closing the deal(2)

"Well then, what are you waiting for. Let's go."

With Raphael being the first one to get in the carriage, she soon followed and making sure that there was a safe distance between them, her eyes fell on the small window that revealed the beautiful nature outside. She had not forgotten about how her little cousin had abruptly fell on the ground and she could not help but wonder about how he did it.

When she had gone out to seek work, the last thing she had expected was to end up in the vampire household. The stories of the night creatures was not something that she could easily ignore which was why she was internally praying for her own safety.

When she subtly turned to look towards his direction, their eyes met only to notice that he had been staring at her.

"You know, I am still wondering about what the old man saw in you."

He commented to which she said nothing.

He did not need to say much because his narcissistic side was too flashy to be ignored. After a long time of silence, she finally parted her lips to ask something that had been bothering her for minutes now. "How did you do it?"

She asked without looking at her and getting no reply from him, she slowly turned her face to look at him. "You mean convincing you to work for me?"

"That was not convincing. You threatened to kill my family and I was not also asking about that. I was asking about how you made my cousin collapse."

"Let's just say that that was one of the things that I can do if someone tries to defy me." That was all that he said before he became quiet and casually, he turned to look through the window.

With almost two hours that passed while on the road, none of them tried to converse with each other and upon their arrival, Larissa was led towards the study room where the old man was.

"Oh, Larissa, you came. I thought that I would not get to see you again.".

The man said and offering him a smile, she replied,

"I had thought the same thing too, but now I am back."

"Well, it is good to see that you are here now." With that, she was ushered by the old man to take a seat opposite him. Senior Hamilton seemed to be a nice man but it was hard to tell whether it was just a facade or whether he was being real with her.

"Have you ever played a game of chess before?" Senior Hamilton asked and when Larissa shook her head, the man continued to say,

"There is a first thing for everything."

When he said that, she observed him as he set the chess board.

The game was popular to many but she had never played it. Firstly, because she lacked time, and secondly, it was because there was no one she could ever played him.

Being the experienced one, senior Hamilton was the one to start and when she was about to move her pawn to the edge, she heard the man say,

"If you ever want to win this game, make sure that you are at the centre.. and never bring out your queen so fast."

"The game is more complicated that I thought." She uttered. With her focus on the board, she made sure to follow the steps of senior Hamilton and for the first three times, she lost but that did not mean that she was not getting much better at it.

Soon enough, her mind was indulged in the game and although she was still losing, she was getting much closer to winning. "It must have taken you a lot of time to master the game." She commented.

"I used to play it with my daughters but after they grew up, they lost their interest and then I had to teach Raphael UpTo the point where he always bit me. You know, I have been talking a lot about my family, why don't you tell me more about yourself and your family."

"Well, my parents passed away two years ago. They were burnt by the villagers who claimed that they were witches to which I flee from there and since then, I have been living with my uncle and aunt." There was heaviness in those words.

The death of her parents had been so abrupt and before she could even grasp all that, the villagers started to search for her but luckily, she narrowly escaped her own death.

"Sorry to hear that. Losing a loved one is painful."

Pursing her lips, her eyes fell back on the chess board. The memories that she had always tried to bury came back where she could hear the last scream of her mother and needing time to gather her messed thoughts, she asked,

"Where is the powder room. I need some time."

Once she was given the direction, she quickly left the room and when she was alone with her face being reflected by the mirror, a tear slipped out from the corner of her eye to which she quickly wiped it away.

She terribly missed her parents and in as much as she tried to act strong, she was fragile. The hollowness that had been left behind and the pain that she had lived with had been haunting her. The mounting pain that originated from her heart tightened her throat and gulping, she opened the faucet and washed her face.

Looking at her reflection for the last time with her lips set into a thin line, she headed out of the room.