Malee could see the light from underneath the door to the Mary’s room. Mary must have left the door slightly ajar for her to come in. Malee pushed the door slightly and walked into the room with Mary sitting on the bed and an empty chair in front of her. Mary gestured Malee to sit on the empty chair and Malee did.

“How long you have been here? A month?” asked Mary.

“Yes. Why? You don’t need me anymore?” asked Malee, suddenly surprised by the question about her when she was expecting Mary to talk about George. Perhaps they are letting her go? That might be troublesome as she had nowhere to go to. With her father beaten to death by the street gang, the hut where they used to stay probably had been looted and burned down by the neighbours. No one would bat an eyelid for an orphaned girl in the slum. Another one ripped for the meat market at a red-light district at the other side of the dumpsite.

“No. We are not letting you go. Actually, it is George, who is leaving for overseas like his sister.” explained Mary to Malee, whose face looked as if she was about to burst into tears. Poor girl, Mary thought, with her father gone, she would be wasted on the street.

“George?” asked Malee. So that was why he was so angry that night. They were sending him away, and it was all Georgia’s idea from the paper she was holding everywhere and refused to show to Malee. If it was from Georgia as Malee had surmised then it must have been the party with the princess that triggered her to do so, Malee thought.

“But it’s not for us to say anything.” continued Mary. She was right, Malee thought, if Georgia said so then not even their parents would object. She was the cleverest of them all by a mile.

“When will George be leaving?” asked Malee. Perhaps, she would give him a good massage at the beach before he left or a dish of her fried potatoes.

“He left this evening with Georgia and will not be back for 10 years.” said Mary with a sigh. Georgia was smart and decisive. She didn’t even give her brother the chance to say goodbye to the servants. The plane was booked and so was the university entrance with one or two calls to her contacts. George would have made the scene with everyone, but not Georgia. She had always been pulling the strings from behind like a puppet master.

“But I called you to talk about you.”

“Me?” asked Malee. The conversation had turned back to her.

“Yes. George had left a note for you to continue the education and get a degree.” said Mary, taking out an envelope from the handbag on the table and giving it to Malee. Malee pulled the paper from the envelope and glanced over it. It was indeed written in George’s handwriting and said what Mary was telling her, but there were two signatures in the bottom.

“Two signatures?” asked Malee.

“Georgia. She signed it too.” said Mary. She had never seen the twins agreed on the same subject in a quick succession and wondered what was so special about the orphaned girl from the slum in front of her. George, he was agreeable to anything, but not Georgia. Georgia must have seen something in Malee that she herself had not noticed yet. With the two signatures, they decided her fate.

“So you have to go back to school.” said Mary, observing the surprise look on Malee’s face as she read through the letter from George.

“What about the school fees or entry? What about my tasks?” asked Malee.

“Since George and Georgia gone and Master and Mistress not at home every day, there won’t be much to do around here. And don’t worry about the school fees and such.” Mary answered. She would know soon why they weren’t necessary.

“You just have to study hard. John will help you with the rest tomorrow. Sleep well for the night.” said Mary as she got up from the bed and showed Malee out of the room. She wondered if Malee could handle the pressure placed on her by the twins, but if Georgia was right, she was always right, then it should prove interesting.