Cressida
Cress knew she was running late. Everything that could go wrong was and it took all her control not to break down. As she dashed off her purse fell down and opened. Everything scattered.
A sob escaped her despite her effort to keep them in. With trembling hands she took up all the small things she always carried in her purse. All the while she was aware of the tick of the minute hand from the clock over the mantel piece.
Why did she have so many things in her purse anyway? Scopping up as many of them as she could, Cress dashed out of the house and into her garage. Her hand dove back into her purse as she searched for her car keys. To no avail. They must've fallen out and she'd missed them!
She cursed, then froze. Even though it was a mild one she looked up to heaven and crossed herself in a prayer for forgivenes before rushing back into the house. She grit her teeth as she opened the door and dashed to the living room where her purse had emptied itself.
In her need to hurry, she pushed everything aside leaving a wake of disaster in the room she'd made an effort to clean just last night. It didn't matter, she couldn't afford to lose this job before she started, not when she'd worked so hard. Finally, she found the keys underneath the armchair her abuelo had given her.
Quickly snatching them up she once again ran out, making sure the door from the garage was locked. She'd have to forgo going to her mother's place otherwise she'd be late and lose her job. After struggling to finish her degree and managing to get recommendation from her mentor for a prestigious start she couldn't afford to mess it up.
Working for Earis international was a dream few professionals ever achieved and Cress was starting out there. She sped just under the speed limit and fumed every time she had to slow down for one reason or another. One thing she prided herself in was always being on time. Earis was owned by some sort of European royalty and they were even more particular about time.
Cress breathed a sigh of relief as she pulled up before the imposing Earis Minor Hotel. It was a study in architectural beauty. A testament to wealth. She knew it was so far beyond her price range it was laughable. Were it not for her employee badge, she was sure she'd never have been allowed onto the premise.
Taking a deep breath, Cress swiped her employee card onto the access panel into the employee parking lot. Her heart was in her throat at the thought that she might be denied access as her mind came up with various scenarios.
Relief washed over her as she managed to get through. She found a parking spot that had her name newly sprayed painted on. Parking there, she quickly got out, making sure to take out her purse before hurrying into the building.
She'd been shown where her employee locker was, in the room reserved for middle management. No one was in there and even though her watch told her she was ten minutes early the fact that the room was empty had her feeling anxious.
Without any other idea, Cress went to the office that would be hers, at least during her shift. At the moment she was starting with the night shift. It was inconvenient, but the pay was good and she'd have a good resume afterwards.
The office door was open, she'd been shown the room after she'd been hired. The room was divided into four cubicles, each one glassed in and rather spacious, for a cubicle. Of the four, two were occupied. Cress went to the door of her own cubicle and unlocked it then placed her purse under the desk to the right of her chair.
Though she knew what her duties were, she wasn't sure what to do just then. Taking her seat, she booted up her desktop then logged into her employee account. Cress had hoped to find work already set out for her, but no such luck. What was she supposed to do now?
Without warning, her door was opened, she turned to see who it was and was met with an unknown blonde about her age. "Good, you're already here." The blond said in a no nonsense way. "I'm Dania, the day junior manager. You'll be taking over from me so I need to show you what needs to be done tonight."
Cress stood up. "Cressida Álvarez," she introduced herself as she walked closer to the woman still standing at the door, hand out.
Dania took the proffered hand and gave it a firm shake before letting it go. "There's a lot I have to clue you in to before I leave for the night." She stated as she turned to leave.
Cress braced herself as she followed after Dania. She knew even though she'd be working the night shift, the chances of her having an easier time were rather slim. She welcomed the chance though, today would be a start for her. A chance to show her family that her one mistake wasn't going to hold her back. With a smile, she took in everything Dania told her and resolved to excell.
As she'd expected, Cress was kept busy during the night. Aside from one other junior manager, the might staff consisted of a manager, night chef and his crew, the porters with their chief, a butler and his underlings and the maids with their head.
It was part of Cress' job to co-ordinate between the different heads for the smooth running of the hotel which meant she was kept running throughout. She had to know where everything was, including the number of cutlery they had. Whilst she'd laughed at movies like 'Maid in Manhattan' where guests stole the silverware, the idea was no longer funny.
At the end of her first day, she was bone tired but satisfied with the work she'd put in. Rich people were a chore to work with, but Cress had had a lifetime of biting her tongue and that had come in handy. She wasn't going to let people who she had no reason to care for bring her down.
Two weeks passed by and Cress' co-workers were pleased with her work ethics and how well she worked with even the most difficult of people. She was getting into her stride and enjoying the work plus planning on how she was going to use her rather impressive pay check at the end of the month. Sooner than she'd ever thought possible, Cress would be able to clear her student loans.
She was making her rounds, making sure the unoccupied rooms were cleaned and there was nothing left in the hallways. The Minor was styled beautifully with exquisite taste. The kind of style she would've used had she had the funds. Cress felt at home in the luxurious settings when she might've felt out of place.
Coming out of one of the small conference rooms on the mezzanine floor she encountered a group of well dressed guests exiting another of the conference rooms. She decided to stand at the door and allow them to pass so she wouldn't disturb them. She lowered her gaze so that she wouldn't further intrude upon them.
They were sophisticated, in that way that spoke of being raised in abject luxury. With a carefree, dismissive attitude to the grandeur even the hallway potrayed. Cress had glimpsed a touch of that arrogance on their faces, the one that showed they knew everyone wished to be them. There was a knowing look in their eyes that spoke of people aware of their attraction and the indolence to use it.
Cress wanted nothing to do with them. Every instinct she held told her they were dangerous. The same instinct that told her doing anything that could be considered running away would be a bad mistake. Otherwise she might have given in to the urge to take a step back into the perceived comfort of the room she'd been about to leave.
She was aware of their eyes on her as silence took over the conversations they'd been engaged in. A silence full of distrust. Yet she sensed a touch of interest in some of the gazes. As if she were a new toy, a delightful morsel to decide the use of.
An involuntary shiver raced down her back. Why was she all of a sudden having such a vivid imagination? There was nothing sinister about the group of guests, just more indulged people like all the ones in the hotel. Sure they were more good looking than most, but that could be because they were models or something.
"Sophia love," one of the females said as she stopped in front of Cress. "Why does this maid have your man's scent all over her?"
Surprised, Cress' head jerked up to meet the assessing gaze of the woman standing before her. She had a jaded look in her eyes, as if she'd seen it all, done it all. There was a smug note in their depths, one Cress quickly realised was for whoever this Sophia was. Cress was just collateral, insignificant.
The woman before her looked to be in her mid twenties, yet something older shimmered in her eyes. As if she was something other than human, which made Cress wonder about the stories her abuela spoke of. The female had feline gold eyes, midnight dark hair and the most perfect features Cress had ever seen. She kept her astonished gaze upon those golden eyes, wondering what the woman was accusing her of.
The group paused in their march past her, even traped by the other's eyes Cress was aware of another female pivoting on her high heel to trace back to her friend. Coming to stand besides the golden eyed beauty, the new woman glared at Cress, so much that she could feel the heat of it like a brand.
As if pulled by some unknown string, her head turned to meet eerie cold glass green eyes that seemed as ancient. They measured her, found her wanting. Cress held her head high and tried for a calm expression even as her heart pounded in her chest. Only to be taken aback as the green eyed woman took a sniff of her.
She drew back from the green eyed woman, who had to be the Sophia the other had named. The green eyes blazed with rage. "Why do you have Jasper's scent all over you?" She demanded.
Cress became light headed at that name. Her breath stalled as she recalled warm firm hands claiming every inch if her body. As she remembered his lips tasting every little inch if her body with decadent slowness. But that had been years ago. There was no way she should have his scent on her. Then how would this woman know she'd had anything to do with him? Was it just a coincidence?
"I..." she swallowed. "I don't know what you mean." Cress answered.
"You're lying," Sophia stated with cold rage. "I can smell it on you."
What? Cress wondered. Smell it on her? What was this woman?
"Look I knew someone called Jasper, but it was years ago." Cress tried again, her eyes going to the rest of their audience in a futile attempt to find someone who could de-escalate the situation. They all looked on with morbid fascination like cats enjoying the helplessness of a mouse.
"Then why is his scent mixed in with yours?" Sophia demanded again as her eyes glowed eerily under the lights.
"¡Madre mía!" Cress exclaimed, her eyes widening as Sophia's face shifted as if fighting to take another form. It was otherworldly, the worst part was that as she once again looked at the rest of the people there, they weren't as freaked out as she was.
"Must be why he didn't want you to ever come here." One of the males with Sophia said in a bored tone. Cress looked up to meet his equally bored eyes.
Why were they doing this to her? Were they so bored with their lives that they had to attack her knowing she'd be unable to do anything about it?
"Our kind likes beauty," Sophia purred, an animalistic growl underlining it. "Let's see if he'll still look at you without it."
The next thing Cress knew, pain exploded across her left cheek and onto her neck. It was like she'd been burned. She screamed, an ear shattering cry that had the people on the ground floor looking up through the window to see what was happening. Cress fell to the floor, her hand going to touch her face in an effort to stem the blood pulsing out of it.
Her eyes fell to Sophia's hand and saw it was now clawed. Chunks of raw skin were caught on them and it took Cress a confused while to realise it was her skin that'd been torn off. It was like a horror movie was playing before her. None of this could be real, it couldn't be happening, not to her.
"Filthy whore." Sophia stated as she walked away.
"What happened?" Cress heard her manager ask even above her sobs.
"I want that whore fired."
Cress curled in on herself, it didn't matter. Nothing else mattered. Her face had been ruined, she was ruined.