I couldn’t sleep all night. After that dream, when I saw Michael as a vampire who was drinking my blood, I was too afraid to fall asleep again. Afraid that if I do, I would have that dream again.
At dawn, when the first sun rays started illuminating my room, I got dressed, and went on a walk in the house.
I reached the living room, and when I entered it, I saw Michael sitting on the couch, next to the fireplace. At first, I thought that he was asleep, because he didn’t seem to move at all, but as I got closer I saw that he was awake, watching the fire, being caught in thoughts.
His expression made my heart ache. For some reason, he was concerned about something. It seemed to me that it was causing him sadness.
How could I have a dream of him like that? In all the time I spent with him, I thought that even though he’s a person filled with mystery and makes me feel uncertain at times, he’s in fact a good person. I couldn’t find any explanations for why I dreamed of him like a… monster.
I was so caught in my thoughts that I didn’t realize that he had noticed me coming in. His eyes were fixed on me, and his expression was really serious. Even though I was still feeling uneasy, seeing that his eyes were of his usual deep blue color made me feel reassured.
But then, the part from the nightmare where I was being bitten by Michael came into my mind. Remembering it made me tremble for a bit. But I still watched him, full of compassion. I wanted to know what was causing him pain.
I saw him laugh a bit, but it was obvious that it wasn’t how he really felt.
“Did you sleep well?” he finally asked, but he was still having that heart wrecking expression.
“I had better nights…”
Well, that was 50% true. But the whole truth would be that this was the worst night I ever had.
“Then you should try doing something entertaining. Like go out and have some fun. You’re not a working machine.” he said, even thought his mood didn’t change one bit.
But it was true enough. Ever since I came here, most of the time I spent it with Michael and his instructing. I didn’t go anywhere even when he was away…
“I’ll keep that in mind.”
I was really feeling really guilty for that dream… there’s no way Michael could be…like that…
I went to the couch and sat next to him. There was a moment of silence after that.
“Is something bothering you? Can I be of any help…?”
I felt like I wanted to do something for him, I wanted to erase that unwanted sadness in his eyes.
I wanted the usual Michael back…
He turned his eyes on me and I could see that red spark again. I just stared into them.
He looked at me confused, until I answered at his unspoken question.
“Your eyes… they’re… not their usual color…”
My words seemed to shock him. It was obvious that it was something that he didn’t want me to know. And his reaction… seemed to be more like panic…
He got off the couch and started walking really fast towards the room exit.
“M..Michael? … What happened?”
I was confused by his sudden change of disposition.
“I’m going out for a bit… I have something to do…”
“Do you need me to come with you?”
“No!” he said, almost yelling it. He surprised me, making me unable to say anything. After realizing what impact his words had on me, he talked to me in an apologetic way.
“I’m sorry… I just need to take care of something… there’s no need for you to come as well…”
He still wasn’t facing me. And after saying that, he left.
Of course I was shocked. What could cause him to have that reaction? He is usually a really calm person, but today… his calm self has broken down for some reason…
After walking around in the house for a while, I ended up in the library. I didn’t feel like going anywhere out, so I just picked a random book and started reading. But after a while, I found myself just looking at the lines of the book, without actually reading them. I decided to stop reading for today.
Leaving the library, I kept walking on some corridors until I reached the kitchen.
Compared to the rest of the house, it had a really simple design. It didn’t look like it was being used very often. I decided to make a little use of it and cook something. It seemed like ages since I last did that.
That reminded me, I haven’t seen that old butler around for a while. And the maids were also fewer…
Come to think of it, every time I asked them something about Michael, they reacted exactly like that old man: they evaded my question and changed the subject.
That made me even more curious. Maybe that was the reason for my nightmares: my imagination was going wild every time I tried to guess what was going on, and this was the result. I decided to stop thinking about that.
Easier said than done…
Before realizing, it was already night. Michael didn’t come back, so I was worried if he was alright. Something was definitely going on with him, and even though I constantly told myself that I shouldn’t give it so much thought, it was still bugging me.
What was with his eyes changing colors like that? This time I was sure of what I saw. I fell asleep, prepared for another round of nightmares which I was sure I would have after having so much stress today. But surprisingly, for the first time since I came here, I had a really peaceful sleep.
In the morning, I woke up really refreshed. I didn’t have such a good sleep in a long time.
I went out of my room, towards the living. He wasn’t back yet, it seemed…
When I entered the room, there was a young maid cleaning it. She didn’t look familiar to me, so I thought that perhaps she was new.
She saw me coming in and even though she smiled, I felt the tensed aura around her when she saw me.
“Good morning Mrs. Lydia” said the maid, really politely.
“Only Lydia, please. There’s no need for formality between us” I said with a smile, hoping to relieve her stress. Success, it looked to me like she became a bit more relaxed and her smile became real.
“Ok… Lydia. I’m Beea, by the way.”
I smiled back. Taking a closer look at her, I noticed that she was really pretty. She seemed to be about the same age as me… perhaps only a bit younger…
I decided to make a little conversation.
“I haven’t seen you around before, are you new?”
“Well, yes and no… I’m only new in this house. Until yesterday, I was working in the house of master Devan’s parents. He came there and brought me here.”
So that was where he said that he needed to go. He went to bring Beea here.
She smiled, and I figured that she was thinking about something from the past.
“He said, and I quote 'If I leave her alone all the time, she will begin to hate me'”
I was surprised for a while, because I realized that he was talking about me. Unconsciously, I started laughing, and I think that it was because I was happy. Beea seemed to feel more comfortable around me, so we shared the moment.
Michael was worried about me so he brought her here. Thinking about that made me smile from the bottom of my heart.
“You really like the master, don’t you?”
That one took me by surprise. I turned around and saw that she was smiling. That made me go into a heavy blush.
Michael is a good person. He knows how to deal with people, is smart, mysterious, has a pair of wonderful eyes…
My thoughts started going into a weird direction. In what way did I like him?
Looking at Beea, I didn’t know what to answer her. I didn’t even know what my own feelings were.
Seeing me so flustered made her smile again.
“You know, Master Devan can be really merciless if someone goes against him. That’s why everybody respects and fears him. But with the people who are important to him, he can be really gentle and kind.”
She had such a warm smile when she was talking about him. For some reason, my chest began to feel really tight.
“And are you an important person to him?”
That phrase came out of my mouth on its own. But I couldn’t help but wonder. If it weren’t the case, he wouldn’t have gone all the way home just to bring her here, even if it was for me…
But instead of seeing her smile, she suddenly began to feel down.
“To him, I’m more like a person he can use when something… delicate comes up…”
She looked really sad. It was obvious that she liked Michael, but her feelings weren’t returned…
“Well, I have to go and clean the other rooms too” she said, to break the awkward silence that had settled. “See you later, Lydia!”
She smiled, but I could tell that it wasn’t a real one. After that, she left.
To me, it looked like she was trying to avoid a delicate subject.
I felt sorry for her, but there was also a part in me which was relieved. The discussion I had with Beea made it clear to me. Why was I always enchanted by him, why was I always feeling lonely when he wasn’t around, why was I so worried about him when something didn’t seem right.
I was starting to have feelings for Michael...
Author: Lacramioara Cobzaru
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