As promised by the maid last night, two clipped knocks woke me up and left me to putting on my second skin and clothes. I took extra care into wrapping myself, knowing I would only be adding to my wounds today. With a tender touch, I wrapped my eyes and head more organized and meticulous than before, hiding myself behind the thin strips of cotton. Once I was done, I was welcomed by the three knocks and knocked back.
Short, simple. The maid opened the door and set a bowl of oatmeal, fruit, and tea on the table.
"Do you need anything else my lady?" My finger pricked. Actually...
I laid my left hand flat and pretended to write on it, asking for a journal and pen. It had been awhile since I had asked for something, but I would need to be more pro-active to garner respect. If I knew anything from my old household, there are always those who prey on the weak, and I'm not willing to allow myself to undergo that type of petty treatment.
"Alright my lady, I shall return with a notebook and pen. I hope you enjoy your breakfast."
The ground puffed against my feet as she walked by, the blur of her presence bright as she was so close. I re-directed my attention to the flower vase, the faint shimmer still there. My arm once again found the delicate leaf, my fingers tracing the small fuzz and crevices of its veins. Tittering upwards, the base of soft petals brushed against the top of my hand, smooth and gentle. What color are they? What type of flower is this? This sense- this inhuman gift. I want to cultivate it to my fullest potential.
The thin flickers of lights within the void of my hollow sight were nothing but faint specs, but as I touched what I could, little lights hazily woke up. Could they feel me, were they responding to my touch? What would a grounded plant respond or look like? How come human touch didn't react this way?
Mulling the thoughts around my head, I finished my breakfast just as the maid returned and gave me the notebook and pen I asked for. Flipping open to the first page, I pressed my thumb against the corner and carefully measured my letters, pressing the pen deeply into the paper.
"Cacy or...?"
"Oh, yes my lady, I am Cacy! I apologize for not making my own introduction." With a meek wave of my hand, I assured her it was okay.
"Thank you for your help and politeness. Just because I have gone blind and mute does not mean I don't have a mind."
Focusing on the spacing and placement of my words and letters, I used my thumb to trace over the dips of the ink against the paper to make sure I was writing straight without over-lapping my letters. This was new, but I also knew that with practice, this would become second nature as well. I can't use nods and hand signals forever, and that would just be even more frustrating.
"Of course my lady! I can't begin to believe what you have gone through. I will always be here to assist, and I wish you a speedy recovery."
My first smile at the Warren Estate bloomed across my face.
"... So this is the foyer, to the right is the base of the staircase..." My cane found the first step, dull thuds ringing from here and there as I created a barring of my surroundings, counting steps and memorizing distances to the best of my ability. For a Duke's household, there were surprisingly little ornaments decorated about the house, but I was happy for it. With less flimsy objects about, it would be less likely for me to bump into anything and make a fool of myself.
"Up stairs are the rooms of the other members of the Warren family." I nodded, relieved my room was so distanced. I'm not sure how well I would fare constantly brushing against the Duke and his son, and I already was collecting the stares of a few servants as well. My fingers scuffed across my bandaged arm as we continued around the estate, the aches and throbs ringing throughout my body once more. As much as I had numbed myself to it, I couldn't ignore it as the tour resumed.
"This is the music room. I'm aware you are very prolific at instruments my lady. We have a wide array of just about everything. Flutes, violins, violas, cellos, piano, accordion, guitars, mandolins- these can all be at your disposal. No one has used this room in quite some time..."
Timidly tapping my way across the room, I found the smooth glossy surface of the piano and worked my way off the ledges and cliffs of wood down to the hood over the keys, gently lifting and pushing it back. The straight suits of the keys felt cold against my sensitive skin, and I couldn't help but think of then.
Standing next to this piano made the room ring slightly, the air holding a phantom of a whisper of shouts and vulgarities. Cold. Cold.
My hand flew from the keys as if I was burned, my shaking hand pulling the hood back over the keys. I don't think I'll be using this room for sometime, and even if I wanted too, my fingers are much too stiff to do much. Staying in here would hurt myself, in more ways than one. Returning to the butler, we resumed the tour.
"And this, my lady, is the garden. The estate has a large expansive grounds, would you like to see it?"
Another smile tugged at my lips as I nodded, his next words slightly stiff as he pressed on.
"T-this way then."
The sounds of double doors opened to the calming caress of a warm breeze, the thin tickle of wispy curtains tracing against my side. Leading through an open hall which looked over the grounds, I memorized the steps to the patio which opened to the trimmed grass of the mouth of the grounds. And there- that something again.
It was brighter, and much bigger than a human. Approaching it, it felt strange to reach toward foggy glimmers of light and be rewarded with the harsh texture of bark of a sturdy tree. The perfume of roses and chrysanthemums cupping my face, the warmth of the sun soaking into the few exposed bits of my skin. At Lord Fomle's, I never went outside, only because it didn't cross my mind. The world- I had forgotten so much of it- the sun, the chorus of birds up in the trees, the embrace of the wind, the soft cushion of grass beneath my feet.
I hadn't realized it, but a tense breath rolled off my shoulders. When it came to this sense of mine, these grounds could well be the closest thing I could ever get to 'sight'. Giving my cane a harsh jerk, the click of it turning into a staff tutted against my palm as I leaned onto it slightly, drained.
"There's also a hedge maze to the west side of the grounds which wraps around the back side of the manor. At its center is a fountain and hooded bench. Past the vast lawns, there's a tall wall which encircles the entire estate, as well as knights which patrol and monitor for threats."
Threats? Tilting my head, he sucked in a short breath before continuing.
"In the north, we are in demon territory. It's not yet the season where they usually become active, but the Duke's domain serves as a sort of barrier between the monsters of the north and the cities of the south. They're less material as they are... dense apparitions. In a city, they would flourish in shadows with the people being none-the-wiser. It's the bliss of the industrialized, urban cities to have left demons and monsters to fables, but I assure you-"
I stiffened as a hand sat on my shoulder, the pitch of his voice drastically falling.
"They are very much real."
Drawing a breath through my teeth, I nodded and clutched the staff tighter. 'Supernatural'- that word took a foreboding yawn as it rustled beneath my skin. Finished with the tour, the butler asked if I would like to return to my room for lunch but I kindly declined. Walking back felt too draining, but I couldn't and wouldn't tell him that.
Excusing himself and stating he would retrieve my maid, he left me to the peaceful solitude of the garden. Returning back to the tree, I sat at its base and tenderly rubbed my arms, setting my staff across my lap. The entire estate was large, and worse- it was closed off. Despite living here now, even as an adopted 'daughter' of the Duke, the entire manor was a barren plod of land which made settling in difficult. Besides my room, moving around felt ominous. Perhaps that was simply the stamps of the past which branded my observations, but I made no effort to rebuke it.
"Aaaah..." It was a resting banter with the fresh air. Sitting here, a blanket of comfort slithered from the glow of the plants before me, talking to me. Where my ears heard nothing, I felt a hum against my fingers as I placed my hand upon the valleys and crests of the coarse bark or delicate petal. Having gone so long without the periwinkle of the sky and glistening emerald gems of dewy grass; the silver glint of silverware, the brush of white flaking across clouds, the milky pink of the sunrise- as sweet and consuming such as it rolls across your tongue as it streaks across your eye.
All of those images were hazy now, locked deep in the inner vault of my mind like precious jewels. Rubbing the petal against my thumb, I watched the lights speckle to life like electricity- vibrant and lively. Pulling my hand away, the specks of lights lingered against where my hand was, resting. What are these lights really?
Looking to my left, I watched the familiar glow of Cacy approach me- feeling her presence before I heard her.
"Hello my lady, I'm glad you appreciate the garden. Shall I bring you a new vase of flowers for your room?" Flicking my attention to the brilliant sea of plants around me, I pulled out my notebook.
"How about a pot of flowers of flowers instead? That would be lovely."
"Of course my lady. I'll prepare that for you. It's getting late, are you hungry for a late lunch or early dinner?"
Though I didn't want to get up and walk all the way back, I pushed up against my staff as my answer, gritting my teeth as a sharp stab pierced my side.
Cold. Cold.
I gripped my stomach out of reflex, the pain fresh, though the wound was healed. No warm blood, no tender skin- I shook my head and leaned against my staff.
Eleanor-
No... Another shake of the head. I poked my cheek coyly.
Lily.
Everything is alright. Or at least, it will be.
Taking a deep breath, I decided it would mark my second day here at the estate if I didn't live to my fullest.
"Sure- but say, has the kitchen made anything sweet recently?"
At Cacy's kind chuckle, the fear and panic I felt from before calmed.
"Of course, my lady. Anything you desire."