The morning after the birthday party Nari awoke feeling very hungry her last meal having come from Charlie stopping off to eat the afternoon prior.

  Putting her art supplies carefully back in her suitcase she walked to the door and peered out into the hallway. The quiet was eerie after all the noise from the party.

  A maid carrying a stack of sheets whisked past her without so much as a second look and into another room.

  Not willingly to brave the foreboding hallway with its sharp white walls just yet she went back and sat on her bed for a while longer reading one of her favorite fairytale books that she had brought from home. As the day wore on, she began to feel even more hungry and thirsty.

  Heading out into the hallway she tried to decide which direction she should try. Not remembering passing any kitchens or restrooms on the way to her room yesterday she decided to try the opposite way. She passed several closed doors, lots of sitting room, a music room, several bedrooms, and a trophy room of some kind before coming to a set of stairs. One led up and the other down. She decided to head down as that seemed to be the most logical direction to go. The staircase was much wider than the one she had taken with Charlie the day before so she reasoned that this must be the main staircase.

   When she reached the bottom, she was in an enormous room completely alone. If it hadn’t been for seeing the maid earlier, she would have thought herself completely alone.

  Inspecting the room, she decided it must be the Great Hall where a majority the last night’s guest would have been if not for the fact that the celebrations were held outdoors instead. However, she found this piece of information to be of great interest to her as there was usually a powder room or two nearby. After a few minutes of searching, she finally found it and made quick work of relieving some of her discomfort.

          Looking for a servant in the kitchen seemed to be the next best idea so she began walking around the room again trying to find the servants hallway.

          “You! There! Stop! What do you mean by this?” Came a sharp voice behind her. Turning Nari saw that it was her aunt and instantly recognized her to be a vain creature. Her clothes were less extravagant but no less expensive by the looks. She was wearing a professional looking skirt suit with sharp lines that accent her figure and her hair was pulled starkly back into a bun.

  “Pardon me Ma’am. I was just looking for something to eat.” She started to explain.

  “Ma’am! Do I look like some wrinkled old prune? And what do you mean coming into my house begging for food!” Nari decided it was best not to say anything about the woman’s obviously heavily layered make up to cover her wrinkles.

  “I’m sorry. I’m your niece. I got here yesterday and waited in my bedroom for my governess, but she never came. I’m hungry so I came down looking for the kitchen.”

  “My niece! Dressed like that I thought you were the offspring of one of my servants. Or worse a street urchin that snuck in! And with an attitude like that how would I have known any different. Or you could be lying you little wretch.” Her aunt seized her by the arm and pulled on a cord by the wall summoning a man dressed in a respectable suit with tails off the back of it, a butler then.

  “Send me Charlie. I want him to identity this creature immediately and explain to me why it is not dressed appropriately and is wandering my house like some kind of heathen.” Nari didn’t fight her aunt’s grip even though it was starting to hurt her arm. She figured it might be best for her to just wait for Charlie to sort out the miscommunication.

  It was only a few minutes later but felt like an eternity when he arrived.

  “Madam.” His tone came out even as he gave a little bow.

  “Charlie what on earth is this creature doing in my house? Is this my niece whom you were supposed to fetch?

  “It is she.”

  “Then why on earth does she look like this? Why has she not been looked after?” Nari agreed whole heartedly with the last question although she had the impression that her idea of looked after and her aunt’s idea of it were very different. “See to it that everything is arranged. I will not have my guests see this thing is related to me!” With that she released Nari’s arm and strode away into another part of the house. 

  “I thought I told you to stay in your room.” Charlie said after a moment.

  “I’m hungry. My governess never showed up.”

  “Very well, follow me.” Charlie led the way back to where he had come from. The air smelled like freshly baked bread and something fruity making her stomach gurgle with longing. Charlie raised an eyebrow at her. She shrugged what was she supposedly to do about it. Breakfast turned out to be fried eggs, fresh toast, turkey bacon, and a glass of orange juice served by a cook who was very clearly exhausted by the previous day’s efforts and perhaps a little annoyed at having to cater to some mysterious new family member so soon. Based on what she had seen of the rest of the family she could hardly blame her.

   The food was delicious, and Nari praised the cook highly for it. This seemed to have the effect of cooling the woman’s temper as she willingly gave her a large slice of apple pie that was left over from the party. Nari declared it was the best pie she had ever eaten in her life and made sure to not leave even any filling left on her plate scraping it clean.

    Charlie who had left her with the cook at the beginning of breakfast returned as she finished her pie.

   “Everything’s been taken care of come with me.” Nari thanked the cook once again and quickly followed behind Charlie and his long legs. They took the servants passages which she was grateful for not wanting to have any more run ins with her new family so soon.

  She found he had led her back to her room but was confused when he picked up her suitcase to move it.

  “Collect the rest of your things.” He instructed.

  “They’re all there.” She gestured at the suitcase in his arms. “Are they sending me away so soon? Do they not like me?”

  “No. Other arrangements have been made your changing rooms. Your new room will overlook the garden in the back of the house.”

   “Oh good! I love gardens! Do you like gardens? My uncle has a beautiful one every plant you can think of! Amanda has a garden too. It looks like the plants decided where to put themselves instead of being planted. Amanda says she did that on purpose but I’m not sure I believe her. I think she actually just lets it grow because it's easier to take care of.” Nari gushed in excitement being able to look out the window and see a garden would be wonderful and encouraging. It would help her face whatever challenges lie ahead with this strange new life she found herself in. After giving her a strange look which she couldn’t decipher Charlie led the way once again through the white hallway.

          After a small eternity of walking through countless hallways they arrived at a proper bedroom. It was one of the smaller ones she had seen but that didn’t bother her. The furnishings were simple and so was the color scheme soft blues and dark woods dominating it. Against the wall opposite of the door was the best part. A single large window sat in the middle of the wall with a seat build in. Running over to it she saw there was indeed a garden view. There was even a pond. It was far more manicure and tidy than she was used to, but it was still a familiar sight in this place so far away from everything she had known before.

  “Oh, thank you Charlie! It’s a beautiful bedroom!” She said taking in the rest of the room. Similar to the last room there was a small dresser and a wardrobe, but this room also had a bench with a cushion at the foot of the bed and a small writing desk.

  “Charlie? I have a question.” She started watching as he set her suitcase down on the bench. “What is my aunt and uncle’s names? I’ve never heard them spoken.”

  “Never?” He appeared to be surprised by the question. “Hmph. Figures no one would bother to tell you who you are going to be living with. Your aunt and uncle are none other than Edward and Priscilla Danners a prominent family in high society. They have four children. Roger the Second is the eldest at nineteen being named after Edward’s father, William is the next at fourteen, Amelia is their third at the age of ten, and Simeon is the last at the age of eight.”

“Thank you very much Charlie.”