#Chapter2
From the very day she left that house at five years old, she had not seen nor heard from them till now at eighteen. Although her mother slips bits and bits of information when she asks but she knows her mother doesn't like talking about them, they are her boss after all.
The sound of the thunderclap forced her out of her thoughts, she knew storm was coming but not so soon. She hurriedly shove her safe box under the bed and left the room. Reentering the kitchen, she put the vegetables inside a bowl and fetched water from a bigger bowl, she washed the vegetables then slice them. Like that, she quickly made dinner.
Two hours later, she got up from the sofa she was sitting on and rushed into the kitchen for an umbrella, her mother was supposed to be back an hour ago but she isn't, so she decided to go look for. She knows her way to the Lockwood's mansion like the back of her hand, although she had not stepped into the house in thirteen years now but she often meets her mother outside the gate, especially days like these when she would be too bored and will go, waiting for her for them to come home together. Sometimes, is to ask her for some money to do one or two things. The securities knows her and often call her mother for her whenever she arrives.
She shuddered as she stepped outside into the cold air, it was still drizzling and she didn't know if it's going to start pouring down again, which is the reason for the umbrella. Besides, if she is to walk to the mansion under the drizzle, she would be drenched by the time she got there.
She walked silently in the mudded streets, her legs getting dirtier which each step she took but she already knew that's how it will be because of the rain. And it's going to be like that till she get to the main road.
As if she knew, the drizzle turned into another set of rain, she hugged herself tightly, the umbrella being her only source of protection from the rain. Her breathing turned cold but she urged on, she was almost there anyway.
She finally sighted the lights coming from the heavily lighted house, the gigantic gate stared coldly at her as she approached, she never knew what's behind that gate, if they had made some changes or if the inside is still like she remembered. She reached out her hand to press the bell on the icy cold gate, the camera shifted to her face and she knew one of the securities have seen her, she forced a smile from her cold face to the camera and waved. A few short minutes later, the slide on the gate opened, revealing a pair of black eyes, /"Lillian, what are you going here?/" The person asked.
From the voice, she recognized the person immediately, /"hi Greg, I just want to pick up my mom. It's quite late and it's raining cat and dog out here./"
/"I have told you to stop coming at this time, if Mrs. Lockwood sees you, I don't think she will be happy, she hates people standing at the gate and she won't take it lightly with you whether your mom is working here or not./"
/"I know and I'm sorry, I'm just worried and she is prone to sickness regularly now, I don't want her walking under the rain./"
/"I understand. Wait here, I will call her for you./"
/"Thank you/" she smiled as the opening was slid shut, she hugged herself, creating friction on her arms to warm up a little. The rain doesn't look like it would be stopping soon and there is nowhere for her to take a shelter except her umbrella.
A car's headlamp flashed on her and she blocked the lights with her hand, her eyes dimming as she watched the approaching car.
The car slowed in front of her and the back door window slid down to reveal a very striking beautiful woman, Lilly recognized her as the famous Mrs. Lockwood that she often reads about in the magazine and also, as the woman in her memories. Her light gray eyes stared strictly at her and she gulped, she didn't know when she bowed her head, the woman's aura was too much. Even in the car and her, standing under the rain, she can still feel her frightening aura.
/"Who are you?/" She heard the woman ask, her voice was soft to the ear but it sent chills down her back, she trembled slightly and didn't know if it was from the cold or the woman's voice. /"I-I-I-I'm Lillian/" she added /"ma'am/" after a second breathe.
The woman narrowed her eyes at her, /"what are you doing in front of my house?/"
/"I-um-I'm waiting for my mother./"
/"Who is your mother?/"
/"Abigail. Abigail Foster./"
The woman said nothing, having known the person she spoke of, /"do you know what the time is girl? It's quite late for a girl like you to be stranding outside here./"
/"I know ma'am, it's just/" she gulped /"it's raining quite heavily and my mom is often quick at catching a cold so I decided to come pick her .../"
/"I asked if you know the time not for you to start telling me some fairytale. Didn't your mother tell you I hate uninvited guests in my house?/" The woman interrupted, her short blonde hair dangling softly on her shoulders as she speaks.
/"No-no-yes ma'am./"
/"Which am I to take then, no or yes?/"
/"Ma'am I.../"
/"Don't stand here again, I'm letting you go just for today. I wouldn't want you blocking my gate with your soaked body next time./"
The gate opened and a poorly dressed woman rushed out, she froze when she saw the car and the woman's gaze which has landed on her, /"welcome ma'am/" she curtsied under the rain.
/"Abigail, didn't you tell your daughter about the rules in the house?/"
/"I'm sorry ma'am, it won't repeat itself, I will caution her when we get home/" she curtsied once more.
The woman looked from her then to the girl before looking at the security behind Abigail, /"don't just stand there Greg, open the gates for me./"
/"Yes ma'am/" he bowed before closing the little gate, after some seconds, the bigger gates slid open. The woman whined up her window, paying no mind again to the mother and daughter duo who stood aside for her car to enter.
The big gates slowly closed after the car entered, only then did Abigail and her daughter let out the breaths they didn't know they were holding. She turned to her daughter then, /"I have told you to stop coming here Lilly, you are lucky Margaret is in a happy mood today, if not, I'm not sure she would have taken it lightly./"
That's happy mood? She thought, /"I was just worried about you mama, it's raining heavily and you were supposed to be back more than an hour ago./"
/"I was waiting for the rain to stop dear and when it did, I got busy again and before I know it, it's raining once more./"
/"It's okay mama, we can go home together now/" she smiled.
Abigail returned the smile before caressing her face, /"don't come here again please, I wouldn't want you getting into the bad book of Margaret Lockwood, it won't be easy escaping her claws./"
/"I know/" Lilly nodded, /"sometimes I use to wonder why a woman like her married a man as gentle as daddy Eric./"
/"You still call him daddy?/" Abigail was surprised.
/"He was like a father to me mama/" she wanted to talk about the son too but she didn't want her mother thinking she was in love with him like she did when she frequently asked about him then. She is not a baby, she knows a girl like her can never dream about the son of the Lockwood's, who is the Lockwood?
Unfortunately, her mother had thought she fell in love with him but she didn't. He was like a big brother to her, besides, he was fifteen years then while she was five. She can remember he told her he has a girlfriend then.
They both stuffed themselves under the umbrella as they walked home, chatting gently.