Grounded

I looked down and saw what I had done. The man's head was gushing blood. Horror melted over me like burning lava. My hand clasped over my mouth and my vision went blurry.

Eon started screaming at me. I couldn't hear him very well. Ringing filled my ears. I closed my eyes tight in pain. They wouldn't open.

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My eyes blinked. It was so bright out. Looking around, I realized this was not the manor steps or my bedroom. Alma was standing across from me. She has a small brown bowl. Mysterious smells filled the room.

"Drink this, Madam." Alma said. "It helps with pain."

The liquid in the bowl tasted like sour leaves. My blue dress had been removed and replaced with a simple grey nightgown. White bandages covered the gunshot wound.

I wonder what was done with the body of the man with black hair. He was the same man who killed Eon's father. I'm glad now that I killed him.

I've never killed anyone before. But this man deserved it.

"Now that you have taken the medicine, Sir wishes you return to your room, Madam." Alma looked very stern.

"What if it hurts to walk?" I couldn't believe Eon was concerned about me getting to my room.

"Your pain should not be very bad. Eon spent a couple hundred gold coins on the herbs in the medicine. It is of high quality."

I sat up promptly. My side stung for a moment, but afterwards felt much better.

"The bullet hit the side of your waste but still made a hole. You are lucky it was not extremely serious. Would you like me to help you to your room, Madam?" Why did Alma start calling me Madam? Had Eon instructed her to?

"No, thank you," I replied.

My wound hurt a little bit, but it didn't bother me much. A large clock in the hall read eight o'clock. I must have been out all night.

The walk up the staircase and into my room felt much longer than before. I couldn't help but think about how solemn Alma sounded. Eon must have been really angry after the murder situation was over.

My room was bright. I just noticed the two large windows on each side of my bed. The entire room was gorgeous. I doubt Eon gave away rooms like these to his servants.

The windows provided great views of the front of the manor. Beds of flowers covered the lawn. Something sat at the end of the front steps. It was the hammer head. Now it looked like a chunk of metal.

I was wide awake now. The only thing I could think of now was how hungry I was. And thirsty. I hadn't eaten or drank anything since...blackberries and water. There was also the grape Eon gave me, but that wasn't exactly filling.

My stomach felt queasy. I wanted food so bad, but it wasn't my decision whether I ate or not. Eon was likely still mad at me, so it would be a while before I ate.

I felt like I was being grounded. It happened to me all the time when I lived with Auntie and Uncle. The only difference was that my room was extremely big and nice-looking.

I was still bored out of my mind, though. A large bookshelf sat on one end of the room. There were so many options. Eventually, I settled on a book titled "The Famous Artworks of Suvilla".

Pictures of statues and paintings filled the pages. They were all beautiful and inspiring. You could say that about this entire world.

Soon, there came a knock on the door.

"Come in," I said.

Alma entered with a bowl of chicken and rice soup and a glass of water. I wanted to thank her, but Alma walked out the door before I got the chance.

Instantly, I sat down with the food at a desk near the bookshelf. Nothing had ever tasted so good.

This must be Eon's doing. At least I knew he still cared about me enough to provide food.

Note to self: chicken and rice soup is the best soup and food in the world.