Among the throng of people that talked in whispers, a short man in a ridiculously bright red formal suit pushed people out of his path as he fixed his red bowtie, panting as he approached Elaine. When he stood before her, he reached the height of her breasts, so he looked up at her with an exaggerated smile and crinkled round eyes. "Oh this is crazy," he mumbled, giggling. "This way, madam! President Amos has fainted when he saw you!"
So the man who had recently called out to her from the window was Amos, the current president that Chaz had referred to; Elaine took mental note of the information. "No need to call me madam, just Elaine please," she corrected as she was led inside. People made way for her as they marveled at the sight of her, causing her to duck her head in embarrassment.
"Elaine? Oh, so that is what you have been named… So then, Madam Elaine, now that you are here in Motherland, welcome, welcome. Follow me so you may speak with the president." The short male walked beside her] as his dark eyes shone in wonder. "Oh goodness, this is crazy," he spoke to himself, wheezing as his heart jumped in excited beats that he was walking beside her.
Elaine was about to correct him again to disregard the title. However, as soon as she stepped into the palace, women in bright red shirt dresses stood to the right while men in bright red formal suits were on the left.
"Welcome home!" They greeted simultaneously, all smiley faces and warm welcomes as they bowed to her. The crowd from the entrance finally applauded instead of whispered.
The great shower of acknowledgement warmed her heart, causing her to smile, but Elaine had a lot of queries. This too good to be true, to just walk in a foreign place and be regarded like a missing child who had returned home. Everything was making more curious to seek Annette and question her about everything. But first, it she had to see this President Amos.
"This way, Madam Elaine." The short man beside her directed her to the grand staircase, the steps carpeted red.
Elaine followed him until they arrived on the second floor. Then they had to climb another set of stairs, which led them to the third floor. She and the short male had to go through labyrinths of corridors. On the walls, portraits were put up, and name tags were placed below the frames. As Elaine walked past, one particular picture caught her eye.
The woman on it had a simple smile and a faraway look in her bright blue eyes. Her blonde hair reached her breasts as she wore a crimson ball gown. Below the portrait, her name was engraved in golden letters: Annette Bridger.
Her inquisitiveness heightened, seeing as this was the woman in the water. But before Elaine could assess the portrait further, the short man beckoned her excitedly as he pointed to the room at the end of the corridor.
"Here we are, Madam Elaine."
She nodded merely, choosing to ignore the title on her name. "Next time, just Elaine," she suggested. "Madam Elaine is a mouthful."
The male smiled brightly as he bowed his head in respect. "As you say so." Then he knocked on the door and pressed his ear to it, hearing the faint "come in" from the other side. Turning to Elaine, he opened the knob with his white-gloved hand and gestured for her to proceed.
Elaine stumbled on her footing to halt abruptly, asking, "By the way, what's your name?"
Seemingly taken aback, he avoided eye contact as he stuttered in his giggles. "Quite flattering that you'd ask for it, Madam Elaine," he uttered. "I am Cabinet Secretary Leroy Sheepsaw."
She smiled, extending a hand. "Nice to meet you, Secretary Leroy."
Leroy shook her hand shakily and turned bright red as his suit, turning away from her as he giggled with a disoriented voice. "P-please call me Tiny." He then bowed his head and dashed away.
The oddity of his behavior amused her. Brushing it off, Elaine timidly entered the room and was immediately enchanted with the luxury glinting in every corner. A chandelier hung above the ceiling, an intricate little lamp sat on the artistic nightstand beside the four-poster bed with a red canopy over it and red curtains that were drawn back. The large wardrobe, the vanity mirror, and so many good things were placed in the room.
On the bed laid a man in a formal crimson suit. Beside him, sat a blonde with blue eyes who wore a crimson sheath dress, fanning the man on the bed as he mumbled many things. She looked up and collided with Elaine's eyes.
They both stiffened.
The man on the bed raised his eyes to the door, and Elaine met his gaze. "She's here, she's here!" He yelled and squirmed as he curled to a fetal position and buried his head to the pillow, screaming, "She's going to take away my position! She's going to take it all away!"
"So you are Annette's daughter!" Exclaimed the girl with mild astonishment as she rushed to Elaine, her blue eyes a darker shade than Annette's. She wore white gloves that reached her elbows, which weren't worn by the women who wore the bright red dresses. Grabbing both of Elaine's hands, the female pulled her closer for examination.
Elaine was rather speechless as they assessed each other's features.
Then with a tearful smile, the female wrapped her arms around her and Elaine squirmed subtly because of her damp clothes against her dress. "About time you returned!" She announced happily, but the man on the bed screamed in horror for reasons unknown. "My brother dreamt of you last night! After so many years, a piece of Annette has finally returned, and it is you, Elaine!"
"Sure..." Elaine pulled away from the female. "Um…"
"I'm Abbey Bridger," she introduced and shook Elaine's hand with both of hers, beaming with happiness. Then Abbey turned to the man on the bed. "Daddy, come and greet her!"
"Oh, take her away from my sight!" Her father howled to the pillow. "My title, my everything… it's all hers soon…"
Concerned, Elaine furrowed her eyebrows as the man sobbed to the pillow. "Is he… President Amos? What's wrong with him?" She whispered.
"Yes, my father, Annette's younger brother. He never believed that Annette's daughter would come up one day as was promised before, so he's just in shock." She waved dismissively. "Oh, oh, I forgot! My brother would love to meet you!"
Elaine felt herself almost dissociating from the scene. Just who were these people? Annette, her mother? Is she really? Her eyes darted to Amos. Seeing as he wasn't going to talk to her anytime soon, she said, "Can I see Annette? I'd want to talk to her please."
Abbey' smile turned to a frown. "Aunt Annette…" She trailed off and turned to her father. "Daddy, can you–"
"No, leave me be!" Amos called out, startled. When both girls still did not leave the room, he sat up in anger. "What do you want?! I'll give you anything. Just leave my country!"
Shock turned to displeasure and Elaine furrowed her brows. "You don't have to be rude about it, sir. I'm just looking for Annette–"
"Gone!" He screamed. "Annette is gone! For unknown reasons that you even knew about her, I'm not going to ask! But I tell you this, you are young and incapable, so you cannot take away my presidency, not while I live!"
"Daddy!" Abbey reprimanded, astounded by his statements. "Elaine has just returned and this is how you greet her? What made you like this all of a sudden?"
Amos paled, now ashamed.
Uncomfortable with the situation, Elaine rubbed her elbow, wanting to leave. "Um, it's alright," she assured despite not understanding what was going on. "I just want answers about Annette and then I'll leave. Promise."
Abbey turned to her in confusion. "Why leave? You belong to Motherland."
"T-tomorrow," Amos stuttered, voicing over his daughter's volume. "I'll see you tomorrow and answer your questions. But now, give me time to think. It's just that all these years, I thought you'd never come back."
Elaine felt weird sensations in her stomach at his words. She has a lot of questions now.
"Abbey, send her to her room," Amos stated, bringing his legs over to the edge of the bed to stand.
Obediently, Abbey left him and guided Abbey out of the room. They stepped into the corridor, and she closed the door softly then turned to Elaine. "Your room is over there." She pointed to the door, which was at the opposite end of the corridor. Abbey's gloved hand clutched hers and led her to the place. "I'm very excited to show you the room! It was your mother's, and it's been unoccupied for years now."
"What happened to Annette?" Elaine asked as they walked.
"I… don't know the answer to that, Elaine," Abbey admitted wistfully. "My father knows. You'll just have to wait until tomorrow. For now, you need a change of clothes." She pinched Elaine's damp shirt, causing the girl to cringe.
"Yeah…"
When they were finally inside the bedroom, Abbey tied back the curtains and let in the light to show the beauty of the place. "Make yourself at home, cousin," she spoke. "I'll go get my brother." Then she scuttled away.
"Okay," Elaine drawled as she heard the door click on Abbey's leave.
Left alone, she turned around slowly to take in the room and was enamored by the grandness of it. A quiet breath of "wow" escaped her lips. Standing there mesmerized, she unglued her feet from the carpet and moved around. There was a coat stand beside the door, where she placed Chaz's top hat and remarked that she would return it soon.
In all her life, Elaine never imagined herself being in a room as beautiful as this. She never complained about her living conditions with Sarah and Zacharias ─ actually, she did. But they provided enough of her needs and she was grateful to them for that.
As she glided around the room cautiously, she caught her reflection on the vanity mirror. It was Annette, also mirroring Elaine's damp clothes.
"How are you?" The woman asked.
A frown settled over Elaine's face. "Where are you?" She responded. "I thought you said you'd be here, but they said you're gone. I want to know so much."
"That's good. So, have they told you who I am?"
"My… mom," Elaine uttered, but it sounded so foreign to her tongue.
"I am, and I hope you can find me soon enough. I really missed you," Annette answered, eyes deep with melancholy.
Elaine looked away.