My Wee Mate

22 - Invisible Ailsa

Ailsa

A key. A little key. Who knew that such a tiny thing could be the cause for so much pain, and could be the source of making everything right and whole again.

I spent the whole day searching the castle. Every place my father goes, I go. I snuck into his room like a slippery snake. I got in and out without a trace, slithering around the room and checking every corner and drawer.

There was nothing. And I wasn't surprised at all.

I knew it would be difficult, if not impossible.

But Fraser asked me to set him free, and so I have to try. I would do anything for him. Anything.

A vampire. He's a vampire.

Although I spend a lot of time sneaking and snooping for the key to setting Fraser free, I also spend some time with Gentry.

I eat breakfast with her and talk freely. Some part of me, a big part, feels awful for not believing her.

Vampires. Vampires are real. I never expected something so far fetched, something so sinister could be real.

And that it would be Fraser.

I had once thought him sweet, and maybe a small part of me still did, but now his venom, his fierceness.... It makes sense.

The natural fear that sparked in me the moment he unleashed his fury, it's all for a reason. Fraser isn't a human. He's something altogether else.

There's not much that I know about vampires, just the rumors that have spread around the castle like a wildfire catching on old, dry dead trees.

Now that I know that they're real, that vampires are actually living breathing beings that feel pain and have needs, I need to know more.

The curiosity is still eating away at me.

After my detective skills have been reduced to dust, I go for a walk to clear my head. The scent of the outdoors refreshes my mind and calms my spirit.

There's plenty of people bustling about, but no one pays attention to me. I may be the laird's daughter, but I am certainly not important in the eyes of my fellow clan members.

I smile to myself, feeling lucky that I am so small and insignificant to them. It just makes my life that much easier.

As people come and go, I slink off the back of the castle to where the cook prepares the meals. I know she is usually making something tasty at this hour.

My stomach growls, gurgling I'm distress.

When I come around the corner, that hunger evaporates into thin air.

A hog is held up by its feet, strung up upside down. It's fake skin and tusks are a sight to behold, and I'm stunned for a moment.

I stand still for a moment before someone walks into my line of view. The cook. A short, slim woman with big, greedy eyes.

My mouth hangs open at the large knife in her hand. It's long and sharp, gleaming in the sunlight.

"Can I help you, lass?" She asks, gesturing to me with a knife even as I cover my mouth with my palm to keep from openly gagging.

I shake my head quickly.

"No, just curious what's being prepared for supper." I respond, and she nods, her lips turning down like the jowls of a dog.