Mocking birds

I drove into the mansion and parked behind a silver coloured Bentley. The cars were all intact and I suspected that Damien Jaeger had not left the mansion. Or has he? I couldn't tell. There were so many cars here!

Returning to the mansion at half past 3 wasn't something I had intended on doing earlier today. I was met with Ella and another woman, sitting on the couch, munching away on green grapes and laughing as they conversed in low voices. They looked very much alike, with their hair dyed in unnatural colours and their face coated in makeup. The only difference was in terms of physique- the other woman was petite and less bustier than Ella.

They stopped talking when they saw me and stared at each other, then suddenly bursted into laughter.

"Oh my God, Ella, you...seriously need to stop your bad habits!" The woman said in between laughs. She had a very thick Texan accent. Ella was so filled with laughter that she couldn't say anything.

I remained standing, wondering what was so funny.

"Stacy, meet Mélie!" Ella said, stretching out her arm to me. So that woman was Stacy. Damien Jaeger mentioned her a few days back.

"I know, zero fashion sense with that down jacket on." She added. Stacy giggled uncontrollably and I felt offended. I was dressed in a pair of black highwaist pants and a white top which was tucked into the pants. The navy blue down jacket atop it did not give it a bad finish. Moreso, the weather wasn't too friendly today.

And may I ask what is wrong with my outfit?"

Ella left her spot on the couch and walked up to me. There was a mocking smirk on her face, "It's cheap. Just like the person wearing it." She said and swung her head to Stacy, "Or am I wrong, sweetie?"

"Definitely not!" Stacy said.

I smiled and swallowed up my anger. I wasn't going to let her get to me today. Without saying anything else, I walked past her and made my way up the stairs. Another roar of laughter followed behind me and I tried to ignore it.

"I see you've met Stacy." Natalie said, approaching me in the passageway. She looked pretty in her blue flair dress that resembled the ocean. As she walked, the dress moved freely against her skinny body. No wonder she adored such dresses. And they fitted her so well too.

"Don't let their taunting get to you."

I smiled at her, "I didn't."

"How did your job hunting go?"

"Not too good."

She smiled regardless. Her smile was warm and friendly like the rest of her, "Don't worry. There are plenty of other jobs out there. You just weren't meant to work for these companies.

"I guess so." I said.

We went quiet for a while before she spoke, "Hey, if you aren't too tired, we could bake a cake." "I was just on my way to the kitchen."

"Oh, you bake?"

She laughed, "Never. But we can watch YouTube videos. I mean, it can't be that hard, can it?"

I couldn't help but laugh, "I can bake...a little. My grandmother used to teach me."

She smiled and clapped her hand in sheer joy, "That is simply wonderful!" "Alright, I'll just wait for you to freshen up. I'll be knocking on your door in 30 minutes."

She started walking down the hallway and laughed by herself when she remembered we were supposed to go down together, "Back to my room, I guess." I returned the laugh and continued walking to my room.

After freshening up and changing into something more kitchen friendly- a pair of shorts and a plain shirt (The house was very warm), I walked out of my room to go meet Natalie myself.

Knock, knock, knock.

"Who is it?"

"It's Mélie." She didn't say anything but soon enough, the door opened, revealing Natalie who was dressed in a fancy apron and a bonnet on her head.

"Oh Mélie, you're all set?" She looked a little surprised at the simpleness of my clothes.

"I wasn't told we were supposed to dress up for a costume party." I said and she laughed wholeheartedly, understanding my joke.

"You don't mind if Kira comes along do you? She just simply refuses to stay with Margaret today!" Kira was her 'mini-me' and Margaret was Kira's caretaker.

"I don't mind at all." I replied. Natalie quickly rushed back into the room and returned, pushing a stroller with Kira sitting in it. She had dressed her up in a dress very similar to hers. Kira gave me curious stares and I bent down to pinch her tempting cheeks.

"Look at you, cutie." "How are you?" I asked.

She gave me no answer and looked at her mother as if searching for her approval. Her mother nodded her head before she finally turned back to me, "I'm okay."

This little act of hers made me laugh.

"Kids, am I right?"

"Certainly!" I agreed with Natalie. We walked down the passageway and Natalie walked past the stairs, rolling the stroller in front of her.

"Where are you going, Natalie? The stairs are right here."

"Oh, I thought we could just use the elevator since Kira's coming along."

I gawked at her in surprise, "I had no idea there was an elevator."

Indeed there was. It was hidden in a corner, just beside the wall that ended the hallway.

"Wow." I exclaimed and Natalie laughed at my reaction to such a small discovery. I had wondered how dinner was served as a feast on a stroller the day I hadn't come down to the table.

"Bet you don't know that there are underground rooms here." She added and I stared at her questioningly.

"How did you…"

"I used to spend the holidays here." "Damien and I dated in college." She added and a part of me felt terrible. She must have thought that they would end up together. But then again, Darcy was a year older than Kira with Ella's daughter being 6 years old. I wonder how old Stacy's daughter is then, and that left me wondering what Damien Jaeger's problem was with women.

"Shall we?" She asked once the elevator door was open.

I giggled, "We shall." I walked into the elevator and she followed behind me.