The Pattern
Rozamond Masterson stood in front of the mirror in her room, her hand resting lightly on the barre she had asked her father to install last Christmas. She turned her leg and extended her toe examining her reflection in the mirror. Her red hair clashed horribly with pink tutus, even though she would have enjoyed wearing pink. Instead she was wearing a pale green that brought shades of her eyes into clarity.
"How lovely Rosie," Maria the maid clapped after setting down a stack of freshly laundered clothes. "You are doing much better yes?"
"Gracias Maria," Rozamond smiled kindly at the woman. "I've been working on my gymnastics as well!"
"Muy bien!" Maria nodded approvingly. She looked at the awards on the wall, "You are very talented little one."
Rozamond sat down on the bed with a flop to talk to Maria. Adults rarely had discussions with her that weren't related to showing off how smart she was. Maria on the other hand never asked her a thing about her studies. She simply listened to her talk, and commented- sometimes in Spanish.
"Maria, can I tell you a secret?" Rosie asked scooting closer to Maria and using a conspiratorial tone.
"Of course chicka, you know you can tell me anything." Maria smiled indulgently and picked up a discarded doll before joining Rozamond on the bed.
"I got a letter inviting me to do something very secret." Rosie confessed as she traced her finger over the pattern on her bedspread. "I haven't told Mama and Papa yet, but I have decided to do it."
"Oh Rosie, you should tell them, they will not refuse you anything that is good for you." Maria said softly.
"This is different," Rosie sighed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I can't explain it."
"Do you have the letter?" Maria asked raising a finely plucked eyebrow.
Rozamond reached beneath her mattress and held up the letter. "I wanted to keep it secret until I sent it off. Here, look."
Maria opened the letter and read it silently. A shadow fell over the pair of them, and when Rosie looked up she screamed. It was her first instinct there was a strange man in her room. He put a hand over her mouth to silence her. She lifted her finely tuned ballerina leg up and delivered a kick between his legs. He hissed and bent releasing his hold on her mouth. Rosie looked toward Maria and saw the woman lying limply beside her on the bed with a small dart sticking out of her neck.
"She's not dead, don't scream." A woman's voice caught Rozamond's attention. She turned toward the doorway, and examined the face of the lady. "It's a sleep dart, she's going to have to come with us."
"Us?" Rosie asked looking at Maria's limp form. "Where are we going?"
The man waved the letter in front of her. "You could have kept this confidential little girl."
"Don't give her a hard time." The woman reproached him. "Come on Rosie let's get you packed. Do you have a favorite doll?"
"How long will she be like that?" Rosie asked.
"I gave her a small dose. She'll be up in an hour." The woman shrugged.
Rosie balanced her odds, she couldn't escape these people, and her parents were in Bermuda on vacation. Her nanny had a date upstairs, and her maid was unconscious. Henry the doorman was either unconscious as well, or worse. Rosie had no alternative, she was going with them like it or not. Carefully she picked up her favorite doll.
"This is cute, pull this on." The woman held up a pair of overalls with Winnie the Pooh on the bib- a pair she had put in the charity pile. "No?"
"Put on some clothes kid, and hurry up I'm going to take your friend Maria to the car." The man said impatiently. Apparently he was holding a grudge.
Maria selected a pair of blue denim jeans with red flowers embroidered on the legs. She grabbed a solid red top, and a little red riding hood cape. It made her feel secretive, and since it was hot outside maybe someone would think it odd. She didn't take off her under clothes, just pulled everything on top of her ballet ensemble.
"This is cute," the woman said pulling a lady bug suitcase out of the closet. She packed it with an assortment of clothes, and toys and then concluded that she was ready. Without bothering to ask Rozamond if she was sure she was going the woman marched out of the door and down the hall. Rosie starred in awe at the big butler Jim Oakes collapsed on the floor. She had never seen him relax his posture. He looked dead. "He's not dead."
The SUV was waiting, and Maria was nowhere to be seen. Rozamond was strapped in by the woman meanwhile the man loaded her suitcase. She watched her house disappear from view slowly, sure that it would be the last time she saw it.
"How lovely Rosie," Maria the maid clapped after setting down a stack of freshly laundered clothes. "You are doing much better yes?"
"Gracias Maria," Rozamond smiled kindly at the woman. "I've been working on my gymnastics as well!"
"Muy bien!" Maria nodded approvingly. She looked at the awards on the wall, "You are very talented little one."
Rozamond sat down on the bed with a flop to talk to Maria. Adults rarely had discussions with her that weren't related to showing off how smart she was. Maria on the other hand never asked her a thing about her studies. She simply listened to her talk, and commented- sometimes in Spanish.
"Maria, can I tell you a secret?" Rosie asked scooting closer to Maria and using a conspiratorial tone.
"Of course chicka, you know you can tell me anything." Maria smiled indulgently and picked up a discarded doll before joining Rozamond on the bed.
"I got a letter inviting me to do something very secret." Rosie confessed as she traced her finger over the pattern on her bedspread. "I haven't told Mama and Papa yet, but I have decided to do it."
"Oh Rosie, you should tell them, they will not refuse you anything that is good for you." Maria said softly.
"This is different," Rosie sighed and twirled a strand of hair around her finger. "I can't explain it."
"Do you have the letter?" Maria asked raising a finely plucked eyebrow.
Rozamond reached beneath her mattress and held up the letter. "I wanted to keep it secret until I sent it off. Here, look."
Maria opened the letter and read it silently. A shadow fell over the pair of them, and when Rosie looked up she screamed. It was her first instinct there was a strange man in her room. He put a hand over her mouth to silence her. She lifted her finely tuned ballerina leg up and delivered a kick between his legs. He hissed and bent releasing his hold on her mouth. Rosie looked toward Maria and saw the woman lying limply beside her on the bed with a small dart sticking out of her neck.
"She's not dead, don't scream." A woman's voice caught Rozamond's attention. She turned toward the doorway, and examined the face of the lady. "It's a sleep dart, she's going to have to come with us."
"Us?" Rosie asked looking at Maria's limp form. "Where are we going?"
The man waved the letter in front of her. "You could have kept this confidential little girl."
"Don't give her a hard time." The woman reproached him. "Come on Rosie let's get you packed. Do you have a favorite doll?"
"How long will she be like that?" Rosie asked.
"I gave her a small dose. She'll be up in an hour." The woman shrugged.
Rosie balanced her odds, she couldn't escape these people, and her parents were in Bermuda on vacation. Her nanny had a date upstairs, and her maid was unconscious. Henry the doorman was either unconscious as well, or worse. Rosie had no alternative, she was going with them like it or not. Carefully she picked up her favorite doll.
"This is cute, pull this on." The woman held up a pair of overalls with Winnie the Pooh on the bib- a pair she had put in the charity pile. "No?"
"Put on some clothes kid, and hurry up I'm going to take your friend Maria to the car." The man said impatiently. Apparently he was holding a grudge.
Maria selected a pair of blue denim jeans with red flowers embroidered on the legs. She grabbed a solid red top, and a little red riding hood cape. It made her feel secretive, and since it was hot outside maybe someone would think it odd. She didn't take off her under clothes, just pulled everything on top of her ballet ensemble.
"This is cute," the woman said pulling a lady bug suitcase out of the closet. She packed it with an assortment of clothes, and toys and then concluded that she was ready. Without bothering to ask Rozamond if she was sure she was going the woman marched out of the door and down the hall. Rosie starred in awe at the big butler Jim Oakes collapsed on the floor. She had never seen him relax his posture. He looked dead. "He's not dead."
The SUV was waiting, and Maria was nowhere to be seen. Rozamond was strapped in by the woman meanwhile the man loaded her suitcase. She watched her house disappear from view slowly, sure that it would be the last time she saw it.