Just the Maid

Chapter Eighteen- Awakening

I froze. I didn't recognize this voice. It was mellow, and kind. I slowly looked up. Ice blue eyes as big as the sky enveloped me as I stared at him. Then he smiled. It was a smile that was so infectious, I almost threw myself at him. I blushed a bit at the thought and shook my head. I stood and backed to the wall.

"Who are you?" I asked. "And where am I?"

"What, you don't recognize me? After ten years I thought that you would at least remember me," he said. I gasped.

"TEN YEARS!?!?" I yelled. He covered his ears.

"Yeah, ten years have passed since you were first frozen," he stated. I looked to the floor as memories came rushing into my head.

"But... How? What happened to me?"

"I can explain that." A man walked in with long silver hair.

"Then I'll take my leave. Later." Then, the person who I presumed to be Killua put his hands in his pockets and left. Silva sat on his bed-couch thing and motioned for me to sit next to him. I accepted.

"So what happened? I don't remember much," I told him.

"Well... Basically, this was Illumi's fault," he said.

"Illumi?" I flashed back to the dark figure that held me prisoner as I drank the poison.

"Yes. He made you drink that potion, then he left. He may have some sort of ulterior motive, so be careful around him."

"Yessir. Has anything really changed since I've been gone?"

"Not really. But, Killua has been acting out a little bit lately."

"How old is he now?"

"He's 16."

"A year older... Waaaaait..." I peered at him. "Are you sure it's not YOU who has an ulterior motive for Killua and I?" He just laughed.

"It was not my intention. But at least you will be able to be around him more and not draw attention. In public, at least."

"Ain't that a pleasant plus. On a side note... How is Katrina? She still works here, right?" I clasped my hands, slightly worried.

"She's fine. She still works for me. Although, something strange DID happen with her." He stroked his chin thoughtfully. I slammed my hands down.

"What happened!?" He patted my head, then held me by the shoulders.

"Calm down, young one. She's fine. But... when you got frozen, one of the other maids burst in and told me that Katrina had frozen as well. It's quite peculiar, really." He let go and dismissed me. "I see you're quite worried about her. Go to her. I just have one more thing to tell you." I stood.

"What is it?" I asked.

"I want to keep your cover as one of my maids, but stay around Killua as well. I suspect he may do something horrendous soon. Get close to him and see if you can get him to tell you some of his secrets or something. Be my spy," he stated as he looked me dead in the eyes. I tightened my mouth.

"Understood... Master Silva." I left the room. I made my way to the servants quarters from there. As I rounded each corner, I picked up speed until I was fully sprinting, my anxiety filling with each second.

At last, I reached the servants quarters, finally a little dry. I threw the door open. I was met with a room filled with maids crowded around something.

"KATRINA!" I shouted. Everyone stared at me and parted until I could see a very wet blonde. She looked up and smiled the biggest smile I've ever seen.

"KATARA!" she shouted back. She stumbled getting up, then ran towards me as I ran towards her. We hugged when we finally met in the middle.

"I... I remember now! From all those years ago-" she stuttered.

"I do too... Sis." I smiled as tears started to run down my face. She wiped hers away and we hugged again.

When we finally let go, we looked back at the other maids that were staring at us.

"What time of day is it?" I asked.

"It's about sunset... Why?" asked one.

"Thanks!" I ignored her question and dragged Katrina up to our spot on the roof. She told me that the other maids had already explained the time lapse and what had happened to me.

"So, I guess we better reintroduce ourselves, hunh?" She laughed as she wiped away a fresh set of tears. I grinned as I wiped mine away too.

"Well then, I'll start." I stood up and struck large, dramatic poses on my left as I spoke. "Hey! My name is Katara Dragoness, and I'm the Legendary Elemental Dragon Slayer!" Then, Katrina stood up and struck the same poses I did, but did them on her right.

"My name is Katrina Goddress, and I'm the Legendary Elemental God Slayer! Nice to meet you!" We laughed and shook hands, pulling each other into another hug.

"I've missed you for so long, Sis," I said.

"The same goes for me, sister." She held me out by my shoulders. "Remember that story I told you a long time ago?" I nodded.

"I was talking about you. And it looks like you came to me!" She giggled and we sat down again, staring out into the sunset until bedtime. I told her I'd be down in a second. There was something I had to do real quick. I pulled the old note Silva gave me with the bottle and I looked at it. My brow furrowed as I reread it. Then, I summoned a small flame and burned the note.

"Note to self, never trust a potion filled bottle ever again. Or silver-haired old men." I sighed and climbed down the wall so I could go to bed.

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

After that day, things basically went back to normal. I noticed that they made everything a lot heavier. When I asked why, they told me that it was something the Zoldycks put in for an unknown reason, but rumor had it it was so everyone in the household would get stronger in case anything happened. I just shrugged and went on working. Master Killua usually asked for me after I had dinner. He would talk with me walking around the mansion, then I would go up to the roof with Katie to watch the sunset. Everything was just perfect. But perfect things don't last forever.