Tidying Up

"Hammer?" Eon looked serious.

"Sorry." I replied and walked over to the carriage.

The hammer was still on the floor. I looked up to see the bullet hole. Everything was in its place. There was blood on the floor by the hammer. I grabbed it by the handle and hurried to where Eon was standing.

"This is Diablo Manor." Eon sounded as if he was going to continue, but nothing more was said.

The front doors opened wide. They were unbelievably large.

"Alma, take this girl to a bathroom. Get her cleaned up." Eon walked away from me and Alma, his bodyguards close behind.

"My dear, are you hurt?" Alma touched her finger to my forehead where blood was dripping.

"No. This is from Eon."

"Sir? What happened?"

I told Alma how Eon had bought me for thirty thousand gold coins, that a lot of men got angry, and how Eon had taken a bullet to the arm pushing to the carriage floor.

"Sir can be a bit careless sometimes. I do agree, however, that those men were overreacting," Alma shook here head. "Oh, we're here, now."

Alma turned on hot water in the shower while I tore off the ugly purple dress. The hammer sat by the bathroom door.

"I will wait here until you are finished," Alma said with a smile. She walked over to some cupboards and retrieved two white towels.

I stepped into the hot shower. The water felt like heaven. Blood washed down the drain with a few strands of hair. Alma placed a bottle of shampoo, a bottle of conditioner, and a bottle of body wash just outside the shower. The body wash smelled like flowers. The shampoo and conditioner smelled like vanilla.

Had I been in the shower too long? At least twenty minutes must have passed. I savored the last few seconds of hot water and stepped out of the shower. A soft white towel greeted me.

After I finished drying myself, I noticed Alma was looking out a window. She looked a bit concerned but greeted me with a smile. In her hands she held a folded dress and some undergarments. The dress was a pretty light blue color.

"This is for you," Alma handed me the dress and walked towards the bathroom door. "I will wait outside while you change. Come out when you are ready."

I dropped the white towel that was wrapped around my body and put on the undergarments. The dress didn't have any itchy lace. Thank goodness.

Nothing I had ever known felt like that dress. It was soft and silky smooth. The long sleeves were fitted but not extremely tight. I felt kind of fancy.

Alma was indeed waiting outside the door. The instant I saw here I grabbed her hand. I felt nervous, almost queasy, as we walked down the hall, Alma's touch in my left hand, the hammer in my right.

"Where are we going?" I questioned.

"Sir is probably in his library. That is where he welcomes all the new guests." Alma kept her gaze straight ahead.

"But, I'm not a guest."

"Well, I'm sure he will still be there."

We walked in silence the rest of the way. My hair was still wet, but I had combed it. Hopefully, Eon would not mind.

When we reached Eon's library, Alma opened the door and motioned for me to go inside. I wished she could come with me. That would be comforting.

I took a deep breath.

"Come in, Lumine," Eon had his back facing me. "Don't be shy."

The door slammed shut, causing me to jump.

"I'm waiting."

Not wanting to upset Eon, I hurried over to where he was seated. Eon sat on a large couch with a low back in front of a fireplace. A rug covered most of the floor. Dozens of bookshelves looked over the room.

I sat on the end of the couch opposite of Eon and placed the hammer at my feet. Eon looked puzzled.

"Lumine, I have some questions for you."

I could tell Alma wanted me to feel comfortable. But I couldn't. I didn't belong here. Not in this manor, not in this world.