Chapter One: Evelyn Lim

The early winter morning breeze made it too harsh to even stay outside for a few minutes, but still she had to do her chores of tidying her secret garden every week. She had it built in the dense forest behind her house a few years back after her parents died in a boat crash last Summer. It was far enough to not be discovered from her home but near enough for her to hear her aunt's voice whenever she's calling out to her. It was her favourite place, whenever she felt mistreated she would always go there to let her heart out. It was also her secret hiding spot from her Aunt Emil. The fresh air and scenery there always made her feel better. She had come so often that the animals in the forest which have grown fond of her would come to greet her at the garden. They would watch her tend the garden any help her as well. In return, she would always treat them to some of the vegetables she grew there.

She began her work with in the garden, tilling the hard soil with her hand shovel. Planting and watering the seedlings for this month's flowers and crops. She harvested the necessary and left the others to grow. It was hard work but worth it when she could save a few pounds for groceries. Her aunt had always used the savings her parents had left for her to pay for things, whether it was something that she needed or not. She proceeded to pack the vegetables and fruits in the basket and put her scarf back on to pretend she came back from the market. She snuck out from the forest to the main road and began walking casually, carefully making sure none of her clothes had dirt on them while greeting everyone she sees. Soon, she came to the bakery filled with the sweet aroma of bread and pastries to pick up the morning bread.

"Good morning, Miss June.", she said as the bells of the door chimed to her arrival. "Oh, drop the honourifics, Eve, don't make me sound so old.", she said with her back facing the fourteen year old genius and ex-classmate who skipped grades and finished college early with her PhDs.

"Oh, would you mind waiting for a minute? The morning bread is still in the oven and will be done soon. While you are at it, do have some pastries I have been trying out new recipes I found in the attic.", the part-time baker said as she took some off of the conveyor belt for her.

"Thank you very much, June. That's very kind of you.", Eve said as she took a bite. "Mmhh. These are heavenly, June!", she said in delight as she took another bite. "Thanks, it took some time but I finally got it right. I am quite thankful actually, it was the last batch of berries and there wasn't anymore in the supermarket."

"In that case, here, take some of the berries I plucked from the garden this morning.", she offered kindly. "Oh, thank you, Eve, thank you. You are truly a life saver.", she thanked as she held her hand.

"It's not a problem. It is nothing compared to what you do for me everyday."

"How can you say that? You are just as good as anyone in the entire world. Just like your parents, I used to enjoy their company a lot but now that they are gone, it is just a pity." There was a moment of silence for them to reminiscence.

"Oh, I almost forgot. The bread!", she exclaimed as she took them out from the oven hurriedly. "Here you go. Have a nice day.", June said as she popped some into her basket. "You too, Miss June.", she teased on her way out with a smile plastered on her face. "Oh, you cheeky brat.", June muttered whilst shaking her head, watching her go.

She came to a stop by a modern three-story house with it's surroundings decorated for the festival which is coming soon. It used to be her home not until Aunt Emil came to claim it as her own.

She had always looked forward to these kind of festivals as it was the only time when Aunt Emil would let her in the house to help serve guests with the other maids. She had always felt lonely staying in the shed with no one to talk to after a long day's work, except for mice and other creepy crawlies to keep her company. She was moved there when Benedict complained about sharing a room with his younger brother, Mason. Even the guest room was taken by their younger sister, Belphoebe, who always seemed to complain about not having enough space for her to store her clothes. The first few days were dreadful, with the smell of mud and rotting wood lurking around, there was no way she could feel at home, but after she patched things up with a little help from the other maids secretly, she got comfortable sleeping on an old mattress along with natural air fresheners put around the shed. As she stepped in the kitchen, she could see that the other maids were already up and preparing for breakfast for the family of four including her uncle. She quickly joined in and began washing the fruits and vegetables while handing the bread to the cook. Eve was never allowed to have meals with the rest of her family as her aunt didn't want a maid to be eating with the rest of them, but it wasn't Eve's fault that she became a maid either. She became one because during her stay here, her aunt complained that she was short staffed and that it was a perfect way of repaying her so she would not owe her anything. "Nothing really does come for free.", Eve repeated systematically as she recalls the words her aunt told her that day.

"Are you alright, Miss Evelyn? Do you need help?", a maid asked softly.

She snapped out of her thoughts and took a glance back before replying.

"Oh, yes, I'm alright. It is nothing, I was just daydreaming."

"About what? Prince Charming?", Camille, the head maid who was standing nearby, asked sternly.

"Well, then better stop because our work is not done."

"Yes, ma'am.", Eve answered obediently as she continued on her work. Camille was the only maid in the entire house that hated Eve for who she was, the young lady of the house and for that she made her work the hardest. Camille had been in the military once, and for that most of the time she would lose her job because of her hot-tempered attitude. It was lucky for her that Aunt Emil hired her a few days ago for who she was, strict, disciplined and reliable. So under her orders, all of the maids worked till the dead of night, not even resting for a second. By the end of the day, everyone was tired of all the hard work they have put in scouring the marble floors, fixing the rooftops, mending the cracks on the walls, cleaning the sheets and other difficult tasks to prepare the house for the up coming party Aunt Emil is going to throw for the festival. Eve was glad though, all these work distracted her from her grief over the loss of her parents. She took out the old photograph she had kept from her pocket and sobbed.

Although they had been gone for so long, Eve still remembers it like yesterday. On the day they went on that boat trip, she was so sick that she was bedridden. She had pleaded to them not to go before but they made such promising promises about how many gifts they would bring back for her when they get back, that she had let them leave. She had always blamed herself for letting them get on the boat without saying a proper goodbye. As tears streaked down her cheeks that night, she walked to her shed. When she saw that the door was opened she was shocked. Clearly it could be some animal, she thought to herself as she discovered the black feathers on the ground. As she swung the door open, what she found shook her to her very core. A young boy with fresh blood seeping out from his severe wounds laid there on the floor with laboured breathing.