Chapter 17
I was working on a citrus tree the next early morning when Katie suddenly ran towards me and stopped, out of breath.
"Katie, are you okay? What's going on?" I asked, worried.
She smiled brightly at me then ran away after handing a small piece of paper and said, "A message for you."
I looked at the paper in my hand before I placed my basket down. I read the paper's contents and smiled.
It wrote:
"Same place. Same time. I will be waiting. -Daniel"
He had told me yesterday that he would do his best apology and wait for his word. This must be it.
'I wonder what he'll do. I'm sure I'll be surprised as always.'
I folded the paper and kept it in my pocket and I head out and placed the fruit at Aunt Martha's place in exchange for a pie to take with me at the mountains with my mom. I hurried to the stables, hopped on Orion, and rode home.
My mom was already in the truck and honked at me as a signal to follow her. With me and Orion behind the truck, we crossed a path towards the mountain and stopped at the bottom. My mom parked the truck while I tied Orion to a nearby tree before we took huge flower baskets with us. We then climbed our way up the mountain until we stopped to turn in a cave and walked towards a field of wild flowers that secretly laid on it's very end. There was a huge hole on one side of the ceiling that gave the the flowers light and a small mountain stream that gave it water. I have been there often with my mother to pick fresh wild flowers. The field looked lush and full of color. It looked simply beautiful and breathtaking. It always looked magical like always. I've always considered it a miracle of nature.
"Eve, pick up about a hundred of each of them." my mom said.
"The usual?"
"Yes. Start loading your basket sweetheart." my mom encouraged as she headed toward the left to pick tulips.
I head towards the right and start delicately picking up daisies. I counted and placed each flower in order after the other before moving to another kind of flower. I picked about six types of flowers when my mom called me to stop and eat lunch. We ate quickly and continued. I picked another four types of flowers and finished just before the time we needed to leave. We managed to place four of the loaded flower baskets into the truck and came back for the last two.
"Sweetheart, let's go!" my mom called out as she picked her last basket and walked ahead of me.
"Coming!" I picked up my basket and started to leave when a sparkle caught my eye.
I put my basket down and walked towards it. I bent down before a rock that had a single isolate flower beside it. This flower was peculiar and it must've been rare because I have never seen it before. It had delicate soft pure white petals overlapping one another with a small golden-like glowing center and it had a glowing aura around it. It was as if it was engulfed by light. Another object that caught my eye was the thing that laid beside it. It was an old key. A small key with a weird old-looking crest formed with expertly intertwined metal. I reached for it and observed it as I held in in my hands. It was beautiful.
"Eve! What's taking you so long?" my mom called out as she went back the cave to look for me.
I shoved the key in my pocket and carefully picked the flower to show it to my mother.
"Mom, look what I found."
"Wow! It's beautiful! Where did you find this?" she said as she took the unique flower in her hands.
"I found it by this rock." I replied as I pointed it out.
"Are there anymore of these?" she asked unexpectedly excited and hopeful.
"That's the only one I found." I said, sadly.
She looked disappointed but then said, "We can find more next time. Come on. We need to get home. It will be getting dark soon."
I nodded and picked up my basket as she lead us out the cave. I loaded the basket in the truck and settled on Orion before following my mom home.
~
Late that night, I anticipated for the clock strike eleven. It was moving so slow. I wanted to go. Now.
I was surprisingly excited more than I thought I would be about what he had up his sleeves. This was Daniel we're talking about. He was, how I call it, "The Master of Surprise" and he certainly lived up to it perfectly. Curiosity peeked my mind on what would happen this time. The thought is making me feel more agitated.
I glanced at the clock again. It was ten minutes till eleven. I couldn't wait any longer so I immediately stood up and peeked out my bedroom door to check and see if anyone else was awake but there was none. I quietly and slowly made myself downstairs and out the front door. Sneaking out again. I don't know what's happening to me anymore. This is not good but I don't want to stop.
I took Orion and placed the riding cloth on him before leading him further away from the house. Away from my parents' hearing distance. I hopped on him then charged forward, quickly galloping through the trees and pass the clearing, only slowing down when I was already close.
When we slowed down to a stop, I hopped off Orion and tied him to a tree branch. I then called out. "Daniel? Are you there?"
"You're early." Daniel said, teasingly.
I looked up and I saw him smiling at me with his charming yet smug self.
"As are you." I teasingly retorted. "And I don't want to be fashionably late because I might owe someone again. I'm not going to let that happen."
He chuckled and said, "Too bad. That's a missed opportunity."
I shook my head amused before asking, "Are you gonna come down or not?"
He climbed down as an answer to my question, and quick at that. He stood there in front of me in his casual clothes and a bit out of breath but he still managed to look good.
'What am I saying! Snap out of it Eve!'
"So, where's the grand apology?" I asked as I tried to get my head straight.
"Coming. Soon. We just have to get there first." he said with a playful smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes.
"I don't understand." I said, confused.
"You'll see." he said, smirking at me, still playful. "Come on." He held out his hand for me to take.
"What about Orion?"
"He needs to stay behind. It will only be for a while. Here, take my hand," he said, holding his hand out to me.
I blankly looked at it then back at him when he continued and shrugged as he said, "Unless you want to get lost."
I looked at his hand again and sighed as I took it. He held my hand tight, never letting go, as we quickly began walking our way through the dense forest and further away from our tree.
"Where are we going?" I asked, curiously.
He didn't answer but kept on walking.
"Where are you taking me?" I asked, hoping he would answer.
He looked back at me with a comforting smile saying, "Just trust me."
I nervously nodded before he looked ahead of us again. His grip tightened securely around my hand as we continued to walk through the forest. I didn't know how long it took us to get there but I was bewildered by the site before us.
It was an old ruin of a manor. It had aged through time. Bricks and rocks had fallen from their place from the walls and roof. Burnt marks were visible despite the dim light of the moon. Despite its poor condition, it still contained the essence of the grand beauty it once held before.
"What do you think?" Daniel asked.
"It's amazing." I stared at it with awe.
"Surprised?"
"Obviously!"
He chuckled, satisfied with my reaction. "Glad you like it. Want to see the inside?"
"Can we?"
"I'm pretty certain that we can." he said confidently.
I grinned widely and nodded happily. I had a deep interest in old things, ancient or medieval, broken or preserved. I always loved that it has a story behind it.
I was so excited that I gripped his hand tightly. It was then that I realized that we were still holding hands so I suddenly took my hand from his, embarrassed.
"Uh. . . let's go." I said, avoiding eye contact then nervously walked ahead of him as he smiled then followed behind closely.
I walked towards the huge burned wooden door and made my way through it. As I entered, I found myself standing in a small entry way and an old yet elegant lobby. At its end was a tall marble arc that led towards a big spacious room- an old ball room with a long and grand staircase.
"This is. . ."
"Amazing?" Daniel continued my sentence, like he had just read my thoughts.
I smiled at him and continued to walk towards the center of the room and wander my eyes to every corner of it. Everything, though covered with dust and cobwebs, still held its regal grandeur. Huge paintings were displayed on the walls, a big magnificent chandelier hung from the ceiling, a side table full of trinkets such as candle holders and expensive vases were on it. Most of them had fallen from their place or was broken. Despite the damage, I could still imagine the beauty it held during its glory days. Though there was something strange about it that I couldn't point out. I couldn't help but feel familiar about this place, like I had seen it before.
"How did you find-"
"I happened to pass by it when I got lost in the forest and before I found you. It would be a shame not to show this to anyone so I figured that I should use this discovery to ask for your forgiveness since you are so hard to please." Daniel said as I stopped to turn around and face him.
"You're right. It would be a shame to keep this hidden. It's really amazing." I said in awe of the place.
"I trust that I'm forgiven, yes?" he said with a confident smirk.
"Yes, you are but only because I like this." I confirmed as I walked a few steps up the majestic staircase.
When I reached the middle, I turned around and faced him before saying, "I wonder who owned this place."
"I'm sure we'll find out soon enough." Daniel said with a smile. "Shall we head upstairs?"
I nodded in response and went with him up the second floor of the manor. On the way there we passed by several statues, knight figures, torn curtains and some broken windows. What scared me was that there were skeletons at a hallway.
'What happened here?'
Behind the magnificent beauty this manor, was dark story behind it. A bad memory. A tragedy. I could sense it from this scenery.
I didn't notice that I was unconsciously shaking until Daniel suddenly held my hand, saying, "There's nothing to be afraid of. You'll be fine. I'll protect you."
I looked into his warm and reassuring eyes, and smiled. I trust him. I know I can. I don't know but there is something about him that makes me feel safe.
We walked pass another hallway and ended up walking towards an open door. As we looked inside, I noticed that it was a girl's bedroom. It was beautiful. There was a huge bed, an old carpet, a tall glass window which lead to a small balcony, a walk-in closet, and a dresser with grand mirror.
"Wow. . ." I said as I slowly let go of Daniel's hand to touch the bed sheets.
I then walked towards the dresser. There was a hairbrush, a comb, a fancy perfume bottle, an opened jewelry box with overflowing gems and accessories, and a small music box. All were covered in dust. I lightly touched each item with my finger tips. There was something about this place that strangely makes me feel nostalgic. I don't know why but it just does. This made me more intrigued about it. I shook the thought away and just smiled. I slowly opened the music box and let its melody fill the room.
"These are pretty. I wonder who these things belong to. . ." I said out in a small voice as I stared at the music box.
"They belonged to you." Daniel said in a low voice.
I chuckled at his joke and said, "You're seriously saying that to scare me now, aren't you?"
When I looked up at Daniel's reflection in the mirror and met his eyes, there were no signs of doubt or amusement. He looked desolate. It was then when I started to become uneasy. He was being serious.
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Hey guyz!!!!
I'M REALLY REALLY REALLY SORRY ABOUT THE VERY LATE UPDATE!!! I'm afraid to admit but I'm actually running out of ideas. My inspiration was somewhat depleted. I predicted that writer's block will occur someday. There isn't a time that it won't happen to a writer so PLEASE FORGIVE ME!!! :'(((
I hoped you liked what I wrote because were about to get to the complicated part! Hahaha I hope you get ready!
Fyi. My 3 weeks vacation will end soon in about a week more so please bear with me if I might lessen in posting more chapters compared to before. I'm informing you just in case.
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