Kingdom of Fire and Fate

Chapter 4 - New Beginnings

Clara gave Elizabeth a soft smile, handing her a lavender dress, undergarments, and shoes, "This will hopefully be good for you today, I'm hoping I have your size right. You're much taller than Catherine but a bit shorter than me. These are some of the old clothes that I outgrew." The dress was soft and airy, reaching just above her knees.

Elizabeth smiled and brushed her fingers across the soft fabric, it was much nicer than anything she had ever been able to have at the foster home, "It is perfect, thank you." She turned and started to walk into the bathroom.

Clara called after her, "Do you need help bathing and dressing? Hannah said you might be hurt and need assistance." She watched Elizabeth curiously, her glasses sliding down her nose.

Flashes of Silas' voice in her head made her blood run cold. Don't worry, pet, his voice echoed in her mind, since you won't be able to bathe, change and feed yourself, I'll make sure to help you do it every day. her stomach churned, her knees almost giving out as she gripped the counter, "No! No... I don't need any help. Thank you, but I would feel more comfortable if you were to wait for me in the hallway while I bathe and change." She squeezed her eyes shut, willing away the ghost of a feeling of his lips against her forehead or the feel of his hands on her body.

Warren gave her a mischievous grin from outside of the bathroom, "Are you sure? Because I would be absolutely glad to help you out of your clothes." Elizabeth's cheeks flushed as she stared at Warren in shock. But an odd feeling in her chest confused her, did she want him to help her? She didn't know, but she also didn't have a chance to find out.

Clara started cursing at Warren quickly in a language that Elizabeth couldn't understand while Warren laughed. Clara ended up dragging Warren out by his ear. The sound of his laughter slowly faded away as he was dragged down the hall.

Elizabeth's cheeks were still flushed in embarrassment as she closed the door of the bathroom behind her before and locked it shut. She knew she had no reason to be afraid here, but she still had the awful feeling that she was being watched, or that any second Mr. Doyle would walk through the door and drag her back screaming and fighting to Silas.

Elizabeth slowly turned the handle of the tub, watching the warm water rise as she let out a breath of relief. She hadn't been able to take a proper bath in so long, she couldn't wait for it.

Under the sink she found soaps and oils and lotions, smiling to herself as she grabbed the bottles. With careful deliberation she poured some bubbles and oils into the bath, breathing in the soft smells of lavender and rose water as she finally, truly relaxed.

Once the tub was full, she slowly stripped layer by layer, feeling like an imposter in her own skin as she sank into the water. The bubbles foamed around her as she closed her eyes, inhaling the swirling scents. She spent a few minutes just slowly breathing and relaxing, not wanting to head back into her reality yet.

Elizabeth slowly opened her eyes and grabbed the soap, scrubbing and cleaning her long hair before she grabbed a washcloth, scrubbing her skin clean. She made sure she got every inch of her body, feeling extremely dirty from Silas and Mr. Doyle touching her.

She kept scrubbing until her skin was raw and pink. She could feel her skin burning from how much she scrubbed but she didn't stop until she was sure she was completely clean.

Elizabeth took a long, deep breath before she slowly rose from the water once all the soap was rinsed off. Her body was dripping with water as she wrapped herself in a soft, fluffy towel. She spent a few minutes gingerly drying herself off, being gentle with herself after the rough attack on her skin in the bath.