Chapter 15 Moira

Chionophile

(n)

A person who loves cold weather; snow.

                                    ______

Is that James?

The brunette girl put her quill down on her vanity from where she was writing. She runs downstairs in a hurry, quickly putting on her scarf. "Dear child what are you doing?" muttered Eliza. Merliah nudged her head towards the window as she was tying her scarf around her neck and putting on her gloves.

Eliza looked out the window to see James; Gilbert's horse. The animal was running around their property, jumping a couple times. It's hooves meeting with the cold tight air.

"William! Gilbert's horse is acting like a broken clock! Come help tame him and bring him back to the Brown's home!" Eliza hollered through the house. Ida heard and ran down the stairs to come join, any reason to get to walk in the beautiful snow that gleamed ever so pulchritudinous.

Merliah went outside on the deck to put on her boots, knitting them quickly without much thought or care to make them look neat.

Ida was about to walk onto the deck before Eliza stopped her, telling her to put her shawl and gloves on as she just got over a cold and did not need to catch another. Ida groaned and did as she said as William walked out from his room with all of his clothes and boots already on, making his way outside and to the horse.

By the time William reached the horse Merliah was already next to it, petting the horse as it's tail swung back and forth.

"His saddle is still on him, do you think he kicked Gilbert off?" Merliah questioned with a slight giggle as she imagined what that might have looked like.

William tilted his head to the side and made his normal sound that meant he did not know either. William got himself up on the horse, sitting on its saddle. Holding the lead as he was waiting for Ida to hurry up because he knew she would want to ride with him.

"William wait!" Yelled the crisp brown headed girl. Just on time she was.

William helped Ida climb aboard and Merliah walked along side with them as they began to trot on to the Brown's home.

The horse started moving his head back and forth while rocking around. "Yield! It's alright James." Spoke William, pulling on the lead trying to calm the horse and get it in control. Once the horse stopped they continued walking, the only sound being the horses hooves crushing against the snow along with Merliah's boots.

When they started reaching the property of the Brown's home, William helped Ida hop off of James. Than trotted to the stable and took off the saddle and locked the horse up, and began walking out from the barn. Meeting the two young girls in front of Mr.Brown's home.

William walked up onto the cement stone under them and he lifted up his hand and formed a fist as he gently but loudly knocked on the blue door made of hard wood.

The three heard some shuffling and a few moments later a young woman, could not have been over twenty four opened the door. Her eyes red and puffy but sighed with relief when seeing the three.

"Sorry to bother you ma'am but we found the boys horse on our property so we brought it back. I already put it in the stables so no need to worry about it." William finished, happy he was able to help.

"Where is Gilbert?" The maid asked, worry laced in her tone. Merliah looked at William, confused, than back to the maid.

"It was just the horse." Merliah spoke up, worry also consuming her mind. The maid looked around the scenery behind the three guests and began tearing up.

"Mr.Brown.. passed away about an hour and a half ago, Gilbert he - he was a mess, he threw the soup across the kitchen and than took the horse and left. I assumed for the coroner but now you brought the horse back and he is no where to be found." Genevieve stated, her voice cracking as she brought her cloth up to her mouth as she stifled a cry.

Ida stood still. "Alias is dead?" Her beautiful blue eyes brimming with tears, the ginger was close with Gilbert's father. He truly was a kind man.

William began talking to Genevieve, than soon he left with Mr.Brown's horse to fetch the coroner and people in town to begin a search for Gilbert. Ida went inside with the maid to help clean up the mess and prepare Mr.Brown for the coroner to collect him.

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Merliah stood in the kitchen, leaning against the counter looking out of the window. The frost creeping up against the glass.

She pushed herself away from the counter and ran out to the barn, unlocking the gate and letting James out. The brown eyed girl was buckling on his saddle when Ida came running in out of breathe. "What.. are you doing?" Ida spoke out of breath.

Merliah pulled herself onto the horse and took the lead into her hands, turning her head to face the girl below her.

"I am going to find Gilbert. There is no telling where he is and Genevieve said he has been gone for almost an hour, what if he is hurt?" Merliah spoke. She just wanted to find her lover and comfort him, for who knows the amount of pain he is in.

"I understand but you do not know where he is, at least let's think about where he could be before running off without a thought of it." Ida said. She had a point. Merliah nodded for her to continue.

Ida took in a deep breath before continuing, "I doubt he is at the school, he could be at the church. Or he is in the apple field; he could be in the forest on the path to the school. Oh! he might be at the club house!"

"I'll search the club house and the path, and the church. I will come back and update you if I do not find him." Merliah spoke. She then motioned for James to start trotting, leaving the barn.

She slapped the lead to indicate James to go faster. She leaned down a little, increasing the speed in the direction of the path way to school.

                                     ______

As she came upon the pathway to school she stopped the horse and swiftly jumped off, holding the lead in her hand so James would not wander off again. She walked over by the trees and found the wooden shack that Ida and Delaney and Lavender would go to write stories; where Ida and Abner and the brunette would draw, where Gilbert and Merliah would go to write out their future together, and brainstorm ideas.

As the girl tied the lead around a slim tree, she walked over to the shack. Her hand gently gliding against the cold wooden barks that were held up by nails.

She ducked her head at the entrance and saw that the hazel eyed boy was not there.

Merliah exited the shack and looked around the area, it did not look as if anyone had been there. The only imprints in the snow being her own.

The girl walked back over to the horse and untied his lead and got on the horse once again. Pulling the lead to the side for the horse to turn around and began their journey to the next possible location.

"Where are you Gil..?" She spoke. Anxiety and paranoia taking over her body like the tingles you get from hitting your funny bone. The feeling slowly rising from her toes to the follicles of the hairs embedded in her head.