Addie lay, curled up in a little ball on her large bed. She tossed and turned restlessly, unable to fall asleep. The young girl sat up in bed, and her hazel eyes scanned through the darkness. The silence was almost uncanny and being alone in an enormous room didn't help in the slightest. She clutched the blanket to her chest tightly, her eyes jerking around at every little noise. The darkness seemed to consuming everything it touched and soon she feared it would take her too. The sound of the door opening almost made her jump out of bed and scream loudly. When she laid eyes on a familiar green eyed maid, she relaxed and swallowed back the scream.

"Lucia!" she called, keeping her voice as a whisper, but still making it forceful.

The maid's eyes widened in surprise. "Addie? You're still awake?"

Addie nodded. "I can't sleep."

Lucia made her way over to the side of the bed. "Why not? Is there anything I can get for you to make you feel more comfortable? Another pillow perhaps?"

Addie shook her head. "No, I'm okay. I just have to wait 'til I get tired."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah, but...can you stay with me a little? The dark scares me."

Without saying another word, the maid climbed up next to the little girl and slid under the blanket. She was a little surprised when she felt the little girl cuddle close to her, but did not object. She simply wrapped her arm around Addie in a protective way and leaned back against the headboard.

"Have you always been scared of the dark?" Lucia asked gently.

Addie nodded. "Yeah."

"How did you face your fears before?"

"Well, I usually had Mama and Papa and Markie near me. Then I was less scared."

"So being with someone helps you?"

"Mmhmm."

Lucia stayed silent for a moment, simply running a hand through Addie's dark hair. Addie shut her eyes and cuddled closer to the older girl, trying to rest a little. Every time she felt like she was about the fall asleep, some noise jerked her awake. A storm was raging outside. Usually the pitter patter of the rain lulled her to sleep, but the thunder of the storm repeatedly interrupted her attempt to rest.

"I'm sorry," she said softly.

"For what?" Lucia asked.

"For making you stay up."

Lucia chuckled softly. "It's not trouble at all." She paused. "You know, Addie, you are the sweetest little girl I have ever met. Your family raised you well."

"Is Gabrielle not nice?" Addie asked timidly.

Lucia chuckled once again. "Well, Miss Gabrielle has her own issues."

"Like what?"

"It's not really my place to say."

"Is it a secret?"

"No...I just don't know if I should share that information with you."

Addie looked up at Lucia with her shining hazel eyes. She clasped her little hands together and smiled. "I promise I won't tell anyone."

Lucia couldn't help but smile a little. "Alright. But can I ask you a question first?"

"Okay."

"How are you always so happy?"

"What does everyone ask that?" Addie said in reply.

Lucia shrugged. "Well, why wouldn't they ask? It's a miracle how you manage to stay so joyful and positive especially when things around you are bad. It's not an easy feat for most people. You've probably heard this from someone else by now, but you have given yourself quite the reputation here. People are amazed by you."

"But why is it so hard? Why can't they just choose to be happy?"

"Is that what you do?"

"Yeah. What else would I do?"

"I don't know. Find something that makes you happy?"

Addie pushed herself up and sat cross legged next to Lucia. "Why would I need to find something? I have all I need."

"But how do you just choose? How is it so easy?"

Addie shook her head. "I don't know. I thought it was easy for everyone."

"Have you ever felt sad?"

"That's already more than one question. You said you'd ask one question before telling me about Gabrielle."

"Just one more," Lucia begged.

"One more? For sure?"

"For sure."

Addie sighed, switching her position again and pulling her knees up to her chest. "Yeah, I've been sad before. Now, tell me about Gabrielle."

"Then how do you overcome the sadness with joy?"

"Lucia, you said only one more question."

"Aw, Addie, please."

"I already told you. I just choose to be happy."

"But how?"

"Lucia...what happened to 'just one more question'?"

"Sorry."

"To put it simply, I can't be happy if I don't what sadness is. Now, please tell me about Gabrielle first and then I'll answer more, I promise."

Lucia paused to think over Addie's words for a moment. Then she spoke. "You know, you're pretty smart for your age."

"Um, thanks? Markie says that as well. So...tell me...pleeeeeaaasssee..."

Lucia giggled and adjusted her position to a more comfortable one before speaking. "Miss Gabrielle has always been rather moody and grumpy person. For as long as I've worked here, she's had constant mood swings and even phases of depression. I don't know if she actually has an illness; the master of the house never really likes to talk about it. Maybe he's embarrassed, I don't know. Or maybe she had something traumatic in her past. None of us servants know what's up. We just agree that she..." Lucia hesitated for a moment, running a hand through her brown hair. "She's just hard to care for sometimes. She doesn't tell me exactly what she wants and then gets annoyed when I don't do what she wants. She's never been too good at communicating her feelings."

Addie listened silently, pondering over Lucia's words and attempting to piece it all together. She pursued her lips together, a little habit she always did while thinking.

"Maybe she's lonely?" she suggested after a few moments.

Lucia shrugged. "Her parents are rich. They can get her whatever she wants. I don't see why that would be the problem."

Addie tilted her head. "You can't buy her a friend."

"Yes, I know, but you can pay someone to keep her company."

"Anyone can keep her company, but that's not a friend."

"I guess. But no one would really want to be her friend anyway. Believe me, we've all attempted to help her to the best of our ability, but she doesn't seem to want any of it."

"I'd be her friend," Addie said softly.

"You can try. But don't feel bad if she doesn't want your company. Recently, she's just been locking herself in her room and hiding from the world. We had to practically drag her to dinner tonight to go see you. It almost seems like she's purposely acting up now. Especially ever since..." Lucia trailed off before finishing her sentence.

"Since what?" Addie asked.

"Never mind that," Lucia replied, waving the question off. "That's all you really need to know about her."

Addie was about to ask more, but instead just bit her lip and stayed silent. A billion thoughts were rushing through her head each minute, and she could barely keep track of it all. She glanced over at Lucia and saw that the maid was trying her best to stay awake for her. Every time her eyes fluttered close, she would quickly jerk awake and sit up straighter.

"It's okay if you sleep, Lucia," Addie said. "I'll be okay."

"But you're still awake," she murmured in reply. "And I won't sleep until I'm sure you're okay."

"It's okay. You need to sleep now. I'll fall asleep soon, hopefully."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah."

Lucia settled down onto the pillows, and Addie lay down next to her. The young girl toyed with the bottom of her nightgown, still feeling restless, but not wanting to bother the maid next to her anymore. As soon as she was sure Lucia was asleep, Addie quietly slipped off the bed and tiptoed over the the window seat. She sat up there and stared out at the stars dancing up in the night sky. The rain had finally stopped, and the clouds had mostly drifted away.

"Mark, if you're out there," she said softly to herself. She leaned her head against the window and shut her eyes tightly. "And Mama and Papa too...I miss you very much and I want to go home. Or maybe you could come here. It's a very nice house and has very good food. There's lots and lots of it too. Plenty for all of to never be hungry again. We can all eat until our bellies are all full. Would that make you happy? I hope that you're not mad at me for trying to make the trade. I want to help you. I want you to be happy too."

She wrapped her arms around herself and rested her head on her knees. A small pain began to form in her chest, but she did her best to ignore it.

"It's nice here," she thought as a way to comfort herself. "It's not bad. They won't keep me for long anyway. They'll return me back home with the money like they promised. Everything will be okay."

She glanced out the window again. Home seemed so far away. What if she didn't come home for a while? What if she was stuck here for years and years? What if her family forgot about her? What if they didn't need the money she brought home? What if something bad happened to them? Addie quickly shook those thoughts out of her mind.

"I have to stay positive," she whispered. She began to sing a little tune she made up with Mark back at home. They often sang it together. Mark's voice was deep and soothing to her, and she always wished he'd do it more often.

Raindrops and clouds

Won't darken my day

Whatever happens

I'll go on my way

Let the sun shine

On you and I today

And let the world know

Our joy's here to stay

She barely finished the last word before she drifted off to sleep, curled up into a little ball by the window.