Chapter 12

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    A short while after breakfast, Tes and Noah headed for the attic which was the last floor in the Manor. They both had butterfly nets in their hand as they headed towards the attic.

   Noah opened the old wooden door and it made a sonorous sound. They stepped inside and Noah signalled Tes to be quiet in her steps.
Tes rolled her eyes sighing and observed the attic. It was just filled with old wooden furniture's that weren't in use anymore. The windows were also closed making the atmosphere stuffy. Cobwebs had decorated the chairs.
  Noah suddenly gasped, holding Tes' hand and pointing to an upturned chair at her right.
The winter moth was there, hanging by its leg and nearly blending into the woodgrain.

   "We need to be quiet"Noah whispered as he and Tes slowly and stealthily walked towards the moth.

  Tes nodded her head and quietly walked towards the moth who didn't seem to notice their movements.
Noah raised up his net to catch it but it positioned itself to fly away when Tes quickly caught it with her's. The butterfly struggled to get itself free from the net.

  A smile formed on both Tes' and Noah's lips as they rejoiced on their successful mission.
  "So what are you going to do with it huh? Tes asked as they stepped outside, Noah locking the door behind her.

   "I just want to study it for some days then I'll let it go"Noah replied, face beaming with joy.
Tes handed him the net smiling.
He collected it and dipped his hand into his pocket bringing out his own key to the door.
  Tes eyes lit up on seeing it and quickly grabbed it from Noah.
  "Thank you so much!" Tes said with a smile as she caressed Noah's curly hair.
  He nodded his head at her and walked away towards his room.
    "One key gotten!
Two more to go"

   Tes breathe a sigh of relief as she headed downstairs searching for Anabel.
   She walked over to the parlour, dinning room and kitchen but Anabel wasn't there.

  "Anabel? Where are you?"Tes called out.
  "Am over here Tes, in the library!"Anabel replied.
  Tes walked past the stairs and headed towards the last door on the left side of the stairs.
  She opened it and saw Anabel sitting in one corner with a few books surrounding her.
   Tes surveyed the environment. Even though she had stayed in the Manor for more than two days, she doesn't really go to the library. The shelves were all packed with different books from different writers. The library was spacious and there were about three windows, allowing ventilation to come in.
  She walked over to Anabel and sat near her,studying her countenance.
  "Oh Tes, I need your help"Anabel pleaded.
  "Here we go again!"
"What is the problem Anabel?" Tes said forming a smile.

"Ok so there's this boy I like, he lives in town, and I don't know how to tell him I like him ,so I'm thinking of writing it as a letter to him, maybe in poetry, but I really don't know what to write, words just won't come out!"

  Tes let out a laugh and held Anabel's hand reassuringly.
"I'll help you,I'm not that good with poems though but I can help you, it's the girl code"
 
  "Ok so um Anabel, how do you feel when you see your crush?"Tes asked.

"I feel so happy,he stole my heart, I'm usually speechless whenever I am next to him, it feels like he stole my voice"Anabel replied.

"Awwn Anabel is Inlove"Tes said nudging Anabel's shoulder.

Anabel's face felt flushed as she tried to hide her smile,"stop it Tes, you are teasing me"

"You know that's a good way to start your poem uumm,
You are a thief for you stole my voice? Wahbout that?

Anabel's eyes lit up and a wide grin formed on her lips,"Yes! oh my God! Tes you are good at this. It can be You Tend a shop, but you are a thief for you have stolen my voice!"

"You see we are getting it"Tes said cheerfully.
She really needed to assure Anabel she was willing to help her inorder to get the key.

  "If you've ever tried to express your emotions to him face to face, how did you feel?" Tes asked.

Anabel signed and let out a laugh"well I felt speechless, I couldn't even do it, that's why I decided to write it in a poem and send it to him"

"Exactly!"Tes said snapping her fingers.
"You can add that too, the part you said you can't say it to him face to face so you decided to write in a poem"Tes added.

"Uum ok something like my words may bear me not too far but my hands are eager to express my love"

"We are really getting this Tes!" Anabel said ecstatic.

"Ok let's wrap it up,so when you are through with the poem, and he reads it, what is your next line of action Anabel? Tes asked.

Anabel bit her bottom lip and stroked her chin lightly"well I'll have to wait for his response"

"Add it then, you can say uum,
I shall sit and wait for your response, you know something like that"

"I'm really not good at poems though"Tes added.

"Ok I can say that, it's perfect!
For I shall sit and wait for your call as my love for you runs unending"

Anabel stood up happily and hugged Tes"thank you Tes,I mean it, thank you so much, I really wish I could deliver this message to him, but he lives in town and I can't even remember the last time Mabel let us go into town. We hardly leave the house, I'll just mail it to him. Thank you so much Tes!"

Tes hugged her back, standing up, she held Anabel's hand and stared at her in the eye"now I need your help too"

"With what? Anything!I'll help you"

Tes smiled at Anabel. Her kind gesture had done the trick!

  "That door, that locked one, don't you ever wonder why Mabel doesn't let you open it, there's definitely something behind that door, and I need to get to it, that's why I'm in this house"

Anabel gasped in shock, she usually did wonder what was behind that door but she never thought of opening it. She was scared of how Mabel will react plus she was also scared of what was inside that door.

"Yes though I have actually wondered what lies behind that door because that door just leads to the furnace and what would anyone be hiding in the furnace"

"But!"Anabel added then stopped, stared at the ground and looked at Tes again, gripping her hand"I'm scared of that door, one time before you came here,I was heading to Mabel's room when I heard a banging coming from inside the door. Fear gripped me to be honest. Mabel came out of her room and stared at me,signalling to me to go downstairs. She didn't even check the banging out"

  "You see! That's why I need to know what's behind that door, I know you have a key, it has three keys and each of you have a key, Noah gave me his key so please I need yours"

Anabel nodded her head and left the library. After a short while she came back with a key and handed it over to Tes.
Tes face beamed with smiles and she collected it hugging Anabel.

"Tes be careful ok. Mabel's key will be really hard to get you know, she is always with it, she hardly let it leave her sight"

"Don't worry about it ok. I'll get hers too"Tes said smiling as she turned to leave with a baleful grin on her face.
  "One more key to go! Once I get it Mabel will wish she never even existed!"

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