From the Ashes (18+)

Chapter 8.

My feet sunk into the grass below me, my toes feeling every sensation of the blades of grass calming my heart as I kept my shoes in hand. The estate grounds away from the forest were heavenly as if created by a higher power herself. The front of the outside estate had a larger cement staircase, leading down hundreds of steps until you reached the bottom which led to the servant's garden. 

Technically I wasn't allowed to be here but what would they do? Kill me? I giggled at my thoughts, passing by the woman plucking vegetables and fruits from the base of vines and dirt.

They nodded to me respectfully and I did the same, throwing them off as their expressions changed from reserved to shocked in a matter of seconds. There were many differences between Knox's estate and Xander's estate. This was the main one. Maids, servants and feeders all were frightened and mistreated here as if they were the scum of the earth. It made my blood boil for them, I could see why Elijah wanted Maggie to leave here.

I still haven't asked her why she stays, if she would go through literal torture, there had to be a good reason. And a more painful one, so I'd wait until we are better friends. Even I can see the power imbalance in our friendship, if I were to pressure her into answering a question as a friend, she may see me as one of them, see it as an order.

Walking off into the garden, where they grew the bouquets for the manor, my nose was flooded with the fragrance of primrose and tulips. A smile graced my lips as I walked past the risen wooden boxes holding the flowers and towards the greenhouse. I could smell more fragrances, foreign to me, and was in a desperate mood to explore. 

Being cooped up in that estate was ruining my attitude, and flowers always reminded me of home. My mother always planted every flower she could outside for the season. Drying out their petals and making all kinds of teas, and herbal mixtures for others. But the greenhouse...it was my haven back in Scotland. My hand grasped the greenhouse door handle, not meeting the curious stares of the workers nearby. As my body entered the room, that familiar heat and dampness entered my lungs making me release any further tension I had. Slipping on my shoes, it was time to explore.

My eyes nearly jutted out of my head, seeing the amount of flowers being grown. I thought our greenhouse was big, but this...this truly was fit for a king. Hundreds of various flowers were grown to full bloom, some I recognized. Lilies, orchids, peonies, gardenias...it was glorious. As I walked through the heated room, my fingertips grazed the petals and stems. Feeling the soft corollas, the softness made me smile to myself as I felt my soul ease. As I walked around, following the pathway until I neared the back of the greenhouse I noted a girl watering flowers and trimming leaves as she worked. 

She was an unfamiliar face, her curly locks pulled back into a tight bun as her tanned palm held a pair of sheers cutting the leaves. Her long white dress was paired with an under-sleeve black shirt, as the white straps were thick against her collarbones. Her brown eyes met mine for a split second, her chin nodding to me in recognition before continuing her work.

Leaving her, I walked further down the aisles flowers greeted me that I hadn't ever seen before. Roses, but their colour...they were as dark as night. The petals tightly wrapped around each other were a deep mulberry and wine mixed making it almost black. Never have I seen such a colour in nature, never in my life. 

They were beautiful...but how and why? There had to be hundreds of them in here, the entire back of the greenhouse was blooming in the rich, deep colour of roses. I reached up slowly, touching the head of the flower and its texture was odd against the tip of my fingers. The petals were rough, ribbed as if veins were within the petals giving it life force. My brows furrowed investigating the curious flower, grasping the stem but recoiling with a hiss. Raising my finger, a deep red droplet on my finger rose to the surface before disappearing as it healed itself quickly.