to the clasp on the choker. Tabitha’s eyes widened and she gave a slight shake of her head as the girl’s hand fell from the choker and returned to rest behind her back. I looked closer at the girl's choker and the initial on the choker was a ‘T’. Could each person in this house have a personal assistant? That seemed odd. “ You like Artemis? She’s a good dog”, Tabitha continued as if nothing had happened. I looked down and realized that I had been rubbing the dog’s massive head ever since entering the kitchen. Something about her presence made me feel a lot calmer than I should under these circumstances. Artemis met my gaze. Her golden eyes looked intelligent and supportive; like she would be there whenever I needed her. I knew that I was reading more into the dog’s agenda because I had no family of my own. Of course I would read the simplest of signs as evidence of undying love and support. Even so, something about this 200lb dog made me feel less alone. “ Yes”, I said. “She’s a very good, very large dog.” “ Gigantic is more like it”, Tabitha laughed. “Efia doesn’t do anything on a small scale.” “ Where is Efia?” I demanded. I looked up at the collective gasp that came from the red uniformed staff. It was the quietest of sounds and I probably would not have heard it had I not been on edge the way that I was. I glanced at Tabitha only to see that she was looking at the red clad people with a look so chastising that I took an involuntary step back. “ Efia”, Tabitha said without looking away from the group, “is around.” She was speaking more to the group than to me so I took this time to study their faces. Each of them was attractive and healthy looking. Their skin was flawless, even the teenagers. There were black, brown, olive and pale-peach colored skin amongst them, making it seem like the United Nations assembled before me. All the different colors, heights and ages made for a beautiful picture of humanity. Solomon and the third massive dog entered the kitchen, breaking up some of the tension between Tabitha and the red uniformed people. Artemis and Apollo chose that time to walk all of the way through the kitchen and disappear through specialized a door that opened when they approached. Solomon tilted his head in acknowledgment of Tabitha and then toward me before walking to the massive refrigerator. “ Have you eaten yet”, Solomon asked while looking in the stainless steel masterpiece. “ No”, I said simply. Not knowing what emotion I was feeling I stuck with hunger. “Do you have grilled cheese?” “ I’m sure we could manage.” I noticed that some of the staff members were caught off guard by my food choice while others seemed to be relieved that I had chosen something so simple. I tried to figure out what the correlation was between the relieved and the aghast and found that it had a lot to do with the initial on their choker. The people with an ’E’ and the ‘P’ were appalled by the choice, but those with a ‘T’ or ‘J’ smiled and cast quick looks in my direction. Since there probably weren’t any people with a ‘C’ on their neck, I stepped forward completely prepared to make my own food. I reached for the bread that Solomon had just placed on the counter when the girl with the ‘T’ on her choker appeared by my side, gently moving the loaf of bread out of my reach. She was almost as silent as Tabitha but she was taller with light brown skin and the deepest dimples I had ever seen. “ Let me make it for you”, she said politely. She looked directly into my eyes for the first time since I walked into the kitchen. Her eyes were the strange color of sea foam that sparkled when she smiled. “ Sure. Thanks. I’m Cheyenne”, I said, extending my hand. The girl looked at me for a moment and then over to Tabitha before shaking my hand in a very professional manner. “ It’s very nice to meet you, Cheyenne. I am