The Parables

Blake - Precinct Three

Blake - Precinct Three

Hansel and Gretel. That is the fairy tale. It's the only one in all of the books that features both male and female protagonists and hasn't been completed already.

Yawning, I close my eyes and turn over, swathing myself in the duvet. I've been awake since the crack of dawn, thinking about The Parables. I've read the entire fairy tale twice over and the prospect of featuring in a life and death game version of it daunts me. I may have an idea of what it could be like, but knowing The Parables, everything will be a lot more perilous. Sighing, I roll back over so I'm facing the wardrobe doors, detangling myself from the duvet.

My mind wanders back to my family at that point. Rosee would be at school by now if it's as late as I think it is and Mother would most likely be washing and ironing clothes for other people. I wish there was some way for me to tell her that I'm okay. Knowing my Mother, she'll be constantly worrying about me. Mind you, I'm just as bad; I'm worrying about her worrying about me.

Out of the blue, there's a loud thump on the door. It almost makes me jump out of my skin. Breathing a sigh of relief, I sit up and haul the duvet off my legs. Stretching out my arms, I roll back my shoulders and climb off the bed. Clasping the door handle, I twist it and open the door. Standing in the doorway is Cedrus.

"Morning," he greets. "Sleep well?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Good." Cedrus clears his throat. "Breakfast will be on the table in a few minutes if you're hungry."

My stomach decides to conveniently grumble then. I smile sheepishly. "I'm a little hungry, I suppose."

Cedrus grins. "Well, if you're getting dressed, make sure you put on a yellow t-shirt and black trousers," he adds.

"Why?"

"All will be revealed," Cedrus says mysteriously, turning around and crossing over to the dining table. Shrugging my shoulders, I close the door.

Opening the doors to the walk-in-wardrobe, I head in and search through the male clothes. Surprisingly, there are a lot of yellow t-shirts and most of the trousers are black anyway. Everything looks the same to me, so I just grab the closest pair of the trousers and the nearest t-shirt and get back into my room. Quickly, I change out of my nightshirt and shorts and pull the butter yellow t-shirt over my head. Buttoning up the trousers, I ruffle my hair so it looks somewhat tidy then leave the room and head into the main area of the carriage.

At that precise moment, Mitella appears from behind a door on the opposite wall, carrying a plate of fried eggs. She smiles at me as she places the plate down on the table then gestures for me to sit down. Cedrus is already sat down and he steals a fried egg off the plate. Mitella frowns at him then shakes her head, sighing.

"Greedy pig," she mutters as I walk over to them.

"I heard that," Cedrus says loudly, as Mitella heads back into the room she just came from. He turns his head and notices me taking a seat at the table. "Do you agree with her?"

"Don't drag me into this." I hold my hands up in mock surrender. Cedrus shrugs.

"I'll take that as a no then," he remarks, taking a bite out of a slice of toast.

"Well, if you're really asking," I begin, smirking.

Cedrus throws me a filthy look and rolls his eyes. "Jeez, thanks for that Blake," he grumbles, his voice threaded with sarcasm. "I honestly thought you were on my side."

"Tough luck, Cedrus," I joke, buttering a slice of toast. "Maybe next time."

The door behind Cedrus opens again and Mitella scurries into the room, balancing two plates precariously on her left arm. One plate has rashers of bacon spread over it and the other is piled with croissants. She carefully squeezes them into the last remaining gaps on the table, then breathes a sigh of relief and flops down in a seat next to me.