Painted

Chapter Five

I fell onto my soft and warm bed in exhaustion. It's already midnight. When I'm with him, I didn't notice how fast time seems to flow. To me, it's as if we're in a timeless space but now when I looked back, I discovered that time really does fly. It all ends in just a blink of an eye. I undressed and wished silently that he would soon propose to me. If I became a proper girlfriend, I'll be able to spend more time with him. Heck we could even do things that we've never done before like staying overnight in each others' houses and going for trips.

While I was undressing, I caught sight of the pile of papers at the corner of my desk and I groaned. Damn, I've completely forgotten about my homework! My phone beeped. Hopping about, I got both my legs into my pajamas pants and went over to the bed for my phone.

'Wanna grab lunch again tomorrow?'

It's from Carrie. I smiled.

'Felt like but can't. Have stupid homework.' I texted back.

'Aw, too bad. Alright, then. See u in school.'

'See u.'

I placed my phone on my bedside table and put on a shirt. Without further ado, I climbed into my bed. My eyes will pop out anytime now. I really need sleep. I slept late yesterday. That's why I felt so tired now. I made a resolution to spend my entire day with homework tomorrow.

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Mikiel paced the room absentmindedly. Back and forth he went without stopping. The guest stood near the fireplace, looking impatient. She appeared to be in her teens. Her hair is black and her dress is red. Her red eyes gleamed in the dim room. There's a devilish expression on her face. "Where's your master?" She finally broke the silence and turned to the cat. When she grinned, there were two rows of sharp teeth. Frankly speaking, she doesn't look human.

Mikiel halted and cocked his head to one side. "Don't give me that sort of expression. She'll be back soon."

"It's snowing. The portal to the other world is located far from this mansion. I hate walking under the snow."

"You have powers don't you? Just use them and trudge through the snow. Problem solved." Mikiel jumped up to the windowsill so that he could get a view of the main entrance of the mansion. The lights near the gates were brightly lit. It illuminates the compound really well. It's already midnight but master's not back yet. He began to feel worried.

The sound of the gates opening could be heard. Mikiel immediately brightened up. He mewed and raced out of the living room to greet his master. The guest pursed her lips together and sat on the couch, grinning a little.

"Looks like sister is keeping her busy. Well, whatever." She muttered and shrugged as if she didn't really care if the master of this mansion kept her waiting.

Elbe got out of her shoes and handed the basket to Mikiel who glanced at it delightfully. Well, the truth is, he's only interested in the milk. He trotted happily to the kitchen with the basket floating beside him. When he reached the kitchen's entrance, he paused and turned slightly. "Oh, you have a guest, master." He said, before disappearing into the kitchen, presumably to pour himself a bowl of milk.

Elbe headed straight for the living room to greet her guest. She knew that she had kept her waiting for too long. The door was slightly opened. Elbe pushed the door wider so that she could fit in between the cracks. The guest heard the sound of Elbe's footsteps and turned with a grin. "Elbe! Miss me?"

Elbe went over to the other couch and sat facing her guest. "What brings you here, Pride? Where are your other sisters?" There was a small pipe resting on the coffee table just right in front of Elbe. The pipe is long and thin. It looked like it had been carved out of copper. The designs on it is unique and intricate. Elbe took it up and lit the tip of the pipe which was filled with some kind of dry leaves by using the fire from the lamp on the table. She closed the cover of the lamp after the leaves lit up. Closing her eyes, she placed the pipe between her lips and huffed.

Pride's lips curved into a smile as she watched Elbe's mannerisms. "You're still addicted to that stuff? How many times do I have to tell you that it's not healthy to smoke?"

"I like it." Elbe replied shortly. When Pride heard this, she burst out laughing. She laughed and fanned herself with her hand which was loaded with rings. Some were made from gold entirely while some had precious stones on them.

"You still don't show much emotions. You still talk in the same way. You haven't changed at all, Elbe." Pride noted. She had stopped laughing. She now sat straight like a doll, gazing intently into Elbe's eyes. Elbe made no reply. Instead, she continued huffing and puffing. Mikiel entered the room with a tray above him. There were two glasses of water on top of it. Pride smirked when she saw those. "Looks like you've only got water in this house."

The tray fell onto the table violently, spilling some water onto the carpeted floor. Mikiel jumped onto the table and glared at Pride who shrugged as if nothing had happened. Elbe still sat still with her eyes closed. She didn't even take a peek to see what had just happened. "Don't complain, Pride! Just drink your water and get straight to the point." He slowly laid his body on the table and purred a little.

Pride grabbed the glass of water and drank it all in one gulp. Mikiel stared at her indignantly, as if he couldn't believe what he had just saw. "I've some good news for you." She finally broke the silence in this room. When Elbe heard those words, her eyes flung open and she fixed her gaze on Pride's.

"What is it?" She asked, placing her pipe onto the table.

"Your fate and that girl's will soon cross. Be sure to do a great job."

"A girl." Elbe repeated. She seems to have a dreamy look in her eyes. Pride stared at her with a gaping mouth.

"Ah, don't tell me you've forgotten about the contract!"

"No, I remember. I'll get to work now. Mikiel, I'll be counting on you." Elbe stood up. She left her glass of water untouched. Pride also stood up and reached out to clap Elbe's shoulders.

"Well then, I'll take my leave now. No need for you to escort me."

"Who wants to escort you?" Mikiel retorted. Pride laughed and waved her hand. She immediately disintegrate into ashes which flew out of the window which had been opened by an unseen force. The both of them watched her go before they left for the forbidden place.

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The loom had begun to move when Elbe and Mikiel entered. The room was located in the basement which had been dug deep underground to prevent the screams of the tortured souls reach the surface. It's a very huge loom which can only be operated by those who were destined to be the weaver. Mikiel pulled a rope with his teeth and a sack fell just right in front of the loom.

Elbe went around the loom and opened the sack. The thing inside the sack immediately whooshed out but she quickly grabbed its leg and pulled it back. There was a terrifying expression on his disfigured face. The soul gave a loud and shattering scream which will deafen any mortals who happened to pass by. Elbe's eyes began to shine a bright red. The soul froze in mid air. She returned to the loom and sat on the chair. With that, she began to weave.

Mikiel sat beside his master while he aided his master in keeping the soul frozen. As threads adjoined each other and the tip of a cloth could be seen, the soul began to unravel itself. He screamed in terror. His face was screwed up due to the pain of having his soul torn into long strips. Slowly, it became a very long wisp and melded slowly with the threads. During this process, Elbe muttered incantations after incantations. The real reason behind this was not known. In fact, no one would ever understand why she's doing all this.

"I like the next part." Mikiel admitted. The soul had fused with the half-complete cloth.

"Yes. Do you have any ideas about what we could make with this?" Elbe asked.

"What do you think she'll like? Handbags, purses, dresses? Girls will love those very much."

"Sounds good." The cloth was completed. Elbe stood up and displayed the cloth on a huge stand. The edges were clipped with two pegs. Mikiel stared at the cloth in satisfaction. His master always make masterpieces. The turquoise cloth heaved a few sighs as if the soul had finally succumbed to its fate. Elbe turned and faced the large chest located near the moldy walls.