The Strings in the Shadows

Chapter Two- In which Edward gets in an arguement and Jack gets in trouble

And another reason was walking down the path now. Jack had first noticed her a few years back, doing the same thing she was doing now; walking alone on the outskirts of the Castle wall at different times every couple days. Jack watched her out of the corner of his eye slightly craining his neck and head to see her around the sidewall of the kitchen. She was some kind of noble, he'd realized before, judging by the state of her clothes and their embroidary. She ussually pinned up her black hair, but today it was in a elegant horsetail. Suddenly the lady stopped. She swiveled her head, looking in all directions, like she knew she was being watched. Jack ducked his head and pretended to be busy gathering wood for the furnance. When he braved a glance back to see the noble lady again, she wasn't there. Jack,s eyes scanned the shadows made by the wall and a great big oak tree, but he didn't see the lady anywhere. She'd just vanished. Like she did everytime he saw her. Jack leaned back til he was standing straight and picked the axe backup.

Jack didn't believe in ghosts, but this noble had freaked him out the first couple of times this event had occured. Nobles just weren't the types to up and disappear in their leisurely walks. It wasn't until he was chopping wood with another servant when he realized other people could see her too. Of course, that didn't mean she wasn't a ghost. It just made Jack feel better.

He chopped wood for another twenty minutes before deciding enough was enough. And since he'd been out here for more than an hour, his mother must have forgotten him. Jack smiled. That was the way he liked it.

He knew he wouldn't be missed in the kitchen. He was so completely aciident prone it was a wonder he never sliced himself open on the axe he was holding, now or ever. The other kitchen servants would count themselves lucky to have a Jack-free kitchen. Jack took off down the path he'd lumbered down early that morning, back to his lodgings. He slowed down when he opened the door to the Hasline two-room apartment and went in side.

Anyone could easily tell that two very different people lived in this space. His mam's bedroom was the first room, and the only furniture in the room was a bed and a small wardrobe. Mam's clothes easily fit in the wardrobe, the bed had been made, and the room was spotless. It was also, in Jack's opinion, very boring. He kept on going to his room.

Jack's room looked like a rowdy party of animals had just left. Crumpled papers littered one corner, a basket full of colorful leaves from the fall littered another. More of his clothes were on the floor than in his dresser, and small trinkets (a blue river stone, a shiny bell he'd found and cleaned in the garden, and a couple of odds 'n' ends, like a few coins, and bright beads. His greatest treasure, though was the feeling he got when he read a book.) he'd collected over the years were neatly arranged on his window sill. Jack nimblely navigated towards his bed through the clothes and trash that made a maze on his floor. Once there, he dropped to the floor and stuck his hand as far under his lumpy bed as he could until his long fingers brushed against the book he has hidden there. Drawing it out, Jack scrambled to his feet and began to speedly walk away from his home. There was the small chance his mother might have noticed he was missing and their apartment would be one of the places she'd look.

Jack grinned. You'd have to think of more imaginative places than his room to find him.

Where today?, thought Jack. He took a note from the Ghost Lady and kept to the shadows. He continued to sneak around the castle, looking for a quiet place to read his book. The reason for his caution was simple; after all, he was a kitchen boy (as anyone could tell by his half-apron stained with food), a kitchen boy who should be at work right now. Jack cast these thoughts from his head. Now, where to read? The shed by the pond? No, it had too many spiders. Behind a bush? Jack seriously considored some of the larger shrubberly before noticing they were rose bushes. And rose bushes have thornes! It was until he was in its shadow before he considored the old oak tree. He examined it, wondering if it was worth the risk, so close to the kitchens. But then, he'd never read in a tree before. It would be a fun new experience. besides, The braches were full of fresh green leaves, he reasoned, and no one ever thought to look up.

His decision made, Jack made his way to the tree. Sticking his reading material in his apron pocket, he began to climb the ancient tree. The cuts on his hands reopened and hurt, but he had dealt with worse. It was easy going, the braches were thick and many, and Jack found he only had to raise his head a few inches to find the next handhold. Because of this, Jack didn't follow his own thinking. He did not look all the way up. For if he had, he might noticed that the tree he was in was already occupied, and he would have even recognized the figure who sat in the top-most branches.

His Ghost Lady, crouched and ready to pounce on the unsuspecting kitchen boy.

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Yay for Chapter Two! Please excuse any typos you find, I'm typing this on my tablet, which doesn't have a real key board and after reading the same thing over and over checking for misprints you can get slightly bored, darlings.  Also, sorry the chapter's slightly shorter, they will be a little longer in the future.

Looks like trouble for our young day dreaming hero! Watch out for that tiger, Jack, she has claws.

Peace Out, Demigods!