“Oh no, please hang in there!”

Richard opened his eyes and woke up, finding himself staring at a ceiling fan. He got up from the small bed he rested in. The room he’s in seemed quaint. A dresser on one side of the room with a potted plant resting on top, and on the other side, a cabinet containing different types of medicine.

Richard could’ve sworn he heard a voice before waking up. Could that have been his imagination? The door in front of him was closed, and there were no other exits.

Huh, where am I? Richard rubbed his head and groaned.

He walked over to the door and found it was open. As soon as he was about to open it all the way, he heard a voice, which prompted him to jump back a bit.

“Oh, good, you’re awake.” The voice spoke.

“What was that?” Richard panicked as he looked for the source of her voice.

“Sorry, I didn’t mean to scare you, are you alright?”

Richard hesitated for a moment there. “Uh... yeah, I’m fine, I think.” He continued to step back and look around. “Where am I? And who are you?” He asked nervously. Beads of sweat had rolled down his back.

“My name is Emily, and I’m the caretaker of this place.”

“Oh, ok. W—Where are you though?”

The door opened as an older woman stepped inside, with a first aid kit and glass of water in hand. She had short brown hair with buns, a small white hat, and matching nursing attire.

“I’m sorry. I needed to get some materials, that’s why I wasn’t here for the time being.” Emily set them aside and motioned for Richard to sit on the short stool in the corner.

“I see?” Richard complied and went over to sit down.

Emily got down on her knees. Resting her hands on her lap, she looked him in the eyes. “Is it alright if I ask you some questions?”

“Depends on what you ask,” Richard muttered, kicking his legs back and forth.

“So, what’s your name, for starters?”

“Richard.”

“I see. Well, I found you on the ground unconscious and brought you here. I just couldn’t leave you there, all alone and helpless. Do you know what happened before that?”

“Well...” Richard started, but hesitated in coming up with an answer. “I can’t remember what happened before... fading to black. When I woke up, I ended up here, but I don’t know the events before that.”

“Oh, you poor thing,” Emily said with a frown. “You don’t have a family, do you?”

“Well...” Richard’s hands gripped the chair as he shook his head fast. “No, I don’t.”

“I’m sorry to hear that. If only there was something I could do for you.” Emily scratched her chin, lost in thought. Her eyes lit up, pounding her fist on her hand. “I got an idea!” She glanced at the boy. “Richard, right?”

“Uh-huh.” He nodded.

“I’ll let you stay here on one condition; you work part-time as my assistant. I could use some help around here. Besides, I can’t handle multiple jobs and take care of you at the same time.”

“But aren’t there any other workers here?”

“No, I’m the only employer,” Emily muttered, turning away from him. “But if you don’t want to, I’ll be fine by myself.”

Even though he only just met her, Richard felt a sense of guilt. He couldn’t tell if she was guilt-tripping or not, but this person seemed nice. She felt sorry for him and wanted the best for him too. It wasn’t like going back home was a good option anyhow, Richard figured nobody over there would miss him, or even notice he disappeared. They probably thought he was a burden, anyway.

Richard didn’t think about what to do after running away. Maybe it was fate that led him here? This was the perfect opportunity, and he wouldn’t need to spend a dime. Sure, he’d have to work around the place, but anything right now would be better than going back to the mansion. He sighed before responding.

“Alright, I accept your offer, I have nowhere to go, anyway.”

“That’s great to hear!” Emily exclaimed, her face beaming. She got up and headed out. “Hang on; I’ll go prepare a bed for you.”

.-.-.-.

Richard followed Emily up the stairs to his newly assigned bedroom. The area was small and boxed in, which had a bed, some curtains, a closet, and a drawer with an alarm clock on top.

Being from a different upbringing, Richard never saw a room so regular-looking and straightforward, nor did he expect to stay here. But if Emily knew about his lifestyle, what would she have done? How would she react? It didn’t matter; he wanted to put that past behind, if it meant not being compared to other people anymore.

“So, what do you think of your new room?”

“Well, it’s not what I imagined it to be...”

“What, you don’t like it?” Emily hung her head low and frowned. “I worked so hard in finding a room away from the other residents and cleaned it to near perfection.”

“Hey, I never said it was a problem.” Richard held his hands up and defended. “You’re making me look and sound bad.”

“Please don’t be so loud. Some elders that permanently live here are sleeping.”

“I’d complain, but I’m too tired to do so.”

“Tomorrow’s another day, hope you can get some sleep.” Richard crawled into the bed as Emily tucked him in. “Good night, Richard.” Emily cooed as she left the room, closing the door behind her.

Hearing her say that made him remember his time at the mansion. He couldn’t recall the last time someone spoke such words to him, besides Gerald. Richard felt his butler wouldn’t have to worry about dealing with him anymore and is probably relieved that he left. Richard pulled the covers over his head and shut his eyes, trying not to think about them. Eventually, his body calmed down, and he fell asleep.

The next day, sunlight shone through the windows as it hit Richard in the face. He pulled the covers over his head, murmuring to himself.

“Rise and shine!” Emily opened the door and called out. She walked over and nudged Richard to try and wake him up.

“Aw, but I don’t want to...” Richard whispered, getting misty-eyed. “No, don’t leave me...”

“Are you ok?”

“Huh?!” Richard shot open his eyes and jolted out of bed. “What’s going on?” He looked up with sad eyes. “Did I oversleep?”

“Nah, I just let you.” Emily bent down as her smile faded. “Were you having a nightmare?”

“I guess.” He replied, looking away. He didn’t want to talk about it.

“So, are you ready to go? We need to prepare brunch for the others.”

“Why? I want to eat first!” Richard complained.

“We need to put others above us,” Emily explained. “Especially since these people can’t do it themselves. If we work together, we’ll get it done quickly. You do remember our deal, right?”

“Yeah, you got a fair point, but it’s not what I thought you had in mind.”