"How long am I supposed to be here? It's been three hours."
After the initial confusion upon seeing my skin, Aurora dragged me to the bathroom and filled the tub with warm water just as the itching spread to other parts of my body.
She dunked me into the tub before I could scratch out my skin again. The water calmed down the itching as I felt my body relax again.
"Goodness. I didn't think this would happen so quickly." Aurora mumbled.
"What's happening now?" I asked, annoyed.
It's only been a day since I woke up. How can so many things happen in just a day?
"Well, it seems the spirit has accepted you and you didn't die from it. That's all I really know, Miss. I apologise for my incompetence. You can punish me all you wish!"
This woman.
"How do you know to put me in the tub then?"
"I just assumed. After all, snakes are known to shed their skin and water makes the skin softer so it'll be easier to peel off then. Rather than just ripping it off." Aurora said, nonchalantly.
"Snake?"
"Yes. That's your spirit animal so I am assuming your body will become like that animal's one."
"Is everyone like this?"
"Not really. Just the top five families."
"What are the other's then?"
"I don't know."
"Why don't you know?"
"I don't care about them. Their existence means nothing to me. I only care about you and your family, Miss."
"Go and do your research then."
"Yes, miss! I will come back only when I have found out everything!" With that, she was out of the bathroom.
Sinking into the warm water, I let my thoughts run free.
She stirs up emotions in me. Emotions, I and the doctor believe to have disappeared because of the injury in my head. Specifically two emotions- Annoyance and irritation. Whether I will forever feel numb with the exception of those two emotions is beyond me.
Who was that thing? It certainly sounded like a man but I couldn't make out anything other than that.
Not only that, they said something about waiting for me? And promises?
I raised my hand from the waters and saw the loose skin just barely hanging off my arm.
This is so freaky.
I pulled at the skin and it came off relatively easily, floating on the surface of the water.
Feeling where the skin came off, I marveled at how soft it felt. I wonder if the other parts of my body will feel this way too. One way to find out.
Fortunately, I removed my clothes after Aurora left. Time to see for myself exactly what will happen.
"So the Redmont is supposedly the closest family to the Sagepice. That means they are the most suspicious but then … it would be too easy to blame them and they wouldn't do something so risky. Both the Redmont and Sagepice have been family friends for generations, everything's too convenient for this to be the conclusion. There's something bigger here and I just can't see it."
"What are you doing?" I asked after watching Aurora mumble to herself while staring at the computer for a minute.
"MISS!" He voice cracked as she fell off the chair onto the floor. "When did you come out? You can't walk around naked! What if someone came in?"
"A minute ago. I kept calling out to you but after four hours, I just took care of the skin I shed and came out to find you myself. What are you looking at?" I said, leaning against the table to read the article she was so engrossed in.
*After the mysterious attack at the Sagepice mansion and the death of Sir. Sagepice, an investigation is being carried out. We have yet to hear about the conditions of the Madam and their daughter but from the conditions they were brought out of the house in, things don't look positive.
The young miss of the house is only in her eleventh standard, a promising young lady though rumors have been circulating that she maybe be the one to end the brilliant linage of the Sagepice family as she has not shown any signs of being either a Magic User or Wielder.
Currently, the Redmont family refuses to make any statement on the situation. The Sagepice and Redmont have a very close relationship and the police are becoming suspicious of them.*
"End the Sagepice family? Really?"
"Don't listen to them, Miss. You will be the one to bring back the family name to the top." Aurora tried to reassure me but I couldn't care less of what people thought of me.
"How was my family like?"
"Noble, Miss." She pulled herself off the ground as she said that with pride, "So noble they put gems to shame with their brilliance. They were powerful but they were full of compassion. Helping all who needed it. They would never turn anyone down. If there was still a monarchy your family would have been the royal family."
"Noble, huh? Then they aren't wrong about me bringing the Sagepice name down."
"What makes you say that, Miss?!" Aurora became defensive immediately.
She really does hold my family high, doesn't she?
"Am I the only heir?"
"Yes, Miss. Each family has only one child born to them."
"So it rests on me doesn't it? Then you also have to give up hope of the Sagepice name ever gaining back that glorious name it had. With an heir like me, it's not going back to what it was. Could you grab me a towel, Aurora? It's getting cold." I said, wrapping my arms around my body. Droplets falling from my hair to the tile floor, creating a small puddle around me.
"Of course! Right away, Miss." Aurora opened the cabinet in the wall and took out a bathrobe with a towel.
Is this really a hospital?
She covered me with the bathrobe and, after seating me down, started wiping my hair dry.
I looked down at my hands, seems like all I do is think today. Well, not like I know what I did before this happened.
Compassionate.
"What does it mean to be compassionate, Aurora?"
"What do you mean, Miss?"
"I understand what it means if I was to explain it but … what does it feel like?"
"I wouldn't know, Miss. I've never felt it myself. But I have two co-workers that may be able to help us here. Should I ask them?"
"No. It's ok. I was just curious. Sorry."
Aurora paused and dropped the towels she used to wipe my hair with and knelt in front of me again.
"Miss! Why would you apologise? There is nothing for you to apologise about."
"Everyone holds the Sagepice family so high and I guess I am apologizing for what I'm about to do to their name. It'll go against everything you know about my family. I just felt it right to apologise for that."
"What do you mean, Miss?"
"I'm hungry."
"But we just had dinner. Should I get you something else to eat? But its already ten o'clock. Will any shops be open now?"
I looked her in the eyes and grinned again, the preassure I felt before filling my entire body. I could hear every beat of my heart and every muscle clenching.
"I'm not hungry for food. I am hungry for blood." I hissed out, as Aurora's face broke into a wide grin as well.
Her pupils dilated with every beat of my heart, a craze look in her eyes.
"Of course, Miss. Anything you wish. I will follow you to the Land of the Dead."