❥𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐁𝐞𝐥𝐨𝐧𝐠 || 𝐌𝐉 𝐈𝐦𝐚𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐞 ❥/𝑪𝒐𝒎𝒑𝒍𝒆𝒕𝒆𝒅/•

🤍Part Four🤍

You casually walked out of the kitchen, still a little perplexed at what had unfolded just a little while earlier. Along with the fact that everyone seemed to be very kind and open, there was a side of each individual that felt sad, as if a great curse had befallen them - only waiting to be lifted. It was intriguing, how contrasting the two glimpses of the spectrum could be, but it wasn't anything that deterred you from wanting to work there still.

So far, you had only been to a few common areas of the house, not having found your way soon enough to have explored more of the harder-to-reach rooms just yet.

As you left the kitchen, you were a little pleasantly surprised to bump into Daniel, who was even more adorable now that you were able to see him better. He stopped when he saw you, looking up at you with eyes that you had already fallen in love with.

"Hi," he said in a small voice, making you laugh with fondness.

"Hello there," you crouched down so that you were looking straight at him. "You must be Daniel," you smiled.

He continued to stare at you with innocent, starry eyes, eyes that made you feel fuzzy inside - as though he had already become attached to you. A few seconds passed, then he nodded as he continued to study you.

"I like you," he smiled in return, making you giggle fondly once more as you brought your hand up to caress his cheek.

Your touch didn't seem to scare him off at all, despite the fact that you were a stranger. There was something so endearing, so special about the wonder in his eyes in particular.

Suddenly, he spoke again, and his words took you by utter surprise. "Are you my new mommy?" he asked.

For some reason, something inside of you turned, making you nauseous out of nowhere. You couldn't understand it, because it certainly was not because of Daniel - no, he was so lovely, you wanted to embrace him, but you felt held back. The sensation was unanticipated and all-consuming - so much so that you hadn't been aware of Michael's presence, arriving in time to have overheard his son's words.

"Daniel!" he exclaimed, petrified at what his son had asked, or at least that's how he looked as he ran up to the both of you.

You straightened up again and stepped back, dazed.

"Daniel," he bent down to address his son. "Be a good boy and go to your room for me while I speak to Althaia, alright?" he spoke as gently as possible.

The little boy turned his head to look at you, staring at you for one more moment before he nodded at his father - obeying the request without another word.

Michael watched him run off along one of the hallways that presumably led to his room, and once Daniel was out of sight, the man straightened up as well - turning to face you.

"Oh God, I'm so sorry," his face paled when he looked at you.

That's when you noticed that you were crying. Tears were streaming down your face, and you didn't even know why.

"What?" you muttered to yourself as you brought your hands up to your face, brushing away your tears hastily. "Oh my goodness, I didn't....even know I was crying," you sniffed, only to laugh in disbelief straight after that.

"I apologize if you were upset by Daniel's words...but...it hasn't been easy for anyone ever since-" he stopped himself before his expression could turn sad. "Anyway," he shook his head, re-focusing on you. "Are you...okay?"

"If I was Annie, I probably would be better off not giving you an answer - otherwise that would defeat the whole purpose," you managed an awkward giggle. "Of the song, I mean," your eyes enlarged slightly. "The song," the memory of some of his songs came back to you.

At this, Michael's expression morphed into one of amusement as he stared at you, an eyebrow raised.

"I'm going to take a leap here and say that you're...not okay," he chuckled, walking closer to you.

Instinctively, you froze, nearly prepared to back away. Seeing this, he stopped.

"I'm not going to hurt you..." he trailed off, obviously mystified by your anxiousness.

When you managed to let him get closer, he brought the back of his hand to rest against your forehead, checking to see if you'd had a raised temperature.

"I was right," he said in a whisper, given that he was unbelievably close to you. "You've got a bit of a fever. That...escalated fast," he took a step back, eyes still curiously fixated on you. "Perhaps I should take you home,"

"What?" you brought your hand up to your forehead as well, also deducing that you indeed had a fever. "I don't-" you didn't know what to say as another wave of nausea overtook you, causing you to sway on your feet.

Due to the baffling onset of dizziness, your feet became unsteady, and you felt as though you were going to collapse. You actually did collapse, but instead of hitting the ground, you were caught in Michael's arms - once again your hands instinctively grabbing onto him for support.

"Hey, easy there," he voiced with concern, keeping you upright as best he could, helping your own stability re-establish itself.

With a bewildered laugh, you caught your breath as you forced yourself back onto your feet properly - still shocked by how quickly everything had changed for you.

"Y-Yeah, I...think I should...get home," you gulped.

He reassured you with a smooth smile, his hands still placed along your upper waist.

"I'll take you home,"

៚ ⋯⋯⊰☆