Chapter 164: Shadow Monster-II

The next day, Elise woke up feeling as if she had woken up from a very sweet dream but when her blue eyes looked down on the finger where there was a bite mark, her cheeks reddened. It wasn't a dream that she and Ian had kissed. Waking up without nightmares somehow gave her a sign that today will be a good day.

Waking up, Elise went to wash her face in the bathroom she was provided with. Unlike other maid rooms, her room had a separate bathroom which had Elise questioning if she was an exception Ian made in the castle.

After washing her face, Elise took the towel to dab her it. Her mind began to wonder about William's ghost that she had seen at Lipton's manor. What was her younger brother doing there? She had asked herself the question many times but found no reply. Walking toward the mirror, she then noticed the same crack on the corner of the glass.

Was it her imagination or did the crack become bigger? Elise placed her hand over the mirror, covering the part that broke when from behind a voice came to chirp, "Elly! I waited for you last night, where did you go?" asked Hallow, his voice was still drowsy and his larger green eyes were filled with sleepiness.

"I had a talk with Master Ian and came back late," replied Elise to bend down and take Hallow from the dressing table. "Is it often for you to sleep this much, Hallow?" she asked with concern. Hallow had been sleeping like a log and perhaps it was a good sleep but Elise wasn't entirely sure about it.

"I don't know I rarely sleep in my true form as a grim reaper but being in a chick's body makes me sleepy, is it normal for a chick to feel sleepy in winter?" asked Hallow back with a certain curiosity.

"Most animals hibernate through Winter, maybe you are experiencing the same," replied Elise and Hallow somewhere didn't like the fact he would spend his life fruitlessly, sleeping all day long. 

Sure there were pros that Hallow thought were great, such as; how he didn't have to care about taking souls like how he would usually being doing, Elise provided him with good food and clothes and also his exhaustion went away as he always felt very relaxed in the castle as if he was having a very well deserved holiday after working to the bones, plus he doesn't get betrayed by others.

Although that doesn't mean Hallow didn't have his pride to be kept as a chick in the castle. After all, he was still the eighth strongest grim reaper named Hallow. 

"I am going now, will you come with me?" asked Elise after fixing her attire.

"No, I would like to walk on my own," saying the words, Hallow jumped from the table, landing smoothly on the ground and when he reached the large door, he sighed, "Elly could you help me to open the door?"

Elise came over to Hallow's side finding the situation funny and helped him to open the door. "Elise," called Carmen as soon as she exited her room, Elise quickly hid Hallow behind her shoes and the chick was even smarter to roll away without being noticed by the vampire.

"Carmen, good morning," Elise then looked at Carmen's eyes, "You don't seem too good, are you alright?"

"I am fine," Carmen brushed off, "Just tired with the days that have been going on." Elise wondered what could make Carmen tired. The Castle was large and sure enough there were too many things for them to do but not to the point of exhaustion. "Maroon told me to tell you that you would have to take care of the garden. With Mister John's death, many don't want to be there. I heard at night there was a sound of a shovel digging the ground and a crying sound when a maid snuck in late at night. They fear the place now."

Elise suddenly remembered the time when she was alone, walking on the hallways to open the window when she saw Maroon outside. She had brushed the matter away thinking it was her imagination but, now she remembers, there was a shovel with the man and Master Ian had told her about Maroon needing a new shovel. 

Was it a coincidence? asked Elise in her mind. "Where is Vella?" Elise asked as Carmen shared a room with Vella, she should know where Vella was.

"She is having a rough day," replied Carmen with a noticeable smaller voice. "A letter came to her two evenings ago, I saw her expression didn't seem good but I can't ask. You know how Vella is. I think it is better for us not to say anything and wait until she confides in us."

"I hope everything is alright with her," answered Elise. She didn't know much about her friend's past, thinking that it wasn't her place to ask their past when she hadn't told them about her past either. She recalled Vella was called a criminal by Nancy. Does it have something to do with it?

Leaving the place, Elise then walked alone after parting ways with Carmen who had to work. On her way to the garden, Elise stopped walking when she saw Vella from afar. She pulled her black hair and pushed it behind her neck. Her eyes were fixed at the letter in her hands with a frown between her eyebrows.

"How can I do this?" Vella murmured with an agitated voice and the words were caught clear by Elise who was walking to her side.

"Are you alright, Vella?" asked Elise, stopping beside Vella. The woman turned her back looking with wide eyes while crumpling the parchment on her hands. "You looked pale. Carmen told me you haven't been doing great."

"No, I am fine," said Vella and Elise saw how Vella quickly pushed the crumpled paper in her pocket. There was an expression Vella made that seemed as if she didn't want to talk about the parchment paper and Elise didn't because she felt it was intrusive. "Carmen must have exaggerated a few words. I only had a lack of sleep. Where are you going Elise?" asked Vella to steer the conversation away from the one they were having.

"To the garden, are you really alright?" Elise asked again, her eyes could tell how there was not a good expression on Vella's face. 

"I am, I was about to go to the North side, should we go together?" offered Vella and a smile had appeared on her lips but somewhere Elise could see the smile wasn't out of happiness. 

"Okay." The two walked from the place, taking slow steps as their work was not a pressing matter that needed to be done immediately. Elise turned her face to the window and her eyes saw something. She stopped and said, "Oh, it's a snake."

Vella turned her head and followed Elise who had walked toward the window which was transparent. Looking at the snake, a smile appeared on Elise's lips and Vella silently watched the red headed girl smiling at the snake that had climbed on the tree. 

"Do you like snakes?" questioned Vella and Elise turned her head at the woman.

"I often went to the forest with my father, we would hunt together. Most of the time I would find snakes and more than that, some looked harmless," answered Elise, "The winter must be colder for them as they have a lower body temperature."

"That's quite odd, most women would find snakes as repulsive, you have heard about the tale of snakes and how sly they are, haven't you?" 

"Yes, it was a tale of a deceiving snake, I heard it before in my childhood. But I don't think it is fair to judge all snakes as the same like that in the tale." On her words, Elise felt she heard Vella murmur words and she turned her head to her friend, "Did you say something?"

"I just thought you were knowledgeable," Vella said as they continued to walk and Elise looked at Vella with a quizzical expression for the woman to continue. "You know a lot about things and the Church's rule that you told Nancy. Most of the maids could not read and they are illiterate but you are different."

"I was blessed because I had the chance to study. My father taught me how to read so I was illiterate until nine," Elise responded to then ask, "But you could read Vella." This had Vella to be startled and Elise explained, "I am sorry if it was intrusive but I saw you reading a letter just now. Was it a letter from your family?" Elise tried to question as somehow she wished she could help her friend who may be in a pickle.

Vella's gaze went from Elise, a sad expression appeared that Elise noticed until a small smile replaced her gloom expression, "It was a letter from my hometown. It hasn't been going well with my family."