Chapter 5 : Pet

How do you encounter a person new to your life? some unknown entity seeking your existence for the comfort and ease of the establishment within.

' Hi, I'm Julie ', First comes to the manners...

' I'm pleased to meet you finally Julie ' with a smile while looking intensely at Julie's eyes, she starts rubbing Julie's hair against her palms while getting a little closer.

' This is a beautiful braided hair, who made it for you? ' while she jumps back, moving around wiggling her invisible tail and looking around Julie with amazement. Julie was confused, tired and mostly uncomfortable. The faded truth is fusing with the background as she becomes a statue for a moment.

' Sorry for bothering you, I was really happy to finally meet you... Let's get back to your room '

' Oh yes, Mother will be joining us shortly for dinner ' as she jumps again, then skips steps, then runs on the stairs recklessly. Signs, although uncomfortable at first, made Julie at ease for finding someone who is free and honest around her. Julie follows her slowly through the door leading to the front entrance of the mansion. The first thing that comes in front of her is how deep the hallway, then the many stairs above her head, and the sound of water moving through open tubes. The mansion is different than how she imagined one to be. The way everything was architectured around with precision, made her heart shiver.

' Julie !! ' She shouted from above, ' Let's go now', with a smile across her facing putting more dancing gestures. She goes around everywhere while rhyming a song and tapping the corner of the wall beside the stairs. Julie started walking up while wondering for a bit why isn't there any other person around. Aren't usually there more people in a big house to maintain it? a frank question kept repeating itself inside Julie as she walks and looks around how big the door she just entered from.

' Come, Julie, this is your room! Mother wanted you to have it! ' She was panting as if she never ran before, Julie followed the sound of her hymes till the end of the cross on the first floor. The door already had Julie carved in it, even the furniture inside felt freshly designed. a soft mix of pink and blue surrounding the corners of the room, with a sweet bed on the middle. A typical Bedroom for the fantasies. Julie read about this description before, it was stunning in reality, but she kept looking to one corner...

' You like books? ', ' I read books a lot, if you like them too I'll give you as many as you want!'

' I was afraid that you wouldn't come, I kept calling Mother every day to know if you're okay '

Julie was receiving the usual dialogue she thought of, it is strange when a small part of dreams become a reality. Getting a room as sweet as this, and someone in this life that understands what to say to make you at ease. Julie liked her.

' It's already seven, in one hour we need to go down and have dinner with Mother. Remember to remind me when the clock on the wall reaches eight'. Eigrene spoke with sincerity and respect, but more than that, Julie nodded with a smile. She found someone she could rely on, even if that person was kind of uncomfortable, but it is in a way nice to us. She then wanted to play with pillows, after a few laughs about how good she is at standing with one hand. Julie was slowly getting hooked with the little joyful games they were doing. Each time they mention a particular word, Eigrene finds a way to turn it into a game. 'The one to throw the pillow and hit the teddy bear wins' ' Let's do a score where the winner gets to do one thing ' ' let's say a word and the other has to say another one following the end of the first word ' ... These little games have interesting effects on friendship since they keep them both at mutual accordance. For kids especially, the sillier the games the more they can fully express freedom. That in which they can create an environment of their own. Julie was having fun with her. Then, Eigrene asked to leave for the toilet. Julie had the time to look around the room, especially the place that interested her the most, the books. She was looking at them while reading titles, ' The little man ', ' Sailors at rescue ', ' Love me ', ' After ', ' Energies & Airdenys '... They all look like different categories, but they are mostly under the name of one author...

' Julie !! ', ' You know what! ', Eigrene did a big entrance by opening the door and screaming with joy. ' You lost! ', Said Eigrene while pointing her index at Julie. She was smiling, then she looked at the clock, ' I win today, Julie ', Julie was startled, she shifted to the dynamic of Eigrene but she didn't understand what to say, Julie stopped for the second time as a statue.

' It's okay, we'll play again tomorrow. ' She proceeded to hold her hand then told her that Claire is back and is waiting for them at the dinner table. Julie was a little relieved to know that Claire is still aunt Claire, the one she was with hours ago. The minutes pass slowly when our perspective of life is swirling with pain, guilt, and fear. They reached the dining room, rather a dining hall since there wasn't a door around. It was fully open with big glass surrounding it, that brims with stars and galaxies. Is it really? Julie's corner of curiosity started brimming with thoughts as well. Julie looked at the corners of the room while moving her eye bulbs, she struck every detail of the dinner table, the food being relayed there, the fact that there was exactly three plates and one simple soup beside each. The fact that every part of that table is nor metal nor gold, simple plastics. The fact that Eigrene changed her attitude the moment she entered the room. The fact that every part of this dining room suggests how good Claire is with managing the place. Or was it her? Who is responsible for these minor details? no servant or any person of the sort is in sight. Maybe Claire arranged the whole mansion during the past weeks, or maybe Claire hired some of the people from the village to help her in the past two days since Julie listened to the discussion she had last time, she felt that every part of this mansion is perfectly in sync with everything. Why is it perfect? Who is it I'm going to blame to stay sane?

' How is the soup Julie, is it to your liking? ' aunt Claire was looking at Julie with a mother's smile while awaiting the response of her.

' I like it, thank you ', Julie looked back at her, then back to her spoon to take another treat from the vegetable soup. Julie is stirring, then she looks at Eigrene and she tries to smile to her. Eigrene smiles back, ...

Eigrene was not, ...

Eigrene is not smiling...

Eigrene is looking serious at Julie, she eats the mashed potatoes in her plate, and she looks the way Julie is holding her spoon. Eigrene felt different. Is she afraid of Claire? is this why she is not being the same person as last time?

' Sweet girl, I might not be around the next week, I need to deal with some issues in France. If you need anything, just call the service on the phone that might be next to your new room ' Claire wiped her seat while allowing herself to leave. Julie was impressed at how elegant Claire's character is. But the weird thing is that Eigrene, the one person who was excited suddenly went silent the whole ten minutes. Claire left directly to a chopper sitting next to a small tennis field. Or is it a court field?

Did she just mention the existence of servants? Julie was not asking explicitly these questions in her head, but the bubbles of curiosity make her body ask that way. While she was dozing off the galaxies upward the sky, Eigrene went missing from the table as well. Julie went to look for her, she can't afford to stay alone. But her head is taking over that part, lonely. Lonely, news of her being different, the truth of her story. Now Syndria Eigrene is leaving the plate, she can't afford to lose someone who was friendly to her. She went upstairs, looking around all the close doors. Why are there that many doors? Everything is clean and tidied up, even the small dirt that's usually left behind a pot of roses. The first thing Julie tries to do is head straight to the phone to ask if someone could be of help. There was indeed a phone close to her room, but that phone was decoration. It did not have a line attached to it, or is it some new kind of phone to Julie's eyes? so Julie picked the phone, it was slim, fits right into her hands, but it did not ring. There was a small button on the corner of it's back. She tried to push it...

' There you are, Julie !! ' screamed Eigrene, ' I told you to go with me to the roof but you didn't come along, did you listen to me? ',

' Sorry, I did not hear it '

' It's okay, I figured you'll come to your room. ' the happy Eigrene was there.

Julie is not good at analyzing characters, but she knows for a fact that Eigrene is behaving in a characterless manner. Something is either bothering her or annoying her. Julie forgot to ask about what happened in the dining table because it felt like a normal deal, at the time.

Julie was happy to see Eigrene once again, she put the phone along with her curiosity and looked at her to wait for what is she going to say next, Eigrene might have ideas about what to do, ideas that make them escape the loneliness or the truth of things.

' There is a really good place in this mansion, you will love it, let's go ' Eigrene shouted then held Julie's hands and went upstairs into a small door. The scent was cold, there were corridors covering the walls, wires neatly arranged above their heads as they cruised through the second floor. There were no doors around. A hallway without a single door. Suddenly, Eigrene stops, she let go of Julie's hands and touch the wall in front of them. There was no sound, but the wall literally faded and opened a new path in front of them. There were lots of neon lights, a smell that reminded Julie of the clinic.

' Follow me! ' Eigrene whispered to Julie then ran close to the corner. The place in front of them was full of flowers and roses, plants surrounding the glassy ceiling but no sign of insect or any living being except the two of them. There was a big tree in the center but it felt more artificial. Julie was following Eigrene with amazement, everything around her is straight out of a diary she remembered reading some other time. In fact, the whole mansion's architecture felt familiar, something she doesn't get very often when dealing with humans. As Eigrene bypassed the nature territory, there a small wooden backdoor. The moment she opened it, dust came rushing through her feet, they devoured her as she entered with squeaky noises of the stairs she was climbing. Julie followed her lead up to where there was nothing but dark. The amount of dust covered their noses and ears. And after a while, the mirrors of light came by touching the brown dots making a line all the way to Julie's pupils. They have ascended to the roof, except this roof had different stars written on it. A couple of nods and Julie understood that this isn't sunlight, nor are the stars above neighbors to it. This is human made.

'Julie! I had mother make this place for me! Do you like it? ' Eigrene with shiny eyes kept insisting with her soul that Julie responds with amazement and envy.

' It's a good place ' Julie was startled.

' isn't it? ' Eigrene called the words and walked away from Julie. Julie tried following her after being incited by the galaxies above her head. Eigrene stopped skipping, she was walking straight. She was walking straight towards a window, then she looked and kept staring at it.

Julie stood beside her and kept the confusion over her head.

' i want a pet ' murmured Eigrene.

' What did you say?' posted Julie in the conversation.

' I WANT ... ' Eigrene shouted to the extent of a monster voice, she looked at Julie then held her shoulder and said, ' a pet ' in a breathless manner. She starts laughing hysterically then She looks at Julie in the eye and said

' PET ... You are a pet '

' You obey me and I'll give you anything you want '

Julie was confused, she tries nerving up her lips for speech but suddenly welcomed by a hit on the cheeks. Eigrene hit her with the palm of her hands, enough to knock her on the wooden floor. She pushes her hands above her neck and asks her again, and again and again. Each time she hits her harder, whereas Julie is not able to mutter a word out of her bloody mouth. Her spine hurts, she can't see clearly what's happening, but she hears yelling. Noise, and screaming and annoyance of everything. It is mad, it can't make Julie any better. She already has pain inside she tries to swallow, more pain is just another way to run from the tune of death.

' Julie... this is the best thing you can do here Julie... Julie, this is good for you, I'll take care of you... you don't need to do anything, Julie ... listen to me and you will be free... I'll be the only person you'll truly need '

Eigrene is chanting while sitting on Julie, she is crying with black tears. Eigrene is happy, her smile is the same as when she first met Julie. But Julie feels and knows that all of this is a dream. All of this happened because of her curiosity, because if that scratch in her head she felt when she saw Eigrene silent.

Or is it?