"Do you...ever wonder stuff about the Most Exalted One Above Us?" Samira questioned, heaving as she pressed her wrist hard into a dingy white cloth. The scent of lemon scented cleaning solution, burned her nostrils with every circular scrubbing motion.

"The king?" Naeun peaked at her, barely breaking attention from repetitively scraping with a metal spatula at black gunk attached like a barnacle. "No."

"Really?"

"Yeah. If anything, I wonder how many times this...bloodied rotten...candy has been stuck here," Naeun hissed as she scrubbed harder.

They were working with to clean an indoor decorative hallway statue that was 5 foot in height with a brilliant marble surface area. The statue was a silhouette of a woman draped in a veil, only her outstretched bare foot and forearm visible.

"Oh, you wanna know? I've been counting," Samira said. She was at the statue's foot, working a little less harder than her friend to remove black sticky residue from the statue's big toe.

"You have been?" Naeun scoffed, she was working steadily on the back of the statue, meticulously scrapping off more dark gunk that had been crudely stuck to the statue's backside. "Well?" Sweat pooled down her forehead.

Samira sat upright on her knees. Soapy water from a dingy white cloth seeped into her fists as she stopped to peer at Naeun. "We're in the hundreds."

"You can't be kidding me." Wearily, she shook her head, life deflating from her aching arms. "I mean who even the bollocks to do this? Of all the places to choose, why not deface a replica of the Queen's Statue of Justice which is a few doors away from Lady Tyrant's quarters," she sarcastically seethed all in one breath.

"I'll bet you that it was Mya," Samira quipped. "She's always chewing on something, and half---no, most, of the time it doesn't look to be food. Nona said that---."

"--Hold on, hold on." She interrupted and stared at her. "Who said that Mya is always chewing on something? I haven't seen that before. Did you?"

"No, but that's what I always hear."

"Okay." With a shrug, she kept scrapping.

"Also, I think it's my turn for the scrapper," she demanded, the sticky substance staining her hands.

"Says who?" Naeun gripped the scrapper as she pushed harder.

"Says me. It's my turn to switch."

"Not happening. You just had it."

"Look at my hands, Nae." She wagged her palms. They were red, puffy, and black residue was stuck underneath her nails. "I am an unmarried woman with my eye on a potential male suitor. My skin can not be damaged this far without repair."

"Potential male suitor?" Peaking down and then back to her work, Naeun scoffed. "Again, miss says who?"

"Mister Ezra," she replied bluntly. "I have decided that he shall marry me and I will be whisked away to the life of a married woman with all comforts provided." For a moment, she was staring blankly, imagining a life made of wishes and hopes.

"Uh huh." She rolled her eyes and kept scraping.

"Don't say uh-huh like that."

"Sure."

"And don't say sure like that." Her eyes were big and wide.

Naeun sputtered with mocking laughs. "Sorry, sorry, you're right I should be saying: Samira, congrats on your engagement to an unobtainable invisible man of dreams and love! May your love be swift as it is quick!"

"Laugh at me now, but he will one day be mines."

"Oh, certainly," she sarcastically wiggled her brows. "Now, enough with your love of fantasy, finish the story."

"Which one?"

"With what Miss Pedigree told you about Mya."

"Oh, yes, so anyways, so Nona said one time she saw Mya eating tree bark."

"No." Naeun shook her head with a little raise of her lips in disbelief. "She did not see that happen."

"She did!"

"No, I bet she heard that someone said that happened."

Samira thought about for a second. "Yeah. That's what I said. I said she heard someone saw that happen."

"Sure," she replied with a little roll of her eyes.

"I'm telling the truth!"

"Okay, bet me 50 kaelix?" She offered her free hand downwards towards her.

"50 kaelix?" She bulged her eyes at her. "You're crazy."

"Then you're lying."

"I'm not---oh, eat dirt, Nae." Samira flicked her soapy rag towards her.

Naeun stepped to the side avoiding flicks of water. "Hey don't flick that at me! You know that stuff burns if it gets in your eyes!" Rubbing her eyes, she swam away from the attack.

"I know. Let me get you some more!" She got to her feet, starting a running circling around the statue.

"I'm serious, Sami, don't you flick that me!"

"Oh, come here!" Laughing, Samira ran after her as they went around in circles.

"You are such a little bugg---." Naeun stopped.

"Well, this bugger going to get you---." Samira rammed right into Naeun's back. "Ouch, Nae!" She rubbed her nose. "Watch where you're going much---."

"—Shush!"

"Did you just shush me?" She put her hands on her hips.

"I heard something...." Naeun peered down the hall, her ears perking up.

Growing still, Samira placed herself a little behind Naeun. "...Heard what?"

"I don't know...a shout...or a scream maybe?"

"A scream?" Samira swallowed, her throat bobbing up and down her throat. "What type of scream?"

"I don't know." She observed the area, the hairs on the back of her neck starting to stand up.

Slowly, Samira retreated and shrunk until she was safely behind Naeun. "What do you mean you don't know?"

"Exactly what I said."

They stood still for a second, staring and waiting in silence. But Naeun's quick gasp broke the silence.

As a response, Samira turned pasty pale. "W-what?" she weakly stuttered. Her ears were just as perky and waiting for noise, but she had yet to hear anything.

"The sound...."

"What...sound?" The sudden eeriness was enough to raise her pressure and increase her fear. She got to her tippy toes, ready to flinch or jump.

"Listen." Naeun briefly glanced to her cowering friend and then back to the stillness of their environment.

With beady eyes with loud, unsteady gulps, Samira followed her friend's lead, observing the walls before returning to her. "What am I supposed to hear---."

"---Shush! There it is again...."

"Do you think its...her?" she whispered, peaking over her friend's shoulder.

"Who's her?"

Samira bounced her eyes around anxiously and spoke lowly with a nervous rambling "A few days ago, Wynona was telling me how Daniela was speaking to one of the stable boys, and she claims that while she was coming to servant's quarters after a late shift, she saw a specter of a woman by the same window that Naymath Sutherton jumped from and---."

"—You're speaking too fast. Catch your breath, Sami," she said, standing tall but stiff. "You sound like you're about to throw a panic fit. I mean, a story of someone else's story about a spooky incident should not make you this scared---!"

THUD!

"Eeek!"

They heard something hard slam and they both went running.

"Mercy from what's high!" Samira squealed, darting on her tippy toes with Naeun to the nearest room.

SLAM!

Just as Ezra stepped out from Erin room, a little distance down the hall he heard another door slam.

"Hm." He titled his head. "What was that?"

Thud. Thud. Clatter!

No sooner was his attention grabbed by the thumping and commotion coming from Erin's room.

Whatever she was doing, she was certainly causing quite a stiff.

So, he calmly adjusted his uniform cuffs, took a deep breath, cracked his neck, stood erect, and smiled.

Joyfully, he strode down the halls and stopped just a little short of the hallway statue.

There was one thing he could do to complete his day and brighten his smile. He peered at the statue, reached into his pocket, and did a deed that gave a boyish glee to his smirk.

And like that, he went about his way.

Creeeak!

Just as he left, Naeun's popped her head out from a door. They had taken a closet for safety refuge.

Samira was behind her, cowering as she whispered, "...D-Do you see anything?"

"No." She turned her head from side to side.

The halls were deathly quiet and verifiably empty.

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. Nothing. As expected." Naeun pushed open the closet door and they stumbled back out. "I was messing with you." A wave of laughter sprouted from her chest.

"Nae!" She huffed with a little exasperated sigh.

"You're such a little chicken arse," she chuckled, adjusting her skirt. While they were running, she had managed to tangle the strings on her apron. "You didn't even notice it was me who dropped the scrapper to spook you." She was smiling wide and laughing hard.

"Don't do that to me, Nae!" She placed her hands on her hips with a head sway. "You never know what's haunted. This estate is old as time, and that naturally, weird things are bound to happen. Y'know...." She stopped to speak quietly. "I've even heard that there are hidden passage ways in some of the rooms. With those type of rumors who knows what else is hiding here?"

They made their way back to their cleaning post.

"Sami, you hear a lot of things. You need to stop listening to Miss Pedigree. Besides, nothing is going to happen in the daylight." She fixed her hair bonnet, making sure any loose hairs were neatly kept tucked inside.

"How rude of you. Nona is a valuable source of information."

"Valuable source of firsthand gossip." Bending over, she reached for the scrapper. However, as she did, Samira snatched it faster than she could process what was happening.

"Because of your rude comments I'll be taking this scrapper!" She stuck out her tongue and narrowed her eyes.

Naeun simply rolled her eyes and picked up the slimy rag.

"Hmph." Samira got to her knees and prepared to go back to cleaning the statue's foot. "Enjoy that dirty smelly rag now."

"And you enjoy your brief time with the scrapper. I'll get it back soon."

"Never," she looked up to her and spat. "This is mines until we're done---." She forcefully worked her arm into the scrubbing motion until---clang!

The scrapper bent.

Both girls viewed the horizontal bend in thin wooden handle with shared surprised disappointment.

"Pfft." Naeun scoffed. "Congrats, strong arms, I bet you could snatch up Mister Ezra now."

"Oh, hush you." She got to her feet with a grimace. "Ugh, great, now I need to go get another rag."

"While you're at it, do me a favor and clean this out." Using her foot, she shoved over a metal a bucket that was filled to the brim with dirty water.

Samira smacked her lips. Sighing and grumbling, she slowly grabbed the bucket by its handle.

Alone, Naeun directed her attention back to her work.

"Huh?" She faced the front of the statue. Something instantly caught her attention; right in the center of the statue's forehead was more black sticky substance. Strangely enough, it looked fresh.

Groaning, she viewed the new damage with a leaning of her head. It seemed like the work never stopped. She gripped her rag and leaned towards the statue to position herself to easily scrub.

Creeeeeeak!

She paused, the rag hovering in her hands.

Had she just heard a door creak?

Cautiously, she craned her head. The hallway was empty, and quiet. Just the sound of her breathing...just that.

She licked her dry lips, and turned back to the statue. Cleaning and scrubbing had to be her focus.

Ssssssh!

She heard a hissing in the far distance. The sound was so muted faint for second, she might've convinced herself that her ears were playing tricks on her.

Ssssssh!

But when the noise came again, she was certain.

Quickly, she got to her feet. "Hello? Is someone over there?" She peered down the hall with furrowed eyebrows.

Thud.

There was more faint ghostly noise.

She firmly pressed her lips together and looked around. She could only determine the sound as coming from in the direction of Erin's room.

Setting her rag down, she took a sharp breath. "Lady Erina? Are you present in your room?" She paced down the hall with hesitant steps.

Clatter.

"Lady Erina?" She tried again. She was only a few steps before the door. "Lady Erina---gasp!"

Just as Samira's hand touched the door knob, Erin was shaking off something from her arm and scrambling out fuming blood red, hair turned into frizz, and her dress scrambled.

By time she was done with all of her flaying and chaotic kicking, she was gripping the door knob with her hands and heaving for air.

Visibly confused, Samira merely stared. "Lady Erina? Is something the matter?"

Erin was slow to gain her composure, but quick to turn her gaze deadly. "Where is Ezra?"

"Mister Ezra?" Samira visible confusion was increasing.

"Yes!" she snapped with a snarl. "Where did he---no, you."

"Me?" Samria's eyes were growing twice her size.

Erin pulled from her doors and walked towards her.

To make space, every step closer she took Samira pulled two extra steps backwards.

Erin pointed a rigid finger at her. "You. My mother's body thinning potions where are they?"

"Body thinning potions?"

"The ones the Queen recommended her to use."

"My lady, I am not following."

Erin was still approaching and pushing her back. "The ones that she was told make her remain slim and pretty but did nothing else but make her stomach flip upside down into somersaults!" Never once did even pause for a breath.

"Ah...right. I recall now."

Erin stopped and Samira's back was almost to the wall.

"Where is it?" Her nostrils were flared.

"Forgive me, Lady Erina, but I do not understand. I am unsure what you are talking about." She lightly bowed her head.

"Lift your head," she growled.

Quickly, Samira did and met with cold eyes.

"Listen very closely, I am not a fool. I know how you all whisper and snicker between each other. I know what you say: 'look! there goes marching Lady Tyrant' or 'that lady of the wild'. And I know how you all quietly conspire and desire to spit in my tea, squirt lemon in my moisturizer, or cut the tips on my socks. I know all the little things and petty things because I've lived here my entire life. I've spent hours, days, and years living moving from corner to corner. Wherever you are scurrying around cleaning, playing, and whispering, I am there and have already walked the length of this property and seen more secrets than you will ever be privy too. So, Samira Kathrine Raylow?" Finally, she paused for a breath. "Where is it?"

Samira grimaced. "After Lady Sutherton asked for it to be disposed of, I sold it the stable boy," she caved in with darting of her eyes.

"I know you did. I am asking which one?"

She folded her hands together. "Eugene Mey. He believes it might make him more...ahem." She cleared her throat. "Endowed."

"Endowed with---?"

"--Yes, ma'am."

Erin scrunched her eyes and asked again. "Endowed as in...?"

"Yes, ma'am," she confirmed with a shared look.

"You told him so?" She raised her brows.

Inwardly wincing, she rubbed the corner of eye. "Yes, ma'am."

"Hah."

It was the strangest thing to hear---Erin's brief chuckle.

Samira looked to her, but just like that Erin was going off about her way on a predetermined mission.