An Ordinary Unlife (for LillySnow)

[diceroller4]

Dear Diary,

Elea quickly scratched the words out before letting out a groan and laying her head down onto the journal that sat open on her desk. She had been trying for the last few nights to get some sort of semblance of order to her thought by jotting them down in the journal but she was having no luck. So far all she had to show for her efforts was a journal half full of scratched out pages. Trying to treat it like one of the countless diaries she had filled in her younger years had been her latest idea but it frankly just made her feel silly.

It still felt like just yesterday the brunet had woken up as Eleanor Eberhart, ordinary college freshman on a cross country trip with some schoolmates during her break. Except that was no longer her life. Now she was something out of a fairytale. It was mind boggling. While she liked to think she was handling things pretty well, at least better then she had those first couple nights, it was still a rather major shift in the young woman's life. Or should she say unlife?

Sitting up she glared down at the journal again. She just wanted to prove to herself that she could still put words to paper, but every time she tried her thoughts got entirely jumbled up. She turned the page and made to start again but ended up just sitting there, staring at a blank page. After a couple minutes of nothing she let out a frustrated sound and tossed the little book over her shoulder.

Hear a surprised shout and a commotion behind her Elea jumped to her feet and spun around. Seeing the maid nursing a bump on her head with fresh bedding scattered around her Elea hurried over. "Oh Arianna I'm so sorry," she said as she moved to check the redhead. "Are you okay? I'm really sorry about that. Here let me help you with all this and then we can find you like an ice pack or something."

[LillySnow]

Arianna looked up and looked at Elea, her eyes wide.
"Oh no, miss," the girl exclaimed, hurrying to pick up the sheets and try to fold them again.
"It's my fault, I was clumsy," she said. "Please don't tell that to the mistress," she pleaded.

"What's going on here?"

Arianna paled conspicuously.
As if he had evoked her, Lucinda von Carter had appeared from the end of the corridor.
Tall, elegant and austere as always.
Elea had met the woman in those two nights, she knew she was austere and icy.
Lucinda had made her understand that she don' tolerated mistakes or whims under her roof.
She had been rather patient in explaining the situation to Elea.
What it had become and the new rules of the night.

Se had seen too much, the alternative was death.

[diceroller4]

Elea jumped in surprise at hearing the voice of the woman who had taken her from her old life. Her Sire apparently, or at least that's the term she had been told. Feeling bad for the maid, and more than a little indignant at the thought that the poor thing should get in trouble over an accident that wasn't even her fault, she stepped stepped between the two.

"Nothing you need to worry about," she said with forced politeness and a strained smile. "Unless you're here to help? Poor Arianna here got caught in the crossfire of a bit of clumsiness on my part and I think she might need a break or at least some ice for her head." She reached down to give the redhead's should a small squeeze. "How about you go with her to get that bump looked at and I'll take care of this," she asked the older girl with an encouraging smile clearly taking it for granted that Lucinda would indeed care for her while Elea finished the maid's interrupted task.

[LillySnow]

Lucinda looked at Elea, arching an eyebrow.
There was too much of that situation that created disappointment.
"Help you?" She asked coldly. "Give her some ice?" A cold laugh echoed those words.
The woman looked at Arianna, who had turned pale. "Do you need some ice?" She asked mockingly.
"No, no mistress", the girl hastened to reply. "I beg your forgiveness for my clumsiness."
"Very well," Lucinda replied. "Fix everything in five minutes and maybe ... I could decide not to punish you."
The ghoul swallowed and nodded, grabbing the sheets.
Then Lucinda turned to Elea. "There are still too many things that are not clear to you. I have been patient this time, but I will not tolerate you telling me again that something happening under my roof does not concern me or that I should take care of my blood slave. Was I clear? "

[diceroller4]

Elea's felt her face heat up, although it was no where near the amount it might have while she was alive. That her cheeks were able to color as much as they did was a testament to her Sire's care in keeping her fed so far. Glancing between the woman and her blood slave she found herself getting angrier the more she saw the redhead rushing to please her mistress. Her fists clenched at her sides as she considering arguing however after a moment she thought better of it. "Crystal," she nearly growled with a heated glare. "Was that all," snappily asked hoping the answer was yes the the woman would leave so she could help the poor girl herself.

[LillySnow]

Lucinda looked at her coldly.
"There's nothing else for now," she said. "But I won't be so condescending forever. I taught you to feed yourself and do it secretly. I taught you the basics of survival," she reached out, touching Elea's cheek with her manicured fingers.
"But there are many other things you will have to learn. Rules that if broken will lead to very painful consequences ...", she said, hissing, then without waiting for an answer she turned to leave.

A very slight sniff revealed that Arianna, who had witnessed the scene, seemed on the verge of tears.

[diceroller4]

Elea barely held back a shiver at the woman's touch. Elea simultaneously wanted to slap her hand away and apologize for making her angry. She wasn't sure what it was but something about the older woman just got in her head and left her completely mixed up. She managed to keep her mouth shut and stay still until the woman was out of sight before rushing to Arianna's aid.

"Are you alright," she asks putting a comforting hand on the redhead's shoulder. "I'm so sorry about her. I don't know why she has to be such a bitch. How are you doing really? Do you need some ice? How about some rest? You want to just sit down for a minute? I can take care of this," she said motioning to the bedding.

[LillySnow]

Arianna made sure her mistress was away before answering.
"I'll be fine ... I'll heal as fast as you do," she assured her.
Then she sighed.
"I am nothing, for the mistress, only a tool. Please, do not ask her to take care of me anymore. You will only end up getting me punished.", She begged her.
"And you would end up being punished too. The mistress is great because you're still learning, but she won't be for long," she warned.
She finished picking up the sheets and gave her a smile. "But thanks."

[diceroller4]

Elea wanted to scowl upon hearing Arianna's words. Really who thought things like that? Only a tool? Humph! However she didn't want to make the redhead feel worse so she forced a small smile. "I'm not really good at keeping my mouth shut when I think someone's doing something wrong," she admits. "And I've never been able to stand bullies. But," she let out a sigh and ran a hand through her hair. "Well I don't want to make your life harder. I'll try to stay out of it."

She helped the older girl gather up the sheets before leaving her to her task, not wanting to accidently do anything else that might get her in trouble. Instead she decided to go exploring. She had been meaning to poke around the manner since she arrived but her natural curiosity had warred against her uncertainty in her new circumstances until tonight. Now she wouldn't so much say that curiosity had won as she really needed something interesting to do. Besides maybe if she got herself lost in some out of the way hallway she would be able to calm herself more before the next time she needed to deal with Lucinda.

[LillySnow]

Arianna gave her back, returning to her duties.

The old mansion was truly a labyrinth of rooms and corridors.
Elea, while exploring, came across several interesting places: A huge library, a large bathroom furnished in an antique style but with the luxuries of modernity, even a music room, with a harp and a piano.

Time had passed quickly and it was no more than an hour before dawn when Elea came across a room ... very peculiar.
It looked like a small warehouse, but several creepy-looking tools hung on the walls. Straps, long bamboo canes, brushes and even a gnarled carpet beater.
The moment she opened the door and realized what she was looking at, a noise rang out from a room down the hall.
A snap, followed by an undoubtedly female wail of pain.
It sounded like Arianna's voice.