"Katrina" my mother said softly. "It's time." I took a deep breath and stood up from my bed. Today was the day that I would leave home to save my family. You see my father borrowed money from the richest man in town, Mr. Collins, and since he couldn't pay the money back in the time he was given, I am now to work as a servant in the Collins' home until the debt is paid. I take that back, it was either me or my little sister. I was not going to let my fifteen year old sister become a servant for my parent's mistake. I was nineteen I could take care of myself, or at least I hoped I could.
I descended the stair case to a driver standing in the living room of my home. I quickly kissed my mother goodbye and glared at my father for a brief moment before following the driver to an awaiting black car in our driveway. I knew the way to the Collins' home, as kids I grew up with Mr. Collin's son and could remember spending hours at his home while my father worked in one of Mr. Collin's factories. Pulling in the driveway created butterflies in my stomach. I was nervous and didn't know what to expect. I was no longer a guest but a servant to be at the bidding of the master of the house.
The car stopped in front of the main entrance of the home. Mr. Collins was waiting outside for us. He was a stoutly man, not fat but round, his hair was grey and thinning on the top and he always had this very somber look on his face as if he knew he wasn't a pleasant person. Today he was dressed in casual black slacks and a red polo shirt. I slowly walked to him, "Hello Sir." I managed to say without my voice shaking. "Katrina." He spoke low and with a force behind his voice that gave me goosebumps. He then instructed the driver to take my one bag into the guest house upstairs to what would be my bedroom.
"You will be in charge of the guest house. You will cook for the occupant, clean and serve them in whatever manner is required." His matter of fact attitude was unnerving like he had done this a few times before. The Collins' family always had servants. They seemed to be incredibly nice to them but you could always see a hint of fear in the female servant's eyes. I was always curious as to why but I guess I would find out soon enough.
We turned a corner on the grounds to show a pathway that led to the guest house. When I say pathway I mean a flower lined road that you could easily fit two cars side by side down. I followed Mr. Collins silently as we closed the distance to the guest house. There was a man at the door there, I couldn't make out his face but he was tall at least six feet. I was only five foot five so everyone seemed tall to me. As we got closer I could make out short black hair, cut close to his head but not a buzz cut. He was tan, not fake tan but almost like when you have Indian blood in your veins, that effortless tan. He wore a white tank top shirt and a pair of ripped jean shorts. He was attractive but you could tell by his stance he knew he was and would use it to his advantage. We reached the front step to the guest house and my eyes locked on a pair of steel blue eyes that were stunning. "Andrew" I whispered.
Mr. Collins must have heard me because he looked right at me. "You remember my son?" I quickly looked at the ground. "Yes sir." I could feel the heat creeping up my face as I started to blush. "You will be his servant until he leaves. He has just returned from a year abroad and now will be staying the guest house until he decides what he is going to do with his life." The sarcasm in Mr. Collin's voice was so thick you could cut it with a knife.
"Thanks Dad. I'll be out of your hair soon." Andrew stated with his own sarcastic attitude and turned to go into the guest house. I looked up after Andrew then glanced at Mr. Collins who had already begun to walk back to the main house. Taking a deep breath I walked inside and looked around. The driver was coming down the stairs as I walked in. Without much of a glance he said "Up the stairs third door on the left", and with that continued out of the house. Looking at the staircase I started to walk toward my room looking at the walls full of pictures of a happy family. I rolled my eyes wondering how happy they could actually be when they are so keen on tearing other families apart. I walked into the bedroom that was to be mine. Inside it was a very nice room, the walls were a beige color and there was a king size bed against the far wall. My suitcase was on the bed and a small night stand stood next to the bed. I unpacked my suitcase, or at least what little I had brought. A nightgown and undergarments, panties and bras, were all I packed. Once I finished unpacking I slid the suitcase under the bed for a quick getaway if necessary. A vanity with mirror sat opposite of the bed and there was a note on it. 'Instructions' the note read. Opening it I was nervous but continued to read, 'You will wear the outfits that are prechosen in the closet. You will wear your hair off of your neck at all times. A bun is preferred but a pony tail will work. You will address all masters of the home as sir or ma'am. All chores and responsibilities must be completed before retiring to bed every evening. Any questions should be directed to Madame Matilda.
I rolled my eyes setting the note down and walking to the closet. Dresses, in neat rows that were grey with white skirting around the hemlines of the sleeves and skirt, I wanted to cry. This was too real. I had to help my family so running was out of the question, but this?! Sighing I changed into one of the dresses with white socks and flat black shoes to match. The dress wasn't short or long it fell just above my knees. The sleeves were a modest short sleeve style almost like a t-shirt but the white lining made it look more refined. I walked over to the vanity and sat down. Looking in the mirror I could see the face of a girl who once loved life, now all I saw was despair. My bright green eyes no longer held their sparkle and while my skin was always pale today it looked almost sickly. I took a brush from the vanity drawer and started to brush my long red hair. It fell to the middle of my back now, took me all year to grow it this long. I grabbed a hair tie and pulled my hair up into a high pony tail making sure only the bare minimum touched my exposed neck.
One last look in the mirror and I was off to meet Madame Matilda, the lead housekeeper, for the whole property. She was a tall, thin woman, and she carried a drill sergeant demeanor. "You will wash all clothes, cook all meals, and most importantly make sure that Master Andrew is well kept and his needs are all met." Her thick German accent was hard to understand at first but after a few words I was able to pick up the just of it. I was given instructions on where to find my supplies for my cleaning needs and sent back to the guest house to start my chores.
The first room was the bathroom. I growled to myself, I hated cleaning the bathroom. It is a gross job, especially when I don't know who or what has been in there before; it just made me sick to think about. I began scrubbing the floor when a familiar voice came from behind me. "Don't you look yummy on your hands and knees?" I looked over my should to see Andrew staring at me, watching as if I were some dessert laid out before him.
"Go away!" I exclaimed. "I'm not in to mood for you to tease me today." He walked so he stood in front of me.
"I'm sorry. Were you speaking to me?" I sat back on my knees look straight up at him.
"Do you see anyone else here?"
His look turned from amused to intrigued, "You are going to be a feisty one aren't you?" I rolled my eyes and went back to scrubbing the floor. He leaned down putting his mouth next to my ear. "Feisty is much more fun to break." He then stood up and walked out of the room. I sat back on my knees again looking in the direction he left, why was my heart beating so fast? Was he threatening me? Why did my stomach flip when I felt his breath on my skin?
With my head buzzing with unanswered questions I continued my chores. That evening I made dinner, luckily for Andrew I was a good cook and often made meals for my family. Once he was finished eating I collected the dishes and took them to the kitchen to begin washing them. I was elbow deep in soapy water when I felt a presence behind me. I went to turn around but was stopped in my tracks. "Don't move." Andrew's stern voice was strong enough that it caught my breath in my throat. He put his hands on my hips and pressed his body against mine. "You need to learn your place here. I am your master and you belong to me." His words were so matter of fact it was like he had said them many times before. My heart was threatening to beat out of my chest. I tried to gather my thoughts as his hands moved from my hips up towards my shoulders tracing the sides of my body. I closed my eyes for a moment trying to steady myself.
"No." I said and my voice didn't shake; points for me. His hands stopped resting in line with my elbows.
"Excuse me?" He asked with a small amount of shock in his voice. I steadied myself and stared straight ahead at the wall behind the sink.
"I do not belong to you. I am not someone you can push around. I am here to do a job and that's all. You do not control me. I don't want you to touch me. I want you to back away and let me finish my job."
His hands dropped from my sides and he took a step back. I could feel the tension in the room and heard him turn and leave without a word. I thought that I had made my point and that was the end of it. I was much stronger than I thought. Hooray for me.
That night I finished my chores right as the sun was going down. I went to my room and changed into my nightgown that I had brought from home. It was modest, a spaghetti strap floor length black nightgown. My skin glowed against the black and my DD breasts showed just enough cleavage from the low cut neck line but not too much that it wasn't comfortable to move or sleep in. I crawled into bed and sunk into the pillows, soon I was asleep.
A movement on my bed startled me. It was dark and I couldn't see what it was. Breathing, I heard breathing; someone else was in my room. Cold, I felt something cold against my skin, and realized it was a knife blade pressed against my neck. I froze, I was terrified.
