I had woken up several times during the night, tossing and turning until my sheets had practically given my unclothed chest a rash. It was unusually hot as well, perhaps a result of the poor air circulation in my quarters, and the furnace on its highest output setting.

Eliza did not speak to me that morning, except to greet me. As I ate, I observed the way she kind of slumped over slightly, as if she couldn't stand completely straight. It was clear that my servant had returned to her sad, almost depressive state, which only further killed my mood. I wanted to see her happy, because if she wasn't happy, it seemed like I couldn't focus all day.

As I began my morning walk, my conscience began to scold me, causing a migraine to surface.

You're getting too close to her, Edward. You're starting to... Care.

It was true. I had never cared this much for a person, let alone a woman. Although I loved my father and mother very much before they were killed, it did not feel like this. This was a different kind of feeling.

Push. It. Away.

I could not let these feelings develop any further! I would not admit that already it had gone too far. All I had to do was block it. I could not risk losing my job. It paid so much, and without it, I could be on the streets, or worse. If a war between America and Germany were to break out, without this job, I would have no protection.

Then there was Maxis. Maxis liked me a lot, I could not let him down, no matter what. Who knows, perhaps Eliza IS  a backstabbing woman like Maxis described, maybe that's why she is here. Perhaps she deserved everything that she got. Maybe her caring antics are just a way to influence me poorly. 

 Edward, how can you say that? She's been nothing but nice to you. She is a human being, just as you are.

All humans have an evil side.

Don't let the pain of grief enter now, Edward. You have done so well, pushed back the darkness, completed your degrees at the academy, valedictorian at that! You have the highest paying job, although it is shrouded in secrecy, known to man. It's just what your father would have wanted, Edward. To have that all come crashing down on you...  

I looked up to find that I had come to the steps of my work facility. I sighed and stepped through the doors, reluctantly. Sophia was typing away at her counter, never glancing even slightly at me. Maybe I should apologize to her...

"Good Morning, Sophia," I got up the courage to say.

She stopped typing and looked up at me. "Good morning, Edward..." She said with a sigh.

"I am, err, terribly sorry about last night." I put on a face of apology.

She looked at me with her acidic eyes. "It's alright, Eddie, it wasn't your fault... it was that... that whore servant girl's!" She shook her head in disgust, resuming her typing.

The grip around the handle of my suitcase tightened in anger. My infuriation dug into Sophia's profile in the form of a stare. My tongue begged to be released, it wanted to defend her. I had to keep my mouth shut.

"Have a good day, Sophia." I said distastefully, removing myself from the situation like I had been taught to do. 'Don't say something you'll regret,' Father had always warned.

"Eliza is not a whore... however, you are a different story..." I spoke under my breath and through gritted teeth. Frustration radiated from my body as I made my way back to Dr. Schuster's lab, where we had been working on the art of teleportation.

Sighing, I lay my suitcase on the floor and practiced a few short breathing exercises to calm myself. I glanced around the room, taking notice that Frederick Schuster was no where in sight. A note was tacked to the side of the teleportation machine that read:

Richtofen, Maxis has called a surprise meeting. When you get this message, please report to the meeting room. He wants you there. 

I went to the meeting room, hurrying as fast as I could without looking like an idiot.

"Edward, my boy. Please have a seat," Maxis smiled, motioning me in. Everyone that I had met a couple months back sat around the table, all but one. I looked around the room for Peter McCain, but he was nowhere to be found. I took a seat, a look of confusion on my face.

The air in the room was heavy, and the other men seemed to look at me as if they knew something I didn't.

"I have called this meeting to deliver some bad news," Ludvig began. I listened intently as he explained. "Our American correspondent, Peter McCain, will no longer be working with us."

I furrowed my brow, noticing that the others didn't seem to take this as a surprise.

"Why?" I spoke out, unusually vocal.

Maxis glared at me with a very readable expression of discontent. "Peter McCain has been... removed."

Removed? What on earth did he mean? The terminology he used was questionable. I suppose he meant that Peter had been moved to another place, or maybe even fired. Alas, I did not question it. Maxis seemed to emit an aura that I didn't want to be around, it was like his every word was fuming with anger. Clearly his day had begun badly, something I could sympathize about.

"And that is why I am assigning you, Dr. Richtofen, to the Ray Gun project."

My eyes grew wide. The 'Ray Gun' project? I had gone over the blueprint for this mysterious weapon, but to assign such a new member to the cause is peculiar. His faith in me was surprising, yet encouraging.

"Me, sir?"

The man nodded his head. "Yes, my boy. You will work alongside Dr. Porter and myself to perfect the Ray Gun's abilities. I have faith in you."

I smiled at the compliment, unconsciously.

Suddenly, Ludvig's expression returned to its serious state. "Gentleman," he began, "I regret to inform you that Germany is on the bridge toward a massive war with numerous other countries. America, Russia, and Japan are said to have been working on weapons, and our leaders are already butting heads. We must work now, more than ever, to achieve the greatest weaponry available. I foresee a large battle in the future, but we can only pray that I am mistaken.at any rate, we must be ready. Are you all with me?"

"To improve the human condition!" All of the men, excluding myself, voiced. Maxis turned to me, as if expecting me to say something.

"To improve the human condition," I agreed. The phrase bothered me slightly, as I did not yet know the true meaning behind it.

Maxis dismissed us, and I was the last out the door.

"Richtofen," I heard Maxis's slightly hoarse voice call. "Come here one moment, please."

I obeyed, coming back into the room. "Sir?"

"I was informed about the event last night, by Sophia. I'm sorry to hear that the girl ruined your night."

Actually, she made my night...

"It was an accident... I just hope that Sophia's dress can be replaced." I actually meant it, I would hate for Sophia to lose something dear to her.

"Not to worry, I have already paid the expenses. Now tell me, has Ms. Washington been, for lack of a better term, ornery, lately?" He began to pace gently around the room, looking at the table.

"Ornery, sir?" I questioned, unsure of his meaning.

"Yes, has she been speaking out, doing anything unusual?" He looked at me. "Breaking any rules?" He attempted to say this casually, but with my skill, I could see the venom behind his words.

"No sir." I unintentionally lied. She had broken one of her rules, she had eaten with me several nights back. Luckily, I am rather skilled at bending the truth, although I barely needed it in this case.

He looked at me questionably, still. "Good, good. Well, just let me know if she gets out of hand. She will have me to answer to. And please, Richtofen..."

"Yes, sir?"

"Do not forget that last rule." He nodded for me to leave.

I knew exactly which rule he was talking about, but I didn't even want to think about it. He must have become suspicious when Sophia told about the date, but why? There was no reason for concern...

The rest of the day went on without distraction, as I finished running some tests on Schuster's teleportation device. Still no progress.

That night, I came home to the smell of home cooking. I greeted Eliza in the kitchen, giving her a courteous 'good evening', but she didn't turn to face me when she replied. Immediately, I buried my nose in a book, an attempt to keep my mind off of her.

"Dinner is meatloaf tonight, sir." She sat the plate down in front of me, and I lifted my head to look at her. She was wearing her black dress again, and her face was solemn, more so than usual. All else was normal except that she had a bandage taped above eyebrow, her bangs partially shrouding it.

"Eliza, what on earth happened to you!?" I bellowed, nearly rising from my seat.

Eliza looked fast at the ground. "I-I hit my head, sir."

"You hit your head? On what?" I questioned, examining the bandage more closely.

"Well..." Eliza took a deep breath as she began to explain. "I was cleaning your quarters when I stumbled upon some dirty clothes. As I bent down to pick them up, I bumped my head on the corner of your desk." She felt the bandage with her nimble fingers.

"I'm so sorry, Eliza," I admitted, feeling as if it were my fault. 

She looked at me, surprised. "Huh? It's not your fault, sir. It was my own ignorance that led me to this."

"Are you alright, then?" I confirmed.

"Yes, sir."

"Good. I couldn't stand to see you hurt..." I trailed off, my cheeks turning pink. I cleared my throat and broke our gaze, causing her to look away too.

"Enjoy your dinner, sir." She smiled and walked away.

As I ate, I could not help but feel a bit uneasy. The way Eliza explained herself; It was almost as if she wasn't sure what had happened. I prayed for her condition.

After supper, I took the liberty of cleaning my own dishes, and then I headed to the library.

I walked around the library, browsing its selection. I was bored of the usual scientific novel, so I was in search of something new. Suddenly, I stumbled upon a red book, whose title read, Fiancé of Fire. I took it off the shelf and sat in my chair, opening the book to reveal its contents.

I stared at her through the open window of her villa, praying that she wouldn't glance my way and catch me admiring her beauty. Her brown hair was beautifully wrapped in jewels and plated across her shoulder, her cheeks were rosy, and her lips were plump and soft. But her eyes... her eyes were what stood out the most. Those beautiful blue eyes, so caring, so full of life. I'm sure any man would die to gaze into them all day. Jemma was her name. The beautiful princess Jemma. But I could never have her.

Instantly, I felt a tinge in my chest. I found myself reading further and further into the book. I had never even touched a romance novel before, who would have know that they would be so interesting? The degree of creativity was marvelous, and the way the author described each scene was masterful. My nose stayed canvassed in the book's thick pages, its contents bringing me deeper and deeper into the plot.

Eliza's POV

I didn't like to lie to Mr. Richtofen, but it seemed like I had to do it more often than not.

You brat! I told you not to interfere with his plans! Because of your clumsiness, I am out a whole 400 euros!

Smack.

I could not push the redolent screeches of Maxis's voice from my mind, or the pain of his hand upon my head. It was haunting, the way I could recall it like it was happening now, although it was just a few hours ago. Even the swelling on my head threatened to worsen at the thought.

A few stray tears drifted down my cheek, dropping on to the parchment of my notebook, which doubled as both a diary and a drawing pad. I was too hurt to write about my day, so I wrote a little poem, but none of it seemed to make sense. My notebook was all I had here, I had smuggled it in from America, and some drawings and passages from my childhood were still in it.

Flipping through the pages, I saw an early sketch of Duke, my dog. It was a drawing of he and Tank playing in the grass, and Mrs. Dempsey, Tank's mother, yelling at the two. I mustered up a smile, as I could still vaguely remember that day.

The memories, along with the notebook, were all I had left. They were the only things I had from my homeland, everything else had been taken from me.

The tears started to flow again, wetting that drawing too. Quickly, to preserve the ink, I shut the book and laid it on the bed beside me.

Be strong, Eliza.

I wiped the water from my eyes and stood up, taking a walk around the attic. Then, I remembered a book I had started reading from the library. I wasn't really supposed to take books from there, but this one was so interesting that I couldn't put it down. Maybe I could go find it, and maybe reading some of it would help me fall asleep. I was sure that slumber would be impossible in my current state.

I creaked open the door of the attic and made my way down the corridor, tip-toeing down the stairs. I glanced in the direction of the living room to see if Edward was still up, but I didn't see him. I came to the door of the library and rested my hand on the doorknob. Slowly, I creaked the door open, trying to be as silent as possible, though nobody was there. I got all the way in the library and shut the door behind me, turning to face the inside of the chamber.

I bit the inside of my lip to sustain a gasp at Edward's presence, which I had not notice before I had entered. Thankfully, he seemed to be asleep, as he was reclined back in his chair, a book resting on his broad chest, spread wide open. 

I dared to walk closer to him, taking mice steps over to the chair.

"I'll just get the book quietly and get out," I thought to myself. I diverted my path to the sleeping form of Richtofen, and commenced my search for a specific book. Unfortunately, I could not recount where I had placed the book last.

After a steady 15 minutes of searching, I sighed quietly, letting my hopes fall. I had searched the whole library!

I crept back toward the door, glancing once more toward my hibernating master as I passed him.

My feet wanted to continue their course, but they stopped just a few feet from him. I drifted closer, observing the vulnerable state that this man was in. I analyzed his calm features, the way his soft lips sat so innocently, parted slightly to allow the flow of air. His eyes were so peacefully sealed shut, and I began to fantasize about his dreams. 

I was sure he was dreaming about some German lady, or a beautiful woman of high prestige. I refused to believe that this man had no past love, as in his current state, he could have anyone he so desired. Even Sophia had fallen for his looks and charisma, after she had worked so hard to get closer to Maxis. I myself could have mistaken him for a prince on that first day.

I snapped myself out of my reverie as I noticed the book on Richtofen's chest. Fiancé of Fire, the book I had been searching for. He had been reading it?

I turned to leave, giving up on my endeavor.

"Eliza?"

I wheeled around wide-eyed, facing my newly stirred master. In the heat of being caught, my heartbeat hastened and my palms became sweaty.

He adjusted his pose, taking in his environment. A light shade of pink formed on his cheeks. "Is something wrong, are you alright?"

"Yes sir!" I answered immediately. "I was just looking for a book to read, sir." I blushed slightly, being in his presence like this.

Richtofen smiled warmly and stood from his seat. "Did you find one?"

My eyes drifted to the ground, and I looked for words to say. "Well, no sir... you see, I was reading a book and couldn't find it, so I gave up." I shyly looked at the floor, after glancing at the red book in his hand.

There was a short pause before he chirped, "Is it this one?"

How did he know? I was trying to be discreet!

He smirked slightly, seeming very confident that it was.

"It is, sir." I said in repentance.

He came closer to me and pushed the book in my direction, earning from me a confused look.

"What? No sir, I can't take it!" I backed away from the book as if it were poisonous.

He gave a perplexed look. "Huh? No, I insist! Take it! I'm finished with it anyway." He struck eye contact with me and caused my face to heat up. "Although it is a wonderful book."

"Yes, it is isn't it?" I mustered up half of a smile, actually sparking a conversation with him.

"Oh yes, I never thought myself to be one for romance novels, until I picked this book up. Oh, have you read to the part where the pauper sends flowers to the princess's palace, and-"

"And the butler throws them away because he can't read the name on the tag? Oh, yes!" I found myself suddenly finishing his sentence, and laughing as he began to chuckle.

Edward laughed along, "And he had just saved up enough to buy those flowers! Poor man."

I couldn't believe the way I was carrying along with my superior, as if I were the same rank as him, as if we were friends. I wanted nothing more.

"I know! I feel bad for him... he's always loved the princess but..."

"But they can never truly be together." I found him suddenly with a sullen expression, an undecipherable emotion behind his hazel eyes as his gaze was enthralled with mine.

I broke the stare, feeling awkward all at once. "M-Maybe fate will find a way for them to be together. We can't know until we finish the book, I guess." Still, he had that expression on his face, and the same yearning look.

There was a short but uncomfortable silence between us, and my heart skipped a beat.

"I agree." He nodded, diverting back to his formal stature and persona. "At any rate, please take this. I'll finish reading it later." He beamed a half-moon smile.   

Slowly, as I grinned, I reached for the book, as if it would disappear. I began to take the book from his hands and then-

My body froze up, my legs planted to the spot, and my expression went blank as his hand, by accident, brushed against mine softly as the book made the transition into my arms. The points of contact burned as if they had been struck by flint, and my heart seemed to screech to a stop.

I could feel him tense up too, and the air in the room along with him.

Say something, do something!

"T-Thank you, sir." I turned shakily to the door, and I could sense his presence close behind me.

"A-anytime, Eliza." It was almost as if he had whispered the phrase into my ear, as it tickled my senses and raised the tiny hairs on the back of my neck.

"Goodnight sir." I nodded, quickly hurrying back to the attic when he replied the same.

I plopped down on my bed, hugging the book close to my heart. He had touched me before. But he had never touched me like that  before. This was much different, it was if I had been shocked by a live wire. I couldn't explain it. Had he felt the same thing?

I lay down feeling even more awake than before, only this time, I was overwhelmed with a feeling of joy, rather than the pain I had become accustomed to. Somehow, through all the events of today, Richtofen had figured out how to make me smile, and even now a grin beamed across my face. The night felt cold, but inside, I was warm, and the wind could not touch me.

I read only a few pages of the book, but it was enough to make me long for that kind of story. I had always dreamed of being loved like Vince Sega loved Princess Jemma, like Romeo loved Juliet. But those dreams were diminished long ago, with my future.

Even in this revelation, I found myself calm, and in thinking about him, I fell asleep. Miraculously, for the first time since I had been here, the nightmares evaded me. For once, I was at peace.