Moon Child

Cat and Mouse

- Selena Rhys -

Calum’s expression last night was stuck in my head. He was angry at me but all I saw in his eyes was sadness and emptiness. My heart ached for him. I’m not sure why but I feel connected to him somehow and it’s driving me insane. Is it normal to feel this way about someone I just met?

I was half awake when he carried me to this room but I dared not to make any move. I was scared that if I did… he would run away from me. His last words before he went out of the room haunted me though. He said… that he will kill me… I guess the fact that they imprisoned me in the first place should’ve put me on guard for the worst. 

I should be scared shitless by now. But I accept the reality that there’s no way I can escape from here nor am I strong enough to fight them off. I stared at the ceiling above me. So many thoughts flooded my mind and I couldn’t find the strength to get up from the bed. Is this it then? Should I just wait for my death?

I tried to search for ways to save myself in my mind. But weirdly enough… I don’t feel like I’m in any kind of danger. In fact, I feel awfully calm despite his words. Dolores entrusted me to this man. I stretched my hand and remembered my dream. The assurance I felt when that man in my dream saved me… was the same feeling I got when Calum carried me here.

So…I want to know why. Why did he save me from the lake? Why did he tend to me when I was sick? Why does he say he wants to kill me? His actions don’t add up with his words. If he wanted to kill me… why is he being this considerate? He should’ve left me to die in the lake. He should’ve left me to die in the cold prison cell. But then… why am I still alive?

I got up and wore the robe I found folded on the dresser. There’s only one way to know and that’s to ask him directly. I rushed to the door that I almost collided with one of the servants. She quickly apologized and asked me where I was heading to.

“Uhm… I’m, I would like to… speak with Calum” I stammered.

“Oh, I’m afraid you cannot leave this room, my lady. The Master of this House specifically ordered not to allow you to go anywhere without his permission. But if there’s anything else that you need, I will gladly take care of it for you.” She answered.

“Please… I just need to talk with him for a little bit… you can come with me if you want” I pleaded with her.

“I’m so sorry, my lady. It’s really not possible” She sternly replied.

“Selena?” I heard Adam call me from the end of the hallway.

“Adam!” I ran past the servant towards Adam.

“Please help me, I would like to speak with Calum.” I requested from him. The servant ran after me and tried to explain with Adam that I was not allowed to leave the room but Adam said he’d take full responsibility. The servant was left with no choice but to let me go.

“If you’re looking for Calum, you can try his study. We’re currently on the left wing of the mansion. If you follow that hallway, you’d find the entrance to the right wing. His study is the first door to the right. Did you get that?”

“Yes! Thank you so much, Adam! Are you coming with me?” I asked

“Sorry Selena, I have an errand to run, just tell Calum I got you out of your room, okay?” He reminded me before he went away and I nodded at him.

I also began to walk in the direction he told me. I haven’t gone a few steps when Adam called me again.

“Hey Selena. I’m glad you’re okay now and out of that… you know. Anyway, good luck!” He said as he waived goodbye. I smiled at him. I don’t want to judge them yet. There must be a reason for what they did to me and I plan to find out.

I followed his instruction and I can only arrive at one conclusion… this mansion is big. Like Really big. I walked a good couple of minutes before I finally found the room he was talking about. I tucked some of my hair behind my ear and tried to listen in on the door. I heard some movement from the inside… he must be here. Just the thought of him being beyond this door made my heart beat faster. Shhh… calm down self. I inhaled sharply as I turned the door knob and pushed the door. I looked inside the room and was surprised that there was no one inside. But I swear I heard someone. A soft breeze touched my face and I looked at the open window. One of the servants must have left it open. I walked towards the window to close it but before I could, I heard someone speak from behind me that made me jump in surprise. I quickly looked at my back and found the old man who opened the car door for me.

“My lady, what are you doing here?” He asked.

“Uhm… I was looking for Calum” I answered him.

“Oh dear. You just missed him, it’s time for his morning tea in the garden.” He said as he motioned for me to follow him. He asked if I could bring the tea he was holding to Calum and I readily agreed. He gave me a shortcut route the servants of the house use to go to the garden but it still took me another few minutes to reach it.

There were beautifully trimmed bushes at the side of the pathway and the cobblestones made relaxing sounds as I walked. The trees around me gushed silently. What a lovely sight. I walked until I saw a pair of feet on the grass behind a tree and now I’m certain he’s here. I stopped at my tracks and stared at his figure.

“Henrik, you can leave the tea here” He said without looking at me. I gulped and slowly walked towards him. I sat behind him, trying my best not to make too much sound as I placed the small tray in front of me.

“Calum…” I called him, my voice barely above whisper. My heart pounded in my chest. 

He froze as soon as he realized it was me.

“What are you doing here?” He asked.

“I… I want to ask some questions” I told him but he just glared at me.

I panicked when he stood up and started to walk away from me. I quickly got up to ran after him but I accidentally took hold of his hand when I lost my balance. I felt electricity jolt inside me from where my skin touched his. I saw him flinch as well… did he… feel it too?

He turned around to face me and my heart began racing. I looked into his eyes as he looked into mine. Everything behind him vanished from my view and he was the only one left in my eyes. I scampered through my brain to think of something to say.

“Dolores… how do you know her?” I inwardly groaned… why did I ask this out of all the questions in my head? He took his hand away from mine to my disappointment.

“She was my nan since I was four” I was pleasantly surprised that he answered my question at all. But I was more surprised by what he said.

“Ah… you’re her darling Cale!” I exclaimed as I realized who he was. Dolores always told stories about him. She was dearly fond of him.

“She told you about me?” He asked and I had to stop myself from smiling

“Yes! She told me many stories about you and her time serving your family. Whenever I ask her about her own family, she would always say that she considers you as her own son” I suddenly remembered all the times I would ask about him from Dolores. He seemed to be such a bright young boy in her stories and I admired his courage and wit. I blushed at the thought that he was like a childhood crush to me.

“What’s wrong? Do you still feel sick?” He asked, suddenly worried about me. My eyes widened with the warmth in his voice and my heart began to beat faster again. At this rate, he'd probably kill me from heart attack before anything else.

“Uhm… No, I’m fi-” I trailed off when I felt him touch my forehead. My whole body heated up and my mind just went blank. 

“You should get back to your room before you worsen your fever” He said as he walked away from me. But all I could do was stand there as I stared at his retreating back. Before he completely vanished from my view, I slowly lifted my hand and placed it on my chest. What's worse than failing to ask the right question? It's finding myself asking more. And that is... Why does my heart feel like exploding whenever you are near?