Riella sighed as she awoke in the small, dimly-lit room. Today was her seventeenth birthday, meaning that she’d been there for 14 years. She knew that nobody would acknowledge that she was any older. She was only a simple servant girl, after all. As she got up off the old mattress on the floor, she looked into the mirror. Green-gray eyes stared back at her, on a pale face smudged with dirt. Her long, brunette hair was tied back in a black ribbon, and she was quite skinny.

At this time of morning, Riella would normally go down to the kitchen for another day of work. She’d have to help cook breakfast, clean up, then go about her other chores. Surprisingly though, Anna was at her door as she stepped out. Anna was normally working with the horses right about then. She had shoulder-length red hair, blue eyes, a somewhat tanned complexion, and was a couple inches shorter than Riella.

“Um.. Hi.” Riella said, curiosity in her voice. “What’s going on?”

Anna smiled. “Mr. Philips wants to see you.”

“What?” There must be some mistake, he’d never request her presence. Not unless she’d done something wrong. Right? “Why? Are you sure?” She asked the other girl, doubt in her voice.

“Yes.” Anna nodded. “I don’t know why, though. He only said that he’d like to meet you at breakfast this morning.”

“Oh. Well...” Riella bit her lip. “Okay then. I suppose I should see what he wants.”

Anna laughed. “Well, good luck. I’ve got to get to work now.” She spun around and went down the steps toward the second floor main hallway.

Riella sighed and glanced back at the mirror. She’d heard so much about him, but still knew so little. “I guess I’d better be off then.” She mumbled and started down the steps.

Riella walked down the hallway, unsure as to why she’d been summoned to see Jacob Philips. She’d lived there most of her life, and had never seen him before. Why should he want to see her now? As she rounded a corner, Riella saw Bridget, one of the oldest servants. The older woman had graying hair, light brown eyes, and was chubby. Bridget looked at Riella with disgust, as if she was some sewer rat crawled into the mansion. The girl averted her eyes toward the floor as she muttered a hello.

“Look at me, girl.” Bridget said in an air of superiority. “Mr. Philips is waiting to see you, ya know.”

“Y-yes ma’am.” Riella shakily said. “That’s where I was going.”

“Humph. Well, you better not be keeping him waiting for long, child. He’s got more important things to deal with, you know.”Bridget grabbed the girl’s wrist, muttering something inaudible to her, and led her to a nearby room.

“He instructed me to be sure you were... presentable.” She’d said it as if it was an impossibility for someone such as Riella.

After glancing once more at the girl, she opened a closet door and pulled out a dress. Riella’s eyes widened at the sight of it. Was that was she was to wear? It was beautiful- long, black, and the short sleeves were made so they should hang off her shoulders.

As she reached out to touch it, Bridget slapped her hand. “You are to bathe before you dress. Then, brush your hair and come out.” The woman put the dress on the nearby bed and opened a door to the bathroom. “I don’t want to hear that the water’s too cold. Once you’re done, I will escort you to the dining hall to meet him.”

“Yes ma’am,” Riella nodded as she stepped toward the bath. She stripped herself of the blue-gray rags that passed as clothes and stepped into the tub. It was colder than she’d expected and she nearly fell down.

After bathing herself, Riella dried off with a towel and walked back into the bedroom. She slipped into the dress, brushed her hair, and left the room. Bridget was standing outside the door, and grabbed Riella’s wrist to lead her away.

“Excuse me, ma’am, but do you know why he wants to see me?” Riella finally got the nerve to ask the older woman.

“No, and I don’t rightly care. It’s not my place, anyhow.” She sniffed.

The two continued walking on in silence until they got to their destination.

“Hello ladies.” A man probably in his early 20's greeted them. He had sandy-blonde hair, dark green eyes, and was wearing complete black. Bridget nodded a hello to him and turned to leave.

Riella looked at him curiously. Was this Mr. Philips?

“Well.” He smiled. “Are you going to take a seat?”

“Oh, yes sir.” She nodded and sat down. “If I may ask, why am I here?”

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A/N: And so I shall stop here for now. If you'd like for me to continue this, please review. Constructive criticism would be very well appreciated, and I'll try to respond to any reviews I may get.