Infirmitate

THREE | Choose Wisely

Everyone was still asleep by the time the sun rose above the tree line. I had unfortunately woken up at first sunlight and couldn't go back to sleep. So, I decided to start working on paperwork and dressed into some clean clothes before going downstairs to make some boiled eggs for breakfast.

I placed a large slab of meat in Riki's bowl at the sound of his greeting huff. "Good morning, Riki." I smile down at him as he quickly tears apart the meat and swallows it. His eyes flicker up at me for a moment but it doesn't take long for his attention to go back to his food.

I sprinkle some salt onto the pair of boiled eggs after placing them in a small bowl. I look down at Riki to see him licking his bowl clean. "Let's head up to the office." I whisper to him. His ears perk up at the mention of his favorite room.

We walk up the staircase and down the hall side by side until we reach the beautiful double doors. I take out my keys and unlock them. Riki bursts through the doors as soon as I open the first door and goes to his fluffy bed. I giggle quietly and shut the doors with a soft click.

I'm not sure how long I was working for, but Mother came in after a while to tell me lunch was ready. I called Riki out of the room and locked the doors behind him.

As we are walking down the hall, I decide to ask my mother about Jacob. "He's doing a lot better today. Those herbs in the salve are helping the wound a lot. He still needs help getting around and it's hard for him to stand up straight but Daniel is doing a fine job in helping him."  I nod my head and sigh in relief.

"I can't believe he survived that rock Blayne hit him with. I thought for sure he was dead." Mother frowns concernedly. "Yes, it is strange. I secretly looked for any head injuries but the only thing there was a small scar." We pause outside the dining hall doors and I turn to face Mother. "Maybe they had the same salve as us." She doesn't answer but opens the doors.

Everyone is sitting at the table waiting for us. A sense of deja vu hits me as I look around at the familiar faces. The only people missing are Thanatos, Julia, and Blayne. I look at the new faces with curiosity. Noa, Blade, and Daniel. They all look tired and out of their element.

I walk over to my seat at the head of the table and wait for my mother to take her seat before sitting down myself. I glance over at the chef who is waiting for my signal to begin setting the table with food. I gesture for him to wait a moment and he nods his head patiently.

"Good afternoon everyone. I hope you all slept well after all the commotion last night." I pause to see a few people nod their heads. "I would like to request a meeting in the dining hall with our visitors after dinner to discuss the recent events." Jacob nods his head in agreement.

"Now, without further ado," I look over to the chef who immediately starts bringing out dishes and setting them in front of each person. "Let us eat."

We all hungrily finish our meals and I personally thank the chef for all his hard work. Father enthusiastically picks up Elliott from his chair and begins to walk out of the room with the others but I call him back at the sight of his bruised knuckles.

He hesitantly hands Mother the toddler and watches as his younger children follow her out of the room. Thomas and Stephen reluctantly leave the room but I have a feeling they'll be listening right outside the door.

Once the doors close and everyone is seated closer to me, I immediately look over to my father. "You didn't come back to the house with us last night." He knows I'm not asking. It's obvious what he did. I can see Noa and Jacob quickly making the connection between what I am saying and his bruised knuckles.

Noa stands up from the table threateningly, wincing slightly at the sudden movement. "I warned you to stay away from them." He growls as he points a harsh finger across the table at him.