The Gallery (-BTS-)

Sea Foam

You wake up and stretch your arms out above your head. Looking around you recall the events of getting to the house you found and the long walk through the woods to reach it. You pull the covers off and look around the room once more, seeing a small window to you right. Walking over to it you can see the beautiful ocean waves crashing into a sharp rocky shore. There looks to be a large boat dock with trading ships and even some smaller personal boats likely used for fishing. The grass is a vibrant green mixed with small bits of yellow, trees were everywhere with yellow, red, and orange leaves showing that it could have been an early fall for the area.

"I couldn't have even dreamed of a view this pretty."

You hear a small and soft knock at your door and walk over to it. You grab the bronze knob and crack open the door, only to see Lilith standing there with a brand-new set of clothes for you. She bows her head to you as you open the door the rest of the way.

"Good morning Miss. I figured you would want something better to wear for now until we can figure out how you ended up at our front door."

"Ohh that would be lovely Lilith! Thank you so much."

You grab the clothes from her to see it was a flowy pale-yellow floor-length dress with silver trim and embroidery running down the arms. It looked like it would fit perfectly and would not be too cumbersome to move around in thankfully.

"I must go prepare breakfast now but please join us when you are washed and changed. I am sure our young master would love to meet you!"

"I will . . . thank you again for everything."

"It was our pleasure Miss. Our young master would never want us to turn away a poor soul who has no place to go. Frankly if we did turn you away, we might be shipped off on a trade ship to work or. . . You know what forget I said anything Miss. We will see you soon!"

After that she quickly turned and walked away down the hall leading to the stairs. Once you could no longer see her you walked across the hall into the bathroom locking the door behind you. You washed your face with the bar soap sitting on the sink and combed out your hair the best you could with your fingers. Your face was not as puffy as normal, meaning you got plenty of sleep finally and the way your skin looked was perfect, almost glowing like fresh paint still waiting to dry.

You unlocked the door and stepped out into the hall, turning to walk over to the staircase, you hear a small shuffle behind you. You turn around to look only to run right into the chest of a man wearing a light cream-colored satin shirt. Slowly backing away you can see he has flowing black paints on they are covering most of his feet leaving only his bare toes peeking out. Leaving your head lowered to hide the blush from embarrassment on your cheeks you bow to the man in front of you.

"I am so sorry sir! I didn't know you were behind me; I hope I didn't hurt you."

"No, my dear you did not. I should have made myself known my apologies as well."

His voice was soft and calm like a young man speaking to his parents. You finally look up to see the face of the man. Backing away more you stumble and start falling backwards, but before you hit the ground you feel an arm wrap around your waist stopping you. His face was breathtaking and soft with features that seemed all too familiar to you. He smiled at you and displayed a wonderful boxy smile that showed all his teeth. His eyes were a bright blue like of mix of the sea and the waves that were just outside your window this morning. You could see sadness behind them like a child trapped in a nightmare, but his smile would say otherwise. The more you looked into his eyes the more you felt like you had seen him before. . . You could recall hearing the screams and cries for help in the void. You remember seeing all the men in the gallery and then it clicks. . .