Head Maiden of Castle Dimitrescu

23

The phone rang in the library that the girls and I occupied for our hour of Daniela's story critiques. I sighed as I got up from the table and over to the phone. I grabbed it before a maiden picked it up. Alcina still had yet to tell me the body count from me week away. Something told me deep down that it was a number that would have brought the devil out of me. "Hello?" I asked into the line.

"Elena?" The voice sound a shiver of fear down my spine.

"Mother Miranda, hello. Is Eva alright?"

"Oh, she's just a happy bouncing baby!" The joy in her voice brought relief in me. Bela towered over me as I leaned against the table the phone sat on. I glared at the girl, and she only took a step back.

'Stop it,' I mouthed to her.

'Let me say hi,' she mouthed back.

"So why are you calling? Is there something going on? I can always have someone get Alcina for you." Bela slowly took another step back at the warning in my tone.

"Oh, you can leave a message. That will suffice!" I nodded into the line. "I wanted to have everyone meet Eva. I was hoping that the end of next week would work with Alcina's schedule?"

"Yes, of course!" Bela waved her hands up to get my attention. I turned slightly and she pointed toward herself.

'Let. Me. Say. Hi.'

'Stop it,' I mouthed silently back.

"Well, that was all I wanted to ask of you, Elena. I hope everything is going well."

"Everything is fine over here. Actually, before you hang up, I have a really eager grandchild of yours that is dying to tell you hello." Mother Miranda chuckled from the other end of the line.

"Please put Bela on. I love talking to her." I nodded and handed the phone over.

"Here!" I exclaimed to the overly excited girl. She took the phone with glee and immediately chatted away. I shook my head slightly as I turned back to the other two that sat anxiously in their seats. "She will probably talk to all three of you. Just don't destroy the phone. We only have three." Daniela and Cassandra ran toward the phone and listened in as Bela spoke. I chuckled as I chose to take my leave. I followed my instinct and walked toward Alcina's study. And just like clockwork, when I knocked on that door, I heard her voice.

"Come in," was muffled by the door. I walked in a moment later.

"Alcina," I said softly. Her head turned to me in surprise. Golden eyes glowed as she turned to a nearby clock.

"It's not four thirty yet. What are you doing here? I thought Daniela needed everyone to hear her storyline."

"Mother Miranda called, and they decided that it was more important to tell her all about the castle gossip." Alcina's brows furrowed in confusion.

"What did she want? Is Eva alright?" Her eyes widened into something akin to fear. "She did not want you to go back did she?" I shook my head slightly. "Did it have to do with your mission?" I shook my head again. Her posture relaxed back into her chair a moment later. "Oh...then what?"

"She wants to make your schedule free for next weekend so everyone can see the baby." Alcina grunted her reply. She grew quiet. A thought flickered through her eyes before she turned back to me. "Speaking of the mission, did you want to talk about it? All that happened?" I gulped slightly as memories flashed through my mind.

"There...is not much to talk about. Cathleen is dead." Alcina breathed in and hesitated before she spoke.

"Is Moreau?" I slowly nodded. "I see." She hummed as her hands folded on the desk in front of her. Her lips connected against them as her mind wandered. Something close to pain flashed across her face for a second before it settled into a colder stare. She nodded to herself as she took in a breath and placed her hands on her desk and turned back to me. "Do you want to talk about it? I'm sure it wasn't easy."