Flower That Could Not Bloom (Part 7)
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Like the grey and dull morning, they all had gloomy faces and were absent minded during the whole stay.
"It's so dark outside even though it's just 10am..." Lucia said listlessly.
"Maybe it's going to rain, I wish it could simply wash away our worries and sadness too." Freya added looking at the overcast blankly.
"Would you like to accompany me for the day, Freya? Those flowers might help you lighten up." Lucia looked at her in hope but she didn't reply and buried her face in her bedcovers.
Sighing, Lucia went out on her own, carefully closing the door without making any sound to disturb the others.
Freya peeked out and looked outside the window, tears welling up again but in the corner of her eyes something caught her attention....
The perfect blend of white and red, it was that half bloomed rose beside Lucia's pillow. She slowly reached out her hands and held it with trembling hands.
"Why does she have this rose?" she sat up quietly whispering to herself in disbelief.
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An Unusual Visitor
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LUCIA'S P. O. V
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"It's not just going to rain, it's a full-fledged thunderous occasion." My lips quivered yet curved up softly. Wishing that someone would just give me some assurance in this cold bizarre situation, I rubbed my arms.
A sunless sky appeared when I looked up in the chilly atmosphere, so quiet and calm. Almost felt like the whole world became still.
A soft and subtly sweet aroma filled the air around me and a blissful mist started covering me when I reached the garden. I was completely submerged in this magical garden. A ticklish yet velvety feeling came when I touched the flowers.
Breathing in the cold scented air, I felt a little calm.
"Hello there miss." came a sudden voice from behind. Startled I turned around immediately.
"Whose there!?" I frantically searched everywhere in between the mist that started to become thicker.
The voice giggled and echoed around me.
"You shouldn't be out here miss."
"Show yourself!" I yelled.
"Or what... You will scream and beg for help?" she mocked and then giggled again.
"Little girl, I am for once not scared to see anything otherworldly. Would you show yourself if I asked politely?"
I knew she wasn't going to just pop out and be friendly but I had to try.
"Well, depends...” her voiced cooed as her shadow circled around me. She stopped abruptly and asked, “Would you...bleed for me?”
The air became heavy and icy cold sending a shiver through my spine.
‘Bleed? What does that mean? Is she related to all those deaths?’
She started laughing out hard, it made my head hurt even more.
“Heh...no need to get so tensed miss, I'm only playing a prank.”
“Well I'm not really good with pranks so, please don’t make me go through something unnecessary.” hating the way she was enjoying my reactions, I sighed and wiped the cold sweat.
“It’s been so long since a I had a chat with a person so, excuse my impatience.” the voice stopped echoing and it came eerily close to my ear and whispered,
“Then mind if you play a little game with me?"
My feet were frozen...not by cold but by unknown pressure.
Not moving an inch, I gulped. "Ahh yes why not, what do you want to play?" I puffed out my trembling voice.
"Hmm.... A guess game, it's my favorite." she seemed pleased.
"All right, what's your name little girl? I am Lucia at your service." introducing myself has never been so tiring for me.
"Isn't that nice of you, but... you have to guess my name if you want to know." teased a childish voice from the mist.
‘Seriously...is this girl serious?’
"I'll give you a hint. I am... The lost princess of this palace." Slowly but surely, I was having difficulty in seeing even in front of myself.
"I beg your pardon? A lost Princess?" never been in my life I was confused to this extent.
"Oh my, looks like my existence is now... Nonexistent." she laughed at her own joke.
The voice fell silent and after a pause she spoke,
"How horrible, how disappointing."
‘What is going on? Is she really...?’
"If I show myself, would you listen to what I have to tell you?" She asked in a low tone.
Oddly, I felt sorrow in her voice but shook that feeling away and said,
"Yes, of course...I'm all ears."
The mist started to clear up and I could see strands of silver shining in the partial moonlight.
Her light golden eyes glowed with happiness and her beautiful hair swayed softly in the air. She smiled widely as she hovered in front of me.
"My name is Adamantine, first born of King Stanford, it's nice to see your shocked face." she was so pale that I thought she was a lifeless doll made of porcelain. But her smile gave a strange warm feeling.
I was standing there in pure awe when she giggled again and said,
"Such a strange person you are, I was hoping to see you run away like all other people I tried talking to.... but here you are." she circled around me again, observing my every move.
I cleared my throat and came back to my senses, "You look so pretty though..."
"Pretty dead you might say." she quickly shifted her gaze and then stared at the flowers.
I gulped at her sudden exclamation of being dead and I didn't know what else to say.
"You are a quiet one, aren't you?” she scoffed. “Makes me wonder how you survived all those killings. Or perhaps you just arrived late." she slowly walked ahead of me and gestured to follow.
I followed her steadily keeping my pace.
"That face is asking me so many unanswered questions." she said without even looking at me.
"Can you please tell me what is going on in this place, what is that thing killing the maids and why!" I desperately waited for her to answer.
"Who you should say, yes... that thing is a person." she continued,
"A person's ghost that is lingering due to hatred and thirst for bloody screams and agonizing pain."
With an eerie smile she looked at me, her eyes glimmered as she pressed her finger on her white lips.
"Wanna know a little secret?" the stern look on her face made my heart quiver.
And I nodded.
"I was his very first prey." Staring at me she awaited my response.
Nothing came out of my mouth and I stood there still.
Clenching my fists, I asked in a hushed voice,
"How long..... How long have you been wandering here all alone?"
"Hmm, for many years if you ask the time humans live in, for me.... It's been only a few months." she replied.
Closing her eyes, she tilted her head.
"You see, time works differently for the living and the dead."
We stopped at the green house where she sat near the edge of stairs. Staring at the still water, she dipped her hand causing soft disruption in the stillness, the reflection showed a completely different scenery. The place around us slowly shifted into the one we saw in the reflection.
"What exactly happened in this palace?" I whispered to myself as the scene distorted.
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