Cinderella's Ghost

Chapter 16: Negative Thoughts

Chapter 16

Three petals left. And not much of the stalk left either.

It had been two weeks, going on to three, since that day. Within that period, I could feel myself loosening up, easily ignoring the warning, even worrying less about whether Carrie would find out, or kick me out of the house, although I never forgot about it. I always made sure to be careful, took note of Carrie's movements and schedule. Jarell even took a peep at her diary, standing by her side as she looked through her schedule every night before going to sleep. If I knew, I would have stopped him the first time he decided to do it. It was a complete breach of privacy. My voice of disapproval fell on deaf ears though. I wondered how Carrie would react if she knew there was a ghost standing beside her on most nights. Not well, I was sure, but I wasn't going to be telling her now. It might have an adverse effect on me.

Anyway, it was just like any other day as I was on the way to Madam Clar's. I still hadn't had the courage to go out of my comfort zone to go on the weekends, but still, I had made some friends, and they meant the world to me already even though we'd only just met a few weeks ago. Lillian was like the mother-figure to all of us, always asking after me, but never going past the border of what I was uncomfortable with, and I was grateful for it. At one time I even contemplated on telling her everything, but the thought of only worrying her stopped me. I could tell Becca and Teri got a different idea, seemingly suspicious of all the excuses I came up with all the time about occasional bruises, but I never got as close to tell them. Oliver came sometimes, but I never got to see much of him. Jarell's mood changed every time he appeared, which I found amusing. Becca and Oliver's relationship were improving by bounds.

"Hi," I breathed, finally able to relax under the air conditioner. "It's really hot outside."

"I know, right?" Becca exclaimed. "I pity the dogs so much. I thought we could build an indoor kennel for them, but Lillian said no." Becca glared at Lillian's back.

"For the thousandth time, no," Lillian said sternly. "We don't have the funds to."

"Then we should remove all the air-conditioners in here. I'm sure we'll be able to save up money along the way to build it one day," said Becca defiantly.

Lillian thought for a moment. "Maybe we should turn them off. It'll save up tons of money. The fees usually go up during the hot season."

Becca gawked, her eyes shining.

"I think we'll all die of heat stroke first," Teri said.

That silenced everyone, including Becca.

Finally, Becca rolled her eyes. "Fine, I'll see what else we can do."

I giggled, finding amusement in their bickering. "I'm going to the back."

"Okay! We'll join you later."

"I find Teri really funny," Jarell commented. "She doesn't talk much, but whenever she does, it's something that stops everyone from doing anything. It's like she's always capable of talking sense into people."

I smiled. "I can't agree more." I walked straight to see Bill and Barok. Somehow, knowing them first had made me like them more than the other dogs. I knew I shouldn't be making favourites, something Lillian urged me to take note of, but I couldn't help it. Bill's constant cheerful attitude never failed to affect me positively, and Barok's calm nature helped too. It was like they were an effect of yin and yang.

I was ready even before Bill pounced on me. I only took a step back, that was it. He did knock against the bruise on my arm though, but that was okay. I reached up to rub his head. "Hello, Bill. Nice to see you again." I removed his paws from my shoulder, and squatted down to meet both the brothers' eyes.