Morning came by faster than I wanted. Tied up in knots, I stared back at the girl in the mirror, who stared at me, reproachful.
I swallowed the knot in my throat and turned my attention, to the blue sky. Fortunately, I felt a little bit better, after some rest. The night before had been interesting, in more ways than one.
Dwelling on the past was no longer something, I was willing to do. Wilful was my new middle name, and if living under the same roof with Mason for another few weeks until I received an answer from the academy, was what I needed to do, then so be it.
The sound of running water made me slow my steps. I had woken up later than usual, but it was still early for Enid to be up.
I came to a full stop, when my eyes fell on Mason, cleaning the kitchen, unaware of my presence. He seemed in his element, a scene, I rarely had the chance to observe.
Masterfully, he began placing the breakfast that he'd prepared on the plates lined up on the counter.
The scene had me hypnotised, as he seamlessly moved around, very much like a ballet dancer on stage. It took me a while to notice that the radio was on. The lazy jazz notes filling the air complemented his movements.
My heart jumped in my throat when he turned around and locked eyes with me. He was just as surprised as I was. Once again, I had been caught staring at him.
Clearing my throat," Good morning," I mumbled, shying my gaze away from his and slowly made my way towards the counter, to pour myself the usual cup of coffee.
" Good morning, Lily," He replied as he placed the last plate on the table, and waved me to take a seat. I briefly wondered, if he had hit his head, or something of the sort.
" Thank you," I mumbled, taking my seat at the table, while he did the same, but took Enid's seat instead on my left and not his usual spot at the end of the table.
" How are you feeling?" He asked as he spooned a mouthful of his porridge, nonchalantly. It seemed to be the question most asked in the past few days when he started a conversation.
" Better," Unlike I did, he had prepared the same breakfast for all of us, but that didn't change the fact that for such a simple meal, it was delicious. Either that or I was really hungry.
" I'm glad to hear it," He hummed, most likely at the taste of food," Do you like horses?" He added, glancing at me from the corner of his eye.
" Uhmm, yes. They are beautiful animals," It was an odd question, that was my initial thought.
" On Saturday, Thaddeus, Will and I will be visiting a riding school, " He paused, placing his spoon on the plate," I was wondering if you would be interested in joining us," That left me completely stunned. Was he rubbing salt over my wounds? I didn't need to spend more time around him than I already did.
" No," I coldly replied and reprised eating my porridge, slightly disgruntled.
" Alright, but if you change your mind, let me know," He replied, undisturbed by my cold rejection. Although, the offer did piqued my interest. I've never had a pet, except for Mrs Pinsles's cat, who occasionally wandered into our garden, hunting for treats that I slipped to him without my mother's knowledge.
" Good morning," Enid said in a sing-song voice, making me realise that I hadn't taken my eyes off him since the conversation had started.
" Good morning, Enid," Mason said as he pushed himself up, picking up his plate and placing it on the counter.
" Dear, don't get up on my account," Enid said in her usual joyful tone, as she sat at the end of the table with her cup of coffee and grimaced at the lack of pancakes on the table.
" I made breakfast this morning," Mason said as he shrugged on his suit jacket before Enid even had a chance to voice her thoughts.
" Oh," Enid exclaimed," To what do we owe the honour?" She sarcastically asked, smirking from behind her cup of coffee, and the unmistakable twinkle of mischief in her eyes instantly put me in a better mood.
" As a thank you, for coming to the party last night," He replied, as he began buttoning his jacket, with his eyes on Enid.
" I was wondering if you would like to join me, Thaddeus and Will on Saturday. We are going to a riding school. Will is on the hunt for a show horse." Mason made the same offer to Enid, and to my dissapointemt, her eyes lit up like a Christmas tree.
" Of course. That's amazing. I can't wait," Her bubbling excitement was infectious, and I could help but giggle.
" Why don't you come too, Lily? You have to. Come. It will be great," Enid hurriedly said, trying to persuade me. My amusement wanned pretty quickly, and the smile on my lips fell.
" Hmm, I wish I could, but Ellie will need all the help she can get after the storm. I can't just leave her alone," I sighed, trying to appear as sorrowful as I could. We saw more than enough of each other considering the circumstances.
" Oh, I see. I'll take pictures, then. Lots of pictures, and maybe we can go together some other time," Enid didn't press further on the matter, and I was more than happy with the resolution.
" Absolutely. Great idea," I replied, content that it had worked out. Despite my refusal, Mason seemed unaffected and picked up his briefcase from the floor.
Mason nodded, " Very well. Have a wonderful day," He said as he sauntered his way to the door, and gave me one last glance over his shoulder.
" Same, dear," Enid replied in a sing-song voice, fidgeting in her seat. I couldn't quite picture Enid on a horse, but I hoped that the photographs would help.
" I'm sorry that you won't be able to join us. Are you sure?" Enid curiously asked, with her brows quirked up, the moment Mason stepped out of the kitchen.
" Yes. Laira is working and I don't want to leave Ellie on her own," I reiterated my earlier words, a little more at ease since Mason wasn't in the room.
"Anyway, how are you feeling?" I was grateful she changed the subject, although it was just as sensible as the previous one.
" Better," I went with the old same boring reply. Even if I got into details, it wouldn't have made me feel any better. Regardless, there was no point in feeling sorry for myself.
" Wonderful," Enid sighed and turned her attention to the porridge.
I itched to ask her about Celeste, but also, I was afraid that she would want to know why I wanted to speak with the woman. Before I jumped to ask questions, I needed to know more about her, given the fact that Celeste's reputation wasn't the greatest, judging by the way Deedee spoke about her.