Prologue Part 8
It was now the next morning and one of the servants came to check on Isabella and Matteo. She was a small girl who behaved more like a squirrel than a human. She stood for a few seconds at the door, trying to muster up the courage to enter. The door was wide open and when she entered she found only Matteo on the bed. "Lady Isabella?"
Suddenly she noticed something next to the door. "Ah!" She exclaimed with a step back. Isabella was sitting on the floor, hugging her knees while staring at the corner opposite her. "Lady Isabella?" the servant girl bent down and gently placed her hand on her shoulder. Isabella still had not acknowledged her presence as her eyes stayed glued to the corner. She didn't even blink.
The servant could feel the subtle trembling of Isabella's shoulder and her body as a whole. She shook her shoulder. "Lady Isabella." Still no reply. This time she cupped Isabella's face and turned it towards her. When their eyes met, Isabella's pupils constricted and she gave the servant girl a hard slap in the face before screaming and scrambling away from her.
Matteo instantly shot up, still disoriented. "Calm down lady Isabella!" The servant girl's heart raced as she desperately tried to calm her mistress down. At that moment, a few more servants rushed into the room along with Isabella's best friend, Roselle. "Move." She said to all the servants as she walked up to her friend who was still screaming on the floor.
"Hey! Hey, hey, hey… Bella, calm down." She said gently as she bent down and cupped her face. Bella's eyes made contact with hers and she slowly calmed down. Roselle helped her up off the floor. "Oh sweetheart, you look a mess. Did you get any sleep?" Tears welled up in Isabella's eyes. "Rosey, I'm scared." Rosey pulled her into her arms and stroked her hair. "What's wrong? What is it that scares you so?"
Roselle continued stroking her hair as Isabella's tears began to overflow. Matteo looked on in silence while the servants began exiting the bedroom. A few seconds after that, Roselle took her friend's hand and gently walked her out the room. Matteo decided to follow them. They walked slowly down the stairs so Isabella wouldn't fall, and eventually reached the living room where they sat down.
Roselle placed a hand on Isabella's thigh then asked, "Are you alright?" Isabella nodded. "Okay, now… please tell me what the problem is." Isabella closed her eyes, took a breath, then began to explain everything that happened. It took a while for her to finish retelling the events from the previous night, she could not stop shaking and she even cried a little, but she managed.
After the explanation, Roselle stared at her in complete shock. She accidentally giggled a little bit. "That was the problem? A ghost? Sweetie, there is no such thing as a ghost. Are you sure it was not just a dream?" Isabella snapped, "It was not a dream! I saw it and Matteo saw it as well!" Roselle raised both her hands to the air. "Alright, Alright. Then perhaps the work of somebody's Spirit Inheritance?" Isabella huffed. "The only people in this house who possess a Spirit Inheritance are me and Thomas. This was not Thomas' doing and it certainly was not mine! So who else could it be?"
"Well, maybe somebody is hiding their abilities." Roselle suggested. "Impossible! All our servants go through a routine check at the end of every month. It would simply be impossible for that to be the case." Isabella countered, "Besides, according to my knowledge, the only seeds capable of shaping a human out of smoke are the high level elemental seeds, which would be impossible for most people to plant."
Isabella sighed, "Well, I am sorry Bella, but I simply can't believe your story. Are you sure it was not a dream? Or maybe a figment of your imagination?" Isabella jerked back and sneered in disdain. "So what? Are you suggesting that I've gone mad!? Ask Matteo and he will tell you the exact same story as I have told you." "Calm down! Matteo is just a child, I don't think it's right to involve him in this."
"But he was there!" Isabella shouted. "Bella… Do we need to see a doctor?" Isabella's mouth widened. "No we do not. Ugh, just change the subject please." Roselle smiled, "Gladly". A servant entered and placed two cups of tea on the nearby table. They both took them before resuming. "So, what news do you have for me?" Isabella asked with a hand on her forehead. Roselle took a sip of her tea then answered, "So, did you hear… apparently Sir Teatherby of house Teatherby…" She turned her head to both sides before whispering, "Got Corrupted."
Isabella gasped as her hand covered her mouth reflexively, "No. Tell me more."
***
Later at sunset, Isabella and Matteo were in the garden tending to the flowers. Matteo watched his mother with caution after everything that has happened in the past 24 hours. Compared to his mother, Matteo was doing much better than she was. Although thoughts of the strange figure from last night took over his mind, he currently showed no signs of distress.
Isabella finished revitalizing the last flower as Matteo planted new flower seeds from right next to her. Isabella then used her power on the newly planted seeds. Once they were finished, they laid on their backs on the ground and gazed at the orange blue sky sprinkled with colourful stars. "Mama, are you okay now?" Matteo asked in a worried tone.
Isabella had a look of confusion on her face. "Yes, I'm okay. Why do you ask?" "Because, yesterday was very scary…. And you were screaming very loudly. This morning you were also screaming, and you also didn't sleep during the night." Isabella paused for a moment before answering with an awkward chuckle. "Ah, yes. I was just…. So afraid. It's very scary seeing something like that," she turned toward him, "What about you, how are you doing?"
Matteo turned to her with a warm smile, "I'm fine. But don't worry mama, I'm afraid too but… at least we're scared together . we'll be okay, I promise" He patted her head. Isabella smiled as her eyes became watery. A memory flashed in her mind.
She was young and lost in a dark forest while following her brother at work. She was cold and hungry, and the only thing she could do was hear the sounds of strange wild animals. It was possibly the most terrifying experience of her life, but luckily for her, she had her older brother, Matteo.
He put his hand on her small head. "It's okay, don't be scared. I hunt animals for a living, I won't let anything hurt you," He gently held her small hands, "As long as you and I are together, you have nothing to worry about."
As that memory flashed, she fought back the tears threatening to fall, then looked her son in the eyes and said, "Thank you, Matteo." The two wrapped their arms around each other in a long and comforting embrace.