Two

Keisha screamed frustratedly into her hands. She wished she could say her patience was running thin but she couldn't because it already had. The only thing that could aid her to keep her sanity would be a punching bag but there wasn't exactly any at her disposal. Bummer.

She raised her head to look around her. The en-suite was fully tiled in white and a huge shower took up one corner, while a tub that one would no doubt appreciate soaking themselves in took up space adjacent the shower. The very shower that she couldn't manage to crack every single time she had to clean and was the reason why she was completely drenched in her drab grey uniform.

Keisha wiped her face once with the palm of her hand and stood up from the toilet seat. Two entire days that she had been working in the mansion and her reasons for being there were seemingly not being fulfilled, rather very much at a standstill.

Mr Thompson King was nowhere to be seen. A short conversation with one of the maids had her know that he was away on business; something that Rod had failed to inform her beforehand. Knowing Rod, he probably had done so to make a point to her that everyone had a weakness and hers was undoubtedly good money.

Regardless, Mr King's absence was not such a bad thing. In fact, it made things slightly easier. The guards couldn't get in the way because to them, she was just another maid cleaning after their boss. She could go wherever she wanted without worrying about looking suspicious.

Well, that's what would have happened had she not been assigned to the west wing. What was this supposed to be anyway? The victorian era, with all the designated wings?

What made it worse was that it apparently belonged to Mr King's estranged son that she had no interests knowing but already knew quite a lot about, thanks to the other maids. Apparently, he was in his late twenties, unmarried and very handsome; something they made a point to repeat to her whenever the opportunity arose.

He was also a successful businessman and a bunch of other things she had had to pretend she was  enthusiastic about knowing. To her, she was just cleaning up unoccupied space with every passing day and her mission was clearly on hold, unless she could somehow manoeuvre her way to the east wing, something that was proving to be quite the mission by itself. Mrs Patterson was proving to be one tough cookie.

With a huff, she walked out of the bathroom and out of the bedroom which felt rather cold. She just wasn't sure if that was because of lack of inhabitants or it was just especially cold. It was the west wing, of course, it would be cold. At least that was her reasoning. She just wasn't sure what that said about the person who chose the colder side of the mansion to reside in.

She shook her head and implored herself to mind the business that paid her. Thinking about the money had a huge smile breaking on her lips. She walked down the rest of the stairs with an extra bounce in her step and was about to walk in the direction of Mrs Patterson's office when one of the maids hooked her hand with hers.

"What are you looking at me like that for?" Keisha asked suspiciously, the smile falling from her face.

The shorter woman's eyes squinted as she smiled up at Keisha, exposing a deep dimple on her right cheek. She was the most vibrant person Keisha had had the pleasure of meeting in her life and it was so easy to fall into her bubble.

"What?" Keisha couldn't help the chuckle that left her mouth.

"This is the first time I've seen you smile like that," Grace spoke softly. "I'm surprised considering you are just descending from the west wing. I know that you have a love-hate relationship with it."

Keisha laughed humourlessly. "Good thing you know how I feel about working in that wing. It's cold and I'm sure nobody would appreciate to work in a cold environment. In addition to that, it just has to have these complicated showers. Look at me, I'm drenched."

Grace realised then that Keisha was indeed wet, so she unhooked her arm from hers. She shook her head in disappointment, all the while managing to keep a safe distance between them.

“My goodness! The shower isn't all that hard to deal with. You need to sow some patience when dealing with these things. I can show you how to operate it again if you like, Moesha.”

Keisha shook her head in the negative, stopping herself from scowling at the fake name Grace had called her. “If I go back up there one more time, I'll really lose it. Everything is too luxurious for my taste and it's all giving me a headache. It's best I put my focus somewhere else."

Grace rolled her eyes at her. "At this point, you might as well grab your towel and soap the next time you do the cleaning. Just kill two birds with one stone, why don't you?"

Keisha grasped the sarcasm dripping in Grace's words and laughed dryly. "Very funny. Don't you have something you could be doing instead of keeping tabs on me."

"That's exactly what I've been assigned to do; helping you that is. Not keeping tabs on you." She corrected with her chin up and everything. "My loyalty towards this family drives me to thrive to get work done around this house."

"Oh, is that so?" Keisha asked halfheartedly. "Boy, if only the owners were around to actually hear you pledge your allegiance. Mr King Senior is away on business whilst Mr King Junior is probably never coming back to the mansion, so there's that. And you need to stop calling this place a house; it's anything but."

Grace placed her hands on her hips. "Don't tell me you have also been initiated into that crew of ungrateful gossiping maids," she voiced accusingly.

Keisha raised her hands in the air. "Trust me, I'm not one to gossip. Besides, it's hardly gossip when someone is always willing to tattle about it every chance they get. I just happen to be there at a convenient time."

"It is gossip if they insist on talking about people behind their backs. That's not very nice and you shouldn't listen to them." A frown settled on Grace's face and she seemed to be deep in thought.

Keisha placed her hands on her shoulders and shook her gently. "Relax, would you? Fine, I promise to run the other way the next time I see anyone breath a word about this family. Besides, I'm not interested in these matters. Either one of them could show up tomorrow for all I care and it wouldn't affect in the least because it's none of my business. I’m here to get some money. That’s it.”

Keisha picked up her cleaning equipment and carried on down the stairs. "Now, let's stop with all this talk and get back to what we're actually getting paid for."

Grace's face fell and she looked ahead, seemingly miles away. "At some point, everyone gets to decide their destiny. He’s probably out there figuring his out, but one thing is for sure. Wounds always heal and he’ll be back.”

Keisha blinked and stopped in her tracks. She eyed Grace with a small frown. "What are you talking about?"

Grace turned around and smiled, although it didn't quite reach her eyes. "Oh, it's nothing. Don't mind me."

"Yeah, I don't think it's nothing. You just mentioned wounds and you had like a whole face change for a moment there." Keisha gestured to her own face as her eyes remained fixated on Grace's face. "If it's something serious, don't you think I deserve to know considering I work for these people."

Grace smiled more vibrantly this time, walked to Keisha's side and hooked her arm with hers yet again. "Correction; you work for Mr King Senior not his son, so he's the one you can confront if you have any problems. Unfortunately, he's not around at the moment. However, Mrs Patterson is always at your disposal. You can ask her all about this family's secrets."

Keisha rolled her eyes but before she could respond, a clipped voice beat her to it. "What family secrets would you like to know, Miss Smith?"

Keisha beat her teeth down and glared at Grace who had on the most innocent smile on her face. With a smile that was definitely forced, Keisha turned around slowly to face the housekeeper, Mrs Patterson.

She was a gigantic woman with blonde tresses that were constantly tied in an impeccable bun; something they were all required to do. It had dawned on Keisha from the first day she had set her eyes on the housekeeper, that she was definitely a perfectionist and it was no use to attempt to match her knack for perfecting everything she laid her hands on.

The hair, for starters. There was not a single lock out of place, unlike hers which was now dripping wet and messy.

"You are wet. Again," the stout woman observed, unable to hide her disapproval of Keisha's current appearance. As if on cue, the two maids both looked at the wet uniform as if they had forgotten all about it.

Keisha raised her head and smiled. "Good morning, Mrs Patterson," she greeted rosily, hoping to drag the conversation away from Mrs Patterson's observation.

"It's hardly a good morning when you insist on walking all over the floors wet like this. What is so difficult about figuring out how a shower works?" She asked, ignoring Keisha's attempt to distract her. The displeasure in her voice was almost palpable as she looked at her with a look of disbelief.

"I have to admit it's no regular shower," she responded, earning a raised brow from the housekeeper. "But, nothing I can't figure out. I promise I won't let it get the best of me next time.”

"Don't talk to me about promises and next times. Promises can easily be broken and one might not have next times," the warning in Mrs Patterson's voice was clear. Do your job or else you will be fired.

"I prefer that one does not talk at all, if possible,” the housekeeper continued. “I would rather you show me because surely nothing can surpass actions. Isn't that so, Smith?"

Keisha broke out of her stupor and nodded in agreement. It was so easy to tune her out and think about other matters that desperately required her focus.

"Have you lost your ability to speak?"

"Eh, no. I completely agree with you Mrs Patterson. You won't ever see me drenched like this ever again. I promi...I mean, it will never happen again." Keisha bit her tongue and smiled confidently, despite the no-nonsense stare on the housekeeper's face.

"Hmm. I trust that means you will also stay out of this family's business. That includes ridding your mind of whatever secrets you believe there are for you to dig up." Although her voice was rather soft, it was equally as clipped and left no room for any joking around.

"Even if there were, make no mistake Smith, I would not give you a single opportunity to do any digging because I'm sure you will be happy to know that I've got my eye on you."

Keisha kept her eyes locked with the housekeeper's. Nothing like some good, old eye contact to assure the poor woman that she really had no such intentions. Well, her intentions rather tapered in the other direction, but Mrs Patterson could knock herself out with her assumptions.

With a wide smile, Keisha spoke. "I understand you perfectly, Mrs Patterson. Can I call you Patty, though? I just feel like your name is a tad bit too long." She gestured with her thumb and index finger just how long she found the housekeeper's name to be.

In all honesty, she just wanted to get a rise out of her. The opportunity was too good for her to pass up. Besides, she would soon be out of there.

"No, you may not," Mrs Patterson interjected firmly, unable to quite hide her disbelief. "Why, that is the rudest thing I have ever heard."

"I'm sorry, Mrs Patterson. It was not my intention to come off as rude. I just thought it would not be an issue, since you look so young Mrs Patterson. You're right, I should have just stuck to calling you Mrs Patterson like everyone else here does. Mrs Patterson should remain Mrs Patterson, right Grace?" She asked the maid beside her, elbowing her to gain her attention.

Grace gasped and staggered on her feet, all the while looking at Keisha with wide eyes. Keisha smirked at the look on Grace's face which clearly said 'don't drag me into this!'

A small laugh devoid of humour exited from her lips and she blinked. "What?”

“We should respect her wishes regarding her name, right? Unless, you think otherwise,” she taunted, feeling satisfaction at the way Grace looked extremely uncomfortable.

“Of course, not!” She exclaimed loudly, her cheeks reddening.

"Good that you agree Mrs Patterson should remain Mrs Patterson. She insists she should go by Mrs Patterson. I mean it's only right; Mrs Patterson is her name and I don't even know what I was thinking for me to suggest that I opt for Patty instead of Mrs Patterson."

Anyone would have found the insistent repetition of the name annoying. So did the housekeeper, if her reddened ears and puffed up chest were anything to go by.

"Smith!" A jab from Grace and the much louder tone voicing her name finally had her focusing on the housekeeper. "Yes, Mrs Patterson?" Keisha internally did a victory dance when the woman shut her eyes in annoyance at the mention of her name again. However, she held her emotions in check to appear all too innocent.

"Are you done rambling?" She asked, calm as ever.

"Actually, I've been meaning to ask Mrs Patterson. When can I move to the eas..." her question was left hanging as Grace elbowed her in the stomach hard. Keisha held her stomach with her free hand and whipped her head to glare at the shorter woman.

"She's done rambling, Mrs Patterson," Grace spoke up softly, ignoring Keisha's deadly stare. "It's one of her bad habits. Don't mind her."

Keisha shook her head and whipped it back around to look at the housekeeper. She dragged her hand to her side. "I don't think so. Mrs Patterson, I have genuinely been meaning to ask you if I may... ah!" Her words came to an abrupt end when Grace pinched her on the same spot she had elbowed her.

"Just what is going on with the two of you?"

"Trust me, Mrs Patterson, it's nothing you need to worry yourself about. She will work to the best of her ability and won't be walking all over the floors in wet uniform. Neither will she be sticking her nose in the family’s business."

Keisha was just about to interject when she saw how serious Grace's expression had suddenly turned to as she mentioned the family's business. Looking at the housekeeper, her face mirrored that of Grace and her words were stuck in her mouth. It was almost like the two were having a silent conversation between themselves.

The two finally broke eye contact and Mrs Patterson's eyes finally fell on Keisha, making her eyes widen a bit. "Yes, Mrs Patterson?" She couldn't stop the question from slipping past her lips.

"Let's stick to our jobs, okay Smith? Grace, I told you to keep an eye on her. It would be a real shame to fire someone this early when there are dozens of people out there that would kill for the opportunity to work here. So many people."

Keisha couldn't help but notice how solemn she now looked for a second before she went back to looking like a military commander. "Let's refrain from trying to find trouble. Do you understand, Smith?"

Keisha opened her mouth to respond. However, Grace beat her to it. "She understands you perfectly well, Mrs Patterson." Grace picked up Keisha's right hand and did a high-five with her own.

Keisha scowled at Grace’s high pitched laughter as well as the high five that she had just executed against her will. How old did Grace think they were? Five?

"I'm glad we're on the same page. Now, since you ladies seem to have so much free time on your hands, I trust you will be happy to know that I'm now entrusting this entire wing to the both of you.”

She allowed a dramatic pause for the news to settle and the weight of what that meant for them to register in their minds. When their mouths dropped open in shock, she simply blinked and continued with her announcement.

“Whatever mishap, accident, complaint that surfaces from this wing, I will hold you two accountable. As a matter of fact, Grace, I want you to tend to the flowers inside the bedroom adjoining the master."

"Yes, ma'am," Grace answered dutifully, earning a stiff nod from Mrs Patterson.

The housekeeper's eyes once again fell onto Keisha. "Smith, the rest of the flowers from the vases in all the corners upstairs, the ones placed on the stairs and all those..." Mrs Patterson pointed at the vases that sat at the foot of each of the stairs that led up the four wings. “They’re all in your care.”

Keisha's eyes widened as she twisted to look at the vases that sat lined up the stairs. There were a good number of them; never mind how huge they were. When she looked at Mrs Patterson, an objection was right at the tip of her tongue but she gulped it down.

She wouldn’t be around for long, but it was not worth going through all the trouble, only to lose the job without actually getting the job done. Besides, she was not ready for more of Grace's assaults.

"Yes, ma'am," she responded swiftly.

Mrs Patterson clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Well, I am glad that I've got you young ladies to look after the west wing. Unlike me, you young people still have the zest to run around, so I have no doubt that you'll do an excellent job. Grace, I'm already aware of your efficiency. Smith, I've got my eye on you. Don't disappoint me now."

Mrs Patterson was gone just as fast as she had appeared and Keisha glared at Grace. "Well, Ouch!" She exclaimed, rubbing her sore abdomen.

Grace grinned and scratched the back of her head. "I may have taken it too far. Sorry." She stretched her hand out and shook it right in front of Keisha's face. "Here, you can pinch me if you like."

Keisha looked at Grace like she had grown another head. Finally, she swatted Grace's hand away. "No, I don't want to pinch you because unlike you, I don't like resorting to violence. Not to mention you just totally messed up my plan to switch wings."

Keisha twisted around and started heading for the staff's designated wing; the north.

"Switch wings?" Grace asked with a frown on her round, freckled face. "Why would you want to do something like that?"

Keisha stopped in her tracks at the foot of the stairs leading up to the north wing and turned to look at Grace. "Look at the foundation of this place. They really went ahead and made four individual staircases that isolate each wing from the other. Does this seem normal to you?”

“What does that have anything to do with you wanting to change wings?”

“Well, I don’t know. Perhaps, the north is not as chilly as the west and I don’t want to risk catching a cold by continuing to work there,” Keisha added firmly.

She knew very well that she was now just fishing for reasons because she honestly had none. At least ones that would not land her in trouble. However, she hoped Grace would buy it and eventually, Mrs Patterson.

“Something is seriously wrong with the plan of this place. Why would a home need to be divided like this?"

"Who knows?" Grace shrugged. "You know what, I wish I held the answer to your question but I don't. And I don’t think I could find the builder even if I wished. This place is ancient, compared to me. So, chances of actually finding the people responsible for building this place aren’t there. Want to know why? They’re all cold six feet under."

Keisha frowned when Grace sniggered. "I'm sorry, it's just you actually looked so serious for a moment there. One would think that you are actually serious and require an answer as to why this place looks like this."

When Keisha gave her a blank look and folded her hands over her chest, the smile fell off Grace's face as she gasped dramatically. Keisha rolled her eyes and trudged up the stairs.

"I have no idea what's worse," Keisha started as calmly as she could muster. "This place feeling like I'm stuck in the medieval times or you being too cheerful for someone who is stuck in this place. Where are heaters when you need them, mm?”

"Weren't you the one that wouldn't stop talking about how this place was a perfect balance between ancient and urban. How it reminded you of a classy museum?" Grace tsked and denied Keisha a chance to respond. "And just so you know, I'm not stuck in this place. I'm exactly where I'm meant to be. It's you who sounds like you would rather be elsewhere than here. I wonder why that is."

Those words were enough to stop Keisha in her tracks and knock some sense into her. She was being too obvious about her plans. Too desperate. She couldn't afford to be put under the microscope; certainly not by Grace.

She gritted her teeth to keep her temper under control. When she turned around to face Grace who had stopped walking a good distance behind her, a small smile sat on her lips.

"I'm sorry, Grace. I didn't mean to sound so bitchy. It's just...Mrs Patterson reminds me a bit of my grandmother." The lie slipped off her tongue so easily and swiftly, it came as a surprise to her own ears.

"Oh, you must miss her terribly then," Grace finally responded after a while, the smile now back on her face.

"Yeah, no. The woman hates me." She said blankly. Grace laughed then and ran up to Keisha's side.

"You're incorrigible," she commented, slapping Keisha's arm. "For your information, Mrs Patterson doesn't hate you. On the other hand, I think she rather likes you. You're the only one she calls by surname and after your suggestion to call her Patty, if she didn't like you at all, you would probably be on your way back home by now."

Keisha continued up the stairs with Grace by her side. "Why am I finding that hard to believe, mm?"

"Fine, if you don't believe in my words then just tell yourself she's naturally like that with everyone and you won't have a problem with her in the future. Enough about that, why do you want to switch wings so bad, Moesha?"

Keisha looked at Grace. She was a genuinely nice person and she didn't why guilt was starting to bubble up every single time she was around Grace. It just seemed to.

"I’ve already said this before, but it’s cold in the west wing,” she finally said, rubbing her arms to stress her point. "Not to mention how it's not even occupied. You do understand that it's like cleaning up already clean space, over and over again with each passing day."

"Why does it matter, anyway? Cleaning is still cleaning regardless of what you just said and we are getting paid to do just that. I don't understand, shouldn't you be glad our jobs are made easier this way?" A frown now marred Grace's small face.

"You're right, Grace. We're getting paid for this, so it just doesn't feel right for me to be getting the money for doing next to nothing, you know? I don't know, it's just I was brought up to work for my money and right now, that's the exact opposite of what I'm doing."

Keisha kept her face neutral as Grace blinked at her explanation. "Well, now that you are putting it that way, I'm starting to see where you're coming from."

"Right?" Keisha voiced, feigning sadness.

"Well, you don't have to be so downcast," Grace spoke softly. "For your information, it's not like Mr King is present in the east wing either. Besides, there are people allocated in all the other wings. As for the south, I don't think you would want to work there even if you had the chance." Grace shook her head wildly and closed her eyes.

"Why is that? Why wouldn't I want to work there?" Keisha asked, Grace's reaction making her want to know the reason behind it even more. So much for not being interested in the family's business.

"Just, it's safer to stay on this wing." Her tone was more vague than it had ever been before. However, the itch to know wouldn't simply disappear.

"You aren't exactly telling me what's in the south wing? Why, is there a secret chamber there that no one should ever enter.”

Grace chuckled. "Of course not, silly. It's just that's where the guards as well as the other men that took up employment here sleep."

Keisha licked her lips and rubbed her chin as she looked upwards thoughtfully. "Sounds like my exact kind of scene," she purred dramatically.

"Oh, stop!" Grace laughed out loud, making Keisha join in.

"You're unbelievable. That's what had you so worked up. A bunch of men that work for this family, just like you and I do?" The disbelief and mock was clear in her tone. "You poor poor thing."

"I..." Grace started, but couldn't seem to string a coherent statement together.

"Yes?" Keisha taunted with her brow raised.

"Nothing."

Keisha laughed then. She couldn't help it. She had never met a person like Grace. One moment she was swearing her loyalty to the family like a faithful soldier, the next she was getting flustered over a bunch of men.

"Seems like someone doesn't know their way around the other gender," she teased with a small smile, making Grace roll her eyes and groan.

"Whatever. Go and clean yourself up while I mop up after this wet trail you left behind. When you're done, we can start seeing to the flowers."

"Do I really have to?" Keisha pouted, only allowing the conversation to change for the sake of Grace's cheeks. If they went any redder, she would no doubt combust.

"Which part? Changing your wet clothes or seeing to the flowers?" Grace questioned with a raised brow. When Keisha opened her mouth to answer, Grace shushed her. "Yes, you absolutely have to do both. Now, go on," Grace pushed her up the rest of the stairs and all the way to Keisha's designated room.

"Tell me again why my room is the last one in the hallway?" Keisha asked with a small pout. "I feel so isolated from the rest of you guys."

Sure enough, her room was the farthest from the stairs as it was right at the very end of the long hallway. It was one of eight other rooms on one side of the hallway, whilst another ten rooms faced them on the other side. However, her room was slightly farther off from the room next to it as if it had been purposely built that way.

"You were the last one to be hired, remember?" Grace explained in an obvious tone. "You, of all people, shouldn't be complaining missy. There are eight rooms on your side of the hallway whilst there are ten on my side. Now, do the math."

Keisha didn't need to do the math. All she could think about was the amount of space between her room and the other maids’. She felt excluded; which was in all honesty perfect, but she didn’t want them knowing that.

"You never quite feel alone, right? Look at how close your doors are next to each other. You probably only need to talk to each through the wall or something, if the need arises. Just look at my door and the one next to it." Keisha pointed to the two doors and sighed.

Sure enough, there was a notable amount of space between her room and the next one. Again, perfect.

"Whatever is this space for? Why do I have to be so isolated from the other maids' rooms?" Oh, Keisha Martins! What a drama queen you are, she said to herself internally.

Grace shook her head as her eyes trailed Keisha's hand back to her face. "Why are you acting like this was planned? You were hired last and this was the only room left unoccupied. You should be celebrating because the rest of us have to share rooms. Look me in the eye and tell me you would have appreciated sharing a room with either one of those other maids."

Keisha's face fell into a repulsive look. The other maids acted like a bunch of robots, as if they were straight out of the Victorian era. They never smiled, conversed or acknowledged anyone around the mansion.

"No, I wouldn't have. Do you want to share with me, though?" She asked with wide eyes. Please, say no.

"Oh, I would love to. As a matter of fact, how about I go and move my things over to your room right now?" Grace spoke a little too enthusiastically.

"Okay, I get it Grace. You're being sarcastic. Ha ha."

"Oh my goodness, thank you. You're the first to get my sarcastic tone. I swear nobody in this gigantic mansion ever does. I'm flattered, but now you really have to get a move on." Grace drove Keisha to her own.

"Right." Keisha brought her key out and unlocked the door. She walked in to find her room exactly how she had left it when she had walked off to do her morning duties —in complete disarray.

"Well, care to explain why there's another door aside from the bathroom door ?" She asked loudly over her shoulder, to which there was no response. One peek out her door had her realising that Grace had stuck to her word. She was gone.

"That was awfully fast, Grace," she spoke to no one in particular, as she pulled her head back into the room and locked the door behind her. "It's probably for the best Grace," she commented loosely, thankful Grace had not taken up her offer to be roommates.

"I don't think you would have appreciated the state this room is in and I wouldn't appreciate you being in my business."

Keisha let out a huff as her eyes swept over the mess she had caused inside her room in the morning. Her clothes were thrown all over the tiled floor, while some were discarded on the bed, with a few of them hanging off the bed. The bedside lamp was thrown carelessly on the bed and all the drawers of the polished bedside table were pulled open. Things certainly had escalated faster than she had never envisioned possible.

She trudged over to the open drawer next to the bed and pulled out her earpiece. One expertly look at it reassured her that the tool was indeed in good shape.

She brought it to her ear and clicked the button that would automatically connect her to Rod's line. However, unlike yesterday, it didn't ring at all. Just like it had last night. Rather, a sharp frequency of sound rang through the earpiece and she pulled it off her ear with lightning speed.

She rubbed her ear with tip of her index finger with one eye closed. There were so many reasons she should have been panicking but here she was, still in her element. Not as far as the state of her room went, however.

Since the previous night, she couldn't get through to Rodrigo and that was a rarity all on its own. One, because Rod took their missions with a level of seriousness that matched, if not topped, her own. Which brought her to two; Rod made sure to render himself available at all times, especially during the execution of a mission. Keisha hissed and shook the earpiece.

"This won't do," she decided out loud. She kicked her flats off her feet and sat cross-legged on the plush carpet that was placed at the side of the bed, right in front of the bedside table. She cracked the earpiece open and carefully placed the two separate pieces inside the palms of her hands to examine them carefully. The wires were all in place and not a single one was broken.

"What am I doing?" She asked herself aloud, enveloping the pieces inside her palms. She had done and repeated the process countless times since discovering that communication with her partner had been severed. "I'm simply wasting my time."

The talking was another reason for her to panic, considering she only talked to herself whenever she was stressed. She sealed the earpiece back together and placed it atop the bedside table. She drove her hands over her wet, curly black hair, a sigh escaping her lips.

As if she suddenly remembered she owned the device, she whipped her head to the bed as her eyes roamed over the rather disoriented surface of it. She stood up too quickly, landed on her left foot awkwardly and went falling onto the bed.

The lamp bounced right off the bed as soon as she landed on the bed. A moment of panic flashed in her eyes as she watched the pricy object being thrown in the air before it started heading for the ground. Luckily, Keisha Martins always had good reflexes, so she dived after it and grabbed the lamp before it could land on the floor.

She let out a breath of relief as she rolled back onto the bed with the lamp secured over her chest. Her heart was racing and for a moment, her focus had been completely taken off her troubles. Of course, she didn't want to have to explain how she had broken the lamp when she had just been hired.

Realising why she had jumped onto the bed with such urgency, she sat up with the lamp in hand and placed it carefully atop the table. When she had made absolutely sure that the lamp was stable, she turned to her bed with a swiftness that could only be fuelled by desperation.

She grabbed and threw away the clothes that she had discarded onto her bed in all directions. As soon as she spotted her phone, she picked it up and unlocked it. However, disappointment damped down her excitement as there was not a single means of communication from her partner. Not an email, text message or at least a missed call, even though that was the least likely of all possibilities.

She contemplated calling him, but dismissed the thought as soon as it had come because she knew she still had to respect the codes between them. That meant no calling each other's personal numbers at all.

Besides, their agreement was that only Anelia would do the calling if need be and she had already done so last night and failed to get a hold of him. She could only hope that tonight would be the night and that there was no need for her to worry.

Feeling defeated, Keisha laid back on the bed. Although she currently had so many things to crack her head over, she couldn't help but appreciate how comfortable the bed was. It strangely felt like she was back in her apartment, lying on her own bed.

The thought of her home had her laughing out loud, except it sounded too sombre to be a sound of joy. Her laughter echoed off the walls of her room and to say she wasn't glad for the space in her room as well as the distance between her and the next room, would be a blatant lie. Unlike what she had said to Grace.

Keisha sat up and sighed for the umpteenth time in the day. As she looked at the blank wall, she remembered she was still in her wet uniform. She jumped off the bed when it really sunk in. She made a face at the large wet spot that was now visible on her bedding.

"Well, this sucks," she commented loosely as she jumped over her suitcase, shoes and a number of other things that had fallen victim to her neglecting hand, heading over to the door that led into the bathroom. She walked inside and quickly stripped off her uniform.

A quick bath later, she had put on one of her spare uniforms and finally walked out of her room. However, not before eyeing the door next to the bathroom door. She had no idea to which room the door led and she would have to be an alien not to want to figure it out. Nevertheless, where the door led was the least of her problems.

As she traipsed down the stairs in search of the maid she had befriended or was it the other way around, the plan was to put her own mind at ease by throwing herself into her chores. Nothing like physical labour to do the trick.