Blind Faith - A Clannibal Fanfiction

Chapter 3

Clarice's run was brief and refreshing, giving her a chance to stretch her legs and pace herself out from the long travels. The cool morning air whipped at her cheeks as she made her way back to the house, gracefully jogging back with steady breaths and a clear mind. She had seen some of the prettiest wildflowers she had in a while, and stopped to admire them for a short while as she caught her breath. The view from the top of the hill was spectacular.

Trees dotted the horizon, accompanied by a field of wheat on the right hand side of her view, and a field of lavender - dotted with poppies to her left. She imagined that Hannibal had spent many a day upon this hill, sketching and painting to his heart's desire. In the distance, Clarice could make out the glistening of what appeared to be a lake or a river, and decided that she would eventually make her way down there; given a little more time in her day.

But now she was walking up the driveway, hands on her hips as she paced the pathway, stepping on the sections of the patio. She didn't like to step on the cracks - childhood quirks. She saw a little notelet pinned to the door as she looked up, just beneath the knocker. Upon advancement, it read:

'Clarice,

I won't be long. I have stopped in the town to pick up a few items for today's lunch. I hope you do not mind. I have left the key beneath the rose plant pot, so you may let yourself in when you return. Help yourself to anything in the kitchen if you wish to.

Until then,

Hannibal.'

Her hand reached forward to pluck the paper from the door, and she held it delicately as she searched for the house key. Just where he had told her, beneath the velvet red roses. Clarice took a moment to sniff them, and was pleasantly surprised to find such a sweet smell from a flower. A little, fuzzy bumblebee buzzed across the garden and landed on the plant, and Clarice gave a soft gasp at it - not expecting it to suddenly show. She gave it a little smile, and crouched down.

"Hey there, having a buzzy day today? Bet there's a lot of flowers for you to pollenate, hmm?"

She squinted a little at her words before shaking her head.

'Seriously, Starling? You're talking to a bee?'

With a scoff at herself, Clarice stood up again.

The key slotted in; and upon turning it the latch caught and the door swung open with a satisfying creak, the kind of creak you would expect from such an old house. Clarice enjoyed the little happiness that the door had brought her, and she stepped into the house. The marble floors provided coolness from the heat of the day, and the white walls reflected it - like an air conditioning unit.

She made her way through to the kitchen, slender fingers brushing the loose wisps of her ponytail back behind her ears. It was quiet without Hannibal around, and Clarice would've liked someone to discuss her morning run with. With a hum, she poured herself a cold glass of water, and returned to her bedroom to shower and ready herself from later.

She had noted on the way in that Hannibal had not taken the car into town. Was it to show that he was not going to leave her? Or perhaps he just fancied a leisurely stroll. Clarice reckoned she was overthinking everything because of who her host was. She wouldn't be acting this way if Crawford or Mapp had invited her to stay in Italy for a week. Of course she trusted Hannibal, but there would always be that little voice in the back of her head feeding her doubts and concerns. She sometimes wished she could switch her brain off and just enjoy the moments whilst they lasted - but Clarice could never do that. Overthinking seemed to be her speciality.