Going to sleep was easy last night, as soon as my head hit the cot I was out. I was woken up before the sunrise this morning. For that I wasn't happy. Even at the orphanage I could stay asleep till later.

"Come on Mary." A hushed voice said in my ear. "You've got to get ready. You got a big day today." It was Martha.

"I'm up. I'm up." I stood up with my eyes closed and tried to feel for my clothes.

"Mary! Open yer eyes!" Martha's voice was still in a whisper.

"Alright. Now…" The rest of the next 20 minutes consisted of me washing my face; getting dressed; almost falling down; and trying to listen to the tidbits of advice passed on my way.

"Mary. It's time to go. If tha' doesn't get there on time… Mrs. Medlock will not stand for it." Martha said as she pushed me through the door.

"Martha why couldn't we get Jon to drive us up there?"

"Mary, Jon is only here because his horses need rest. If he were to do that it would leave him longer. Prolonging our…courtship."

"Oh." Was all I could say. I was only half awake and besides it's not like the cold winds wouldn't wake me up sometime during this dreadful 5 mile walk. "Martha?"

"Yes?"

"Do you always walk to Misselthwaite in the morning?"

"No, sometimes Mrs. Medlock lets me stay in a room because she might need me at night or she kept me late. Something of the sort."

"Oh." I had more I wanted to ask but I really didn't feel like asking it. We walked all the way to manor in silence. Well actually when we saw it Martha said, "Look there it is. It still overwhelms me after all these years of working there."

We walked around back and into through a door I had not seen before. "Mary this is the servants entrance. You'll use this one. No one goes through the front door except Mrs. Medlock, sometimes, and Master Craven."

"Alright."

"Mary these are the kitchen staff." She pointed to a rather large women and a few stocky ones. "They'll be makin' tha food."

"Breakfast will be at regular time today, Martha." The large woman said. She sounded very sweet and motherly like. Her voice was warm and thick.

"Thank ye Jane. I'm much obliged."

"Oh don't get like that Martha; and you," she said pointing to me " you best be not givin' Martha trouble. Ya hear?" I nodded promptly and walked away as soon as Martha tugged on my arm.

"Martha, do I look like a trouble maker?"

"Why no Mary. Why do ye ask?"

"I was just wondering why someone should warn me not to cause you trouble if I don't look like a trouble maker."

"Oh…"she giggled. "That's just Jane. She's just making a little fun."

"Well I don't like it."

"I suppose you don't want to hear this but your going to have to. I don't matter, if you like it or not. You just work here like everyone else and you have only just started."

She was right I didn't want to here what she had to say. In fact I tried to ignore the whole statement in the first place. Especially since I was only here because I would like to see my uncle and talk to him. I had tried to ignore Martha as she tried to start petty conversations and it worked, but I could not ignore her that easily for she was leading me through the maze like dusty halls. The house seemed to have an under tone of mystere' to it . I wanted to know what it was that made the house seem so eerie. The thought of that made me more cautious of my step.

Martha's and my silence was finished as soon as Mrs. Medlock got in sight of us. "Martha! Martha! There you are! I'm so glad you're here." This made me wonder why Mrs. Medlock always needed Martha. No one lives here, practically, and that means there is really no reason to clean. I kept my thoughts to myself knowing it was much wiser.

"Why Mrs. Medlock is something the matter?"

"Oh yes, Colin he's decided he doesn't like the nurses today and refuses to cooperate." She sounded very tired and very stressed. I ignored the fact that I didn't know anyone in the household called 'Colin', yet I didn't know practically anyone in the manor.

"Oh dear. Well what do you suppose we do?"

"I just don't know. That boy is wearing me to bits. I can't do anything about it because his father put me in charge although I don't know why. I highly doubt the boy's going to die he's made it this far. Now he's just lazing about pretending to be ill, those fits of his are what causes most of it."

"We can't undo what's already done." I felt as if Martha was directing the comment towards me. I did not acknowledge it though.

"Oh! Mary! I had a lapse of memory and forgot you were coming. I must apologize for my rudeness. I am…just so flustered." I wanted to say, 'aren't you always flustered.' It was something I had noticed just in a day but as far as I know it's the truth.

"Oh well, I guess it happens often in a manor as busy as much as this one." I state with cautiousness. Medlock gave me a look that was supposed to be icy, well as far as I could tell. It had no effect on me what so ever except to perhaps to watch my words even more carefully than I had before. "Good thing you hired me then." I gave a weak smile hoping to patch it up.

"Yes well you are right it is a busy manor and I suppose you will be of some sort of help. Mary you come with me. Martha please go see to Collin maybe you'll be better you of course aren't those maids." Under Medlocks breath I could hear, "Mary should be good for Collin she's not a pretty little thing at all." I couldn't help but be astounded at the audacity this old woman had. I could feel my temper flare but before my mouth could open for a reproach Medlock was off again and I had to whisk away after her. Behind me I could hear Martha giggling.

It didn't take long for me to catch Mrs. Medlock but it was quite awhile before another conversation was started again. As I walked through the manor I had a sense of dread and death. The place, with all it servants, still didn't look like anyone had lived yet alone cleaned the empty hallways. Tapestries covered the wall s and chipping paint was everywhere. This place was a dire excuse for a place to live in. A thought bubbled in the back of my mind as I looked around. 'Maybe I should be glad that I wasn't taken here. It might have been just as bad.' I tried to shake the thought away. 'I shouldn't be thinking like that. I haven't dreamt for so long just decide the dream wasn't worth living. No! I'll find out more about this place and decide maybe after I talk to Uncle Archibald Craven. Yes, that's it.'

As we walked along one of the numerous hallways a huge window caught my immediate interest. I forgot all about Medlock and previous things and peered out. I felt like a bird in a tree. Below where the dead looking gardens. It looked like they hadn't been trimmed for a good few years. To my surprise it seemed like they never ended. It made me wonder why a manor such as this, drab and dreary, would have so many gardens. Who, at no doubt, must have been very beautiful at one time? Over the gardens I saw the little dirt rode I had traveled on before and I saw the low fog drifting over the moors. The site was one of beauty although it wasn't a lovely beauty but a pitiful beauty as if something that should be extraordinary was dieing. Grief swept over me for all the lost moments I had already had and looked into the gardens again. With a quick dart I saw a blur of red and then nothing again. I take another look. I see it again! It's a fox! Now what would a fox be doing here? I tried to look more but Medlocks voice cut sharply into my thoughts.

"Now Mary I know the scenery can be breathtaking" she sounded as if it was anything but " but I need you to keep following me and remember how you got here. We're almost to where you'll be rooming." I followed along silently again. I didn't really pay attention to what I saw anymore I was more interested in the fox. Fox's weren't everyday material in the city so it was really quite interesting to me even if it wasn't for someone who's here everyday.

We stopped at a tall narrow door at the end of the hallway. "This will be your room. Your lucky you'll get a place to stay; because of this you'll need to be aware of the fact because your living here you'll also be expected to do random jobs that might pop up in the night."

'Random jobs that'll pop up in the night?' What is she talking about?

"Now come one Mary walk on in." I walked in. It was bare; a dresser, a bed and a rug that's it. "Now it looks like we weren't prepared for you coming but you are a staff member and a maid so I don't really see the reason for you not to set up your own room." I just stared back as she stared at me seeing if I had a comment to it. I didn't because I didn't really care about what she's saying. "Ah. I see you have no qualms with it so now comes the information you need to here from my mouth so the information won't be tainted from the mouths of servants."

I didn't fully comprehend what she was saying. I was just there. It was like my body was there but my mind wasn't.

"Mary! Mary!" I came back into focus when Medlocks voice and snapping fingers came into sight and hearing.

"Oh! I'm sorry Mrs. Medlock. I don't know what happened."

"I understand dear, it happens to the best of us in this place. You just have to find something sweet and hold it tight otherwise the overwhelming atmosphere of despair and worry will overwhelm you."

"Is that what it is?"

"Yes. Although it's probably not best for you to hear this now I still need to present you with my information. As you probably have heard there is a boy here that goes by the name of Collin. He is Lord Cravens son. " Wait. Does that mean I have a cousin? The thoughts ran through my head at this piece of news. Apparently this Collin wasn't a worker he was a resident. "Now this may not seem to be much news but it is vital. Master Collin is the one giving us work to do. Lord Craven is hardly here to do it himself. At one point in this lads life the town of Misselthwaite thought that he was going to die. To prevent that from happening Lord Craven brought in a bunch of specialized doctors, nurses and other such things to his home to make sure he lived. Then the thought of his son being a cripple, like himself, turned him away from his only child. Leaving us all to take care of him." She sighed as she recalled all of the memories.

"So, what is Master Collin like now Miss?"

"Oh Collin is a 16 year-old boy and is still just as spoiled. We don't believe he's actually ill, it was all really a false alarm. Because of that alarm though Master Collin has the idea that he will grow a hump and die. Unfortunately if that were to happen it already would have according to the doctors. The worst part is because of his childhood he never learned to walk and he just lays in bed ordering us about. The only good thing about the child is that he is never too 'ill' to study one of his many books or to have his tutor come teach him." At this she smiled and shook her head.

I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I have a 16-year-old male cousin who can't walk? It's times like these and probably many more I tended to thank that I wasn't brought here when I was supposed to. It might and most likely would have ended for the worst.

"Well Mary. I must leave. You can ask the other maids where everything is I must go check up on my charge."

"Yes Mrs. Medlock." She started to walk away and then turned around and said, "Remember find something sweet and grab it and don't let it go." I wondered about what she was holding onto but not enough to ask. I walked through my room and then decided to stare out the window.