Slippers and Tar (COMPLETED)

Chapter 21

"I'm wishing, I'm wishing, for the one that I love," Virgil sang under his breath, "to find me today, today."

"Virgil!" Thalia yelled from inside the house. Virgil sighed and dropped his tools to the floor with a clatter.

"I'm fixing up the carriage that you haven't used in a trillion years, calm down Thalia." He muttered under his breath. He ran his fingers through his hair and set off towards the house, dusting his hands on the sides of his trousers as he went.

"Yes, Thalia?" Virgil asked. "What do you want?"

"I need help." Thalia said. Virgil tried the door knob but something was pushed against it, making it impossible to open.

"Thalia, can you let me in?" Virgil asked, leaning against the doorframe.

"No." Thalia said.

"Then, how can I help? I can't help from out here." Virgil said, holding in a sigh. Thalia was the same age as him but sometimes she could act like a whiny 14-year-old.

"I... I'm not decent." Thalia said and Virgil could practically hear her face blush from embarrassment. "I just need you to get mother, that's all."

Virgil sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "If you wanted me to get Miss Darla, why didn't you just say?"

"Just do it, Virgil." Thalia snapped. Virgil gave a little two-fingered salute to the door.

"On it, Thalia." He said.

"Miss Darla?" Virgil asked, knocking on the door of the reading room. Darla looked up from her book.

"Oh, um, Virgil." She took her reading glasses off and tried to smile. "I didn't hear you come in."

"Apologies for disturbing you, Miss Darla." Virgil said, shuffling his feet. "Um, Thalia said she needed help but she won't let me see what the problem is. I can only assume it's something to do with her dress for the ball. She said she needed you to help." Virgil shrugged.

Darla sighed and stood up, dusting down her black dress. It reminded Virgil of the first time they'd met and she'd knelt down on the dirty drive to meet him properly. Only now her dress was black, not blue. She'd worn black ever since Virgil's dad died, like she was constantly in mourning.

"This ball really is an ordeal." Darla said. "And at such short notice as well." She sighed. "Well, I suppose we can't expect the palace to do much, they are royal after all."

Virgil made a little 'hm' noise.

"Anyway, I had better get to Thalia." Virgil nodded once.

"I'll go back out to fix the carriage. Unless there's anything else." He said.

Darla shook her head. "You do so much for us, Virgil." She reached out like she was going to pat him on the head like she'd done when he was a child. Now, though, her hand faltered and fell back to her side at the last second. "You really are a dear boy." She said. Virgil nodded again, not looking Darla in the eye.

"I'd better get going." He muttered and went out to the garden.

Virgil didn't resume his singing when he went back to fixing the carriage. He barely even did anything to the carriage, he was so lost in thought.

"You can't blame her." He thought to himself. "She can't help how close to papa you look."

"Still," he countered, "she could at least look at me for once. See what a Hell this existence is for me."

We'll get to the ball soon, DON'T RUSH ME!
Bye,
Blaize