Have you ever felt like everything is going in slow motion? It's like the world stops spinning and the only thing that keeps moving is that one, perfect moment that started it all. That moment where you never want it to end. Until it gets ruined by the only person that can destroy such a perfect moment like this.

"Freddy!!" We hear from down the long hallway, which forces us to separate.

Though we don't see her, we can hear Adora's heels clicking against the marbled floor. I look at Fredrick, who is already looking at me.

Disappointment glazes his eyes as he looks deep into my own. It's almost as if he doesn't want this moment to end either.

The heels start to close in, which startles the both of us to a jump.

"I should go," I say, remembering that I still have work to do.

"Good idea," he responds, nodding his head in a panic.

As I start to run, I hear my name being called. I turn to see his beautiful smile glowing at me, his eyes telling me not to leave. But, I must be imagining things.

"Be careful."

I repay with a small smile, saying, "I will."

"Fredrick, my pumpkin! Where are you?" An obnoxious voice cries through the castle.

With a gasp, he whisper-yells "Run!"

With that, I sprint through the halls until I'm far away from the scene. Though my heart feels like it's about to fly out of my chest, I reluctantly open the closet door to grab my feather duster and wash cloth.

Using my wash cloth, I clean the large mirror in the last bathroom for the night, making sure that I don't leave any streaks. I look up at the daunting mirror, seeing that the tip is still not cleaned. My petite size of 5'4 won't let me reach the top of that tall mirror. So, I get on top the marbled counter to clean the part of the stained mirror. My bruises feel like someone's stabbing my sides, as I slightly clench at the pain. No, I need to finish. With my determination set, I start to scrub that mirror like never before. I then hear the door creak open, which startles me, making me drop my cloth. I immediately hop off the slick counter, my eyes meeting a pair of tired ones.

The plump man, which is apparently named Sir Louis, has walked in on me whilst I was cleaning. He has on a golden, silk pajama and night cap.

"You," he sneers with a glare in his eye.

"I apologize, sir. I will leave-"

"You're the one who disrespected my daughter!"

I swear, most wealthy people are so narcissistic that every single little bad thing that happens in their lives is automatically a sin against them.

"Sir, I apologize for my terrible behav-"

"Wait a minute! Are you not that disrespectful piece of trash from yesterday?" He accuses, anger boiling in his eyes.

A chill goes down my spine, making me freeze in place. My head suddenly tilts toward the floor, as I am unable to utter a single sound.

"Go figure that the pile of trash that disrespected me, also disrespected my daughter."

He steps closer to me with his silk slippers almost touching my dirty sandals. He grabs my chin, forcing me to look into his bitter brown eyes.

"Listen to me, and listen to me close, young lady. I am one of the wealthiest men you will ever gaze upon. Thus, I can make you disappear with just a snap of my fingers."

He roughly lets go of my chin, pointing to the direction of the door. With quick steps, I rush out of the vicinity of that bathroom.

I then start to run to Vicky's room, which is on the other side of the castle. I push through the excruciating pain, running as fast as I possibly can. Finally, I appear at the front of her small door. Knocking a subtle knock, the door creaks open, revealing a smiling Vicky. Her salt and pepper hair is out of her usual bun, falling down her upper back. Her cream night gown reaches her calves, revealing her own pair of worn sandals. Her infectious smile turns into a concerned frown as she wraps her arm around my shoulders, welcoming me into her small bedroom.

Her work dress and apron is neatly hanging on a rack, which is right next to her tiny desk. This is where she writes in her journal that she's had ever since she was a young teen. Most of the maids have a bedroom like this, which is where they spend their nights.

She guides me to her wooden bed fit for a small child, with a thin mattress and bed spread to match. The oil burner brightens the cozy room, with the wick dancing around the candle.

"Sweetie, what happened?" She asks, sitting beside me. My face must look so exhausted. Her concerned expression becomes one with anger as she says, 'What did she do?"

"Before you say anything, I deserved it! I disrespected Lady Adora in front of everyone." I then lift up my dress to unveil the bruises of purple and blue with a tint of red marked all along my sides.

"Lily, you did not deserve this! No one deserves this kind of treatment," She gets up to grab our secret first aid kit, which is hidden inside a large book. To hide it, she cut the inside of the book to fit the small kit. She quickly grabs some clean cloth and a disinfecting liquid, and rushes it over to me. She starts to blot the tender spots, making sure that she covers the whole area.

"Thank you, Vicky, but you do know that I'm not ten anymore, right?" I say, jokingly. I feel so bad that she's doing this on her only break time. A small smile replaces her frown, looking up into my eyes.

"To me, you still are." With that, she finishes the disinfecting process.

After our little talk, I make my way to my room. I tip toe down the creaking stair case, making it to my old wooden door. To brighten the room, I light up my little burner that I've had since I was a child. I untie my shawl from my head and set it down on the floor. I then catch a glimpse of myself in the mirror. My dirty blonde hair is in multiple knots, while my strange purple and periwinkle eyes look incredibly tired. As I look at myself in the cracked mirror, I can't help but start to tear up.

Why must I be so stupid? Why did I think that I had enough confidence to stand up to the wealthiest person of the whole kingdom? I roughly pull out my red mat, and lay on top of it. I will not allow myself to cry over a person's words again. I wipe my stubborn tears and start to sing the song that has always made me feel better, repeating these words in my mind as I sing...

"It's going to get better, it can't go on like this forever..."

~Love