I hadn’t even thought about creating a fake name. I paused, startled that I had nearly spouted out my real name. I was going to have to be more cautious if I valued my life. There was going to be a man hunting for my heart within the next day and I didn’t need to leave him any additional clues than I already had. Remembering the armored man sent a wave of nausea through me.
Mr. Dwarfer looked up from his paper conveying a look of suspicion.
“Ar… A—Annie! My name is Annie.” The name exploded out of my mouth before I could consider saying anything else. “Please forgive my stutter, I’m still a little shivery from the cold.”
Mr. Dwarfer looked a little less skeptical, but his hand remained paused above the paper with his ink drying at the tip of the quill. I swallowed nervously.
“Well?” he questioned impatiently. “Are you going to tell me your last name so I can add it to my staff log?” He gestured readily at his paper.
“Oh, of course!” My reply was hasty, and I froze on the question. How did one create a last name in a moment’s notice? My mind frantically searched for an answer. His questioning gaze intimidated me and I stupidly blurted out, “Ivory!”
Great. Now I had gone and done it. How could I have possibly given this man my real name? I kicked myself mentally for my foolishness. I might as well have just engraved my own tombstone.
“Annie Ivory?” Mr. Dwarfer questioned with hesitation. He looked up at my face for confirmation.
“Yes sir, Ivory.” I confirmed in a quiet voice not wanting the name to be spoken any louder.
“Well, Ms. Ivory,” he jotted down the name at the bottom of the list and then tucked the paper back inside the drawer, “if you’ll follow me, I’ll introduce you to some of your fellow workers and we’ll get you situated.”
He clicked open a small hatch on the counter that flipped open like a trap door which allowed him to step out from behind the desk. He ushered me toward the staff door and opened it as wide as the cramped space would allow, then gestured at me to step through. When I crossed the foreign space the strong scent of cleaning solution doubled in strength. My eyes and nose burned from the powerful smell, but Mr. Dwarfer didn’t seem to pay it any notice.
“Girls! Round up and meet me by the lockers!” His sudden shout made me jump. The workspace was lofty and wide, but his strong voice carried across the entire room.
He led me deeper into the space and I took in my surroundings. Despite the clean smell, the place was filthy. Just inside the entrance, crates, bags, and boxes overflowed with soiled laundry. The grungy fabrics spilled onto a large portion of the floor, soaking up portions of wet spots that stained the stone floor. The wall next to it was lined with shelves stocked with various soaps and perfumes, most of which looked empty and discarded or half-spilled onto the floor, mixing with the other mysterious puddles. I could see the water reservoir that attached to the exterior wall on the other side of the room. It appeared to have been made of some sort of metal, but it was hard to tell under all the rust and flakey paint that covered its surface. Half a dozen basins filled with soapy water sat on the sticky ground, each paired with a pile of dirty laundry and a washboard. As we approached the back of the building I had to duck to avoid colliding with the soggy garments hanging from one of the clotheslines that spanned the length of the room. By the time I raised my head, I was staring straight at a group of women who had gathered in front of a rickety row of cabinets. They all wore their hair up in tight buns and donned the exact same light blue dress and white apron. At first glance, there appeared to be only six of them, but then I noticed a seventh looming in the corner on a stool. Their eyes shot straight to me as I approached with their boss by my side. They eyed me carefully, each with a different look of confusion at my arrival.
“Girls, meet the new hire, Annie,” Mr. Dwarfer introduced plainly. “She hasn’t worked at a mill before, so take it easy on her for a few days while she adjusts.”
I tried to smile politely at my new companions, but they didn’t appear to be amused by my greeting, except for one girl, who gave me a friendly wave of welcome.
“Hazel, you’ll be training her for the next week.” He pointed toward the petite girl who had waved. She had red hair, green eyes, and adorable freckles sprinkled across her nose and cheeks. She appeared to be the youngest of the group possibly no more than fifteen years old.
“Yes, sir!” she replied in a chipper voice, smiling brightly. “You can count on me to whip her into shape!” The young girl gave a quirky salute, and I couldn’t help but smile back at her awkwardness.
“Good girl. Make sure you take her with you when you go on your routes. She’ll be accompanying you on the deliveries from now on, so show her around the shed, too.” He waited until he got a nod of understanding from the small girl before he continued. “If any of you have further questions, I’ll be in my office until lunchtime. Otherwise, please resume your tasks. There’s plenty of work to be done before we’ve reached suppertime.” With that final statement, he spun on his heel and walked back the way we came in, leaving me alone with the women.
I stood there for a moment, not quite sure what more to say. Luckily for me, one of the older women of the group moved forward I had to fret for long. “My name is Daniela; it’s lovely to meet you, dear.” She gave me a soft smile that crinkled the corners of her eyes sweetly. “We appreciate you arriving when you did. As I’m sure you can see, we’ve had more work than we can keep up with these last few weeks.” She gestured toward the piles of clothes at the front of the room, and I shuddered at the thought of dealing with it.
“I’m Hazel! Oh, but you already knew that!” the eager girl piped up. Her short stature and childlike energy only confirmed my suspicion of her young age. “This here is Bethanne, Sylvia, Delilah, and Susan.” She pointed down the line, one girl at a time. They all looked to be close to my age, varying only a few years in either direction. “Last but not least is Glenda over in the corner.” She pointed to the cross-looking woman sitting on the stool. She was older than the other girls, but not as old as Daniela. She scrunched her face up at me and stuck her nose straight up in the air when I looked toward her. “She warms up to people slower than most.” Hazel shrugged, earning herself a glare from Glenda. “Come on! I’ll give you a tour.”
She grabbed me by the arm and dragged me across the entire workspace explaining every aspect in more detail than I could have ever thought necessary. The other girls returned to their respective duties and busied themselves with scrubbing clothes, mixing soaps, or boiling water over a small fireplace beside the reservoir. Hazel continued to explain which oils were okay to mix in certain solutions and which mixtures needed to be kept far away from the fire. When we finally reached the back of the building, she practically shook with excitement.
“Oh! I nearly forgot to tell you about the accommodations. Unless you already have a place to stay… Do you?” She looked at me with wide eyes.
“I do not,” I replied simply. “I was informed I would be provided with accommodations if I was hired on.” I recalled back to my conversation with the innkeeper.
“Oh, how excellent!” Hazel exclaimed as she grabbed my hand and bounced happily. “You can stay here with us! Daniela and Glenda have their own homes in the village, but the rest of us stay here and sleep in the laundry at night! Mr. Dwarfer is very generous to let us stay, and he even provides us with dinner in the evening. Given it was a good day of work, of course.” She smiled cheerfully, but I just stared back blankly.
Sleep in the laundry?She couldn’t possibly be serious. This had to be some sort of joke. Suddenly my inner conscious kicked in for all the times I had pulled cruel pranks on people at the castle. If I made it out of this situation alive, I would repent to each individual I had wronged, because clearly this must be my punishment for it all.
“Sleep in the laundry?” I questioned her fearfully, afraid to hear her response.
“Oh yes!” she replied enthusiastically andI felt my last shred of dignity drop out of my body and shatter on the floor. “But not in the clean laundry, of course. Mr. Dwarfer would have a cow if he caught us sullying the clean clothes. We sleep over by the entrance on the piles that still need washing.” She pointed to the other end of the building where the stinking mounds lay on the floor.
I could feel the blood drain from my face.. “I see,” I replied flatly, fighting the urge to gag and trying to keep my composure intact.
“Oh it’s not so bad!” she retorted, clearly seeing through my act. “Plus, you get your own locker to store your personal belongings.” She whirled around and opened one of the cabinets for me to see. I had to admit, it was rather spacious for a cabinet, but the hinges were coming loose and the knob was missing, so she had to pull it open with her fingers. “This one can be yours; it’s right next to mine!” She opened up the neighboring cabinet, revealing her neat pile of folded clothing, a wadded-up leather bag, and a small stack of books.
“Thank you, Hazel,” I said genuinely. “I look forward to sharing a border with you. Perhaps this shall mark our official alliance?” She laughed a little too hard at my joke, but it was nice to feel like someone enjoyed my company.