Courting Death | Book 3

F O U R T E E N

F O U R T E E N
The Three Items

DIMITRI SWIRLED HIS own glass of whiskey, bringing the cup to his lips as he sipped at the drink with a sigh of delight. From his drinks cabinet, the spirit of death slowly strolled to the large sofa seats before gently settling on the leather armchair. He sighed once, sprawled lazily over his seat as I sat myself down on the loveseat just adjacent to where Dimitri sat.

"Where's Minnie?" I asked, leaning back on the seat, legs crossed. One by one, I eyed all the boys as they either ignored my question or simply shrugged.

"The last I've seen her she was at the garden obsessing over the flowers," Fabian answered with a wave of his hand before he poured himself a glass of whiskey as well. "She was wondering out loud why the garden had a lack of variety."

"Dimitri's favorite had always been chrysanthemums, after all. And we all know that he's always been rather bias towards his likings and dislikes." Calvin idly commented with a laugh as Dimitri shot him a glare. Shrugging almost innocently, the dark skinned man turned towards me, flashing me a knowing grin before continuing to sip at his own drink. Under Calvin's playful gaze and Fabian's scrutinizing ones, I couldn't help but blush a brilliant scarlet.

"Shut up, Calvin, and mind your own business." Dimitri snapped, though it was said in more of a teasing tone than actually containing venom in his words. "You act like a child sometimes."

"Unlike what we had led people to believe, it is actually rather difficult to stay youthful on the inside. So, there are certain things in which I had to resort to in order to remain young and handsome." Calvin spoke with a dramatic flair, rolling his eyes and resting his chin in the palm of his hand as I smothered my own giggle.

"We're all tired from the journey and perhaps a drink and some catching up would be for the best. Why don't you head on to find Minnie, Addison? My brothers and I have some catching up to do." Wilhelm offered me a small smile.

Just like the tactic that was used on Minnie a while back, I knew without a doubt that it was Wilhelm's polite way to ask me to leave. However, I did not take offense to it like I had when that move was used on Minnie. Instead, I simply stood up and dusted off the imaginary dirt on my jeans before flashing the boys a brilliant smile. I bid them goodbye, for the moment at least, and started to trek my way through the enormous castle that I still had yet gotten familiar with even after the tremendous amount of days I had spent here.

As I started to turn through the different corners of the castle corridors, I was engulfed once more by the silence in which the huge structure undoubtedly provided. The day had already passed, the giant ball of light known as the sun slowly descending down past the horizon. From the window in which I stood by, I could see the clear view of the ombre skies. It looked like a canvas that was splashed with vibrant peaceful hues of blues and pinks, all mixed together to form a single wondrous paragon scene. From a distance, if I strained my ears just enough to listen to the nature that surrounded this giant castle, I could hear the soothing lullaby in which the crashing of waves provided. Seabreeze filled the air, dancing in the skies that were filled with myriad lights of day.

Closing my eyes shut, I placed my hands on the windowsill and allowed myself to be immersed into the beautiful wonders of nature. Such a beautiful sunset it was this evening. Unfortunately, it could also be one of the last views of nature in which I could set my eyes upon.

"You're back!" A voice pulled me away from my reverie. My eyes blinked open, lips slightly parting to take in a gasp of air as I turned around to face the speaker.

Minnie was dressed in a casual blouse and a pair of distressed shorts. Her hair that was as red as fire and had highlights of amber orange was pulled up into a ponytail, her entire look finished with her usual bright and charismatic smile. Today of all days, Minnie looked most at home. She seemed so much more comfortable with herself as compared to when we were back on Earth and this made my heart swell with pride.