Untouched (Untouched #1)(Old Work)

Chapter Eleven

It was a dark and gloomy day.

A storm had descended upon the manor, the sky consisting of deep, deep grey clouds with patches of purple that stretched as far over the horizon as one could see. The heavens had opened and it was now dumping a deluge of rain. The grounds of the property were sodden and puddles were accumulating wherever they could, some almost worthy enough of being a splash-pool. The giant wet had resulted in the groundskeepers being called off-duty for the time being but this didn't worry them.

It never did.

A steady, cascading waterfall came from the eaves of the buildings, all of which were beyond capacity and were overflowing. It would provide for a good shower if soap or body wash was on hand. One would only need to spend five seconds outside to become equally as drenched as the grass beneath their feet.

Ellen sat in the window seat of her room, her eyes following each of the dotted trails the raindrops left behind as they hit the glass and slithered downwards. It was a mind-numbing thing to do, although thoroughly relaxing. When she wasn't busy, relaxing here was one of her favourite things to do.

She was alone, again, the newfound freedom overwhelming as she was so used to being in Hans or Claudia's company. She wasn't quite sure what to do with all this free time. Each of their days, from the wee hours of the morning to the late hours of the evening, were devoted to the proceedings of the Dvorak trial which had continued behind closed doors. She knew nothing as the Grand Committee weren't allowed to discuss it. It had been three days since it had resumed; three days of loneliness.

She had tried approaching others in the hallways, the library and the dining room but they were quick to carry off as if they suddenly remembered they had an urgent appointment to attend. If she wasn't light-hearted, she would have taken offense to their sudden departure but it was humorous to see the excuses they developed on their feet and their panicked faces. One even went as far to say she had a meeting with Claudia during the time which Ellen and everyone else knew she was in the trial. Deep down, Ellen had the inkling that it was only because she was viewed as trouble; they feared they would be attacked if they associated themselves with her.

Now, she found herself staring out of the window, her mind drifting to the turn of events that her life had taken. She then started having flashbacks of her childhood, her parents always happy and supporting her with whatever she chose to do. She remembered the first time she rode a bicycle, the first time she made a cake, the first time she won an academic award in high school. A tear rolled down her cheek; rolling down like the raindrops on the other side of the window.

She missed them.

And she missed them dearly.

She felt her chest heave and fall; again, heave and fall. She took a fistful of the soft, fleece blanket she wrapped herself in and held it up to her eyes as she began to sob. The fleece was quick to soak her tears. She leaned the back of her head on the wall of the window seat and started to take several deep breaths.

Everything will be okay.

She saw her own reflection on the window, her hair tucked into an unkempt bun and her eyes shiny. She retrained her focus and stared at the wet scenery around her. The world was feeling her pain.

There was a knock on the door, and she snapped her head towards it. She wasn't expecting a visitor. Rolland had poked his head through a small gap and now looked at her with wide eyes.

"I heard someone sobbing on my way to grab something to eat. Are you okay?" he asked, spying her depressed state.

Ellen nodded, wiping her face once more with the blanket.