Belle Âme (SAMPLE)

Chapter 2: A Trash

Days pass by quickly in the manor, and although I've been persistent in doing my own share of chores, Mr. Curtis wouldn't hear of it. He says it's Lady Esther's strict instructions to focus only on my studies during school days. With that, I am only to help clean the bedrooms on weekends and nothing more. In short, I'm useless, but I couldn't complain now, could I? Not if I want to be called ungrateful. Mum consistently reminded me that I should learn to accept help with grace. So that's exactly what I did.

The first week at my new school was... interesting. I've never been around so many rich kids before, especially coming from where I came from. The kids were nice, I guess you could say. They didn't laugh at me when I was introduced as the new kid, and I've already made some acquaintances. I don't know yet if I could call them friends, but I hope we'll get there in time. Their names are Charlotte and Kevin, cousins who are quite brilliant and are only able to attend St. Thaddeus because of their scholarships. I guess you could say we're the same, although mine was sorely because of my mother's boss' generosity and not because I have a brain like theirs.

On my first day at my new school, I quickly learned how things work, thanks to Charlotte and Kevin. After they invited me to join them for lunch, and as we sat there, looking at every occupied table, they gave me that cursory introduction to St. Thaddeus.

The school can easily be divided into two groups-the popular kids and... everybody else who isn't. That's it. If you aren't good enough to be friends with the popular ones, you're just any other floater. I'm not at all surprised by this. I guess schools are universal that way.

The first one I saw at the "popular kids" tables was Ares... well, Master Ares, but I'm only supposed to call him that when we're at the manor for formalities.

Of course, he's popular; I never expected less from the green-eyed boy who was nothing but rude to me on my first day at their house. He's always hanging out with his mates, bantering and making fun at the expense of other people. Typical jerk. He sees me, I know he sees me around campus, especially during lunch breaks, but he never acknowledges me.

I ride the bus and walk the rest of the way to school, whereas Ares always goes to school in a car chauffeured by Wilfred, the family driver. We come home the same way we get there. And since I don't help out in the manor on weekdays, I stay in our living quarter to do school work.

I've snuck out to the swing once the past week. I didn't see Ares that day. I went out there and thought, why waste such a vast space where he can play around? It's a shame that he's always locked up in his room.

But now it's Saturday, and I'm excited to help out with the chores finally. Mum takes me under her wing, and we gather the cleaning supplies and vacuum from their storage before making our way to the second floor. It's pretty early, just six in the morning, but mum says we'll start with the guest rooms so, by the time Lady Esther and Master Ares are up for breakfast, we'll be free to clean their respective rooms then.

I've always wondered where his dad is. I haven't seen anyone else aside from the two of them, and I also haven't heard anyone talk about any other family member. I guess he's a busy man. He must be considering how rich they are.

Mum shows me how she goes about her chores, and by the third room, she finally allows me to work on my own, and we split the tasks. She scrubs the bathrooms from top to bottom while I dust, wipe and vacuum the room before changing the bed covers together. It's a systematic process, and I like that I'm bonding with mum. It's something we haven't done before. It's not at all a walk in the park; at least I get to spend time with her, and I'm learning a lot in the process.

Growing up with only a father always around and a mother whom I only get to see once a year, you can't expect me to know many things about her. Now I notice how mum would stress the last syllable of my name if she gets a bit frustrated with me, or how she'd call me love if I did good, or how she scratches the back of her ear when she's thinking of something to say.