A Simple Breakfast in the Manor

It was now the quiet hours in the early morning, the light blue sky with its cold air gently blowing throughout the city. The empty streets were devoid of the usual hectic sounds of footsteps, cars driving, and the usual chattering of people. And in the empty streets, there was one figure that blurred through the quiet streets. It wore a gray jacket while breathing in a fast tempo matching the rhythm of its feet. This figure was none other than Zarrah Carrigan. She was jogging thru the streets and alleyways, sweat dripping down from her face as she darted through alleyways, and small passages. After a few turns, she now arrived at the street markets. The stalls were closed, with only a few that were just opening their shops and prepare their products.

She then leaned her back onto a wall to rest herself for a moment. She took deep breaths while wiping the sweat from her face. She then looked up towards the sky, the light blue tint with a few birds now chirping as they flew upon the cold sky. After a few seconds of resting, Zarrah then started to stretch and continued her jog.

As she jogged, a mysterious figure was silently following her. When Zarrah was in a far enough distance, the figure then got out from a corner and quickly walked behind her quietly. At each corner that Zarrah jogged in, the figure followed her. On one occasion, Zarrah looked behind her as she was enjoying the plants and flowers in the streets. The figure quickly hid behind a wall of a stall and waited until Zarrah continued her jog. The figure continued following Zarrah until she turned around a corner. The figure followed after her and found out that she was gone.

The figure clicked its tongue, but as the figure started to search Zarrah, a voice then sounded from behind it.

"Are you done following me?" Zarrah was behind the figure.

"Ma'am, you've got to be inside the Manor. It's not that safe out here." The figure was one of the butlers in the Manor. His large overcoat's collar slightly covering his face, with his dark cap hat pulled down covering his eyes.

"Can I at least just jog through the city, it's my first time here," Zarrah said with an annoyed tone in her voice between deep breaths. the butler pulled out a towel from his overcoat pocket and gave it to Zarrah.

"Thank you," Zarrah said as she wiped her face with the towel. "Miss, you really need to go back into the Mansion." The butler insisted. Zarrah still annoyed, reluctantly agreed and both she and the butler started walking back to the mansion while having to chat with each other on the way.

*

In the mansion, Aiden was now awake from his sleep. He lay upon his couch near the edge and was about to fall down. He then sat up and rubbed his eyes and let out a large yawn.

Aiden fell asleep while his mind raced with thoughts and the frantic attempt to remember where the necklace could have been. His room was still a mess since last night, his clothes and laundry strewed across the floor. "Where could it have been?" Aiden grumbled to himself as he places his hand under his chin trying to remember yet again.

Aiden was still on his couch with his bed hair all over the place as if he struck by lightning and unlike his tank top, his baggy jeans were wrinkled from his constantly turning in his sleep.

'Was it in the bathroom? No no, I wasn't holding it then, was I or not? Maybe it's as the bed, but I remember placing it somewhere else.' He then started his foot onto his floor as it slowly started to pick up the pace with Aiden continuing to think. After a few moments, Aiden then scratched his hair while letting out an annoyed groan. Aiden leaned back on the sofa and stared at the ceiling.

His annoyed and stressed state was now replaced with a sad expression. He then closed his eyes and started to remember the ball, and the moment he met the mysterious girl. He never got to say thank you to her, since he would never be here if it wasn't for her. And he was still determined to find out who she was.

He rubbed his finger together, a habit from rubbing the necklace when he still had it. "Just, who are you."

'I have to find out her name. I need to know who she is.' Aiden then gave a large sigh. ' I keep on wishing, yet I haven't even done a single thing yet to know who she is.'

A knock was heard from the doors. "Young Master?" A voice was heard from the other side. "Come in," Aiden said. A maid then entered and gave a small bow. When she saw the room, for a moment there was a faint look of curiosity but was quickly replaced his a warm smile. "Breakfast is ready Young Master, I shall be here to clean your room. A pleasant morning to your Young Master." The maid said in a kind tone while slightly bowing. Aiden simply said a thank you and quickly took a white t-shirt and went out of the room, wearing the shirt while walking. The maid then looked at the room, with a sigh she then starts to pick up the clothes.

"Young Master wasn't usually this messy, must've been a rough night." The maid mumbled to herself as she continued to clean.

*

Aiden then entered the large dining room, large windows letting in the fresh sunlight into the room. And on the dining room table were the other Candidates enjoying their breakfast. Aiden then starts to walk towards the table and he can now clearly hear the conversation they were all having.

"Hey Zarrah, you should've been with us. It was quite a great spot."

"Yep, I mean they had everything, every single flower was there. I mean they had Bluebells, Bluebells!"

Zarrah only gave them a small smile. "Maybe we can all go there again, just not in late nights."

"Yeah well, we didn't really mean it." Alexis slightly scratching her cheek with a faint blush of embarrassment starting to appear. "At least the gardener was nice to us, he wasn't really angry, thankfully," Shaniah said with a small nervous laugh.

"Hey, Aiden!" Alexis said with a positive voice. Shaniah then looked at Aiden with a large warm smile. "Good Morning Aiden, Glad to see you up." Zarrah when she saw Aiden quickly turned away as he was approaching the table. When Aiden then sat down, she simply gave him a small nod of her head. "Morning."

"Uh, Morning." Aiden still not used to Zarrah odd cold nature towards him. Aiden then started to eat his breakfast as Alexis and Shaniah start to talk to each other again. Aiden Ate his scrambled eggs with a cup of fried rice and a bowl of hot vegetable soup. In front of him was Donnatello, unlike the others he was well-groomed. He was clean and fresh since he seemed to already had taken a bath, his hair now neatly combed while also wearing a white t-shirt like him but was tighter than his. He and Aiden briefly made eye contact with each other, and Donnatello gave him a glare in which Aiden quickly broke the contact. He then looked at Umbra, Umbra was wearing a thin black jacket with a large mask covering Umbra's face and thin black gloves. And unlike the others, Umbra was reading a book. Umbra noticed the stare of someone and looked at Aiden.

Umbra then placed down the book, Umbra tilted their own head and gave a small wave. Aiden then awkwardly waved back in which Umbra continued reading her book.

The Candidates then enjoyed their breakfast where Aiden then started to join Alexis and Shaniah's conversation as he finished his food as well did Zarrah but only answers short phrases and words. It was a wonderful morning in that Manor, a warm one at the least.