I went back to the basket I’d left on the kitchen island and grabbed a carrot. As I turned around to look for a knife, one almost cut my face.
"Hey!" I screamed in surprise.
"Here," Selima said, handing me the knife. She placed a large bowl beside me and went back to her business.
I spent what felt like forever chopping carrots, heads of lettuce, onions, tomatoes, and cucumbers. Every now and then, I would steal glances at the two women. They were young. I wondered how they felt about doing this day in and day out for an eternity. They couldn't even hold conversations with each other to help pass the time. I'd always felt sorry for Dunningham's servants, now I was one of them.
I thought my salad looked horrible. The vegetables looked butchered and unappetizing. Selima made a face at it, but said nothing. Leave it to me to mess up a salad.
Close to dinner time, Selima showed me how to set the table. She told me they had to set twelve places every night, but I wasn't sure why. Dunningham had no family. He'd been married a few times, but his wives mysteriously disappeared. Of course, there was no one to question this. He'd never had any children. Probably because he didn’t want to pass down his position of power to anyone else. I guess sometimes his assistants joined him for meals, I knew Doyle often did.
I realized after a minute that Selima had been explaining to me what to do during the dinner service. Which side of the chair to stand on when we served. How to refill the glasses. We had to stand around and watch them eat until Dunningham dismissed us, then we would eat, clean the dishes and the dining room and then go to bed. What a life.
* * *
When dinner time came around, Selima placed the large salad bowl and a pair of tongs on a cart. "Remember which way I told you to serve from." I didn't remember. I just knew the salad plate was the smaller one.
I pushed the cart out to the dining area. Dunningham sat at the head of the table. Doyle and Colden sat on either side of him. The thought of having to serve Colden made me sick to my stomach. We made eye contact. He looked kind of pissed, but then he always looked that way.
I went to Dunningham first, like Selima had told me to do earlier. Using the tongs, I placed a clump of salad on his plate, but I wasn't very neat. A few pieces of lettuce and a tomato landed on the tablecloth. Dunningham didn't say anything, he simply placed the vegetables back on his plate. Selima had also told me that he preferred Italian dressing. I held the ceramic container in my hands.
"Dressing, sir?"
Dunningham nodded. "Just a splash."
I poured a drizzle onto his salad. I did the same with Doyle. I felt awkward when I got to Colden. I put salad on his plate. "Dressing?" I asked, but I refused to call him sir.
"Yes," he answered. "But I like a lot. I'll tell you when to stop."
I poured the dressing on. It was way too much, enough to ruin the salad, but I wouldn't stop until Colden told me to. He held his hand up, which I resented.
I wheeled the cart back into the kitchen, leaving the men to enjoy their salad. The other girl who worked in the kitchen, Twila, took a basket of bread into the dining room. Selima told me to help her fix the plates. Dinner was pot roast and baby potatoes.
My mouth watered as I fixed the plates. As Salima cut the roast, I could tell how tender it was by how easily the meat fell into slices. If she wasn't looking, I would have stolen a pinch of meat. I didn't remember the last time I'd eaten, and I couldn't wait to eat again. Selima placed silver covers over the plates and then carried them into the dining room. She carried two while I carried one. I made sure I put mine down in front of Doyle so she would have to serve Colden. As they dug into their meal, Selima, Twila, and I stood off to the side in case they needed anything.
My stomach growled, and I hoped no one else had heard it. Watching them eat while I starved made me angry.
Colden cut into his pot roast. Although I couldn't stand him, I was happy that he got to have a real hearty meal. I wondered if he had ever eaten meat before.
"So about the lifestones . . ." Colden’s voice trailed off.
"Yes. We'll take you to the Mill in the morning. Anything to help my people. I'll have Hesper set you up in the guest room," Dunningham answered.
Something was very wrong with the way he said that. I didn't think he was planning on turning over any lifestones period.
"Don't you think," Dunningham continued, "that it's a little unfair for you all to charge us for medical care since you’re the ones who caused my people injuries? After all, we wouldn’t need any of this, if it weren't for my brother and your people."
I was afraid for Colden, the way Dunningham was looking at him.
Colden put his hands up. "Sir, I'm just the messenger."
Dunningham took a drink from his glass. "I shouldn't expect anything more from Dunstan. My brother has never been a man of honor." He put his glass down and looked at me. "Naomi, what do you think?"
I cleared my throat. "About what?"
"What we just said."
All eyes were on me. Selima gave me a warning glance. "I think since the Foragers caused this problem, they should be sending their doctors here to help our Grims and not be expecting anything in return."
Colden's jaw clenched at my use of the word Foragers, but I was only telling Dunningham what he wanted to hear. I didn't want him to change his mind about my friends being allowed to come over.
Dunningham nodded. "I agree. I shall summon your friends tomorrow for a visit. Would you like that?"
"Yes. Very much. Thank you, sir." I could sense Selima and Twila shooting eye-daggers at me, probably wondering why I was being allowed visitors and they weren't.
"Ladies, you are dismissed," Dunningham said.
Finally, we were allowed to eat a tiny portion of the leftovers, but I was grateful for whatever little there was.
That night, I took a nice long shower. Hesper banged on the door, telling me I had gone over my time but I ignored her. The warm water felt so nice, and it seemed like so long since I'd had a real shower. The last one was in Gattica and that one had been ice-cold.
When I got out, all the other maids were already in bed. Only Hesper sat up in hers. Not one word was uttered. I went to my bed to pull back the sheets.
Hesper walked over to me briskly and slapped me across my face. "I don't know who you think you are, but you are not special," she said like she hated me, then went back to her bed.
I held my cheek, feeling degraded. No one had ever slapped me like that before.
The next morning, I helped Selima and Twila make a large breakfast of scrambled eggs, toast, bacon, sausage, and fruit. Breakfast was easy for me. Only Dunningham and Colden were eating. Doyle was gone.
Once again we served them and then stood off to the side. Dunningham left the table to take a call, and Selima told me to clear the table. As I reached for Colden's plate, he grabbed my arm, pulling me close to him.
"You work in the kitchen,” he whispered. “I need you to grab a knife for you and a knife for me. I would do it myself, but they're watching me like a hawk. We need to get out of here."
Before I could ask him why, Selima came back and yelled at me for taking too long. Colden left the dining room and retreated to the guest room.
* * *
That afternoon as we washed the lunch dishes, Hesper stuck her head in the kitchen. "You have guests," she said bitterly, and we all knew she was talking to me.
I didn't care how she felt. I was still angry about her slapping me. I put the plate I was holding in the dishwasher and went out to the sitting room. Keira and Chase sat on the couch, speaking to Dunningham. Their eyes lit up when they saw me, and I realized how much I loved them.
"Ahh, there she is. I was just talking to your friends about this predicament with the Foragers," Dunningham said.
I nodded, just wishing he'd leave. Why was he so happy about my friends coming? He had even sent a car for them. An awkward silence hung in the air.
"Well, I'll leave
you young Grims alone to talk. You may go out back if you wish." Dunningham gestured to the French doors.
We did that. I didn't want Dunningham or anybody else in that house to hear what I had to say.
"Are you okay?" Keira asked once we were outside. I shook my head and she hugged me. "I'm sorry, Nay, I know this sucks."
Chase looked down at the ground. "I know this is hard for you. But I'd rather you be here than dead. I don't think I could live with that."
I was on the verge of crying, but I willed myself not to. "Let's sit over there," I said, pointing to a bench in the garden. The bench was concrete with a mosaic-tile design on the seat. "I'm worried. I think something really, really bad is going to happen in Nowhere."
"What?" Chase asked.
I looked around to make double-sure we were alone. "I don't think he's going to give Colden those lifestones. If he was, he would have done it yesterday, sent Colden on his way, and then the doctors would be here already."
Keira sighed. "That's true. That's really messed up. People are in pain, waiting for that medical care. Evon, who lives next door to us, has an arrow sticking out of his chest. He's just lying in bed in pain. Dunningham needs to do whatever he has to do to get help for our people."
The fact that he was stalling showed just how little he actually cared for his people.
"Also, earlier this morning Colden told me to get knives for us from the kitchen. I didn't get a chance to ask him why, but what would make him say something like that?" I asked.
The door opened and Hesper stepped out. "Ms. Keira. Mr. Dunningham would like to see you."
Keira frowned. "Why does he want to see me?"
Hesper shrugged. "I have no idea."
Keira rose slowly and turned toward the house. "I'll be back, I guess."
Chase looked out at Dunningham's gigantic back yard. "So, what's the deal with you and Colden?"
"There is no deal. He explained a lot of things to me in the Outskirts and walked me back and forth between there and the wall, but that's it. We really don't get along at all."
"Huh," Chase said as if he didn't believe me. "So, I guess this is the part where you secretly fall in love with the moody stranger who you've been at odds with."
I looked at him from the corner of my eye. "I don't secretly love him. I don't love him at all. I can't stand him actually. What's your problem?"
"What was the deal with that Hunter guy?" Chase demanded.
I tossed my hair over my shoulder and focused on a strange-looking plant I'd never seen before. "There was no deal with him either. He was a nice guy, but he lives there and I live here. We can't be."
Chase cracked his knuckles. I hated when people did that and it was a bad habit of his.
I grabbed his hand. "Chase, really it was nothing." That wasn't exactly true. I felt like if I had gotten to be with Hunter, I wouldn't have had to learn to love him like other Grims had to learn to love their spouses. I would just love him because that was what my heart wanted. "Chase, listen. What I said before about you and Keira, I meant it. You should get married. You'd be better off with her anyway."
Chase tilted his head to the side and narrowed his eyes at me. "What does that mean?"
"You know. Keira's so beautiful."
He rolled his eyes. "Yeah, she is. And what are you? Chopped liver?"
"I don't know, it's just . . ." People had always told me I was pretty, but Keira was gorgeous. Let's face it, gorgeous wins every time.
"Why do you have to compare yourself to someone else? Just know you're beautiful and that's that."
I looked down at my badly chipped nail polish. "You're right, Chase."
"So, tell me the truth. What was it really like being a part of that world?"
I realized we hadn't really gotten a good chance to talk since I had been back. "It wasn't bad. I liked it actually. It was just . . . different."
"Different? How?"
"I didn't have to worry about being dispatched for assignments. I did more than just study. I got to really hang out with some kids. High school was pretty fun. I got to go to a basketball game. A movie. A place that had all sorts of games. I had a nice time."
Chase gave me a lackluster smile. "What was your favorite part?"
I thought for a moment. My favorite part would probably piss him off. "Chase, if we lived there, we could date. We wouldn't have to wait until we turned eighteen."
"Is that what you would want? For us to date."
Before I could answer, Keira came barreling out of the door.
"Chase, let's go!" she shouted.
We both stood. "Keir, what's wrong?" Chase asked.
Keira glanced back at the house. "Nothing, I just want to leave. Please let's go."
Chase looked at me and sighed. "I guess I'll see you later. Hang in there."
"Okay." I followed him inside. Keira was already at the front door. She stormed out without even saying good-bye.
Chase gave me a small smile. "Bye, Nay."
"Bye."
The butler closed the door behind them.
Selima stuck her head out of the kitchen door and yelled for me to get back there to help.
I heard a "Psssst," coming from the top of the staircase. I looked up. Colden leaned over the banister, waving me up. I told Selima I was going to the bathroom and then I'd be right there.
I darted up the steps, taking two at a time, totally breaking the rules. The help was supposed to stay in their assigned stations, not wander around the house without permission. By the time I made it to the top, Colden was walking down the hall to his guest room. I passed a girl carrying a stack of towels. She gave me a strange look that I ignored.
Colden pulled me into the room and shut the door. "We have a problem, a really big problem."
I wondered when he and I had become a "we". "Yeah? What's that?"
"Dunningham's not going to give me those lifestones. He's planning something. I know it."
"But he has to. Grims are injured. He's not going to let them stay in pain."
Colden grabbed my arm much too tight. "He doesn't care about them. This is a trap. He wants to lure his brother and the doctors here to kill them. There's something about Dunningham—he can't come to the Outskirts, not even for a little bit like other Grims. I don't know why, but I'm glad. Naomi, we can be killed. He can kill any one of us at any second and he knows it. Maybe he thinks that if he keeps me here long enough, they'll send somebody looking for me. We have to leave."
I pulled my arm from his grasp. "Well, there are guards all over this place. How are we going to get out?"
"Something's going to happen tonight. He'll be distracted. He and his guards will have to leave here, and we can handle everyone else, the rest of the help. They're all mortal."
"What's going to happen?"
Colden shook his head. "It's going to be bad, Naomi. That's all I can tell you. Listen, tonight I really need you to get some knives from the kitchen. We have to have something to protect ourselves."
"I don't know if I can do that. Someone's always watching me."
Colden frowned. "Just do it! And be ready. Don't fall asleep. Have your shoes on. I can't have you slowing me down."
I rolled my eyes at him. "Why do you want to take me if you're so worried about that?"
"Because I've been given strict orders not to come back without you. Trust me, if I had a choice, I'd leave you right here."
I would never, ever, ever like this guy. "Whatever. I have to get back to the kitchen."
Chapter 43
That night we made rack of lamb and steamed vegetables. Well, I guess I shouldn't say we. All I did was cut the vegetables again. That was fine, because it provided me with the opportunity to slide a couple of knives into the pocket of my smock when Selima and Twila weren't looking. The knives formed a bulge in the pocket I hoped no one would notice. Knives in my smock would be hard to explain.
"Thank you for letting my friends come over," I said to Dunningham as I re
filled his water glass.
"They may not come back," he replied.
"Oh. Did something happen?" I asked.
"Selima, the lamb is delectable. Tender, just how I like it," he said, ignoring my question.
I wanted to know what had Keira so upset and why he was blowing off my question. I placed the pitcher of water on the table and stepped back in my place. Selima shot me a disapproving glance. I wasn't supposed to speak to Dunningham at all unless he spoke to me first.
Thankfully, the knives in my smock went undetected throughout clean-up. Back in our quarters, I waited patiently for my turn to shower. Since I had been the last maid added to the staff, I was last in line for the shower. I took a quick one this time because I didn't feel like being slapped again. By the time I came out, wearing the saggy pajamas I had been given, the lights were out and everyone was in bed. I slid the knives from the pocket of my smock underneath my pillow, pulled my boots on and waited.
* * *
I had almost become resigned to the fact that what Colden said was going to happen, really wasn't going to happen. I fought sleep with all my might. The even breathing of the other girls in the room didn't help. Then, just as I was about to give into sleep, the warning sirens that always told us of Foragers blared. Someone turned on a lamp, and everyone sat up in their beds. A worried murmur spread across the room.
"It's okay, ladies," Hesper said calmly. "This doesn't concern us. We're safe where we are. Whatever's happening will be taken care of."
Everyone quieted, but no one laid back down.
"Mindy, turn that light off," Hester ordered.
Just as Mindy reached for the lamp beside her bed, the door to our quarters opened.
Colden stood at the top of the stairs. "Naomi, come on!"
Everyone looked at me, but there was no time for hesitation. I grabbed the knives from underneath my pillow and sped up the stairs.
Naomi Grim: Complete Novel (Parts 1-4) (The Silver Scythe Chronicles) Page 5