Green Eyed Nanny Black Dress Grin

Dear Applicant,

Thank you for your interest in the position of Live-In Companion. We have reviewed your qualifications and found them... sufficient.

However, the role has been filled. By someone already here. By someone who was never gone.

The woman who holds the position has green eyes — RGB 88, 150, 68 — with a horizontal flare that cuts across her face like a blade of light. Her skin is gray, not pale. Gray like stone that has forgotten it was once warm. Her dress is black with white piping that traces every seam. Her arms are crossed. Her nails are sharp enough to etch glass. She is smiling. She has been smiling since before the position was posted.

She does not blink. The smoke behind her does not rise. It coils. Green eyes watch from the dark at the edges of the frame — two pairs, small, patient. They are not hers. They are her references.

We will keep your application on file. In the drawer with the others. The drawer is deep. The drawer is warm.