The Falling Kingdoms: The Hidden Coffins

Chapter Three: The Weirder Girl

My head was throbbing when I woke up the next morning. I groaned in pain and sat up, annoyed by the bright light coming through the silk curtains of my room. My eyes fell on the family picture kept on the lamp table. The smiles of mom and dad took me back to the days when I had them. I stood between both of them in the picture, smiling hard. My nostalgic stage soon changed into sadness. I haven't smiled like that since the day I lost them.

"Good morning!" Uncle Gerald stood at the door of my room with geeky specs set on his nose.

"Morning." I replied in my raspy morning voice, trying to smile.

"You came home really late last night, Aileen. If your shift is that long, you don't have to do the job." He entered my room, saying.

"Oh no, it's usually till only one in the morning. I came home on time!"

"No, you didn't. You returned at two. And when I asked you why were you late, you just went straight into your room and fell asleep."

"But I-" I trailed off. I couldn't remember anything about last night. I wasn't late. I was on time. I served the last costumer and then left for the Villa. That was all I knew.

"I don't know...maybe I was sleepy.. I can't remember why I was late..." I held my head and answered to him.

"You aren't lying, right? You weren't doing something...off limits, were you?" Chuckling a bit, he asked.

"No, Gerald...I wasn't. I don't even have friends." I frowned at him, standing up from my bed and exiting into the bathroom.

"All right, well, the breakfast is ready.." I heard him saying.

He probably left after that.

I took a bath as soon as I could because thanks to my broken alarm clock I was already late.

When I was ready, I walked down to the dining hall for breakfast. Gerald had already left when I reached there. Sighing in the disappointment of eating alone, I served myself.

Just then, I heard some voices.

"No, I haven't seen the Queen." A girl in a thick accent spoke.

"She is nowhere to be found. Oh Lord, show some mercy and keep her safe. We're orphans without our Queen."

Another woman with a thick accent.

What was that? Who was in the house?

Why don't you go see it for yourself?

The lady in my head spoke. I gathered some courage and stood up from my place, taking steps in the direction of the voices. Soon, I reached the living room and saw that the television was switched on.

But - but who switched it on?

"Uncle Gerald?" I called out for him, hoping he would come out of some mysterious room of this Villa and tell me he switched that thing on.

But there was nothing heard by me but the voices of those women again.

I moved closer to the TV, watching what was on it.

"No one is assured the Queen is missing. It may be a possibility that she's in her restroom." A young girl, wearing a beautiful long dress spoke. She looked scared and nervous.

The other woman's back was facing the camera, so I couldn't see her. But as soon as she turned around and her face became visible to me, I freaked out.

It was the girl that talked to me on my first day at school.

"We must warn everybody. I'm assured the Queen is in danger. She's never late to her speeches. We are not certain but sure, the demons took her."