𝐓.𝐇.𝐄

𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟑

The evening altogether flew by typically, besides the discovery of the secret door. When I started searching again, I encountered Angel in her bathroom, which is attached to her room. When she realized that I had ransacked the Palace to find her, she burst out of laughing so hard she couldn't breathe for a few minutes. Since I couldn't resist her cute giggles, I followed in symphony.

During dinner, I finished cleaning the kitchen and setting the salon where they had their meals. When I was dismissed, I headed to my room. The maids live outside the Palace. In fact, we always have to pass the garden to get to our residence. It is not huge, but it is quite homey. Each of us has our own room, however we share the living room, the kitchen and the two bathrooms.

Once I get to my room, I open the gray closet, I grab my pajamas and dash through the house in an attempt to occupy one of the bathrooms and shower before any of the others. I love taking showers; I feel as if they purify me from any laborious and stressful emotions of the day. Massaging every part of my body, I expel the negative energy and relax my muscles.

As soon as I finish, I get out and immediately slip into my pajamas. I despise the freezing temperature after a warm shower. "Avelyn, is that you?" Anne's voice makes me flinch, painfully hitting my shoulder on the shelf holding shower gels and shampoos.

"Yes, two minutes and I'm out." I start buttoring up rapidly since I know how impatient she is. Unlocking the door, I toss my dirty clothes into the hamper and come face to face with Anne.

"Thank God you're out. I smell like a skunk." She says, leaping into the bathroom. I grin at her affirmation. One thing I have noticed about her is that she always tells the truth without shame. Not just about others, but herself too.

I head to the living room, where I find Claire and Lucy perched on the sofa, their heads buried in a book each. It seems like they don't notice my presence. I decide to sit next to Lucy since I know how much she hates being frightened.

"Hey, Lucy!" I scream into her ear, and she jumps so high that she falls to the floor in a heap.

"Oh God, Ave! You scared the shit out of me!" She exclaims, looking at me with her wide, green eyes.

"I surely did."

"Ugh, I told you to never scare me. You know how much I hate it." She continues, scolding me.

"Indeed."

"You are impossible." She grabs her book from the floor and gets comfortable on the sofa just as she was three minutes ago.

"Where have you been all day? I didn't see you today at the Palace." I ask her, stretching my limbs and plonking my feet on the little coffee table in front of the sofa.

"Today was my free day."

"Oh, right."

"When is yours?"

I take a few seconds to answer, " uhm.. On Wednesday, so in three days."

"Cool. All I did today was lying around the house drinking tea and doing nothing, something the Rockchild can't relate to." Claire and I laugh at her sarcasm. She has always been the humorous one who isn't afraid to tell jokes about anyone. Even about the family. At least she keeps us alive in this dreadful place.

"Lucy! Don't say that ever again." Anne appears from the corner with a bath towel on her head.

"Anne, please take that towel off your head. It doesn't suit you at all." She ignores her command. We all know how offended can Anne get when someone says something about her aspect.

"It's not a decor, idiot." Anne hits back. Lucy raises her hands up in defense. Claire and I can't stop laughing at their attempts to roast each other, and this makes Anne even angrier than before.

"You should all go to sleep. Tomorrow morning we have to wake up at six." She orders, while she prepares herself a cup of lemon tea.

"Yes, ma'am. Right away, ma'am." We all say in chorus.

"Stop. Making. Fun. Of. Me." She pronounces every word firmly. Her face is so red that I am afraid she may explode.

Claire and Lucy get up from the sofa, ready to go to bed. I stop them right away. "Girls, I have to tell you something."

They stop and give me a tired gaze, "what is it?"

"Who is The Lord?"

Suddenly, Anne drops the pot with the hot water and the water ends all over her pajamas. A frustrated and painful yell leaves her lips. We all run to her, putting her burned hand under the cold water.

"Anne, are you okay?" I ask, worried.

"How do you know?" She asks, ignoring my question. She stares into my eyes and I look at the girls, giving signals of help. However, they don't seem to notice it, since their shocked eyes are on Anne.

"How do I know what?" I ask, confused.

"Oh, don't play games with me. About.. THE LORD!" Oh.

"I..I don't know. I just bumped into a door which had that name on. That's it." I sum up, skipping some parts, but she doesn't seem to care about them.

"Y-You.. What?! Avelyn, do you even realise what you.. Oh, God!" She rages like a tempestuous wind and, glacing at the girls. I am not the only one scared and bewildered.

"Can you tell us instead of behaving like the crazy woman you are?" Lucy's sarcasm never leaves the room, even in these situations.

"I.. I don't think you all should know any of this. Avelyn, I order you to never ever in your life go to that door and say those words out loud in front of any Rockchild member. Just never say those words again."

We stand paralyzed like mummies, listening to her tone that we have never heard. Even Lucy seems speechless, and that frightened me more than what Anne has just said.

"Can you at least tell us why?" I insist. I was already curious, and she just increased my curiosity.

"Because..", she stops and takes some deep breaths,"I repeat, it's better if you don't know. Sometimes ignorance can save you."

She runs to her room, leaving us in our - my - unhealthy curiosity that has started to eat me up, piece by piece.