Little Snow

'Eternal suffering awaits mortal and immortal sinners in hell'

- anonymous

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The fire was successfully put out but quite unfortunately, not even a single thing was unburnt.

"What really happened here?" asked Trisha in bewilderment. "Why was the room on fire?"

"It... It's my fault," Athena said in a small voice that was filled with guilt and nervousness. Her head was lowered, as she tried to avoid making eye contact with anyone who was in the room. Her heart was beating erratically and she bit her bottom lip hard.

They only showed her kindness but she paid them with this...

She clenched her fists tightly when no one replied immediately. "I..." she stammered. "I will pay for the damage I have caused because of my recklessness."

"What really happened? Are you hiding something from us?" asked Trisha as she took a step towards her.

"Sorry but I can't tell you," Athena replied as she took a step backward. How can she tell them that she was seeing ghosts and some strange creatures lately? What will they think? That she was crazy?

Trisha's eyebrows furrowed. "What do you mean by you can't tell us? What were you even doing here?"

Athena remained silent.

Suddenly a hard punch landed on her nose and blood gushed out of her nostrils immediately. She was pushed roughly onto the ground.

"Trevor, what are you doing!" shouted both Trisha and Lady Alisha, looking shocked.

Trevor ignored them and grabbed her chin. "What were you doing in the lounge room in the middle of the night to end up burning the room?"

His grip on her chin tightened making her eyes become blurry with unshed tears.

"You are hurting her!" Trisha shouted and tried to push Trevor away but he effortlessly pushed her away and turned his attention back to Athena. "Speak."

Athena felt so much pain and was sure that her nose was broken because of that powerful punch. Still she stubbornly refused to speak. He can hit her all he wanted but she was not going say anything.

Trevor's eyes narrowed dangerously and the temperature dropped. Athena swallowed hard and looked into those intimidating brown eyes. "Speak!"

But still she kept her mouth shut firmly.

He threw another punch at her face. Athena gave him a sweet smile as she tried to mask up her pain. "You can hit me all you want but I am not going to say anything."

"You!" he growled and was about to punch her again when Lady Alisha pulled him away with great difficulty. Trisha rushed up to Athena and kneeled beside her and checked her wounds. "Are you okay?"

"Do I look okay to you?" Athena snapped at her in irritation as she pointed at her own nose.

Trisha did not know what to say and gave Trevor a sneaky glare.

"What's wrong with you?!" Lady Alisha shouted at him. He glared at her. Athena smiled brightly as she licked the blood that had seeped out of the corner of her lips.

"Aunty, I believe that she is a spy! That wretched double faced fake woman must have sent her," Trevor said.

Athena blinked in confusion. He believed that she was a spy? Wretched double faced fake woman? What wretched double faced fake woman?

"How can you be so sure?" Lady Alisha asked him.

"I just believe so!"

Lady Alisha turned to look at Athena with a helpless and apologetic expression. "I am really sorry about my nephew's behaviour but can you tell us in brief how you ended up burning the lounge room?"

Athena shook her head. "I can't. You would think that I am crazy."

Lady Alisha and Trisha exchanged glances.

"No, Athena," Lady Alisha said as her expression softened. "I promise that I will never think that you are crazy."

Athena looked at her doubtfully. She looked at Trisha who wore a curious expression. Her eyes moved and looked at the stoic cold Trevor before looking back at Lady Alisha.

She opened her mouth and said quietly, "Can I speak to you alone, Lady Alisha?"

The three looked at each other and Lady Alisha nodded. Trevor turned to leave immediately. He shot a cold look at Athena. That look sent chills down her spine but she pulled up a poker face and watched him leave.

Trisha pouted and followed Trevor. Athena gave out an inaudible sigh and her facade broke. She looked so exhausted and a bit scared.

"Fine. I will tell you everything," she said as she met Lady Alisha's eyes. She then narrated everything that had happened, about how she had ended up in the lounge room and dropped the lantern out of fear and lastly how she bumped into Trevor. She explained all this while looking closely at Lady Alisha's expression. Her expression was blank and she could not tell what she was thinking.

"And I hugged Trevor because I was scared," she explained. "I just don't know what is going on. Maybe I am just seeing things."

"Is this your first time to encounter such strange things?" Lady Alisha asked in a serious tone.

Athena was silent for a moment before she shook her head. "No. I... I can see ghosts."

This time Lady Alisha looked slightly surprised. "Ghosts?" Athena nodded and laughed. It was a helpless and sorrowful laugh. "You think that I am crazy, right?"

Lady Alisha shook her head quickly. "No, that's not it. It's just that it's quite unbelievable... After all, you are a human being, right?"

Athena chuckled. "I believe that I am." She touched her nose and hissed in pain. It did hurt like hell.

"I am really sorry..."

"It's okay," she interrupted with a weak smile. She did not want her to blame herself for what had happened.

"But I should have stopped him from hurting you..."

"What is done already cannot be undone," she said nonchalantly but deep down she was cursing at Trevor. She hoped that there will be a day when she will be stronger than him. On that day, she would surely shred him into pieces.

Lady Alisha gave her a small smile and helped her stand up. "I am sure that you are tired after all today's activities. Let's get these wounds treated and put you in bed."

Athena let the kind woman drag her exhausted body back to her room.

Lady Alisha helped her treat her wounds.

"These wounds will heal in no time," Lady Alisha gave her a reassuring look, trying to cheer her up.

Athena felt touched by her effort to cheer her up. "Umm, Lady Alisha?"

"Yes?"

"Are you not angry with me?"

She shook her head and ruffled her hair gently. "No, I am not angry with you at all. It was not your fault."

"So..." she hesitated. "Do you no longer want me to stay?"

Lady Alisha chuckled. "What do you think?"

Athena's expression fell but then brightened up at her following words. "Of course, you will stay. You are now a member of the family."

"Really?"

Lady Alisha smiled. This girl was too naive for this world. "Now get some rest. We will talk about the everything else tomorrow."

"But what was Trevor talking about? Who is the wretched fake woman he was talking about?" she asked curiously. She had noticed a strong look of hostility in his eyes when he mentioned that wretched double faced fake woman.

Lady Alisha's expression stiffened for a split second before returning back to normal but Athena did not notice.

"Ah, it's nothing." She responded. "Just an enmity between that woman and us."

Athena nodded and did not think too much about it.

Lady Alisha stood up and said, "You need to get some sleep. I will be leaving now."

Lady Alisha was about to open the door when Athena said, "I don't think that this is the last time..."

"For what?"

"To meet such strange things. I mean that creature..." she sighed before continuing slowly, "I have a feeling that this is just the beginning."

A strange look flashed in Lady Alisha's eyes. "Don't worry, Athena." She turned to look at her with a soft smile. "Everything is going to be just fine."

Athena sighed again as she watched her close the door. She looked at the sleeping rabbit that laid beside her and smiled.

"Little Snow?" she called out.

The little rabbit did not move.

Athena pulled Little Snow into her arms and closed her eyes. She no longer knew what was happening to her... She no longer knew who she was anymore. Nothing made sense at all... Those strange portraits from the castle... That strange creature from the forest... The vampire ghost from the old mansion, Ruth, the ghost and now it was another peculiar creature...

She now regretted going to that ball. If only she had remained home sleeping as usual, all this could not have happened. Things could have been just fine but she could not have met Little Snow. She gazed fondly at it.

"I am glad to have met you, Little Snow." She whispered and planted a kiss on top of its head.

After some time, Little Snow opened its eyes and stared at the sleeping girl with an unfathomable look. Her lips were parted and she took in shallow breaths.

A red light flashed in its eyes and it blinked when she moved.

"Come back," she mumbled in her sleep.

Little Snow snuggled closer and closed its eyes.