Out of the Darkness (v2.0)

Chapter Seven

   Mild Trigger Warning

Life.

    Flowers sprung forth from the dark, moist earth with their colourful radiant petals. Leaves sprouted from the dead of crooked branches. Mother nature was at work in June. Though the beginning of spring had long since left the world, the fresh seasons’ wonders still left behind another cycle of beauty.

    And for Elijah and his dear assistant, one of the best times to enjoy spring’s last breath would be spent on a business trip.

    “I promise I’ll do my best, sir!”

    After a lecture of how to act, where they would be going and what it was for, Elijah stopped pacing back and forth between the wide walls of his office. “You sound a little too excited, Ellanor.” It was partially true -- that Ellanor had more energy than usual. The reason it was only partially true, however, was because it wasn’t exactly… a little.

    Ellanor was practically jumping up and down on her heels, clutching a binder -- which was filled with copious amount of forged signatures -- close to her chest. Her eyes were bright and shining, and her red curls were bouncing. A giant grin that could match the cheshire cat’s grew upon her face. She looked like a freshman in high school with no idea how bad things could go downhill. It was somewhat terrifying to think that anybody could be that happy, yet also pleasing to know that she wouldn’t be complaining.

    “Sorry, but I never get to go on trips these days, or even get out of the house besides work. For something… different… is the best thing possible,” she explained at the speed of light. “So thank you -- thank you so, so much, sir! I won’t disappoint you!”

    “The one thing you really have to do is follow me around, not much else.”

    “I know. But behaviour and all that is something I’m used to,” she shrugged, smiling a little as she looked at the ground beneath her feet. “And even then, I mess up, so it’ll be extra important that I do more than I can.”

“I know that results matter, but I’m sure your best is what I -- no -- you need.”

Ellanors’ shoulders fell. “... No. I’m never enough. I can always do better, anyways.”

“Just make sure that it’s for yourself. Not for others. In the end, you’re the one who has to live with yourself.”

“... Yeah. Sure. As long as you do the same for yourself, sir… May I go home early to pack?”

“Of course.”

It had been only a little more than a week’s notice prior to the planned business trip all the way across the Atlantic to Europe, but Ellanor didn’t mind. She was happy to have the escape… But before she could get away with it, she’d need to prepare. She didn’t mean the luggage, either.

Ellanor could pack up in the blink of an eye. It was something she’d practiced when she was little despite how rare it was for her household to go on trips, and it was something she still practiced every now and then with the wistful dream of someday slipping through Dallas’ claws the way water drips down through your fingers. Let’s just say that she wasn’t so quick to pack.

So instead, she went straight to the kitchen.

Cooking. It was one of the few things she was truly good at. Even if she couldn’t sing that well, or play an instrument, or really… do anything more, Ellanor could cook.

Ellanor went through the fridge and the cabinets. Despite there not being much else than bottles of alcoholic drinks, she would make do with what she had. She pulled a few choice ingredients from their hiding places so they could be put to use, yet once in awhile, she could catch herself glancing at the knife holder that lay in the corner counter.