Eternally Luminous

Chapter 1

Ana fought with her tangled, apricot coloured hair. She tried to tame the curls that swung gently below her shoulders, slowly brushing out the knots that had gathered from being tied up all day. The brush she used was a gift from Halley, the head housekeeper, when she was seven years old. Sitting at her damp, dirty vanity table she looked at herself in the mirror that perched vertically on the other side of the table, leaning against the stone wall. The mirror was filthy and the dust that was on it was so thick and grimy but her luminous face was so clearly visible. She reached her hands out and wiped a small, clear circle, which became embedded in the dust. Ana clapped her hands together over to her left side to get rid of the dust that grasped to her fingers, with the bits of dust now floating around her room.  Looking up to the mirror again, Ana was stunned, as she was every time she saw her reflection. She was absolutely breath taking, even though she felt incredibly vain admitting so. Ana would constantly draw the attention of men as though she were a flashing beacon amongst an unlit room. Her porcelain skin was so delicate even with freckles scattered across her nose and cheeks. There was no distinct correlation of the brown dots but her closest friend, Jasmine, and herself found themselves trying to find constellations among the freckles as they had done with the night sky when younger. There was a line connecting her cheek bones to her jaw, a smooth, clear line that naturally added to her beauty as well as her chin being so small and fragile. The contours of her lips, were fine and ample. It was these characteristics and features emphasized by her tall but lean figure that allowed her to truly stand out. She was unlike anyone else she had ever encountered within the mansion that was because she had only ever been inside the mansion for her entire life. For the past seventeen years she had grown up within the boundary of the estate, which spread widely around the house. Numerous times she was caught attempting to climb over the fence to explore the outer world, but every attempt proved unsuccessful for it was Halley or a guard of the masters who would find her climbing into the trees surreptitiously. She learned to cook, clean, write, and all the other necessary skills a female would need, from Halley as well as other mature females within the mansion. She realized that after the fifth time of being caught trying to escape that she was confined to this inevitable solitude the mansion offered.

There was a thud at Ana’s door and she hesitantly told the guest to enter. The heavy door was heaved open and Ana was confronted by Gustin, the head guard. “The master calls for you, I suggest you get up there now” he said coldly. His hostility hung thick in the air and created an uncomfortable feeling with the distinct scar staining his face from his left temple to the edge of his wide chin.  His build with his broad shoulders often scared Ana, for if he chose to force himself upon her there would be no chance of stopping him, much like many of the other guards within the mansion. Ana remembered that two years ago, when she was fifteen and her breasts had started to develop, one of the guards felt compelled to tell her how delicious she was becoming and tried to apply his hands forcefully onto her breasts and thighs. Luckily, one of the elder kitchen hands had seen the guard cornering Ana, trying to grope her body, and threatened him with a large kitchen knife stating that if he were ever found doing it again with any of the servants that he would end up with a missing important organ situated at his groin. That guard never returned to the kitchen and servant quarters after that incident.

“You’re joining him for dinner”, he informed her and then left in an abrupt manner. Ana reached down and smoothed the creases on her new gown, which had been given to her by the master just this morning. He had sent Halley down to her room with the beautiful green dress that was made of the softest materials. It complemented her peach coloured hair and golden eyes. It was spacious for her small frame, but hugged her torso nicely and desirably. It accentuated her breasts as her cleavage was visible and almost spilling out. This was the one feature of the dress that Ana didn’t admire as she despised the look men gave her when they saw her, especially the looks she would receive wearing this gown. She exited her dense room, closing the heavy door behind her.

The hallway was dimly lit with several torches mounted on the walls. She ran her fingers along the cold stone as this soothed her galloping mind. What could the master want me for? She questioned herself while approaching the spiral staircase at the end of  the hallway. She muttered to herself, arguing and trying to remember whether she’d done anything that was punishable. Maybe the Master found out about all my attempts to escape and wants to chain me up in the dungeons or perhaps something worse, she thought to herself while passing the many other doors that were hinged upon the wall only meters apart. Inside these doors were where the other servants slept and resided, with their small, darkened rooms identical to Ana’s with a single mattress on a low, flimsy bed frame, the vanity table and a small worn out chest of drawers. The rooms weren’t a favorable style of living, but each servant added their own character to the room as much as they could without it being overly noticeable. Approaching the staircase, Ana’s breath became shallow and she felt light-headed. Each step was a struggle and caused her heart to thump harder and faster. She could not control the beating she felt inside her chest as she climbed the last step, steadying herself against the walls of the shorter corridor that was now ahead of her. Halley appeared out of the huge, metal kitchen doors that were in the middle of the smaller corridor. “Child, you look beautiful”, she said as she saw Ana. Hurrying over to her, Halley inspected the gown and then tidied up Ana’s hair. “He’s waiting for you dear. He has guests, so please be cautious”, she said, giving Ana a concerned look. Halley then held her shoulders and stepped back, soaking up Ana’s appearance before shuffling her towards the Oak doors at the end of the corridor. These doors lead to the dining foyer, which was decorated with magnificent furniture imported from Netherlile, a land north of here. The carpenters in Netherlile were famous for incorporating some of the finest gold into their prestigious wooden furniture. The master loved gold as well as golden objects so he practically had every piece of furniture made there. Reaching for the handle Ana closed her eyes and inhaled deeply, frightened that her lungs were about to shrivel into small raisins. She turned the wooden handle and awaited what was ahead of her.