Hades' Lost Daughter

Chapter Two

Aileen was awakened by the sound of the staff rushing through the manor's halls. She sat up and noticed Barbara was nowhere to be seen. The manor was filled with light but Aileen could see that outside, it was still very dark.

Once she was off the ground she walked towards Emma, one of the staff members who was one of Barbara's friends, rushing to the stairs with a first aid kit. "Emma," Aileen called after her, trying to catch up.

Emma jumped at the sound of Aileen's voice. She turned around with a pale look on her face that made Aileen, even more, intrigued to know what was happening. "Oh, you startled me, child. I'm sorry, I can't stay to chat." She quickly said with worry in her voice.

"What's happening?" asked Aileen trying to keep pace with her as they walked through crowded halls.

"We found a lost boy, he's wounded very badly." That was all Emma said but her words were enough to make Aileen stay in her place. Throughout her time in the manor, she had seen many kids come and go. The worst part was when they first arrived. If they were old enough to try and make sense of what was happening, they would be scared and keep to themselves as much as possible.

Aileen didn't know that feeling. She had lived in the manor for as long as she could remember. Yes, she didn't have anyone at the door claiming to be her mother or father but she was fine with that. All the family she had ever known was inside the manor with her and that was enough for her. Still, she couldn't help but wonder what it would have been like if she had grown up with her parents. That doubt alone was enough to make her feel bad for every new child that came in through the manor's entrance with a story as to why they were there.

Aileen was frozen in the spot as she watched Emma disappear, taking two steps at a time. A lost boy? Wounded badly? It was normal to find an abandoned child, sometimes they were a bit beaten up but it wasn't every day you heard of a boy who was seriously injured in the manor. And by the look of things, he must have been in a very serious condition.

Aileen rushed up the stairs to the second floor and towards the railing in front of her at the top of the stairs. When she looked down she could see the staff circling a young boy who looked around her age. He had dark hair and was wearing torn, worn-out clothes. He opened his eyes and his blue-grey eyes met her grey ones for a second before they fell back into his head and he lost consciousness.

A shiver ran down Aileen's body after the slight encounter with the stranger. Something about her intrigued Aileen and something stirred inside of her. Something that had been dormant for years and at last it was beginning to wake up. With a gulp, Aileen watched with wide eyes as the staff quickly worked on examining the boy. She could not see what his injuries were exactly but the staff kept on murmuring urgently and that was enough for the hairs in the back of her head to rise.

After a few minutes, they rushed the boy to the infirmary room, away from Aileen's line of sight.

There were a few kids and almost all of the teenagers out of their rooms who had witnessed what had happened but knowing them, the news of the mysterious boy would fly and by Monday everyone would know.

Aileen returned to the spot where she was laying a couple of minutes ago and picked up the blanket before heading to her room on the second floor. Thankfully, her roommates had gone to a sleepover and she had the room to herself, at least for the weekend.

When she got to her room, she turned on the lights and let herself fall on the bed. The scene she had just witnessed, replayed itself in her mind and she had to shake her head a couple of times to keep the images away.

It's just a boy, Aileen. You don't even know him, she chanted in her mind repeatedly. She got under the blankets and pulled them tighter around her as she closed her eyes. She left the light of her lamp on, unable to be in an empty room without it.

As she forced herself into a deep sleep, the last thing she thought of before drifting off was the sight of the boy with blue eyes, watching her intently from the first floor.

...

On Saturday all the girls are separated from the boys to go out. The boys can either go to sports games or stay at the manor to play video games while the girls go to the movie theater. Sometimes they would take turns and the boys go to the movie theater and the girls stay in a 'spa' the staff planned or, on occasions, the girls could also do what the boys did if everyone wanted to. To Aileen, it made no difference, either way, she always managed to do what she pleased.

This Saturday, the girls were going out and the boys were staying in. Aileen looked a bit worn out, the night before she'd woken up a couple of times during the night, those piercing blue eyes couldn't let her sleep. There was something familiar about them. But she had never known her parents, much less other people, how could she think she knew that mysterious boy if the only people she had grown up with were already here? Aileen tried to shake away the thought as she walked down the stairs to the entrance where the girls were already crowding in front of the door. Their excited chatter could be heard in the distance and Aileen grimaced as the loudness made her head throb. When she reached the entrance, she stood awkwardly and her head turned unconsciously towards the infirmary.

"Okay girls, remember the rules: don't get separated, no wandering off, and stay with a partner." Barbara was the one who always gave the instructions even if no one was listening.

Immediately Alex was beside Aileen, intertwining her arms with hers. "Hey, what happened to you yesterday afternoon? I went to your room and you weren't there." She asked in a whisper as she eyed her friend closely.

"I was out with Barbara," Aileen replied nonchalantly and Alex nodded. She knew how close Aileen and Barbara were. They were practically sisters. "Hey Alex, do you think you could stay over tonight?" Alex looked taken aback for a second. It was rare for Aileen to suggest something like that.

Alex smiled warmly, knowing something was bothering her friend. "I thought you would never ask, I was starting to feel awkward with my roommates and their friends in my room. It's so cramped and noisy, I can barely sleep." Aileen nodded and smiled but quietly followed the rest out through the doors. She didn't want to be alone in her room right now, a strange, uncomfortable feeling was keeping her on edge. It was something she couldn't shake off.

...

Saturday ended much too soon to everyone's liking and in no time, the girls were back in the manor. Alex walked with Aileen to her room and the girls chatted quietly as they reached the door. Exhaustion caused Alex to fall asleep the minute she laid down. Aileen, on the other hand, stayed up, she felt tired but she couldn't keep her eyes shut for too long. Alex had tried to ask her what was bothering her but her friend always managed to wave her off. In the end, Alex had fallen asleep and Aileen sighed once she gave up on sleeping and got up.

Knowing it was against the rules, but not caring, she quietly walked to the door and opened it. She looked around, there was nobody in the halls. Aileen tiptoed quietly down the stairs as her feet unconsciously led her towards the infirmary. Through the glass door, she could see the boy lying very still.

The monitors were beeping softly around him and Aileen wished she knew how to read it so that she could interpret if the boy was alright. Aileen stared warily at the boy's still body and then relaxed when she saw his chest rise and fall a bit. Very slowly, she opened the door and walked towards the boy's bed. She looked at him and saw he had a bruise on his cheek along with a few scratches and cuts on his arms. Every other wound was unexposed and Aileen couldn't help but wonder what had happened to the boy.

As if on their own, her hands gently graced his hand before trailing up his arm. She didn't know what she was doing but she let her instincts take over. Her eyes slowly followed her hands up to his face and Aileen inhaled sharply when she saw the boy's piercing blue gaze staring back at her. They were frozen still for a moment, just locked in a deep gaze.

His hand gently took a hold of her wrist before she could pull away. Instinctively, Aileen broke free, a bit too harsh and the boy groaned in pain. "I'm sorry," she whispered, quickly heading for the door. Embarrassment and fear filled her as she reached the exit.

"Wait!" the boy called weakly behind her but she didn't stay, she quietly ran up the stairs to her room and closed the door quickly after her. Her heart was pounding in her chest so hard that she could almost hear it. Her ears were warm as dizziness made the room seem to be spinning around her.

Alex was still sleeping, softly snoring and Aileen was still breathing heavily as she laid down next to her friend. It had been a stupid idea to go see the boy, what had she been thinking? What had she expected to find? As she looked at the moon, deep sleep took her down and she willed herself to keep the recent events away from her dreams.

...

The next day was Sunday. And it was the day when kids had to help around the manor or if they had jobs they could leave. The manor had always encouraged us to get jobs so that we could get a better idea of how the world worked. Some teenagers took the advice but mostly because they wanted the money. Some were saving up for college and others just wanted to buy something that had caught their attention.

Since Aileen and Alex couldn't get jobs yet, they were in charge of helping cook lunch and dinner. It was a job both of them surprisingly enjoyed.

"Aileen," called Barbara. "Could you take the lost boy his meal? I have to take care of something in Regina's office." Barbara handed her the tray with a full plate on it along with some juice. Her warm gaze fell over the girl and Aileen tried hard not to stiffen and show her discomfort.

Instead, she looked confused. "Regina?"

"Oh, right, you guys call her 'headmistress'," said Barbara in a playful tone and Aileen slowly nodded her head.

"Sure, I'll make sure he gets his meal." Aileen gave her friend a slight smile and Barbara let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank you! You're a life-saver," said Barbara hugging her quickly before leaving in a hurry.

Aileen sighed before taking the tray with the boy's meal to the infirmary. As she headed towards the infirmary, she tried to think of what to say. A part of her hoped that the boy didn't recognize her or that he had thought he was dreaming when he first saw her.

Through the glass, Aileen could see the boy was awake and looking around, trying to figure out where he was or what he was doing here. When Aileen entered the room the boy turned to the sound of the door and quickly tried to sit but winced in pain when his body protested.

His eyes widened when he saw her. "You-" he started to say but Aileen interrupted him.

"Here's your meal, I hope you enjoy it and get well soon." She said quickly and before the boy could respond, she was out the door.

When she reached the kitchen again, Alex was watching her with a worried expression on her face. "What happened?"

Aileen shook her head and waved her friend off. "Nothing. Why would you assume something's wrong?"

Alex raised an eyebrow as she studied her friend closely. "Your face. It's very pale."

Aileen shrugged and turned back to chopping vegetables. Alex slowly turned as well and Aileen let out a sigh of relief as her friend dropped the subject. Although she knew it wasn't going to last very long.