The Greyback Manor

chapter two

I planned to meet up with Alexandria and her husband in the dining room after Anna had taken the kids outside. It was lovely to watch them shift and play chase with Anna. I giggled but soon found myself lost, as every hall looked the same. That was until two doors opened behind me, and I saw a man with Asian American features. He wore a black tuxedo with a bow tie and white gloves. He reminded me a bit of that boy Alex dated briefly Josh who I wanted to strangle. Yet he also looked like someone who was dishonest and charming. I turned my head to observe his behavior as he went on to treat me like royalty.  

"Good morning. I don't believe we've been introduced. Welcome to Greyback Manor,” he said.  

My cheeks flushed at the stranger, not used to all the attention.  

“Good morning and thank you. I’m guessing you're the butler," I responded.  

He smiled and gestured for me to enter. Behind him was a dining room that outshone the one from the hotel. Instead of the huge ballroom with golden chandeliers and a marble floor, this dining room had a pine wooden floor that had been painted to match the red wallpaper. A sleek and shiny silver table covered up by a black tablecloth. Blue velvet curtains matched the cushions on the wooden chairs, and there was a platinum ceiling. A white vase full of peonies, lilies, and roses, each flower fading from white to pale red. My heart leapt at the sight as I felt I didn't deserve to even be in the room. 

"You would be correct, ma'am, but I do consider myself to be a friend as well," he responded. "Just have a seat. The master will see you shortly."  

For a moment, I thought I saw him fade away, which prevented me from doing anything besides thanking him. After all the weird things I had seen in the past two days, it was a miracle I hadn't gone crazy. He nodded and left me alone. My eyes wanted to follow him, but I kept moving toward the window. I could see Anna outside playing with the twins, who had made a mess in the garden. I giggled a bit when Anna tried to scold them only to have a lemon handed to her.  

"They better not mess up my flowers, they take weeks to grow,” a voice said from behind me.  

Sure enough, it was Alexandria with a bittersweet expression on her face. She didn't need to say anything. I knew why I was feeling that way. Nearby I saw Connor at the table messing with some kind of pendant on his neck.  

"How are you doing?" I asked.  

“Well, I checked the entire hotel twice. There's no trace of whoever left the blood," she responded.  

I shuddered a bit at the mention of that message I could never unsee. Whoever left it wanted me scared or out of the way, but I still didn't understand why. Nor did I understand the concept of the limited days.  

Connor caught my attention when he let out a heavy sigh mixed with a whine. His eyes were glassy, and dark circles were forming under them. I felt my own pain reflect in his eyes. He had lost someone important to him without a reason. 

"How is he doing?" I asked.  

She looked back at her husband hiding the concern before her shoulders slumped.  

"Werewolves have a long mourning process, but he's in a state of shock," she answered. "He won't talk about what happened, and I dread to think of what might happen if we don't find Jekyll."  

"Hyde isn't gone. We can still help him," I said. Connor looked at me with a melancholy expression before messing with his pendant. Alexandria placed her hand on his shoulder and offered him comforting words, yet I knew it wouldn't do much, because I knew that feeling better than anyone.