That kitchen girl was interesting. She didn’t look down on me for crying. She found it annoying, but instead of thinking I was being childish she seemed to be mad at my father. She seems so innocent but I could see the seed of darkness hiding in her heart of light. There wasn’t yet enough to manipulate her but she would make a fun plaything for the time being. And her fear of me would make it all the more fun to mess with her.

I realize that I am smiling. Is it because I am excited to finally find someone so interesting after so long? I have only been using my skills as a means to an end lately, but to be able to truly have fun, that would be amazing.

“Mary.” I call for my sole servant as I turn to my food.

“Yes, master Adrian?” The food has already gone cold.

“That girl, Hannah, I want her. See to it that she is assigned to me starting tomorrow.” It’s not like I was really all that hungry anyways.

“Yes, Master Adrian.” I turn back to my book. It is a predictable tale, like dozens that I’ve read before. Like so much else in my life it has nothing new to offer me. If it wasn’t so improper, I would sigh from the boredom. I finally turn away from the book.

“Mary”

“Yes, Master Adrian?”

“I am ready for bed.”

“Right away, Master Adrian.” Mary undresses me before putting me into my night garments. I dismiss her before slipping into the too big bed. My eyelids become heavy as the embers from my fireplace die.

For a moment, on the edge of sleep, I sense a glimpse of warmth before my world becomes cold again.

****

This is not good. Mary worriedly leaves Adrian’s quarters. The young, blonde maid had been able to protect the manor’s female staff from the young master for almost a year. For someone who piqued Adrian’s interest to cross the young master’s path is highly unfortunate for this Hannah girl. Once Adrian had taken an interest in a person, there would be no saving them. Sadly, the favored type of “toys” tended to be the more pure of heart. Mary knows what to expect by now. New “toys” were assigned to work for the young master and they rarely lasted long. She is the only one who has survived Adrian’s… interests.

Mary makes her way to the kitchen. Once there, she heads straight to the head cook. “Who sent the new girl up to Adrian’s room?”

“What could we do, all the older staff were busy at the time.”

“Well, now she is to attend to Master Adrian as of tomorrow morning.”

“No….” Only Mary truly knew what happened when the young master became interested in a new plaything, but the more experienced staff know that it’s not good.

“What?” One of the other cooks joins the conversation, curious as to what has the two women so worried.

“Master Adrian has taken an interest in Hannah.” A look of solemn understanding settles on the cook’s features.

“It’s always the young women.” In truth, there had been one boy a few years ago. The gender had made no difference to Adrian. Broken toys are discarded when their owner loses interest in them.

***

The damp, chilled air causes Hannah to shiver. It is long before the sun is scheduled to come up, but even when it does, Hannah has a feeling that it will not be making an appearance today. Not that it would make a difference to her. Unless her young master chose to venture outside, which she had been told was rare, she would be spending most of her days in his windowless quarters.

She enters her young master’s room with fearful caution. Hannah had heard whispers of girls who had served Master Adrian before her but she had only ever seen Mary around him. What had happened to the other servants? She is too scared to ask. Even if she wasn’t, the only ones who truly know are probably the two people she would be essentially isolated with, one of which is most likely the cause of the nonexistent maids. The question is which one was it.

Master Adrian is still asleep, wrapped in his layers of blankets. Must be nice, being able to sleep past dawn and in such warm bedding too. Hannah quietly walks over to the fireplace and starts trying to spark a flame in it.

“Mary?” Hannah freezes at the soft cry that comes from the bed. Realizing that Adrian is still asleep, she turns back to her task instead of going to get the other maid. It takes awhile but once she is sure that the fire won’t die back down, Hannah gets up to start on the rest of her morning chores. That’s when she hears another sob. “Don’t leave me.” It is obvious now that the youth is having some kind of nightmare, but is the chance of him being angry with her worth waking him up from it. Who knows what could happen. As every moment that she can feel the sadness coming from the bed passes, her fear is overwhelmed by a stronger feeling of sympathy. Before long, it is too much. Without even thinking, she walks towards the boy to comfort him. It isn’t until her soothing wakes him that she realizes her mistake.

How could any human’s eyes be so black? This is no scared child in need of being saved from a night terror. This thing before her is a storm whose rage she has incited. Despite its obvious scowl which radiates darkness, the thing suddenly smirks. “Quite bold of you, girl, to try sneaking into your master’s bed while I sleep.” Hannah leaps from the corner of the bed that she had been leaning on a moment before, stumbling a few steps back as she did. The sense of danger that swirls in the air around the bed reminds her of her fear from earlier.

That fear forces her to her knees into the deepest bow that is humanly possible. “I am so very sorry for my insubordination, Master. Please forgive this idiot.” She knows she won’t be able to move until the fear subsides. Thankfully that is when Mary enters.

“What are you doing, child? Get up.” Hannah assumes she is talking to her and not the young master, so she cautiously starts getting up. Mary then turns to the bed. “Really, Adrian? On the first day? This is excessive, even for you.”

“She’s the one who climbed onto my bed and woke me up.”

“Well since you’re awake, would you like to get ready for your day, Master Adrian?”

“I guess there really isn’t any point in trying to go back to sleep now…. Go get me food, girl.” Glad to have an excuse to leave, Hannah hurries to the kitchen with more haste than she had ever used before. This forced promotion was turning out to be even more dangerous than she had originally thought.