The old Lady, Killion's grandmother opened the door to the porch and led them inside of the little stone cottage.
"This is a nice place you have here, ma'am." Havillah remarked wistfully even as she took in the cosy little living room and the furniture inside. There were three sofas, one of them a three seater and the other two, two love seats. Each of them was covered with a white loose cover that was decorated with an assortment of spring flowers in various stages of bloom printed all over the white sheet. A small wooden coffee table was standing lay there and it too was covered with a similar patterned table spread.
"Why, thank you my love. You can call me grandma Kezzia by the way." The old lady said even as she began walking towards an archway that was standing on the farthest end of that living room.
"Thank you grandma Kezzia." Havillah smiled, her eyes dancing as she stared at the sweet little lady with a characteristic glint in her eyes.
"Grandma. Havillah needs to freshen up and to have a new change of clothes. Will you look after her as I run across the street to find her something else to wear?" Killion stopped her.
"Sure, but why must you insist on getting it from them?" His grandmother turned up frown at him. She was standing by tall wooden chair with three others like it surrounding a large circular table.
"Oh so that's the dining." Havillah thought to herself oblivious of the exchange that was happening before her.
"Them " Killion said as he put air marks on the word 'them 'for further emphasis. "May have a dress or a piece of outfit that can actually fit her."
"Fine. Do whatever you want. You never listen to the old lady anyway." The old lady huffed waving him off as she took up a kettle from the dining hall table that was standing beside her. She then lumbered off into a room that Havillah assumed to be a kitchen and the girl was left wondering if she should follow after her or just remain waiting in the little living room. "Oh, and Havillah." The old lady turned back to peer through the archway. Her entire body was covered by the adjacent wall leaving her smiling head as the only thing visible. The final effect being so ridiculous that it took all Havillah had within herself not to burst out laughing. "The bathroom is through that door," the old lady said pointing to a door that until then had remained obscured behind a wall netted drapings. "Go down the hallway to the last door. There's a bedroom. There you'll find everything you may need."
"Thank you Grandma Kezzia." Havillah replied politely as another smile lighted up her beautiful features.
"Incase you need anything else, you know, like lady products. Holler at me and I will be there to attend to you."
"Thank you again grandma Kezzia. I am sure that everything I will find there will be sufficient." The old lady left her with a nod and Havillah immediately proceeded to find the said bathroom.
"You'll be fine until I get back?" Killion stopped her and she nodded her head. "I'll be back in a while. Let me try and get you something to change into?" she nodded again as began to pull open the door to the hallway, anxious to get out the dirty clothes and into a tub of hot water. Killion smiled at her eagerness and turned to walk away glad that everything had finally played out okay.
"Bathing salts, lavender oil, tea tree oil..." Havillah read out the labels and proceeded to pour out each into the steaming tub of hot water. She then slipped out of her long robes and an inner camisole before slid down the long tub, relishing the feel of hot water on her bare back. "Now, this is the life." She sighed, closing her eyes in unbridled delight.
Havillah remained soaked in the water for a long while, until it started to grow warm and she decided to begin scrubbing herself. She lathered her long hair with soap and rinsed it beneath the shower before stepping out into a fluffy robe and a matching towel for her hair. As promised, she found a new toothbrush near the sink and scrubbed her teeth like her life depended on it. Convinced that she was now completely clean and that the skin on her body was completely free of all that grime, Havillah discarded the towel and stepped out into the bedroom with just the robe.
"Hi! You must be Havillah. Killion sent me to you with a fresh set of clothes!" A new voice screamed out too close to her face. Surprised, she took a step back to stare into the new face.
"Selene you're scaring the girl with all your crazy antics." Grandmother Kezzia scolded even as she walked into the room bearing a tray in her hands. Trailing behind her was another woman, much younger than her though her resemblance to both Killion and Grandma Kezzia was rather striking, what with the dark hair and the green eyes. However, unlike the other two who were always smiling, this woman appeared to be quite sedate, a look that very much reminded her of her own mother back at home.
"I am being friendly Kezzia. Not that you would know what that means–" Selene, the woman with the long brown and cat like hazel eyes responded and the old lady looked away sourly.
"Hi," Havillah started to say still unsure of how to act after having witnessed the conversation between them.
"Hi to you too Havillah. I brought you some new clothes....well, not really new, but they are new to you!" Selene finished with a loud pitched laugh that grated her ears and Havillah could not tell if the laughter was directed at her or at her own poor attempt at a joke.
"Ah..."
"Hi, Havillah. I'm Neema, Neema Lithewood, Killion's mother. You've met my mum Kezzia, right?" Havillah nodded as she suddenly felt shy before the this new face. For some reason she felt like she needed her acknowledgment and when the woman didn't say anything more than that, it left her feeling quite unsettled inside.
"Go on. Go ahead and try them." Selene prompted, shoving the small bundle of clothes into Havillah's hands and the girl had no choice but to do her bidding. She took the clothes from the woman's proffered hands and turned back the way she had come from, back to the sanctity of the bathroom. She placed the clothes on the sink and began to inspect them. All but one dress had floral prints, so she went with that one. It was a plain faded red dress with lace trimmings on edge of both of its collars and on the hems of its sleeves.
"You look fabulous!" The woman, Selene, squealed just as a Havillah stepped out of the bathroom with her robes on hand.
"Thank you madam Selene. I am very grateful for these products." Havillah mumbled politely.
"Oh it's nothing. Let me take care of that rag for you." The woman replied even as she reached out her hand to grab the red Triban robe from Havillah's hands.
"No!" Havillah cried out as a bout of panic gripped her heart. She tried to step away from Selene's path, but the girl was too slow. The older woman's fingers brushed against her robes and a crackling sound filled the air before the woman was knocked off and sent flying crushing against the opposite wall with a thud.