Cassy's head spun as she returned to the present, worsening her nausea. She looked down at her arm, feeling the blade at her neck before stammering, "I have one."

The man’s gaze bore through her, striking fear into her heart, "Show me. Now."

Cassy dropped the towels and rolled up her right sleeve, displaying the faded mark. "Strange," said the man as he stepped back into the hallway, lowering his blade. "Step into the hallway, please." His voice softened some, while keeping its air of authority.

Cassy did as she was ordered and stepped into the hallway. The man inspected her in the light.

Margret, quietly stepping out of the room behind the man, holding a dagger. She raised the dagger and lunged toward him. The man spun in a blur without hesitation, bringing his blade up to meet hers. Margret attacked again. The man easily evaded the attack and thrust his off-hand towards Margret as if trying to push her away. There was a popping sound as Margret was thrown backward, slamming into the wall behind her. Shaking some sconces. She slumped to the floor, unmoving but still breathing.

Cassy was frozen, unsure of what just happened, as three guards ran down the hallway toward them. They wore light armor in dark blue with the Burton family crest on their shoulder pads, signifying them as Lord Burton's personal guard.

"Are you okay, my Lord?" asked one of them.

"Yes, I am fine," said Lord Fletcher Burton, looking down at Margret. He then turned to Cassy, “Is there anyone else with you?”

Cassy shook her head, "No, my Lord, it was just the two of us." Her legs trembled, almost collapsing as fear welled up inside her.

Fletcher looked back at the guards, "Search the area and bind this one," pointing at Margret.

"Yes, My Lord," the guards responded in unison. Two of them began searching the nearby rooms, and the remaining guard restrained Margret.

Several more guards and a man wearing a suit arrived moments later. Fletcher looked up at the arriving group, "Ah, Richard, please take Ms. Riley here to get cleaned up. A substance on her sleeve blocked my ability to sense her mark. I believe it is also on this pile of towels in the alcove over there. I would like it analyzed."

"Yes, my Lord. Miss, please follow me,” said the man in the suit, leading Cassy away from the group and down the hallway. "My name is Richard Hamilton, Lord Burton's head of staff," he said calmly.

"Pleasure to meet you, Mr. Hamilton, although I wish it were under better circumstances," responded Cassy.

"Indeed, young lady. I haven't seen you before. Are you new?"

"Yes, I started three days ago, sir.”

"I would imagine this will make for a terrible first week."

"Yes, Sir"

Cassy followed Richard in silence down the hallways of the mansion, passing by another pair of guards in the hallway as they entered a restricted part of the house.

Richard led Cassy to a room that resembled the house staff's common room. The room had several large tables and groups of couches in different places. There were about a dozen people wearing nicer versions of the house staff's clothing spread throughout the room, engrossed in conversation.

Richard walked over to one of the women in the room. The woman led Cassy down a hallway into a room similar to hers. Once in the room, the woman said, "I will need to collect your clothes. You may use the shower over there to wash off anything they might be on your skin. I will lay out new clothes in the bathroom."

The woman placed Cassy's clothing in a bag and sealed it as Cassy showered. After getting dressed, Cassy was greeted by a guard who introduced himself as Corporal Holland, and led her back to the house staff's quarters.

Everyone had been gathered into the common room before she returned. Several of Fletcher's private guards were spread throughout the room. Mr. Grayson and Mrs. Hopkins were talking to a rough-looking man with graying hair, who also wore the same light combat armor as the guards. Cassy was led over to them.

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"Ms. Riley, are you alright," exclaimed Mrs. Hopkins.

Cassy nodded her head and responded, "Yes, Ma'am."

“What a relief," responded Mrs. Hopkins, the worry in her expression lightening. Cassy felt odd about the change, as if it was faked. Mrs. Hopkins turned back, returning to the man and Mr. Grayson. "Might Ms. Riley return to her room? I believe it has been searched already."

The man nodded, and Mrs. Hopkins led Cassy away. Along the way, Cassy passed several rooms being searched by guards. As they reached Cassy's room, Mrs. Hopkins turned to Corporal Holland, "Do you need to follow us into her room,” she asked, exasperated.

"Yes, ma'am. I have been asked to watch Ms. Riley for the evening." His response was calm.

"Do you believe she is in danger or something?"

"We are unsure at this time and felt it better to be safe."

"Very well," responded Mrs. Hopkins before leading Cassy into her room, followed by Corporal Holland. Cassy could tell that the exasperation was real, further reinforcing her feeling that Mrs. Hopkins was feigning relief earlier. Mrs. Hopkins walked over to Cassy's bed and sat down. "Come sit for a moment, Ms. Riley," she said while patting the bed beside her.

"Yes, Ma'am."

Cassy sat down while Corporal Holland sat at the table, pulled out a book, and began reading.

"I haven't heard the details of what happened, but I've been told Ms. Grant was arrested. Is everything alright, Ms. Riley?" Her tone now shifting to concern.

Cassy nodded and said, "Yes, I was not hurt, but I feel a bit shaken."

Mrs. Hopkins's expression looked thoughtful before she spoke, "I'm glad you aren't hurt. If you need someone to talk to, I am always here. I understand if you decide to quit after what happened, but I will need you to stick around for a few days, as Lord Burton will have questions about what happened. I will also be placing you on light duty for the next few days.”

"Thank you. I don't know where else I would go if I left, and I have enjoyed getting to know everyone. For now, I'd like to rest and think about things."

Mrs. Hopkins nodded and said, "Very well. I will be heading back to the common room for now, but don't hesitate to call me if you need anything." Then she departed the room, leaving Cassy alone with Corporal Holland.

Cassy sat for a minute contemplating Mrs. Hopkins's reactions and how they didn’t feel genuine.

Corporal Holland broke the silence, "I'd imagine you have some questions about what happened. Many people have difficulty understanding when they first encounter those gifted with abilities.”

Cassy nodded slowly, "What happened? Why did Ms. Grant attack him?"

"The Burtons have plenty of enemies. More than likely, they were attempting to assassinate him to cause a stir in the family. The war may be over, but in many ways, it still smolders even after 50 years.”

"How did he throw Ms. Grant into the wall?"

"Lord Burton has special gifts that allow him to do things like what you saw. For now, you should rest. I will stay with you until the morning to ensure nothing happens to you. If you need to go somewhere, I will escort you, and if you use the bathroom, leave the door unlocked in case something happens."

“Yes sir. That book you're reading. I've never seen a physical one before."

Corporal Holland smiled for the first time, “Yes, the Burtons maintain an extensive library of old books, and we have some here. Lord Burton's personal staff and guards are allowed access to the library."

Cassy continued asking Corporal Holland about the books in Burton's library before she finally felt he was trustworthy.

“Corporal Holland, may I ask your opinion of something?”

“What would that be?”

“Mrs. Hopkins, did anything seem off about her words?”

“She did seem frustrated by my presence, and her tone did not sound sincere. This is my first time meeting her, though.”

“I noticed her frustration too. This is the first time I’ve felt she was insincere or frustrated by something. It reminded me of when I was in high school, and one of the girls would try to get close to me, so they could hurt me in some way.”

Corporal Holland thought, considering Cassy’s words for a minute. “Did this often happen to you in high school?”

“Yes, I was targeted by many of the girls at the school because they didn’t like how much attention the boys gave me. I got really good at reading people because of it.”

“Well then, I will trust in your general assessment of her and report it to my superiors. Meanwhile, why don’t you get some rest.”

“Thank you, Corporal Holland.”

“You are most welcome. Sleep well.”

“Good night.”

Cassy grabbed her pajamas and went into the bathroom to change before heading to bed.

Cassy’s sleep that night was disturbed by dreams of the events that had occurred, and she felt like something else was watching her in her dreams. She woke to Corporal Holland still reading in the corner of the room. "Good morning," she said.

Corporal Holland looked up from his book, "Good morning, how did you sleep? You seemed restless.”

“I had dreams about what happened.”

“That can be expected. Why don't you get ready, and we can head to the common room? My replacement should be here soon."

Cassy nodded before getting out of bed and preparing for the day.

Corporal Holland followed Cassy into the common room, where several guards were sitting at a table playing a game of cards as the other servants busied themselves getting breakfast ready. Cassy went to help set tables while Holland observed.

A few minutes later, a guard entered the room, approaching Corporal Holland. After a brief whispered exchange, Corporal Holland stood up and walked toward Cassy, "Ms. Riley, I will need you to come with me. Lord Burton would like to speak with you."

"Yes sir," said Cassy, handing off the stack of plates she had and following Corporal Holland out of the room.