The Keep

47. Of Anger, Grief, and Fear

Hazel opened her eyes to the lavender-scented beige-colored satin pillowcase. It reminded her at once, that she was in her old room at Ponderhead Place. Her grandmother had insisted for her to stay at Ponderhead Place until she gets better, and all Hazel wanted was to sleep off her extreme exhaustion. Anywhere would do, really. And so, she agreed.

If there was a silver lining of having a seizure, it was the blissful deep and long sleep afterward. Hazel didn't know how long she's been sleeping, but it felt like months. Hazel swept off the saliva from her cheek and turned her body to lay at her back.

"You're awake?" Hazel heard Rangga's voice.

Hazel lifted her head up to find her cousin on her working desk, surrounded by books and parchments. He must've been studying.

"Wh-are you doing here?" Hazel asked back.

"Grandmother wanted someone to accompany you," Rangga answered.

"What about school?" she asked.

"Well, I'm here. Aren't I?" Rangga turned his eyes aside as he answered.

Hazel sensed something bad, really bad. She pulled herself sitting, and asked, "Is everything alright?"

Rangga still refused to look at her. Instead, he got up from his chair and walked away. "I better tell grandmother that you're awake," he said as he closed the door behind him.

"Wait," Hazel was of course, unheard.

Dozens of house-elves to bid his will, and he preferred to do it himself, Hazel thought. Something was really wrong, Hazel could feel it in her stomach.

Hazel got up, washed her face, and drank some water, in hope that they will help to clear up her foggy mind after the very long slumber. But even after clarity came to her, Hazel still couldn't shake that irritable uneasiness in her stomach.

"Warren," Hazel called in her own impatience.

The house-elf popped and bowed before her. "I'm glad that you've awaken, Mistress Hazel. How can I help?" he said in his proud voice.

"Has something happened while I was asleep?" she asked.

"I'm afraid I cannot help you, Mistress," Warren bowed once more.

"Why?" Hazel demanded.

"Because I told him not to tell you." Tatiana had come to Hazel's room.

"You can go back to your duties, Warren. Thank you," Tatiana said, and with an extremely deep bow, Warren Disapparated.

"How are you feeling?" Tatiana asked as she sat down on the tea table.

"Curiouser and curiouser," Hazel answered.

Tatiana pet the tea-tray, and it started to dance away merrily as it prepared their tea. "Come, sit with me," the chair across hers pulled itself, in wait for Hazel.

Hazel heed her grandmother and sat down.

"You've been asleep for three days, sweetheart," Tatiana scooped a generous amount of sugar to Hazel's cup of tea. It was something she always do when Hazel was feeling down. It really didn't help with the sickening feeling that Hazel could taste in her mouth now.

"The night after you came back home, your grandfather told me before he slept, that he was feeling very tired," Hazel felt her stomach churned at Tatiana's words.

"And the next morning, he didn't wake up," Tatiana smiled weakly as she said her sentence.

"What do you mean?" Hazel really, really didn't want to believe what she just heard.