I awoke the next morning with drool on the side of my mouth. The night had gone by comfortably, thankfully, even though I’d fallen asleep with my jeans and shoes on.

With a quick splash of water to my face and brushed teeth, I placed my glasses on, departed the room and—for the sake of not getting lost, I exited through the back garden via the ballroom I had seen yesterday. All the while, I avoided looking at his door, which was still tightly shut. I’d heard nothing all night, though it was probably because I was deeply sleeping.

I must’ve fallen asleep after I told myself to put my things away, but with only a backpack of belongings, I didn’t have much to worry over.

Slowly, I descended the grand stone staircase. Watching with lidded, sleepy eyes the view as it unfolded before me.

It was remarkable.

I didn’t oversleep, but the sun was already high in the sky and the heat was beginning to intensify. Rose bushes lined the stairs, and in front of my eyes I drank in the sight of white fountains, trimmed hedges and vibrant green topiary in the shapes of various animals.

In the far left, I saw a drop-off that led into a wild forest, and on the opposite side a rectangular lake a mile in size spilled sounds of cool, falling water to my ears.

It seemed as if the garden was never-ending, magical.

I stared below at my attire. With my wrinkled clothes I’d slept in, I felt out-of-place. I should’ve at least showered, but I was too hungry for that.

My shoes scraped against red brick ground when I hit the end of the long stairway. I stretched for a moment, gathering my wits when I realized something other than the sound of splashing water was there.

I looked down only to be met with a pair of bright yellow eyes hiding within a perfectly round hedge.

“A cat?” I stooped to reach its level, sticking my hand out.

Of course the creature wavered and did not approach. I was familiar with animals, especially cats and dogs. I had a few of them back home that were strays. I fed them from time to time, and even though grandma was allergic, she took care of them as well. Our love for animals was huge.

“I’m a dangerous stranger, aren’t I?” I teased the cautious cat.

As a matter of fact, I was the farthest from what that cat assumed I was. The perfect way to describe me would be: incredibly small, but with a temper that didn’t last.

The cat meowed, and then hissed. It was a beautiful cat, with dark wiry fur and long slender limbs. The yellow eyes stared strikingly at me, sizing me up. With a quick bath and little more love, the animal would've been quite fitting in the mansion.

But it was nice seeing something so feral in such an extravagant place. The cat reminded me of myself, though I must’ve appeared much more disheveled.

Behind, footsteps approached us.

Without getting up from my crouched position, I stared up to be met with another pair of eyes, this time kind.

“Good morning.” I said to her.

An older lady, plump and with a gentle expression, placed her hands on her hips. “Oh? What do we have here? Are you the boy who’s going to be looking after the young master?”

I faltered before I spoke. Did everyone know about my situation? Why did that feel like so much pressure on my shoulders?

“Yes.” I replied, returning to the cat.

The lady stepped closer, “Ah, that is the cat Lucas feeds.” She told me.

I raised a brow at her. “Lucas?”

“The young master.” She said. “Did no one tell you his name?”

I shook my head.

“My goodness.” She laughed heartily. “I bet he’s been a mystery all this time for you.”

“Yeah . . .” I tried not showing her how I felt about it all, but she must’ve caught onto it quickly.

Reading my expression, she asked, “And what is your name?”

“Samuel.” I told her, “But you can call me Sammy.”

“Sammy.” She said, clasping her hands. “I’m the wife of the baker here. You can call me Miss Maria.”

I smiled. “Nice to meet you.”

“It’s very nice to meet you too,” She smiled back. “Now, Lucas has not come down to feed the cat yet. Would you like to feed him instead?”

“Uh—I—” I watched as the cat stepped out of the bush carefully, still staring at me. The mere mention of food must’ve drawn him out.

I was surprised to hear that the young master took care of such a thing. Stray cats were usually dirty and they were prone to avoiding human contact. I didn’t believe someone like him would take pity on the animal.

The lady named Maria patted me on the shoulder gently. “C’mon, let’s get this kitten and you something to eat. Then I’ll take you to Madam.”

I got up, feeling the tiredness in my limbs. I wondered what time it was exactly. I really couldn’t tell in the summer. “She wants to see me?”

“Madam told us to send you up to her office if we saw you.” She began walking with me, leading me to a wooden door beside the stairs I did not notice before. It was most likely for staff only. “But first, let’s feed the kitty so that young master Lucas can head up immediately.”

The cat behind us continued to meow, so I indicated to him that I would be coming back.

“Okay.” I told her. “Thank you.”

I met the staff, who, were honestly all jovial and good people. They spoke to me in Espanol, and since I spoke it as well, I found that we connected much faster. It felt like I was introduced to a new family.

What didn’t go smoothly, was that I had to meet with the lady they called ‘Madam’. The butler, again, walked me up to her office. The feeling was as daunting as I remembered, and it made me recall how scared I actually was the first time I’d arrived.

Mr. Rangel rasped on the door thrice and waited for a response.

After a few seconds of just listening to the clock tick on, a voice from inside the room called out to us. “You may come in.”

He opened the door for me. Inside, sat the lady I’d seen yesterday. Today, she was wearing a different dress, black, and with her hair done up as severely as I’d seen before.

She was writing something down on what looked like a letter. Next to her, a contraption with a lit flame burned. A jar of red wax nestled beside her equipment.

“That is all, Mr. Rangel. You may leave us.” She told him.

Without saying a word, the butler bowed and closed the door behind him, leaving us alone.

Unlike yesterday, when I was holding the broken plate, I did not have anything today. But the same feeling was there.

I let the silence wash over us as she continued writing. I simply stood there, regarding the room a little more. It was a grand office, with a large window behind her that cast brilliant light upon the multitudes of bookshelves all around us. I stared at one closest to me and noticed that the books were written in multiple languages, and not one was in English.

“I believe you’ve met most of the staff here.” She said suddenly, catching my attention.

“Yes.” I answered.

She looked up at me. “Did you rest well?”

“Yes.”

“Have you eaten?”

“Yes.”

“Are you ready to begin today?”

I stopped responding when she asked me that. Her stiff mouth grew into a small smile. Clearly she could tell what I was thinking.

Truthfully, I was ready to begin. It was difficult not knowing who I was supposed to take care of though. Shouldn’t I have met him sooner?

I thought of what she said about him being troublesome, and I guessed that maybe it was good to have waited.

“Yes ma’am.” I told her, playing with the cuffs of my sweater. I didn’t break eye contact. It was hard not to. Her eyes were almost blue, but more silver than anything else.

She laughed softly. “Perfect.” She said, and then returned to her writing.

We were immersed in quiet again. I didn’t know what to do with myself other than watch her, but even that was nerve-wracking. I reverted back to looking at the interior of the place.

It was like I’d stepped into an Indiana Jones movie. There must’ve been artifacts from all over the world in one room. I could explore the place and it would take me literal days. I envied the woman who could sit here everyday.

I sighed. I implored myself not to feel too inferior.

A few good minutes passed before she stopped her pen and analyzed her work. The lady was about to grab the lit contraption when the door behind me abruptly opened loudly, making me jump slightly.

I didn’t receive a warning, and after realizing who it was that I’d be meeting for the first time, I would’ve asked for one in advance.

A young man, as old as I was but much, much taller, was standing in the doorway holding the doorknob with one hand and the door frame with the other. His features were elegant, like the lady’s, though they were filled with what appeared to be annoyance and anger.

His sharp gaze traveled to mine instantly, reminding me of the cat I’d seen in the morning. They were eyes filled with caution, bite, enough to make me know I couldn’t simply approach.

He stared angrily at his grandmother. “I told you I don’t need him.” He said severely. The tone in his voice made me want to leave.

Unlike myself, the lady merely smiled at her grandson. “You have finally arrived, I see.”

“It’s bad enough you kicked me out of my own room.” He shut the door behind him with a bang. “It’s even worse that I have to share that room with someone like him.”

I froze.

Did he just say what I thought he said?

The grandmother seemed to recognize my sudden shock. She spoke up immediately. “Do you really believe you have a say in anything involving this? With the actions you have been exhibiting, your intolerable attitude—I find it hard that such a thing would disturb you.”

He bit his lip. “I only want you to recognize me as an adult. I’m not a child who needs to be taken care of—”

“You are a child still.” She cut him off with a fierce look that made me take a step back. “The only adults I see in this room are he and I.”

My eyes widened.

The grandson shot me a look then with the same fierceness that his grandmother had, but with a subtle hint of confusion, as if he couldn’t understand why I was there in the first place.

“So you’re on his side?” He scoffed. “Even after he broke your—”

We kept our mouths shut as he gathered his thoughts. I stole a quick glance at the lady, only to find that her gaze never left her grandson. I could tell she was only worried about him. If family ever treated me as he was treating her, then I wouldn’t tolerate it either.

His face brightened up, “Wait.” He watched me closely. “Is that what this is all about?”

“It is not.” The lady said flatly.

He didn’t believe her. “How much money does he need? I’ll pay for that stupid dish.” At that moment, he brought out a wallet from his jean pocket, revealing a wad of cash and throwing it onto her desk. “7,000$, right?”

“I said it is not—” She began, though I cut her off this time.

I exhaled loudly, expressing my current rush of emotions. 

They stopped talking.

For a minute, I collected myself. I didn’t want to say something unnecessary. I only wanted to get to the point. Up until there, I hadn’t said anything. That was really an accomplishment on my part.

So instead of actually saying what I wanted to say, I went up to her desk, eyeing the money. It wasn’t even American money. It looked foreign, possibly Russian.

I took the bills slowly, stacking them one by one, not even counting them. This was more money than I’d ever held in my life, and this guy had it in his wallet as if it was nothing but pocket change.

All the while I could feel their stares on me, but I only looked at him. I’d hoped he could read what I was thinking. I hoped he could see what kind of person I was on the outside before he could know what I was like from within.

“What kind of person am I?” I asked him, pulling at my wrinkled clothes. “Well, I’ll tell you this,”

I walked up to the young man, regarding the way his fierceness didn’t diminish. At least he didn’t look disgusted. If so, I surely would’ve been a lot angrier.

“I’m not a person who takes money without working for it.” I continued, placing the money back into his hands. “I’ll earn it.” I told him, and then added, “By cleaning you up for your grandmother.”

We looked at each other.

I tilted my head, challenging him to say more. He only searched my face.

It was then that I knew we would never be able to read each other. We were not going to get along, for sure.

A cough disrupted our stare-down. His grandmother was watching us with a glint in her eye. “You’ve passed.”

I turned to her. “Excuse me?”

“You passed.” She repeated herself, getting up from her seat with ease.

Her grandson questioned her as well. “What does that mean?”

“It means that I’ve picked the perfect person to help you.” She said, changing her tone of voice when she spoke to him. When they were face to face, she raised a hand to brush non-existent dust off of his black jacket. “He’s small but he’s sharp, Luka.” The lady murmured. “Watch yourself.”

I stayed quiet.

“And as for you,” She added. “Give this to your mother when you see her.” The lady gave me the letter she’d been working on. It was sealed with a wax stamp. The engraving was intricate, beautiful. It must've been her emblem. “Tell her not to worry.”

She smirked and then headed for the door.

“Grandma,” He called for her. "Grandma, wait."

“I've no need to quarrel further with you today.” She glared at him. “Whatever you have to say does not matter to me. That boy will be your guardian and that’s that. If you do not abide by this rule, your allowance will disappear. And if this attitude of yours continues, I will see to it that you won’t get a penny of your inheritance.”

“Grandma—!” He followed her, but she managed to slam the door in his face before departing.

We stood there awkwardly.

He wasn’t speaking, so I assumed he would be too angry to do much. I inched away from him little by little, and was startled when he began talking, “This is your fault.”

“I don’t think so.” I argued back.

He came up to me, towering over me, “You won’t get away with this.”

I cracked a very small smile, which seemed to surprise him. “Try me.”

He grabbed my shirt collar threateningly, but I didn’t waver. If he attempted anything, then apparently his inheritance would disappear. He knew that, and now so did I. It gave me power.

We stared at each other once more.

At the time I didn’t realize just how badly things were going to be from then on. Maybe it was good I did not know. As for him, I felt somewhat sorry. He was indeed like a feral cat in dire need of some help. Luckily, that’s what I did best.

He let go. “I hate this. I don’t want you.”

I pushed him away. What he said didn’t come as a complete shock. I felt the exact same way.

“I don’t want you either.” I said.

We both agreed on something, at least.

We didn’t want each other but . . .

What else could we do?

Nothing.

Absolutely nothing.