Eden
"Kailah?"
Salem's eyes darted towards the girl; not in concern I'm sure, but in distaste, in apprehension.
Karin was doing the best that she could using her motherly instincts to keep Kailah from falling over I'm sure. Karin's lips would part again and again, before pausing, smiling, and then continuing. Although I'm not sure how well it was working. Kailah looked at the walls and floor, and practically everywhere else except in my direction. No doubt she must have been silently praying that I personally was not the one who called out her name.
Seconds passed and soon enough, the whispers between the two were almost too audible to ignore. Every tik-tock that echoed off of the walls of the room only amplified the uneasiness that resided just in the small space between Salem and I. Karin seemed to notice this as well; at least that's what her body personified as she turned, her eyes pivoted sharply in my direction.
"I need some help here." Was all I could repeat in my head. And considering her abilities, I'm sure she could have read it in bold letters across.
She looked back to Kailah, and spoke again, and whether it was truly her or magic, Kailah stopped looking everywhere and instead focused on what was in front of her.
My focus continued to remain tied to them both, yet out of the corner of my eye I noticed the older, vulgar woman, shift her body. Needless to say, the uneasiness seemed to thicken, precipitating suffocation. Her body had turned in the slightest towards her pet; her back situated like an arrow. Her head tilted downward, casting deep craters of shadows on the beds of her eyes and her oddly vintage royal ivory blouse. Her pose embodied that of a hawk, eyeing its prey carefully before extending its wings to jump. There was no beating around the bush at this point; the air around us all, was now claustrophobic.
It took another minute before Kailah began moving, one foot after another, meticulously, over to the cream sofa where I was situated. The overused chalky tunic she seemed to wear had small stains of burgundy. It was then that I noticed, that her quaking hands were responsible for splattering specs of the berry tea on her already tainted wardrobe.
And then all at once, she stopped. She kept her head down, her umber hair creating a curtain over her features and half of her chest. It was like seeing a robot shutting down after it completed its mission; having no self-power until further entitled to. One can only assume, Salem is she who gives her that privilege.
"Kailah,-" I began, she shuddered. "-come sit here. It's better than standing." I gave the seat to the left of me a light tap, hoping it would somehow seem like an invitation rather than a command.
Instead of looking to me, she lifted her head gently and looked over to Salem, for approval.
With narrow eyes, a grimacing face, and a hollow voice, she responded.
"Go ahead Kailah, sit, it is rude not to take an invitation."
She did as she was told without a second of doubt in her movements. She slipped between the table and the sofa and took a seat. When she sat, the seat made no noise. Not even a poof of air, nothing. She was a small little thing. I couldn't help but look at how much more she seemed like a shadow than anything else; always following along whoever is before her. I hadn't noticed that the clinking sound of the porcelain cup and small plate in her hands had begun to hum louder; pointing out the fact that her sitting close to me made her all the more afraid. Afraid? Yeah it had to be afraid.
"Are you afraid of me?" Her shoulders tensed upwards, but no answer. The silence lingered for a moment, before I turned to face Salem, who I expected to be keeping a close eye on her supposed assistant. Instead, I was met with the disturbing steady gaze focused on myself. When I say disturbing, I mean disturbing. She wasn't moving, at all. She embodied a gargoyle more than anything; back straight, not an inch of movement absolutely anywhere, eyes steady and glaring at me.
"I apologize . I'm just feeling a little cold." The air shook slightly.
For a second I didn't register whose voice broke the silence. It took me a good few seconds before I realized that I didn't recognize that voice as Karin's, and not that of Salem. It was Kailah. "Cold? You're cold?" I repeated. She nodded slightly, 'yes'. While being cold made sense, it didn't explain any part in the slightest as to why the tension in this small space was so goddamn thick; or why Salem's gaze was just downright eerie.
Now that she had responded, she didn't seem so tense; but that didn't mean she stopped shivering. The hum of the porcelain clinking together was becoming somewhat permanent in my ears, and I really wanted it to stop.
My body appeared to be far more aggravated than my mind was; and without thinking, I had my left hand over the rim of the porcelain cup that she held on to.
"I'll take that." She fidgeted slightly as I removed the cup from her unsteady hold and placed it on the minimal coffee table in front of us. I looked up to a very hopeful Karin making her way out of the kitchen with a tray full of pastries; we didn't have guests often and I'm sure she's holding onto every thread of hope that this doesn't go downhill. Although with this current state of tension, I didn't expect it to end well.
"Karin-" I began. Her lips flattened from the smile she wore earlier, I'm sure she could assess the negativity surrounding this trio I was involved with. "-why don't you take Kailah through your closet? There must be something you own that will fit her and keep her from shivering so much, at least for now."
Karin's lips parted, slightly at first, and then in deep content. She must have felt proud of me for being considerate over someone other than myself. This would disappoint her, for that was not the case.
"Besides-" I looped my thumb and forefinger around the delicate handle of the cup and raised it up in the air; swinging it around slightly, recklessly. "-this is imported China from my parents. It took a lot of time and money on their behalf and it would be such a shame to watch it fall to the floor and shatter because someone couldn't keep their hands still."
With that, Karin dropped any sign of pride or happiness from her face and sent me a glare that could scream a mix of embarrassment and rage at the same time. If this were a meeting with people we knew, she would have surely slapped me through all 9 circles of hell.
She turned back to set down her tray of pleasantries and then turned once again to make her way over to us.
"No."
It didn't sound like a scream. Yet somehow, it definitely did. My neck could have snapped from how quickly it pivoted from my attention to Karin, to the woman behind the orotund voice. It was Salem; and judging from the narrow eyes, she was not happy.
"That is enough."
She clasped her hands together atop her lap. Then like the thespian of the norm she is, she stood up.
"There is yet much to do back at home before any celebration can commence."
She made eye contact, first with me, and then Kailah. The curtain hiding Kailah's features revoked, it was as if they were communicating telepathically. Then in a second, she stood, quickly, afraid; and scurried over to her.
"Our sincerest gratitude-" She bowed. "-for your benevolent hospitality, truly. " The tone of her voice shifted, better yet, molded, into something else. The voice she used now, differed from the person's I'd been sharing words with earlier.
Salem straightened any evidence of wrinkles on her dark hued skirt before slithering out to the entrance of the foyer, Kailah following along.
Karin scurried ahead in an attempt to be polite and opened the door for the two. I followed behind, cup still in hand, not minding being late to the fare-thee-well party. Outside the doors, Karin stood with Kailah, muttering some words that she'd surely keep in her heart, before sending her off. Karin waved until we could see no more of the dark sedan. Far be it from me to call it ominous, but the second they passed the two rivers of the cherry willow trees, a lavish gust of wind seemed to rain down; and along with it, left all of the tension.
"Well that could have gone better." I stated, then looked to my right at a statue-like Karin, I could hear it all now. "What do you think that was all about?"
She turned to face me sluggishly. "What did you expect Eden?" Here we go. "I mean really what could you expect when a guest walks in and the host expresses nothing but an attitude that just screams immaturity-!"
"I get it Karin." I interjected
"-arrogance, and disrespect-!"
"Karin-"
"-and to make matters worse, you're not even dressed appropriately!"
"Okay yes Karin, I get it, thank you." I replied sarcastically. It clearly didn't satisfy her. She snatched the porcelain cup out of my grasp before holding it up to me, ready to scold me some more.
"And what's with the cup Eden? You don't bother asking what time of day it is whenever you do wake up so I know very, very well that you could care less about the cup you drink out of being made of porcelain, ceramic, glass, plastic, or styrofoam. So simply why? Why torture the poor girl into believing that she's at fault for a scenario that hasn't even happened when she's ALREADY A NERVOUS WRECK?" She didn't tone down from screaming the last part.
"It was a joke Karin-"
"Well it wasn't funny Eden!" She huffed. At some point later today, I'd be set in stone to apologize to her, or else the better half of me wouldn't let me sleep tonight.
"Do you think she'll be back?" I asked genuinely. Her anger softened, and she finally lowered the cup down beside her.
"Well luckily for us, the boys deposited a very generous sum to her organization, so she definitely will return-"
"Not the lady Karin, Kailah. Do you think she'll be back?" The corners of her lips curled up slightly, she was fighting back a smile I could see it.
"Why?" She dipped her head to a side in amusement. "Are you interested in her?"
"That's actually a very funny joke Karin." I scoffed. My gaze moved to the trees in front of us, still dancing in the dying wind. "All humor aside, that lady, did you feel all that?"
I looked down to her once more. Her eyes now also focused in the view in front of us. "Of course I felt it Eden. How could I not? She is a descendant of mine. A worker in my name."
I took in what she said. Looking at Karin closely, she failed to show any indication of emotion in her face, or at all for that matter.
She was serious.
She was very serious.