The Fourth Daughter

Chapter 8

Elvira? El wake up," a familiar voice sturred Elvira from the grasp of sleep.

"Hm-what?" Elvira mumbled, raised her head up from the table looking around the archive room trying to figure out where on earth she was.

"I've been looking all over for you El," Rose huffed "You fell asleep in here again,"

Trying to rub away the sleep from her eyes, Elvira glanced at the laptop and multiple tall stacks of paper trying to read the words that she couldn't seem to read or make sense of; Elvira mumbled a "sorry," with Rose still looking at her worried.

"It's fine El," Rose sighed then smiled as she thought of something "why don't we take a break and get some lunch?" Rose hummed patting Elvira on the shoulder before walking away expecting the other girl to follow.

Elvira got up and headed to the door that Rose exited through, being met with a dim hallway on and no sign of Rose.

Looking around confused "Rose?" Elvira left the doorway deciding to go down the hallway in search for Rose.

There was a constant noise of running water that could be heard, the noise making Elvira antsy along with the hallway beginning to slowly flood with water.

Wading through the water Elvira eventually came upon a white door; the white door with a crystal door knob, the water was coming from here.

"Mom?" Elvira softly spoke out with her ear against the wood before knocking on the door and listened for a response.

No reply, only the sound of flowing water.

Elvira grasped the cold doorknob turning, pushing the door with difficulty because of how much water there was; the water kept rising up.

Elvira forced the door open, water was now up to her knees, there was liquor and pill bottles floating around in the bathroom, labels she couldn't read; at the wall opposite of the door was the bathtub.

The facet was on and the bathtub was overflowing with water that was pouring out and flooding the whole room.

"MOM! Please--no," Elvira pleaded as she tried running through the water as fast as she could, yet no matter the effort she never could go faster or get any closer; the bathtub was always far away out of her reach.

"Elvira?"

...

"Elvira?" The girl gasped as her eyes flew open meeting darkness.

Disoriented as ever Elvira lifted her head up to look around fruitlessy in the dark surrounding that her eye's have not yet adjusted. "My poor girl, did you have another nightmare?" Lady Dimitrescu cooed with sleep heavily lacing her voice as she reached down gathering Elvira and the blue fleece blanket along up from the crib to her bosom gently kissing the girls forehead.

One nightmare to another Elvira grumbled mentally to herself.

"Put... Me down," Elvira huffed resting sluggishly against Alcina's silk covered chest still half asleep.

The lady sighed having become accustomed to this song and dance with Elvira already, it has been a week since the girl woke up and properly introduced to the Dimitrescu family.

Instead of arguing with the girl; Alcina wordlessy hummed an unknown lullaby, a low steady sound that soothingly rumbled throughout her chest to where Elvira was laying her head listening.

The combination of the humming, the slowly thudding heartbeat, and the warmth of the silk covered chest certainly didn't leave Elvira unaffected in her already sleep addled state.