The Portrait

When I woke up the next morning, Coco was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a girl. Her name was Vic and she tended to the gardens.

It seemed like there was someone for each duty in this place.

There was something I was curious about. “Who is the Master of this place?”

Vic first gave me an alarmed look, but when she remembered there was no one around, she talked.

“I’ve been working here for less than a year and I’ve never met him, but Lucy says he’s handsome and powerful. Every one of us here owes him our life. Like you.”

“Me, I don’t owe him anything.” How could I owe someone I’ve never met?

“Then why are you here, aren’t you here to work?”

She had assumed I was here to work like her. I didn’t even know if I was or not.

I need an explanation.

The girl named Lucy came in with a scowl on her face.

“Is this the new girl?”

“Yes, Coco brought her here yesterday,” Vic replied timidly. Lucy seemed like a bully.

“When did Coco start bringing new girls? Anyways, get dressed, there’s no