Twelve
Sofia just got home from school. She removed herself form the confinement of her tight uniform and slid a loose-fitting floral spaghetti-strapped pink tunic on her body. She prepped herself in front of the mirror and strode fast to the kitchen to make herself an afternoon snack.
"Good afternoon, ma'am!"
"Oh hey, Dan," she called to their butler who stood at the base of the staircase.
"What's the hurry, Ma'am Sofia?" he inquired, noticing her excited pace.
"Strawberries!" she exclaimed in reply and paced to the west wing. "Oh, by the way, have I not reiterated to you that you needed to stop calling me ma'am?" She playfully raised a brow at him, giggled, and threw Dan, the butler, a tight hug.
"You seem... euphoric... Sofia," Dan stated, rethinking his words before blurting them out. "How did school go?" he asked in this accented tone and followed her to the pantry.
"Good afternoon, Linda!" Sofia greeted their kitchen maid who also just got home from the bakery. "School was great!" Sofia then replied to him. "I was given the protagonist role in their Cinderella adaptation!"
Linda and Dan shared equal amount of joy. "That's great!" Linda exclaimed.
"Very! I've never expected to earn such role," Sofia said and inspecting what Linda had bought.
"So... when is this theatrical exhibition?" Dan scrutinized.
"The tentative date was three months from now." Sofia took a bite of the croissant Linda had bought. "Is this from our usual bakery?"
Linda nodded. "Fresh from Mr. Stevenson." She grinned.
"Oh! Tell him I love his work!" Sofia said, ebullient as ever.
Linda smiled as she turned away and fixed the groceries she had on the counter. One by one, she arranged them – beans on the cupboard along with other canned goods, seasoning beside the stove and the vegetables to the refrigerator. As she tediously finished organizing the items, she folded the paper bag and watched Little Sofia giggle like a fair lady.
She was six when she first saw her. Green eyes filled with trauma and yet vim, her ponytailed blonde hair was unruly and her light complexion was tainted with dashes and smudges of ash and small burns. Sofia was about two and a half feet tall, holding a teddy bear in her arms. Her eyes scrutinized Linda what was happening but all Linda could give her that day was a comforting hug.
Despite the tragic demise of a normal life, Sofia grew to be effervescent and with everlasting energy. Rain nor snow could not stop her laughter not suppress her interest, very child-like even robbed out of a childhood with the parents she should have. Sofia greeted everyone in the house if not with pleasant words, at least with a flash of her grin. Her jovial demeanor and polite conduct gave people dilemma how she had handled the stress of bereavement. Sofia was rather unexplainably happy on the contrary. Nevertheless, Linda was mostly thankful along with everyone in the mansion of how Sofia's growth had been.
In less than a year, Sofia would be eighteen. Their Little Sofia would no longer be little. The little princess would soon be a fair maiden dressed in a humble kirtle. To this, Eric, Sofia's uncle, promised her a house a few streets from the mansion. Linda and the other staffs of the house shared the same displeasure on the idea, because before Sofia had awakened the life dormant in the mansion's walls, the days were lackadaisical and everything was digital.
