Chapter two

Once Song was in their room, he gently and carefully laid Emerson on the neatly made bed to rest. He pulled the fluffy white animal skinned fur blanket over her shoulders and sat beside her on the bed, holding her hand and looking at her beautiful face. Unknown to the couples, a certain olive colored hair and forest green eyed girl had listened to half of their conversation- the most important to be precise.

Autumn hummed and skipped some steps as she stepped into the bath house. Nostalgia always hit her like a tide.

"Good old memories". She sighed and pushed the door to the bath house open. She moaned in relief when the steam from the hot pool enveloped and caressed her; the wooden floor creaked as she shifted her weight from one leg to another. Somehow, she couldn't yet place her fingers on the disturbing feeling she was having. Shaking her head and getting rid of the disturbing thought, she looked at the bobbling pool; the pool was divided by partitions depending on the temperature of the water; there was the cold pool, warm, and bobbling hot. However, she always went for the bobbling hot because it seemed normal to her body. After placing her things at the far end of the room, she was about taking off her night gown when she suddenly stopped, her eyes widened like saucers and she ran out of the bath house and stopped at the side of her house; her hand holding the wall as she tried to catch her breath.

What should she do?. She pondered and paced a little away from the wall. Her movements came to a halt with her thumb and index finger holding her jaw lightly; she could only hope her mother left her room without wandering or trying to arrange anything. Bending her back forward, she tiptoed round the house to her room window; after years of training and practice, she was able to manipulate the locks of her room window from outside. Autumn sighed in relief when she found her room window half open and without checking if the room was empty, she stood on her toes and pulled herself unto the window stool from outside before sliding under the window sill into her room.

The oblivious Autumn failed to notice the black shadow that lurked around the corner and disappeared into thin air before the sun could meet it. 

"Finally". She mumbled and smacked her forehead hard when she remembered she hadn't checked if the room was empty. For the past few days, her mind had been preoccupied with a lot of things that she started forgetting little details. Strange! oddly she could hear mumbling right outside her door; she was the type to always hear things no matter how incoherent it was but right now she was straining her ears. Frowning, she walked discreetly to the door and placed her ear on it; her frown deepened as she closed her eyes and tried concentrating on the voices outside the door; it sounded close and yet far at the same time. She knew she was quite different from others in a way or two but this past few weeks had been messing up her head in a way she couldn't think straight.

"You're sick Song and I know it". Autumn bit her lips hard to stop a gasp from escaping. Her father was sick?. As she listened in, she clenched her fist tight; her father was dying- from the description of the illness, she was fifty percent sure he wouldn't last a year minimum, two years maximum. To put it in short, her family was falling apart. If her father dies they were doomed; for sure they wouldn't be able to pay off the required taxes. What could her pregnant and soon to fall into labor mother do? she couldn't even touch her toes. And for her, well for her... Autumn grabbed her hair and stifled a sob with her lips buried in her arm when she heard her parents footsteps fade down the hall. The chances of them becoming slaves was fat as a cow. She turned fully from the door and slid down with her head resting on the door. Her eyes darkened when the image of her pregnant mother in rusted silver chains and fetter bound to her feet played in her head, it made a chill run down her spine; rumors had it that a lash from the whip could tear the skin and some died from continuous lashes.

With heavy heart and a sad expression morphing her face, Autumn slipped out of the room the same way she came in. She had made sure she locked her secret box and her wardrobe door, hiding the key under her bed; she couldn't risk anyone seeing what was inside.

Putting her hands on either side of her body, Autumn pulled her night gown over her head and walked down into the bobbling hot pool with the pool stairs. When she was deep into the pool and her feet weren't touching the pool platform, she dived into the water.

Underneath, the world was quiet and silent but she knew it was all in her head- a blatant lie; the world was a bloody and cruel place to live; a place where Nobles put themselves in the sky and Commoners in hell. Autumn looked up to the surface of the water and the flickering shadow slithering pass caught her attention. She slapped her feet against the water and broke the surface of the water with her hands above her head. Her eyes wandered about frantically and the painful image she had buried deep in her heart resurfaced again; she always made sure the bath house was empty before she had her bath because she didn't want history repeating itself.

When something cold touched her shoulder, she let out a loud scream.

"Your scream's terrible". The familiar voice made her shut her mouth- however, she didn't turn to the side to see who it was because she already knew.

How dare she! but wait!

"Page?".

"Ready to talk to me now?". Page who sat crossed legged at the edge of the pool countered and looked at Autumn who refused to look at her. She had her reasons for what she did. Page sucked her teeth and waited for the question that Autumn hesitated to ask; they had gotten attached to each other and she did and did not like it.

"How did you die Page". Autumn asked and turned fully to face Page. She needed to know for some certain reasons which she didn't know.

"We talked about this Autumn".

"No". She shook her head. "We didn't talk, we argued and you disappeared without a trace". Autumn had climbed up from the pool and worn a robe.

"I just had some business to take care of".

"Oh! come on". Autumn groaned and dragged her hand down her face angrily. "Do not brush my question off". Autumn warned and narrowed her eyes.

"You follow me everywhere, know almost everything about me but I do not know a single thing about you; I DO NOT KNOW YOU". Autumns voice deepened when she uttered her last sentences. Hearing what Autumn said especially her last sentences, Page felt hurt; words always got to her and it was worse when she was alive.

"You tell me you're dead but how can a dead being have a shadow". Autumn pointed to Pages shadow that reflected on the wall.

Realizing she had gone overboard, Autumn bit her lips and tried calming down.

"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that". She spoke with clenched fists. She was lonely and she had gotten too attached to Page who she knew nothing about so she was mad.

Page opened her mouth to speak but she could say nothing because at some certain point she was confused.

"Forget about it, I have things to do today so I won't bother you for now". Autumn walked to the adjourned room to wash her mouth.

A sad expression morphed Pages face as she looked into the pool water and saw nothing- not even a reflection of herself.

Unknown to the both of them, Autumns scream had caused havoc in the woods. Dead unrecognized bodies lay scattered on the ground; the flesh on the dead bodies decayed slowly and turned into dust while the skeletons remained fresh and wet.