1 Chapter One: Acquaintances

Paradise came in dreams. A lovely sunny day brightening everywhere, bathing the light of the luminous sun that soaring and searing beneath the thin skin. The wind blows in all directions and wrapping thoroughly refreshing towards the old trees in Lancaster with the evergreen delight and chock-full of renewing air. It's a place of an exquisite story of a maiden who borne with a silver spoon in her mouth, living peacefully like a princess in a castle, and alluring just as a white flower in a garden. She's lovely as a Garden of Eden and her face would surely fascinate you from a minute of staring.

She's like a fairy. Her hair is like a golden-red sunset in the afternoon with a pair of eyes coloured blue, sparkling like a glimmering light of a star in a constellation. Her kissable lips pouted so distinctly, that you may fall to undying addiction when you tasted it. She almost impeccable with a slender figure like a beauty queen, a hip that seemed to have stolen the curve of the crescent moon, arms shapely ending in small dwindling fine fingers. Her skin shaded in delicate pinkish of angelic beauty. And she's dressing in the finest clothing with a modest character ever known, her name is Elizabeth Clearwater.

"OH THERE SHE IS!" the garish voices from Elizabeth's parents.

Elizabeth's parents please upon seeing their daughter back to their house from the school dorm she stayed in. Anyway, her father named, Mr. Robert James Finnegan, a barreled─ body in a normal height with a bloated tummy, hairless head, wrinkled forehead, and beardy face. He's like an angry man who likes placing cigar in his mouth and plays cards, especially when he's visited by his boredom. He's wearing an old black trouser with a jumper and brown long sleeves. His character includes: sarcasm, arrogance, extravagance and also a massive faux hypocrisy. He likes to humiliate average people, because he hates them all. He married Mrs. Minerva Juliet Clearwater, a half-French Aristocrat lady from Aigues-Mortes, France, the heir of Les Bon's Boutique and Clearwater's café. Her daughter's features resembles equally to hers. Her eyes coloured azure sapphire with a face seemed to have stolen the elixir of youth and her beauty seems like a goddess. She's suiting a Sunday's dress with ribbons in her waist, her neck wrapped with a blue scarf that contained silver bracelet and a necklace with an amulet like a lucky charm. They married after they migrated from France to Harrogate and finally settled when they bought a property, house and lot at Lancaster, Great Britain.

"Bon Jour, Mama─ Papa! How's your business?" Elizabeth kisses their cheeks individually.

"Oh! It's great, sweetheart." her mother grins.

"How's your study sweetheart?" her father encrusts his left hairy hand to Elizabeth's right shoulder and smiling at her as he tunnels his sight unto her. "Hmm─ its fine papa, I'm very well delighted." she grins whilst cornering her eyes to him.

The commencing conversation interrupts by a door pounding, jolting them suddenly from their terse conversation. "Hello, Mrs. Finnegan! Here's the new applicant you wish to seek." Mr. Filch declares as he transporting his sight back and forth between the door and the boy next to him. "Hang on a minute!" Mrs. Finnegan replies enthusiastically as she sneaking towards the door to unlock it.

Whenever you heard a deep ─hollowed voice of a mid-aged man with a long tied grey hair, wearing a monocle, a long-sleeve coated by a black blazer that matched in his old grey trouser styled like vertical stripes. And a face filled with immature wrinkles curved by his concave cheeks proportionally shaped from his crescent angle look. Think of one person named Mr. Nicholas Charles Filch. He's a loyal, humble, and merciful butler, adopted by Sir John Nicholas Clearwater. In a split of second, darting flashbacks from Mr. Filch's violent memories pops amid in his mind when he reflected himself in a boy standing next to him.

BOOM!!! A deafening sound of a massive explosion from landmines and hand grenades, thrown by the unknown bands of cruel bandits who left a wreckage of war in the little town of Lambertini a long time ago. In the earliest years of the 19th century, a boy named Nicholas Charles Filch together with others, escaped from the abduction by these cruel people. So many innocent people split their blood for the interest of these stone-hearted individuals. These groups of politicians and rich classes of people, ultimately planned the massive destruction for the cause of human slavery, sexual purposes and earning more money in return. They bribed some mercenaries and some bands of bandits to do their dirty plan on their behalf.

After the inconceivable slaughter, the destruction destroyed a half hundreds of houses and slaved 47 children, 149 women and imprisoned 99 men. Nicholas Charles Filch escaped from imprisonment, accompanied by his friend Clavier Bon Rimini who was latter dead, because of gunshot after he rescued his sister Daisy Jane Bon Rimini from tortured. He's a sole survivor who walked undyingly towards the woods outside the boundary of Bucharest, Romania.

Unfortunately, some bandit scouts spotted him from afar distant and plunged a gunshot to him without hesitation. By God's mercy, he attained a minor wound that soared beneath his left arm and eventually collapsed him down in the meadows a far distance from the two goons. Luckily, a platoon of soldiers patrolled and conducted a search and rescue operation for the missing survivors. A child discovered and reported him with his bloodbath situation. Thenceforth, Captain John Nicholas Les Bon Clearwater later rescued and surrendered him in an orphanage at St. Lucia.

A fortnight later, upon his miraculous recovery, he prayed at the church of St. Lucia for some help. That day, God answered his prayer. Capt. Clearwater perceived young Nicholas, kneeling at the church pew, who prayed solemnly. He approached this lad and asked promptly about his identity. Sadly, the boy answered about his great remorse from seeing his parents who had slaughtered and bathed with their own spilt blood. Clearwater felt the anguish, sorrow and mourn that awakened his in-depth conscience for a call of mercy. He questioned him for something that may change his life forever.

"Will you come with me, lad? I need a boy who's willing to be part of the mansion." Nicholas exhibited a brief smile who craved for love and care. His quick smile accompanied by overflowing tears from his tear duct drifting in his both eye canals and spouting in his rugged face like a child after his plaything has fixed successfully, touched Sir Clearwater's heart to adopt him, until he became a loyal butler in the mansion. He's serving for over 29 years in count.

"Oh! Mr. Filch gladly to see you! Where's the applicant?" Mrs. Finnegan asks happily as she locking her sight to him. A little second past, a boy─ wearing a stripe long sleeve and sweater vest fashioned dress, matched by his fashioned trouser and eyeglass lungs and introduces himself, calmly.

"Bon Jour Madam, My name is John Enrico Newton, I'm the new applicant." He says as he hunching to her.

"Oh! Well─ Mr. Filch, please bring this boy to the library. I'll talk to him later." Mrs. Finnegan grins slightly. "Yes... Madam." Mr. Filch nodded and tapped the right shoulder of the boy.

Mrs. Finnegan locks the door and sways her head as she returning to her seat. She drapes her new bought gown from the elegant box she opened lately. Mr. Finnegan interrupts her whilst standing halfway step near to the door. "Who's that filthy creature, darling?" Mr. Finnegan strokes his curving chin until the edge of his long beard by his swollen, hairy left hand. "Language, please─ it's a new applicant..." Mrs. Finnegan replies.

"Why you speak like that, papa?" Elizabeth frowns as she raising her cup of tea and takes a sip to it.

"Sweetheart, we're not as just as them. We're aristocrat and they are ─they are nothing." He snickers.

A few seconds later, the ground tremours, splintering the walls, shaking little by little the house, and slightly cracking some corners by corrugated linings appearing unnoticeably in the white-painted wall. The small speck of dusts pouring from the ceiling dawns their realisation of an earthquake phenomenon and they began to afraid slightly. The entire mansion panics and all of them withdrawn outside.

Mr. and Mrs. Finnegan with Elizabeth escape hastily outside, but upon withdrawal, they seem to hear shouts from anybody outside. Mr. Finnegan got irritated and exclaimed as he walks in a limping manner towards outside.

"Who are these bloody whores screaming out there? Why are you screaming? It's just an earthquake… filthy maggots, you're so annoying!" Mr. Finnegan halts.

A clumsy maid arrives─ wearing an artless carnation pink frock, a white apron with a hairnet coated her long curly hair, and having such pale lips, a burned skin at her right leg and ill-like physique. She strolls in a slow manner towards him and interferes softly.

"We're sorry─ sir, we're just scared. Please… forgive us." she shivers as she approaching.

Her name is Misila Belle Malady, a maid at Finnegan's. She's an orphan girl who almost beaten in a fire at Plymouth. She's also adopted by Sir Clearwater after the fire consumed their house. Sadly, her entire family confirmed dead, and she remains as a sole survivor of the incident.

According to the report, her little sister accidentally smashed a lamp and this caused a fire in their house, but their parents discovered the fire too lately. Unfortunately, all of them trapped inside except Misila who obeyed her mother's demand for cooking oil. Upon her arrival at their house, she envisioned their rattling neighbours approaching their burning house. She has nothing to do, but to cry instead. It's too late, the firemen arrived quite later and the house burned completely.

"Okay. Let me stop you there!" Mrs. Finnegan lungs and yells to cut off their nonsensical quick conversation, and it seems the whole mansion fills with wind-blowing silence. No one spoke at all, except the voice of a fluffy grey cat with uncut paw named Vuvu interrupts. "Meow" Vuvu saunters towards Elizabeth's position. Mr. Filch and Enrico arrives latterly with a motion of haste towards the patio where everyone convened. "Come, kitty─ come, Vuvu come!" Elizabeth whispers as Enrico chuckling, muttering and shifting his sight to her unnoticeably.

In the earthquake's aftermath, everyone returns to their unfinished businesses. Meantime, the three; Mrs. Finnegan, Mr. Filch, and Enrico enter inside the library room near the corridor for the interview perhaps. Spying, unlocking the door carefully, creaking a little to peek them, Elizabeth comes forth in few minutes as she examining their doings inside.

Another couple of minutes later, Misila spots Elizabeth at the library's door near the corridor. But instead of asking what she's doing she strolls straightforward in the kitchen and ignores her. As she approaching into the kitchen, a sound echoes of shattering plates cascades on the floor. Misila suspects Elizabeth's cat that's on the move, biting some freshly fried fish fillet left on the table, because of urgency from the recent incident. As she enters the dining room, she witnessed something. "Oh, dear... Ms. Elizabeth's cat" Misila sighs whilst seeing the cat enjoying her meal at the moment.

Few hours past, at the garden, Elizabeth picks leisurely some lovely roses coloured: red, white, and carnation pink behind their mansion. She savours the unique fragrance of each flower. The scent of these reminds her granny whose favourite flowers are both white and red roses. She pauses boldly, smelling the stifling scent of the alluring fresh flowers permeating the atmosphere. She reminisces of a flashback thought about a certain memory, when they were together in a garden when she was a toddler.

They 're beautiful just like you, sweetheart! Her granny said whilst smelling the flock of roses in her hands. Really? Elizabeth replied as raising her sight unto her. These are my favourites. These white and red roses are the living memories of him." her granny added. Of whom granny...? Elizabeth's savouring moments ended off, as the creaking sound of stomped branches echoes. She spots a shadow inching to hear position. It seems something's not right. She suspects someone peeking on her covertly behind the old Oak tree, shaded through a shadow from the sun that bathed into it and camouflaged by the dark shade of green shrubs nearby.

Oh, no? Someone eavesdropped on me. And he's hiding in that tree. That's her quick thought whilst staring towards the old oak tree at twelve o'clock from her position. She tries scanning her vision, but she fails reaching her sight to that part. So, she walks prudently towards the tree little by little with silent steps. Suddenly, she jolted from a surprising voice and a startling face of him as he comes out behind the tree. "Aha! My lovely sweetie! Ha-ha-ha" Mr. Finnegan snickers. It was Mr. Finnegan, laughing like a monster of a horror series that will surely frighten you to the bone. "Gosh! For Pete's sake, Papa, what are you doing here?" she whines as she bridging her eyebrows. "I just want to... surprise you sweetheart" he fumbles Elizabeth's left shoulder. "I am surprised papa─ you scared me almost choking to death!" her pissing off statement as she knits her eyebrows. "I'm... so sorry sweetheart if I scare you─ I'm so… sorry..." this time he fumbles both of her shoulders as she facing before her. "Mm…" she frowns.

It's almost dark, nightfall almost coming─ the crows and other birds flying back subsequently to their nests. Assembling, preparing advancing, the nocturnal species readying for the hunt. The stars aligning to their constellations with the dim light of the waxing moon spilling over the whole mansion.

"Mr. Finnegan, dinner's ready!" Mrs. Baker shouts from a distance.

"Coming─ Mum..." Elizabeth replies.

At the dining room, it's setting ambience emphasizing─ elegantly their wealthy lifestyle. The dining room embellished with finest things such as: coated table with maroon tablecloth filled with goblets, elegant plates, table serviettes, silver spoons, forks and it filled delicious menu from Mrs. Baker's delicacy. The table decorated of a nice red colour tablecloth with two chandeliers in both left and right side of the ceiling, and two candelabras for both left and right side of the table.

"What a lovely dinner is this mum?" Elizabeth yells enthusiastically. Perhaps she's starving, or she just peckish, yet her mom replies in a smiley manner. "Yes, sweetheart. I requested Mrs. Baker to prepare a delicious dinner for us tonight, because… I'll be leaving tomorrow for a business trip with our clients for a big wedding event." Mrs. Finnegan details.

"Mum, will dad be leaving as well?" she asks as she narrowing her face to his father. "Nope sweetie, I'll stay here with you!" Mr. Finnegan responds arduously and Elizabeth nods. It's brilliant to see that people of Finnegan's residence fairly treated as a family except by the monstrous one.

"Tonight, I'll introduce to all of you, our newly chauffeur and Elizabeth's bodyguard, John Enrico Newton!"

Mrs. Finnegan's introduction is genuine that only happen on a rare occasion. That moment you would hear and imagine an accolade from the audience to an unknown performer who would wish to audition for a talent show, but like a magical moment intertwined, Enrico earns a curtain call whilst standing next to Mr. Filch in the left side of table eleven o'clock from the table's position. After the introduction, Mr. Finnegan murmurs in his mind, displaying his bridging eyebrows and wrinkling his forehead. Why this boy has that kind of introduction? He's no… important at all.

By the way, Mrs. Dolores Capricho Baker is an excellent cook in Finnegans. She always wearing a black apron─ matched in a maid dress with a hairnet coated her grey hair that almost to be white soon. She's almost senior in the house and always brings handkerchief and a potholder in both of her pockets. She dresses up modestly fine like a head of the maids or a senior associate of them and she's a motherly demeanour amongst the others. She likes sweets, cookies, candies and more. She's serving the family for like a decade and a half after the death of her husband who died for cancer disease.

The entire mansion fills with awkward moments. Enrico chases his sight towards Elizabeth unnoticeably. His gaze is like a burning fire that will consume and melt the freezing icebergs, turning into a glacier. While, Elizabeth's gaze is like a corrupting poison that numbs gradually a man's body as she looks back.

In juxtapose, Mr. Finnegan frowns extendedly. His face is like an ugly goblin who has been locked up in a cage for ten thousand years whilst others are smiling for the best dinner has yet to come.

"Here's your order madam─ your family's favourite delicacies as you requested." Mrs. Baker announced enthusiastically as everyone felt their hungry stomachs grumbling consistently.

"Let's pray and eat, shall we?" Elizabeth persuades.