Misty waters

4. Covered in Dust

We spent the night in pretense, none of us pointing out the strange thudding overhead. I assumed they didn't want to scare me but I was already terrified. I tossed and I turned but nothing could prevent me from thinking of the creatures that might steal my life from me. I had read somewhere that our bodies are shells to encase our souls, when our bodies wither and die, our souls move on to another place. But if the souls were captured...I don't want to know how we find peace.

As morning came at last I woke up to an empty room, scratching my chin I got out of the sleeping bag and climbed up the stairs. The smell of cooked breakfast wafted from the royal kitchens to the living room I was in, they must be eating. I looked around rubbing my eyes. The paintings that had captivated me so strongly now held me in a spell.

Looking closely I realized the scenes painted were not ordinary, moreover not even from this country. In fact I hadn't even seen anything of the sort. I marveled at the artist's skill as the details and the trees seemed almost real. I gazed at a piece nearest from me; it was a scene of tall grey grass with a crimson sky stretching over it, between the smoke colored grasses grew vermillion plants that bore round white fruit; it was eccentric indeed.

"Good morning" a voice greeted from behind me causing me to jump.

"Uh oh Good morning to you too" I replied, suddenly aware of how out of place I must look with my tangled hair.

"We should cover the door" Rex said gesturing towards the trap door. Without waiting for a reply he shut down the sturdy door and pulled the rug over it without even a word for help.

I walked out of the door hesitantly, sinking my hands in my pockets I decided to find the bathroom and brush my teeth. Rex walked out behind me; wordlessly. I climbed the stairs slowly, pondering over the fact that Rosetta was my sister and my parents didn't exactly abandon me. I found myself brooding as my thoughts raced to conclusions that didn't quite make sense.

I found a bathroom in my own room; it was so spacious that I had to blink twice. A square tub sat in the middle with a sink at the far end that had metal roses for taps. This castle seemed to have a lot of those flowers.

I decided I'd take a quick bath; I took out my brush and clothes from the bag I had brought with me. Opening the taps I let the warm water wet my fingers as it gushed out from the ornate taps. A crystal bottle containing a pink fluid intrigued me and I reckoned it must be for the bath. I popped the shining stopper open and poured a bit in the tub. The water changed color and it frothed baby pink. Although the bathroom was warm I could sense the cold outside.

Soaking myself in the scented bubbling bath, I closed my eyes and rested my head on the edge. I wonder how they keep this huge castle in order. There seemed to be only one cook in the house and that was Mrs Bumble, but I wonder who kept the inner rose garden pruned and neat and who dusted every room in this humongous castle, I guess I might find out.

Rosetta's voice echoed in my mind as I thought about her: "they protected you" she had said when I announced that my parents had abandoned me. I wonder how they managed to protect me by never once showing their face to me. Or what kind of a sister Rosetta was...who never even met me, though she claimed she had. My anger strained my nerves as my thoughts reverted to my Aunt; even she left me with no knowledge of my kin.

I clutched my hair in agitation before deciding to come out. I needed answers and I needed them sooner or else I might have to question my own sanity. After brushing my teeth and draining the tub I pulled over black pants and wore a green sweater on my black t shirt. The castle was still cold like a corpse though the fireplaces cracked with fire, maybe; it had something to do with the lack of people in it.

Or maybe...it was just dying like the peace in my mind.

After having breakfast with Rex, I realized how silent he was. It was as though he didn't even notice me. As the day proceeded I asked Mrs Bumble whether I could explore the castle by myself. There was no sign of anyone in the house except Rex, who seemed least interested in even talking to me.

I made my way to the third floor with a wish to imagine how it felt to live here; I reckoned it must have been really hard, why else would the royal couple just run to some Island. My footsteps echoed in the hallway as I stared at the endless rooms on either side of the passage. I wonder what they held and what they were used for before.

I touched the nearest door and found it covered in dust; this place hadn't been cleaned for a long time. I twisted open the door and found myself peering into a room full of portraits stacked by the wall. I squinted as my eyes tried adjusting to the dim light in the small room. A face gazed back at me from a portrait, emerald eyes so enigmatic that I was drawn to it. Stumbling on my own shoes I stared intently at it, she was an attractive young woman, ivory skinned with dark hair that tumbled down her shoulders in curls, her lips curved in a slight smile; I could have sworn her eyes twinkled. She was so much like me.

"Hey"

I turned around to see Rex standing behind me with his hands in his pockets "Mrs Bumble was worried you would get lost" he said.

"That could happened" I grinned. Anybody could get lost here.

"Where is everybody?" I asked coming out of the room.

"They've been begging to go to town so Rosetta took them out for buying presents for Alexandra's sister's wedding" He replied beginning to walk towards the passage that had windows on the left wall.

"We'll all be going tomorrow. You'll be able to meet her then" he shrugged before I could ask him about it.

After walking for a few moments in silence I decided I had to make some conversation with the people I would be living with. "So what brings you to this place?" I asked as I stopped to stare out the dusty windows, there was an overgrown garden below it; it was bursting with weeds. I guess not all of the gardens were seen to.

"The reapers were getting a little out of hand and since Rosetta was making sure she offered shelter to people like us, I came here." He said glancing at me, his steely eyes sizing me up.

"It's strange that you never encountered them"

"My Aunt was really protective. My bedroom was in the basement, I wasn't allowed to go outside, I was homeschooled and...I hid myself in glasses and hats if I did decide to leave the house. So that was bound to happen I guess" I replied gazing ahead of me, the hallway never ending.

"That seems like a tough life"

"It's boring too, sometimes I craved going out of the house so much that I feared I'll go insane" I began to walk to the end of the hallway that seemed to have a double door room at the end.

"You'll find living here quite a ride then" He smirked. "We're never stationary"

"What does that room contain?" I asked looking back.

"I don't really know these doors haven't been open for more than seven years."

"Why not?" I asked bewildered as I reached for the handles.

"Rosetta can't stand to open them. She says its best we only use two floors"

I pushed open the doors to find something bizarre; there were rows and rows of book shelves illuminated by the sunlight that poured in from elongated windows, a round white table stood in the center of the magnificent room and in all awe I wondered: how was it so clean and well kept?

"How..."he began to say as I stared at the amount of books bound in fancy covers.