Hidden in the Castle

Part 20

Chapter 19

Annabelle ran her hand down the horse’s flank and smiled when it neighed at her.  The more she was near these animals, the more she began to understand why Ramsey spent all of his time with them.  They were smart creatures, smarter than many people she had met, but at the same time, their personalities shinned through.  Some glanced at her with mild suspicion, looking at her as if they thought she’d jump at them in any moment, while others practically tried to run from their stalls to get her attention.

It was not only their personalities that set them apart, but their looks.  Everywhere she glanced there was a different horse with a different coloring.  It made her palm itch for her paints, her mind reel with the possibilities of drawings to come.  If she could, she would run back to the castle now, grab her notebook, and spend hours in the stable drawing until her hand became tired.

With a sigh, she shook her head and smiled when the horse repeated the action.  Even if Annabelle could return to the castle, even thinking about entering that place sent her stomach churning.  For the first time in her life, Annabelle agreed with her older sister.  She wanted to leave this place, leave the eerie feeling that hovered in the halls, the darkness that clouded the rooms.

Again, she knew the feeling was only her own.  No one else felt unsafe here in a place that was the most guarded she had ever stayed.  No one else jumped at shadows that held nothing but darkness. 

“Annabelle,” Ramsey whispered behind her, but even though she knew the man was close by, his voice made her jump.  “Are you alright?”

She practiced a genuine smile before turning towards him, but by the unimpressed look on his face, she knew he saw right through the falsities.  Letting her smile slip from her face, she shrugged.  “Everywhere I look, I see something that’s not there.  Panic claws at me, but there is no cause for it.”

Ramsey nodded along with her words, and the understanding on his face made her wonder if the man had gone through something similar.  “You have to have confidence in the people that care for you, Annabelle.  None of us will let anything happen to you.”

“There are not enough of you to stay with me every minute of the rest of my life,” she said with a small laugh, “and if there were, I am not sure how long I could take it.”

A laugh left Ramsey’s mouth, and Annabelle felt a genuine smile fall onto her face at his humor.  “You’d murder one or more of us before you reached your next year.  No, I don’t think sitting still and waiting is the right decision.”  His humor disappeared.  “I also do not think that running away is an option.  I can see it in your eyes, Annabelle, but if you run, you’ll regret it for the rest of your life.”

“Are you speaking from experience?”

“No,” he answered while stepping next to her.  He ran his hand down the horse’s nose, smiling when it head-butted his palm.  “I hid from my problems, but I never ran.”

“You are still hiding,” she mumbled, and when he didn’t argue with her, she knew that he would not say another word on the matter.  With a sigh, she stepped away from the horse.  “Will you tell me exactly about this man that has everyone so frightened?”