“So what’s the deal with Dylan’s dad?”
Tawny poured a sizeable amount of water onto the ground and got on her knees to proceed to scrub the tiled floor, brush in gloved hand.
She was paired up with her mentor-not-mentor Audrey one afternoon to clean yet another massive foyer within the Westinghouse residence.
Audrey stretched her back while on her knees and groaned. “You gotta work on your icebreaker questions, girl.”
Tawny sighed. “I’m serious,” she said. “I overheard Dylan talking to him the other day, and it looked scared the crap out of him.”
Audrey smirked, and proceeded to rub her coarse brush in circular motions along the tile of the hardwood floor. “Yeah, that sounds like Old Man Westinghouse, alright.”
Tawny frowned. “Have you ever seen him before?”
“Once or twice,” replied Audrey. “In passing. That whole family is pretty elusive. Especially since what happened to the mother.
“I see,” a question about the significance of the 15th danced in her head, but something else had caught her curiosity. “Hey, Audrey, what did you mean by elusive--?”
Before Audrey could respond, there was a loud noise at the opposite end of the hall. The door burst open and one of the other Dylantantes emerged, was practically being dragged along by a team of several leashed dogs, big and small.
“Dog duty,” sighed Audrey. “That’s rough...” Her expression quickly changed from pity to that of annoyance as the dogs barreled loudly through the hall. “Hey! We just cleaned this floor! What’s the matter with you?!”
“I’m sorry!” cried the Dylantante. “I can’t control them...!” She screamed as the herd of excited dogs carried her clear across the hall to another door that led outside. After a few seconds the screams subsided, only to be replaced by the sound of a very loud SPLASH!
“Shit,” muttered Audrey dropping her brush and making her way toward the sound. “It sounds like she fell into the pool.”
Of course there was a pool. Tawny chased after Audrey and together they stopped in front of a large, Olympic-sized inground pool that stretched from the outside to the inside of the Manor, its last 3rd disappearing back inside the building, separated by a glass wall.
If you come across this story on Amazon, be aware that it has been stolen from Royal Road. Please report it.
Audrey kicked her shoes off and leapt into the pool. The hapless Dylantante was struggling to keep afloat, but was still tethered to the dogs, were barking and splashing about in a panic state. As Audrey attempted to separate each dog so that the girl and the animals were free, Tawny spied something dark at the bottom of the pool.
Her heart sank as she feared the worst; without thinking, she too jumped into the pool and swam to the bottom. Sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed: one of the dogs - a little black-brown chihuahua, had separated early but had failed to tread water, sinking like a stone.
Tawny scooped the little dog in one arm and used the other to swim her way back to the surface. Frantic furry feet and limbs were still kicking as she attempted to break through, and leg belonging to a very stout St. Bernard had kicked Tawny in the head.
Lightheaded and confused, Tawny began to sink from the head injury. The last thing she could remember before blacking out was a figure approaching from the indoor side of the pool.
---
Tawny awoke with a start.
For a brief moment, she had thought the last several months were some bizarre fever dream. But no - she was still in her maid uniform. She was just bundled up in a quaint little room, buried under multiple plush blankets.
“Where--?” Tawny ripped the damp towel off her head and inspected her surroundings. She was in a room unlike any other she had seen so far in the Westinghouse Manor. The ceiling was low, and the room, instead of the standard wood grain, was painted a soft pink color. A few feet from her was another, equally as small, equally as plush.
The door opened and Tawny expected to see Audrey. Instead, a woman appeared. She looked to be in her early 20s, dressed in trendy athleisure wear. She wore her dark brown hair in a smart bob and regarded Tawny with worried, careful cerulean eyes. Tawny swore she saw those eyes before...
All at once, the memory of what had occurred flooded back to her, and Tawny tried to leave the safe confines of the bed. “The dogs, did they--?”
“They’re fine,” said the woman. “They’re all fine, including the chihuahua. The main question is, are you alright?”
“I think so,” Tawny said, wincing as she touched the area on her head where the dog had kicked her. “Where am i?”
“You’re in the nursery,” replied the woman, sitting on the neighbouring bed. “Well, used to be...this room hasn’t been in use for several years....”
Even as the woman spoke, Tawny began to notice the thin veneer of dust which coated the surfaces of the nursery. It was as if this space was left frozen in time, not to be uncovered or disturbed.
“You saved me from drowning,” said Tawny. “Thank you.”
The woman smiled. “I wish I could take the credit, but it was actually my brother Dylan who saved you. Those elite swimming lessons finally paid off.”
The gears struggled to turn in Tawny’s head, taking in the new information. “Wait a minute....Dylan is your brother?”
“I don’t think we’ve been properly introduced,” said the woman. “My name’s Sarah Westinghouse. I’m Dylan’s older sister. And I think I could use your help."