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•R E T E L L I N G•

"You've got to be shitting me." I whispered, glancing up at the large, enclosed, Victorian mansion I was staring at. Quite literally, this place looked like something out of the stories. I had to hug my coat closer against me as the late autumn chills rushed through the cracks of the iron gates.

"Mr. DeGramont? It's Maxwell. The woman is here." The man spoke into the gates intercom as he juggled my suitcases in his hands.

"Come in." A man replied through the speaker. His voice was much deeper and richer than anything I had ever heard. It sounded almost animalistic, like a growl.

The gates suddenly jolted to life, making this horrid screechy noise as they were pushed back to reveal the most under kept courtyard I had seen yet. The grass was cut, yet vines had overgrown the entrance gates and the house itself. They wrapped around the houses old bricks, creating an even more fantasy image.

I slowly walked through, approaching the home with Maxwell not far behind.

"Is there anything I should know before entering?" I asked Maxwell nervously, as we trudged up the steps.

"I'd recommend speaking when spoken to when it comes to the boss. He can be a bit... As you would say, rough around the edges." Maxwell offered. Looks like this job wouldn't last too long. If my tendency to talk a lot didn't get me fired, my even larger tendency to talk back would.

Before I could wrap my fingers around the door handle, the door was thrust open by a little boy with an eager smile on his face. I noticed one of his front teeth were chipped. "Hello." I greeted smiling back down at him.

"You must be the new cook." The boy nodded, taking my hand as he lead me into a large open entryway.

"Chip! Leave the poor woman alone." Another maid scolded, wiping her hands down on her uniform before grabbing the little boy and flinging him up over her shoulder. "Hello! My name is Mrs. Pottingham. Everyone just calls me Mrs. Potts." The woman nodded, shaking my hand gingerly, as the boy giggled over her shoulder.

She was a bit older than I had originally thought, but her smile made her look much younger.

"Why is everyone taking it upon themselves to greet the guest when that's my job?" Another man asked, walking into the room. He had longer hair that was tied back into a loose ponytail. "My name is Lundwerg. Everyone calls me Lumiere because I clearly light up the place. Literally. All these candles here are my doing." He noted, as I started to take the home in. I had only just noticed that nothing in this home was lit with electricity. Everything was lit by gas and flame.

"Oh. It's nice to meet all of you. I had no idea there'd be more staff here." I nodded, trying to not notice how intently everyone was looking at me.

"We're staring, aren't we." Lumiere sighed. "We tend to do that. We haven't seen another house guest in here for years, please excuse our rudeness." Lumiere noted, his French accent starting to pour in.

"No worries." I answered, pulling the suitcase further into my side.

"Let me show you were you'll be staying." Mrs. Potts nodded, grabbing my suitcases for me.

I followed her though the hallway on the farthest right towards a room that stood at the end. As she pushed open the door, I could already see a very elegant room before me. "Wow. This whole house is just... Wow." I noted, setting the suitcases down beside the bed.

"Get ready soon. You'll be meeting the owner of the home shortly. I must warn you, he can be a bit..."

"Rough around the edges?" I offered.

"Precisely." She nodded, setting my second suitcase down before leaving me to prepare.

I sighed, pulling off the six layers of clothing before settling for leggings and a light sweater. I couldn't help but breath this home in. Everything seemed so attentive and detailed. I mean, all 200 candles on that chandelier were lit each day? Who the hell was this man?

I gathered up the rest of my things and quickly unpacked them into the wardrobe before leaving the room and heading back down the hallway.

"Mm..." Lumiere sighed distastefully. "Did you really decide upon that to wear for meeting the master of the home?"

"He owns a fine establishment," I noted, " but he's not the kind of England. If he can't handle me in leggings and a sweater, I'm not sure this will work out." I replied, taking a seat next to the other house workers.

"He's coming!" Chip chirped, running down the hallway into Mrs. Potts legs.

"Alright, chip, go into the kitchen. You know how he feels about you running around." Mrs. Potts nodded, ushering him through the door. We heard steps as someone descended down the winding staircase, as he appeared around the hallway, I almost couldn't believe who I was looking at.

His eyes quite literally bore into mine as he held my eye contact through the remainder of the steps. "What is your name?" He asked, his voice raw and deep, as he stared at no one else but me.

"E-Elle." I replied, doing everything in my power to sound more put together than I felt.

"I see you've met the staff." He nodded, tearing his eyes away from me to whisper something into Lumiere's ear.

"Yes." I nodded, unsure of what else to say in this situation.

"You've been brought on as part of the staff. I expect you to wear a uniform."

"No." I replied, shaking my head almost instinctively. Something instantly flashed in his eyes as he stared back at me.

"Excuse me?" He asked, taking a step forward.

"It's part of my agreement. I work, but I'm allowed to wear whatever I see fit provided the meals are made at the appropriate time." I explained, my body starting to shake with visible fear as he took another predatorily step towards me.

"I don't recall seeing that in the contract." He growled.

"Check again." I replied. It felt like I was pulling the tail of a psychopathic killer right now. What the hell are you doing, Elle?

His eyes flashed with rage, before they were replaced with curiosity. "Very well, wear whatever. It's the cooking that really matters. It's time to put the great Elle Mallerie to the test." He nodded, taking a step back to put some distance between us, before he turned around and walked out.

I glanced back at Lumiere for some help. All he did was motion for me to follow the man, wherever the hell he was going.

••

Authors Note:
An update!
I just dropped my website.
Go check out NoSpellCheck.com if you're interested in reading more edited exclusive work.

And as always,
thank you.
xoxo