as I approached him, he waved at me.

"Uncle Max!! What are you doing here ?" I was surprised..

"Young lady, I was just making sure you're okay after coming to school after a month's absence."

"Are you sure you didn't come here to check if I didn't cause trouble again?" I said teasingly.

" Haha young lady knows me well. I would certainly never think like that of our Young lady."

"Haha yeah right! Don't worry I didn't cause any trouble."

We both laughed ... uncle Max is the only one with whom I can feel like a normal human. Even though 'others' treated me like an 'unwanted evil spirit' , his care towards me was genuine. Never doing stuffs for me for money or any other interest. I could always be normal and happy around him. Even I wished if he were my real father then how good it would have been. Then we got into the car..

"How was your day young lady?"

"It was so-so.... Nothing special-" then I stopped in between remembering the whole creepy staring event.

"What happened young lady?" He said with a tensed look on his face . I laughed.."hahaha Uncle Max what else could've happened in that Hell?"

"Oh.." he said. Still giving me suspicious look.

"Don't worry I really didn't mess up again....." I said taking a deep breath.... and again said," how much I have messed up until now that you can't trust my words anymore?"
Then a sudden sad feeling overwhelmed me..
"I didn't mean that young lady" he said looking downwards In a low tone.

I looked outside the window . Looking at those beautiful trees. We were passing the flower shop back then , I said ,still looking outside as if not to uncle Max but to someone outside the window,
" This time I really can't afford to mess up again."

Then we didn't talk throughout the whole journey . The awkward silence was making us more uncomfortable until we reached the mansion....

The big luxurious mansion looks the same as it was 16 years ago or more. I sighed when I came in front of the main entrance.

So the old cycle gonna repeat like before... No changes ... No freedom...

I felt a slight pain in my chest as I try to reminisce the past... I just wish there were some way out of this hell.... Anything would do...just anything.
I sigh again and head inside.

I found our maids being busy with decorating the dinner table with twinkling sounds of cutlery . The moment I came inside, at the speed of light , the flock of indisciplined sheep turned into most disciplined animal 'ant'. All maids were standing in a single straight line as if the Colonel of the Brigade of army is standing right before them.
As I let out a sigh, the head chef came forth to ask me," young lady what would you like to eat for dinner?"
" Please make something simple."I said.
As I said , the chef exchanged some glances with uncle Max who was following after me. After some glances as if talking with their eyes, the head chef nodded in affirmative and head back inside the kitchen.
Soon after changing clothes , as I set myself at the dinner table the chef served " Grilled sirloin steak and fresh vegetables" on the table. After finishing my dinner quietly, I head back to my room.

Inside my room I found a magazine on my bedside table. Since I had nothing much to do ,I grabbed on the magazine and set myself on my bed. As I was going through the magazine uncle Max came near my doorway and said," young lady may I come in?"
" Yes uncle Max, please come in."
" Young lady,all maids and servants are done with their work and have already head back to the servants quarter. So... So...now ... Should... I...?", He mumbled.
"You may leave uncle Max. It's already late." He nodded and headed back.
After a while ,I could hear uncle Max's shoe tapping sound on stairs.uncle Max reaching downstairs and one after another room , the sound of setting curtains and switching off lights could be heard from the second floor and finally heard him close the main door and lock it with that giant lock from outside. Yes locking me from outside as if i'm some prisoner, would run away if left unlocked. Then a few moments more ,i waited. Silence....total silence. which means he has already left. That's the most common scene I have been witnessing since I was four when.... my mother left me or... at least that's what I have been told. Such a big mansion, such tight security.It is natural for someone to think that i'm always surrounded with people taking care of me. But... the reality is completely opposite. The tight security is for ensuring my imprisonment than my own security. Guards are always alert so that i couldn't hurt myself but there is no one to ask me if i'm feeling good.They are told to leave me alone all by myself and of course it's been ordered by my dad who has set up this PARADISE for me so that I could have a taste of The Hell. As soon as sun sets and i'm done with dinner, all servants and stuffs leave for their servant's quarter.
All the servant of hudsons' live in the servants quarter. A commoner could not identify it as a simple quarter but as a piece of land with rich people's palaces. even the servants of the hudsons' are richer than any other businessman on this land. that's why where on other part of the world, parents dream that their child would become a successful doctor or lawyer or businessman here in this land, parents dream that only if their child could get in as a servant of hudsons' then they need not to worry anymore. But it's not that easy.They need to go through several hard exams to even become the lowest rank servant in the hudsons'. These tests are harder than passing MBBS or Bar exams.For that there's even a "Servant's training institution" set up by Hudson. Only after struggling for years and passing those exams one can become a lower rank servant of hudsons'. But the result is fruitful as they can enjoy a life of luxury. So they don't care about their rank or job.

Whatever they're taught in their training institution, they're strictly told to follow one rule .

     NEVER BEFRIEND WITH

             YOUNG LADY

It took me years to realize this unspoken rule of our servants. Cause whoever broke that rule, had to face the consequences. All these years whoever I got closer with , never seen them ever again. And that took me to the memories of my childhood , of my nanny, Lily. The person I was close with the most, who took care of me for years even after my mom left me. But.... After my mom had gone... I had seen her for couple of months then she disappeared. Everyday every moment I searched her everywhere , asked everyone. Even to uncle Max and he said she was transferred to another mansion of Hudsons' in another city. But where no one ever told. And I was sad but was relieved that at least she is safe.

Huh my innocence... She was transferred to another city or ......
Transferred to another world ?

There's so many secrets hidden from me. Will I ever be able to unfold them? No one knows....

Sadness overtakes on a night like this. It has become a habit of mine. How many nights have I spent on fighting with my own fears ? How many nights have I spent alone ever since I was four? I look out through the glass window which was slightly open, allowing sweet breeze to come in. Sheer curtains were moving slowly. Through the open window, I look at the glowing moon. Even the moon has dark spots. Some dark secrets...

While surfing through my mind, when did I fall asleep I can't tell...
All I can tell is the night got darker and the moon kept glowing all night....

To be continued