chapter 10
1392 Words
The next morning, I was already awake and waiting for Lucius. I searched the house from top to bottom, but there was no sign of him. Eventually, I even knocked on his bedroom door—no answer. Madam Maddie was still asleep too, which was unusual. After the storm the night before, I figured she needed the rest, so I quietly took it upon myself to handle the morning chores.
I swept, dusted, and tidied the house, but as the hours passed, a strange unease settled in. It was well past noon, and Madam Maddie still hadn’t appeared. That wasn’t like her at all.
Worried now, I went to her room and knocked softly. No response. After a moment’s hesitation, I pushed the door open.
“Madam Maddie?” I called.
“Mar…y…” Her voice was faint, barely a whisper. She lay in bed, pale and trembling, one frail hand reaching toward me.
I rushed to her side. “Madam Maddie! What happened?” I asked, taking her hand. My eyes were already filled with tears.
“Ple…ase… get help…”
“Alright—just stay calm. I’ll find help right away,” I promised, squeezing her hand before hurrying out of the room.
“Help! Please, someone help!” I cried as I ran toward the front door.
Just then, the door swung open and Lucius stepped inside. He froze when he saw my panicked face.
“Rose, what’s the matter?”
“You’re back!” I exclaimed, relief and fear crashing together. I grabbed his arms. “Did something happen to you too?”
“What do you mean, ‘me too’?”
“Madam Maddie—she’s sick. Really sick.”
“What?” His voice cracked with shock.
“Where is she?”
“In her room!”
We raced down the hallway together.
When we burst into the room, Madam Maddie’s eyes fluttered open. “Lucius…” she whispered weakly.
He dropped to his knees beside the bed and took her hand. “Maddie… no, no…” He pressed his palm to her forehead. “You’re burning up.” Turning to me, he said, “Rose, stay with her. I’m going to fetch the doctor.”
“Alright, sir.”
I sat on the edge of the bed and gently stroked her hand. “Don’t worry, Madam Maddie. You’ll be alright soon. The doctor is coming.”
A few minutes later, he returned with a doctor, who began examining her. Lucius took me—who was now crying—out of the room and hugged me in the hallway. I sobbed against him as he whispered that everything would be alright. Then the doctor appeared.
"Her case is critical. We have to take her to the hospital."
"Is it that serious?" I asked.
"Yes, my dear," the doctor said. "The fever has been in her body for weeks without treatment. She's running a dangerously high fever. We need to take her immediately.”
Lucius looked at me, his eyes steady despite the fear I could see beneath them. He took both my hands in his. “Hey, it’s going to be fine. Don’t worry. I’ll be back soon.”
He turned to the doctor. “Let’s get her to the carriage. We need to leave right away.”
I started to follow them as they carefully lifted Madam Maddie, wrapped in blankets.
“Madam Maddie, I want to come with you,” I pleaded.
“Mary… please… stay,” she whispered, her voice so weak it broke my heart.
“But why?”
“I don’t want you to see me like this…”
“Rose, don’t worry,” Lucius said softly. “We’ll be back soon.”
With that, they carried her out to the waiting carriage. I stood in the doorway, watching helplessly as the horses pulled away, the sound of hooves and wheels fading away.
The house suddenly felt too quiet, too empty. All I could do was wait—and pray.
Maddie had been like a mother to me. The thought of anything happening to her twisted my stomach into knots. No. I can’t think like that. She’ll be fine. She has to be.
The house felt hollow without her. Emptied. I slipped out through the back door and walked into the nearby cornfield. The tall stalks rustled softly in the breeze as I stood there, staring up at the vast, indifferent sky. Memories crashed over me—my family, the way we used to laugh together, the warmth of being wanted. Tears slipped down my cheeks before I could stop them.
They were gone. Both of them. They’d left me with nothing—no relatives, no one to cry to, no knowledge of how the real world worked. And even Lucius… was any of it real? Did he actually care, or was I just seeing what I desperately wanted to see? What if it was all in my head?
“Rose!”
Lucius’s voice cut through the fog like a lifeline. I turned. He was striding toward me, worry etched across his face.
“I’ve been looking everywhere for you,” he said, stopping a few steps away. “What are you doing out here?”
“Nothing,” I muttered, quickly wiping my tears with the back of my hand.
He closed the distance. “You scared me.” His voice dropped, softer now. “I thought you’d run off again.”
“Why would I?” The words came out sharper than I intended.
Before I could say anything else, he pulled me into a tight hug, his arms wrapping around me like he was afraid I’d disappear. “Please, Rose… don’t scare me like that again.”
He let go slowly. I could only nod, my throat too tight to speak.
“Did Madam Maddie come back with you? Is she all right?” I asked, voice trembling.
“She’s fine—for now. The doctor said if she keeps improving, she might be home by tomorrow.”
“Might?” The word felt like a punch.
“I don’t know, Rose. I’m as worried as you are.” He searched my face. “I came back to check on you. To make sure you’re okay.”
“I’m fine,” I lied, turning my back to him.
He sighed. “All right. Let’s go inside.”
“I don’t want to.”
“It’s cold out here.”
“I said I don’t want to.” My voice cracked with sudden anger.
“Why are you being so stubborn all of a sudden?”
He took a slow, deep breath, clearly trying to stay calm. “Fine. You leave me no other choice.”
“What do you—”
In one swift motion he scooped me up and tossed me over his shoulder like I weighed nothing. I kicked and squirmed, but his grip was iron. My protests echoed uselessly as he carried me back into the house, kicked the door shut behind us, and finally set me down.
He looked at me, half-exasperated, half-concerned. “What is wrong with you?”
“You’re what’s wrong with me!” I shouted, slamming my fists against his chest. “I hate you!”
“Rose, stop—”
“Leave me alone!”
He caught my wrists gently but firmly. “Stop it. Tell me what’s going on.”
I yanked free and spun away, back to him. My voice came out small, broken. “Why am I feeling like this? Why can’t I get it out of my head? Why am I dreaming about you every night?”
A beat of silence. Then, quietly: “You dream about me?”
“Yes.” Heat flooded my face. “I dream about you taking me somewhere… to a world I’ll never forget.”
He stepped closer—too close. I could feel the warmth of him behind me. Then he leaned in, his breath brushing my ear as he whispered, “Do you want it to be real?”
My heart slammed against my ribs. Slowly, I turned. Our eyes locked. Something inside me snapped.
I threw my arms around his neck and kissed him—deeply, desperately, like I’d been starving for it my whole life.
- Writer
