"Lady Serefina, please wait!"

I heard Margarette, my wet-nurse and personal maid, call out to me. I didn't look back; I didn't stop running. Whenever I did this, I knew I would be caught. I always was. It was just a matter of when and where.

Just a few more feet, I thought. I saw the light at the end of this dark, dreary hallway. A couple more steps. I burst through the heavy oak door and into the bright sunlight.

I beamed; I made it out this time. But where would I hide? Mama and Papa were having company in the garden, so if I went to hide there, they would surely scold me and send me back to my tutor. So, I looked around some more. What my eyes landed on made me grin.

Dashing to the stables, I decided to hide in the hayloft. They would not find me there. To get there, I would have to cross in front of the garden on a stretch of land with little cover. I ran as swiftly as I could, so as not to be noticed by Mama or Papa.

I burst through the stable door, surprising several horses, and scurried up the loft to hide in the hay. I was barely settled, burying myself in the sweet-smelling, itchy hay, when someone alerted me to their presence.

"Hello," a voice startled me. I looked down to find a boy around my age with long, messy black hair and an olive complexion. I frowned. I had never seen someone like him before. The people of Aegravear, while the most diverse in appearance, rarely kept their hair long.

Based on the black hair, he could have been a Zist, a citizen from the continent Zistolyn, visiting with family perhaps. He was not of age, so his hair would not be the bluish color that signified Zistolyn blood. But his eye color and complexion were wrong for that.

His olive complexion reminded me of the fairy tales Margarette would read to me before bedtime, of lands far away with strange creatures that looked like men and fed off children who did not listen to their parents. I shuddered remembering the stories. They were mainly folk tales, but they still scared me.

The boy tilted his head, and a sliver of light from a hole in the barn wall caught his face. He had dark green eyes that reminded me of the Oaklen greens I had for lunch earlier that day. Mmm, food. Now I was hungry again.

"Hello?" He looked up at me curiously, and I glanced around nervously.

"Shut it. They're going to notice me if you look like you're talking to someone who's not there." I frowned at the boy.

"Who's looking for you?" he wanted to know. I scowled some more, wishing he would just shut up already.

"If you really must know, it's just a couple of maids," I replied. "Now shut up already or climb up here if you insist on talking to me." To my surprise, he did. He laid down next to me and spoke, "Does that mean you're Lady Serefina?"

"Lady Serefina!" I heard Margarette call my name again. "Lady Serefina, if you don't come out this instant, I... I will go and get your father! You know how he hates it when his work is interrupted." She was close enough that I could hear her muttering, "Ooohhh. Where is that troublesome girl? Once I get my hands on her...."

"Miss Serefina, come out this instant. You put Miss Margarette through enough trouble as it is." I heard a new voice say.

"Shoot," I mumbled. They just had to get Tom. He was the new elite butler of the estate, and he did not play around.

In the corner of my eye, I saw the boy's face. It was turning red for some odd reason. I peered at him from beneath the hay, squinting in the dim light. "What's so funny?" I whispered. He looked at me and put a fist to his mouth.

"Bahahaha!" He burst out laughing, loud enough to make me jump once more and peep over the edge of the loft to see if they were still nearby.

"Shh," I fussed and covered his mouth with both my hands, worried about Tom and Margarette hearing and coming to investigate. But it was too late.

"Miss Serefina!"

"Lady Serefina! I have found you. You come down here right now. It isn't safe up there," Margarette scolded.

"Shoot!" I muttered again. I glared at the boy who was laughing so hard, tears leaked from the corners of his eyes.

I scampered down the ladder, brushing hay from my hair. We were both covered in it. Margarette hovered around me, picking off the hay and dirt from my face and clothes. "Good heavens, child! What have you done? Oh, this will not do. You need a bath!"

I grimaced at her furor and tried to wave Margarette away, but all I earned from her was a stern glare. I never liked all the attention I got from the personnel on the grounds. It was the same way whenever I left to go visit my aunt, though I had not done that for years. People were always bowing and smiling, and they fretted whenever I got the tiniest scratch from playing outside.

The boy followed me down, but instead of taking the ladder, he just jumped over the ledge. I stared at him, surprised, but he just grinned at me. "Sorry, miss. It was just so funny. You don't typically see this sort of thing from where I come from. It's like you were playing an unusual game of hide-n-seek."

"Unusual indeed," Tom declared dryly. He looked at the strange boy and smiled. "Thank you, Brooks. You were most helpful today. But before you go inside, you may want to clean yourself up."

The boy, Brooks, smiled. "Of course. No thanks necessary sir. I'm glad to be of service." Facing me, he bowed. "Until we meet again, Lady Serefina." He left the stables, leaving me sulking and staring after him thinking, who on earth is he?

From that day on, every time I tried to escape, he was right there, waiting for me no matter where I was.