Only Her

Chapter 5.1-The mirror

Raven woke up with her head under the pillow. Tossing it to the side, she saw Tabitha curled up in her bed fast asleep.

'I can remember what happened yesterday'

She thought, and breathed a sigh of comfort.

She sat up, and looked around. This little room was the one Martha brought her to. This little iron bed was the one she slept in through the night, and this little black outft hanging over the bed frame was the outfit she would wear for her day of work.

Tabitha stretched and rolled over and looked at Raven through sleepy blue eyes.

"Already awake?" She said with a raspy voice.

"I thought that I'd have to wake you."

Raven shrugged.

"Perhaps I'm an early riser."

"Perhaps." Concurred Tabitha

"Let's see how well you do tomorrow morning. We have a busy days work ahead of us."

Tabitha stood up and began to undress.

Raven flushed and looked away.

Tabitha laughed.

"What are you embarrassed about?"

"You just surprised me that's all."
Tabitha's curly red-blonde hair rested gently over her pale chest, like a goddess.
"Well I'll turn around if it helps."

Raven snatched up her clothes and changed quickly.

A loud banging fell upon their door, followed by Martha bellowing

"Breakfast!"

With hair tied up, shoes shined, and dresses straightened, the girls rushed into the hallway and down the stairs toward the servants' kitchen.

The large wooden table was arranged with a humble spread of honey, biscuits, bread, butter and fruits collected from the jungle. Most of the house-service members were sitting at the table talking loudly, while they waited for the last to join. Raven spied a large green spikey looking fruit sitting amongst the others, and a memory instantly jabbed at her consciousness. She could hear children laughing, wind rushing through her hair, and felt cold water being splashed onto her body.

"Are you alright?" Asked Martha, who had rushed over and placed a hand on Raven's head.

"No fever, but you're shaking like a leaf! Are you sick?"

Raven drew a large breath in through her nose.

"No I'm not sick. I just...thought of something confusing."

She looked at the group of worried faces peering back at her.

"I'm hungry though. Can we eat?"

The group dispersed into chatter and laughter once more, and Martha shuffled the girls to their places.

"Here's your seat." Martha pointed to a small wooden chair next to Aunt Grace.

Raven sat down quietly and turned to look at Grace.

The old lady had dark grey hair, with streaks of black. Her nose was slightly hooked, and although she looked sombre, there were lines around her eyes that indicated she was once a very joy filled lady. She had a small purple bow, which was fastened to the collar of her long black dress, and her hands shook a little as she tried to pick up a piece of toast smeared with honey.

She peered from the corner of her eye at Raven, who had shrunk back into the chair, to make herself small.

"Are you feeling better today?" Aunt Grace asked, as she took a bite into the toast.

"Yes thank you." She replied quietly.

Something about being near Aunt Grace made her feel shy and meek, as if she were a little girl.

"Martha said you were working very hard yesterday. She said she had made the right decision to take you in here."

"That's very kind of her to say."

The pair chatted quietly through breakfast and Raven became more comfortable in Aunt Grace's presence. She learnt that Grace had worked at the manor since she was a young girl, and that she was in fact Tabitha's great-Aunt, but insisted upon being called just aunt so that she didn't feel so old.

Martha rang the bell to signal the beginning of work, the table was cleared, and Tabitha and Raven were bustled out into the courtyard to begin their first chore of the day.

"Today, we get to work in the manor." Tabitha told Raven

Raven's heart gave a little jump of excitement. She would finally get to see inside the golden shell of the building that she had instantly fallen in love with from the outside.

"I hope it's just as grand inside as it is out." Said Raven

"Well I won't taint your judgement now." Replied Tabitha.

"You'll just have to wait and see."

So, armed with feather dusters and fresh linen, the pair entered the glass doors to the first floor.

Raven gasped in awe. The floor seemed to span out for miles, and was tiled with stone squares of light brown and black. There were two stair cases with gleaming black hand rails. The larger one ran down the centre and was carpeted by a thick green rug, and the smaller one to the right, led up to a passageway with a white door. To the left was a large white wall with portraits and a book case, and beside it was a large double door that was also white but etched with gold detailing of flowers.

"That door leads to the dining room, but we aren't working in there today. We have to go upstairs. Come on!"

Tabitha headed across the beautiful stone floor toward the small staircase on the right.

This staircase was also carpeted in green, but was made of wood and squeaked a little on certain steps. A large grandfather clock stood on the landing, welcoming them into the long hallway. The first bedroom was the first door on the right. As they entered, a large wooden bed with four large posts rose up above them. Beyond the bed was a small window that looked out upon the trees of the jungle and the courtyard below.

Raven set her large armful of linen down on the bed and turned around.

"It's so beautiful!" She exclaimed

"I love the colours, and furniture and-"

She stopped when she noticed that another person was in the room. Standing directly opposite her, was a beautiful girl with dark brown eyes and brown skin. She had soft arching eyebrows, which had contorted themselves into a worried expression. Raven raised a hand to her face and the girl did too.

Just then, Tabitha joined her to look at the girl. Now Tabitha was in two places at once!

"How is that possible?" Breathed Raven.

"You're here...But you're..." She looked back at the mirror.

"That's me, isn't it?"

She took several steps forward with her hand outstretched. Her fingers touched something cold and smooth.

"It's a mirror, Raven." Tabitha replied.

"Our lady uses it to make herself look nice."

Raven continued to stare at her own reflection.
She prodded her full, rose colored lips and elongated nose. She turned her head from side to side and saw that she had lovely full cheeks.

"Oh! I look quite nice." She smiled
"I think you look more than just nice." Responded Tabitha.
"You are beautiful." A birds call sounded next to the window, almost as if in agreement.
"But enough dilly-dallying." Continued Tabitha.
"There are beds to be made."
The pair worked in silence for a moment

"Tabitha?" She asked, folding a sheet between the mattress and the frame.

"Why is the kitchen so far from the Manor."

Tabitha laughed.

"Albert, the old Lord who built this place was sensitive to hot foods, so by the time the food had been out in the open air and arrived at the dinner table , it had cooled down enough that he could eat it."