^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^

CHAPTER 1

My back was aching from doing the washing last night. My arms were aching from doing my biology homework. I was totally exhausted, yet I knew exactly when to get up.

My eyes shot open. My forehead was damp with sweat, probably from a nightmare; one that I could scarcely remember.

I did a little stretch before stepping out of bed. After putting on my soft cuddly slippers, I took exactly fourteen steps over to the other side of the room. Bending down, I shook Jess gently by the arms and waited for her to get up.

She groaned. "Avery... I was having a good dream." She sat up and yawned, stretching her arms high in the air.

I laughed quietly. "Another dream about your crush?"

Jess was now awake, her eyes lighting up mischievously. "What about you? Did you dream about Master Josh?"

I blushed.

Jess must have expected that because she laughed. "Avery, you are so cute!" she exclaimed, moving out of her bed.

I walked away before she could come over and squeeze my cheeks. Entering the bathroom next door, I quickly cleaned my teeth.

I went back inside the bedroom and over to the massive closet on my side of the room. Sliding the door open, I took out a dress from the clothe hanger. Although every maid in the house wore the same outfit, I still thought it was beautiful.

The dress flowed slightly above my knees, which was the perfect length because it didn't make me look too short. The entire dress was mainly white, but there were some black fabric around the edges, blending beautifully with the white.

Using the mirror as a guide, I tied my brown wavy hair to one side, letting it rest in the front. After I finished, I headed over to Jess who was also doing her hair.

"Done?" she asked, tying her dark brown curls up into a high ponytail.

"Yep," I responded, standing beside her dressing table.

When Jess was ready, we exited the room together. The house was really quiet since it was still early in the morning and the masters haven't woken up yet. Master Tony and Maria were probably still asleep upstairs.

"Dude, get off my bed!"

There was a quiet thud like somebody's head hitting the bed head.

"You know you love seeing my beautiful face first thing in the morning," another voice said flippantly.

"Are the masters awake?" Jess whispered quietly into my ear.

I didn't respond. The two of us walked away from our bedroom and tiptoed across the soft carpet, straight past the stairs and approached Master Josh's bedroom. If it wasn't for my white knee-high socks, my legs would've been freezing at this time of the morning.

"What the hell are you looking for?" I heard Master Josh ask, his voice clearly annoyed.

I could hear another thud and a bang, but it wasn't enough for me to figure out what was happening.

Abruptly, the door swung open. It was only then that I realised Jess and I had been eavesdropping. Why couldn't we just mind our own business?

Jess suddenly clapped her hands together. "Finally!"

Immediately, I adverted my eyes to her, my eyebrows furrowing in confusion. What exactly was she doing?

"What are you guys doing?" Master Josh asked, his hair still a mess from sleeping.

"Morning, Master Josh," Jess and I said simultaneously, both of us bending our heads down. I was glad we didn't make eye contact or else I would've blushed and he'd probably think I was a freak.

He rambled away towards the bathroom, not bothering to question us any further.

"I told you there was a mosquito!" Jess cried, loud enough for Master Josh to hear.

I laughed quietly, shaking my head at her acting.

"There's a mosquito? Did you catch it?"

I jerked my head around, startled by the sudden new voice.

"Morning, Master Alex," Jess and I chorused again.

He grinned at us. "You're welcome, ladies." The boy walked over to the bathroom where his older brother was.

Jess and I stared at each other, both of us raising an eyebrow.

"Did either of us say thank you to him?" she asked me after a short silence.

I laughed, finding it funny how I wondering the same. "I don't think so. Master Alex is usually like this when he's happy."

Jess nodded thoughtfully. "And that's practically always."

The two of us tiptoed down the long flight of stairs.

"Morning guys," Evi greeted when we entered the large kitchen area.

I followed Jess over to where Evi and Kathy were standing. "What are we making today?" I asked, examining the wide range of food on the kitchen counter.

Katy turned to me with a note in her hand. "Master Tony wants spaghetti, Maria wants Chinese fried rice and Master Alex wants a fish burger."

"How about Master Josh?" Jess queried, seeing as his name wasn't mentioned.

"He doesn't want breakfast," Evi responded for Katy.

"Okay, let's do this!" Jess sang, moving around the kitchen.

With the combination of all our help, the four of us managed to prepare breakfast within less than an hour. I wiped my hands using the towel near the sink and moved over beside Jess.

"Can you help me take this over to Master Alex, Avery?" she asked, holding out the plate with the fish burger and fries.

I nodded, grasping the plate carefully in my hands. I brought the food over to the other side of the room where the family was seated.

"Fish burger," I said quietly, placing the food down in front of Master Alex.

"Oooh, delicious!" he cried merrily.

I smiled. Master Alex had always been such a cheerful guy. He was sixteen like me but he acted more like a six-year-old.

I was about to leave the table when out of the corner of my eye, I saw Master Josh setting the newspaper down onto the marble dining table. My breathing hitched as we made eye contact. Even after years of working in this house, I still found it difficult to control myself when I was around him.

"Could I help you with anything?" I started. "Master Josh?" I added quickly at the end, hoping it sounded like a part of the first sentence.

"Glass of milk," he responded, returning his eyes back to the newspaper.

I nodded and sighed inwardly, walking away from the table. What was I thinking? I should really stop fantasizing about our relationship. Josh Newton was the son of Tony Newton; the seventeen-year-old guy who would be the future CEO of his father's large company. He had a bright future.

I knew this, but I just dreamed that one day, he would look at me as someone else; someone other than a maid in his house. Or more like mansion.

"Who's the milk for?" Jess asked me as she wiped the kitchen stove.

"Master Josh," I responded, putting the milk back into the fridge.

"Aww! You've had a crush on him for ages! Try finding a chance to talk to him at school today," Jess suggested quietly, grinning at me.

My cheeks reddened. "Don't say that here! And no, I'm not going to talk him," I said, looking away.

"Why not?" she asked, now wiping the kitchen counter.

I sighed. "I'm just a maid in this house. I'll always be nothing but one of his servants."

Jess took a step forward and grabbed me by the wrists. "Avery Darling! Stop thinking that. You, me, all of us go to one of the richest schools in town. And besides, you're so cute! And you're only a year younger than him too!" she added after a split second.

I shook my head, knowing that I shouldn't get my hopes up. Besides, Master Josh would be two years older than me in about two months.

I held the glass of milk firmly in my hands and headed back over to the dining table.

"Here you go, Master," I said, putting the milk down in front of him.

He placed the newspaper onto one side. "How many times do I have to tell you guys? Just cut the 'master' crap already. I've got a name, and it's 'Josh'."

Master Alex laughed. "Have you ever realised that they're all girls, not guys?"

I took a step backwards, trying to move away unnoticed.

"No crap they're girls, you loser," Master Josh said, gulping down the milk.

I stifled a quiet laugh. The two masters always argued over nothing but their relationship was actually very close. Their looks were different and so were their personalities.

Master Alex had his hair dyed a while ago. It was now dark brown; almost the shade of black. His eyes were the same colour as his hair and he had a laugh that just made you want to laugh with him.

Master Josh was only a year older than Master Alex but he was much more mature. His hair was a light chestnut brown, cupping his face perfectly. I rarely see him smile but he laughed every now and then when Master Alex was around.

I yawned and stretched my arms as I headed back to the kitchen area.

"Tired?" a voice asked out of nowhere, throwing their hands on my shoulders and squeezing them gently.

I jumped a little but breathed a sigh of relief when I realised it was only Jess. "You scared me..."

She chuckled. "Let's eat. I'm so hungry."

I nodded, the two of us leaving the kitchen and moving to the maids' eating area; two rooms away from the Newton family.

"What are our first jobs tomorrow morning again?" Jess asked me, making a clattering sound as her bowl of cereal hit the wooden table. She took a seat beside me and started eating.

I swallowed before speaking. "Ironing the clothes. Then on Wednesday, we're dusting the paintings and shelves on the second floor."

Jess nodded, milk dripping down her chin.

"How can you not remember?" Teresa asked from the opposite side of the rectangular table, a small grin on her face. "You've worked here for like ten years."

"Nine," Jess corrected. "And I can't remember 'cos we changed the timetables like two weeks ago."

That was right. Both of us were brought here from the orphanage by Maria when we were only seven. I remember holding onto Jess tightly because I was afraid I would be separated from my closest friend. Well, today, Jess Zarris was still my best friend.

After breakfast, Jess and I headed upstairs to the large bedroom that we shared. I slid the closet open and took out my winter uniform.

The green and navy blue, stripey skirt went just above my knees. My legs were covered in black stockings, protecting me from the cold. I pulled the navy V-neck jumper over on top of my white blouse and headed to the door where Jess was waiting, wearing the exact same clothing.

As we exited the room, I gave a quick glance towards Master Josh's bedroom. Unexpectantly, he walked out, putting on his grey V-neck jumper which matched his school pants.

Our eyes met and immediately, my face turned red. I thought I saw him looking a little shocked for a second but I skipped down the stairs too quickly to be certain.

We met up with the other girls at the front door after putting on the black leather shoes. While us girls took the mini bus to school, the masters were taken to school together by their own driver.

All the maids in this house get paid very little but we all got to attend Starlin High, a school that was practically the best in town. This was way more than what any of us could ever wish for.

"Ha! You actually blushed, Avery!" Jess cried as we approached the mini bus.

"No, I didn't!" I denied, my face heating up once again.

She laughed. "You're too cute. Seeing Master Josh is all it takes for you to blush."

I took a seat near the back of the vehicle and looked out of the window. A second later, Jess moved in beside me, both of us resting our bags onto our laps.

"Want me to arrange some kind of meeting for you guys?" Jess asked, teasing me again. I swear, that's one of her hobbies.

"No!" I cried immediately, turning around to face her with my eyes wide.

Jess laughed, and I glared at her in annoyance. "Be more confident, Avery. Do you want to spend the rest of your life just working for him?"

No, I don't, I responded silently. I wish I got a chance to speak to him properly, not just, "Master Josh, what would you like to eat for breakfast?"

I sighed and leaned back into the seat, resting my head against the cool window. Outside, each raindrop hit the blurry glass with a quiet thud, clearing the fog as it slid downwards.

Watching this caused an inexplicable pain in my heart. It was on a similar day to this that my mother had passed away thirteen years ago. And it was all my fault.

I felt a tear slide down my cheek, mimicking the actions of those raindrops outside the windows.

I knew without a doubt that Master Josh's presence had changed my life. It was all because of him that every single day, I had something to look forward to.

Seeing Josh Newton was all it took to make my day.

But will he ever turn around and look at me the same way?

^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^~^