Belladonna

Chapter 2: Mentor

My current residence has a large fancy fountain. It sits prettily in the middle of an expansive and neatly pruned garden at the back of the mansion. When the sun or moon comes out, the water glistens like a treasure trove full of countless precious gemstones. Since my bedroom has a fairly good view of it, I would sit on the balcony on some nights to admire it.

It was not until I physically came here a few days ago that I fell in love with it. The uniformly trimmed, lush green hedges are tall enough that the fountain cannot be seen much from the ground level, only the alleviated mansion has a clear and majestic view of this place. It felt as though I had a secret garden all to myself, with no one watching and no one to bother me.

Hauling myself onto the white marble ledge, I tucked my legs beneath me and braced my arms upon the edge, peering down at my reflection rippling upon the water's surface. The soft, tranquil sound of running water flowing in a steady stream reminds me of the rainy days I had spent with AmeOnna back in our forest house. On those days, her mood seems to be exceptionally good.

With a huff, I pushed myself to stand upon the wide ledge with my arms spread out on either side of me and began to circle the fountain gleefully. I am careful not to misstep and fall in, for it would be a shame if I accidentally dirtied the cute outfit Nee-chan gifted me. She gave me an entire wardrobe of new clothes, and they all looked so pretty and soft to the touch, some of the dresses even had a couple of layers too.

Ever since AmeOnna dropped me off here, a week has passed in the blink of an eye. On the first night, I practically cried myself to sleep. I missed my guardian dearly, and we have never been separated for as long as I can remember. Although the knowledge that my elder sister is in the same house made me feel a little reassured, it only helped so much. I guess I just needed a bit more time to get used to the environment.

I had noticed that Nee-chan always wakes up around three in the afternoon, alongside most of the hidden residents, around five hours later than me, since Ayakashi are mostly nocturnal. I just realised that AmeOnna had adjusted her sleeping schedule to match mine these past five—nearly six years. I made a mental note to give her a big hug during my visit on the weekend.

With no one to meet nor anything to do during these five hours of quiet mornings, I explored the manor, going through the many rooms—some are locked, much to my slight disappointment—or the vast library. The thick, hardcover books are covered in a very fine layer of dust, accumulated over three days at most. The meticulous housekeepers did a good job.

Once she had risen, I would join Nee-chan in the late afternoon for a meal. Of all the places I managed to get into, I liked the fountain the most. Since everywhere else was a little too dark or had already been occupied.

Hopping off the ledge, I landed with a thump on the stone pavement and ran around the garden with a grin on my face. Reaching out a hand, my fingertips graze the soft petals of countless blooms, my surroundings blurring into a swirl of colours as I zipped past, not a single blemish to be spotted. All thanks to the hardworking gardeners, one who is just around the corner working on yet another flowerbed.

I made sure to stay away from him and his large, gleaming Gardner scissors. AmeOnna always told me not to distract anyone when they are handling something sharp and dangerous; I will do just that.

Nee-chan's wardrobe consisted mostly of dark colours, and she seems to love the colour black in particular, while mine is nearly a mix of the rainbow. She has been very nice to me. I got a room all for myself. The bed is big and soft and has lots of fluffy cushions. There is even a large bathroom connected to it.

We would talk and eat together. At certain times, somewhere deep down within me, I still could not shake the feeling that something was off. I chalked it up as still being unused to a completely new environment and shrugged it off, leaving it in the deep recesses of my mind.