Cats of her imagination

The air in the room was thick with tension as everyone sat silently on the plush sofas. Their eyes filled with uncertainty and rage. The sudden appearance of the crows had been the first warning, and the group knew that this was only the beginning.

Zaiden spoke up first, his voice heavy with concern. "What's going on, Mr. Harrison? Why did the crows fall from the sky like that?"

Harrison looked at each of them in turn, a dark expression painting his face. "It's the devil. He's awake now."

Noah leaned forward in his seat, his eyes wide. "What do you mean? He's awake?"

Vittoria nodded slowly, her eyes glistening with unshed tears. "Yes, he's awake. And he's coming."

Elliott sat silently, his eyes scanning the room for any signs of danger. "What can we do?" he asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Harrison leaned back in his chair, his expression unreadable. "We need to prepare. He won't stop until he gets what he wants."

Elliott didn't have words to express what he was feeling. He simply tried to stay away from this matter.

He looked at Lauren who was sitting on the edge of the sofa all scared. The girl had been going through so much.

Lauren and Hazel sat there, confused and terrified, not understanding the gravity of the situation at hand.

Harrison and the others quickly hushed themselves, not wanting to alarm the girls any further.

But deep down, they all knew that the devil was coming for them, and they would need to be ready for whatever was to come. It was only a matter of time before the darkness consumed them all.

"What does it mean father? Devil, seriously?" Hazel asked in incredibility which Lauren couldn't.

"You don't have to worry about it girls." Harrison smiled at them but the faces they showed made him worry for them.

"Uncle, do the Demons have to do with Devil?" Lauren didn't know what his answer would be. One thing she knew was it was dangerous.

Harrison stared at her for some seconds before he took off his glasses and started wiping them. "As I said, you don't have to worry about it. I don't want you to get involved in this matter." He said, wearing it back.

"Wasn't I already involved in it?" she asked, and something in her voice break as she said it. "Uncle Harrison?" Lauren insisted.

He looked away from her and gazed at the window near his chair. "We will talk in this matter some other time, dear but not now." Lauren nodded, quietly horrified.

Her eyes met with Elliott's dark gaze in the dim room. A wave of fear reflected on her and she wanted to blame the lights in the office. Uncle should lighten his office, she thought looking away from his eyes.

"Are you afraid?" A sudden voice echoed in her head and she snapped her head to the source, shocked.

Lauren narrowed her eyes and thought. "Tell me everything about it!"

"I'm sorry, were you talking to me?" Elliott said.

"No." Snorted Lauren in disbelief. How could he so idiot, she would question sometimes.

"Well, would you like to?" His eyes went up in motion which Lauren saw.

"No!"

"Why not?" Lauren looked annoyed now. The others were talking but he was making her attention toward him.

"You are doing it on purpose. So, I can't understand what they're talking about?" He smirked. She shook her head in amusement. "Such an asshole, you are!"

"I am freaking out right now. Can't you see? Can't you feel?" He went still and silent for a moment. He felt his dead heart beating and he felt smiling.

"I do, love."

Lauren was shocked and confused at his words. He blinked his eyes — the smile was gone and he looked away so fastly that Lauren was sure she had gone insane or Elliott really blushed.

Lauren was sleeping on her bed. Her front wavy hairs were all over her face. The temperature was warm, but she was still having problems sleeping.

Lauren turned once more and squeezed her eyes in her sleep. Though she was inside the dorm, in the attic with the roof to protect them. She could feel the cold air raising goosebumps all over her skin.

Her chest resonated along with the thunderous clouds.

"Oh my gosh! Clara, you've done it once again!" spoke a lady. She was finishing her food and everyone at the table looked at her as if it were normal for her to shout after finishing her dinner.

"The meatloaf is delicious, and the steak is perfectly done." The lady was none other than Mrs. Rodriguez, who said while winking at Clara as the latter smiled next to a young girl who looked in age and faces just like Lauren.

"Is the new maid fitting in well in the kitchen with you guys?" Mrs. Rodriguez asked after she was done with dinner and started digging into castle matters.

The girl's heartbeat fastened at her name. She slowly looked at the head maid, Clara; who nodded.

"Well, that's great. I'm glad to have more people that work as well as the ones before," she relaxed before clapping her hands.

"Has my son arrived yet?" The lady questioned the head again. Lauren wasn't sure to whom she was referring.

"Unfortunately, no. The young master hasn't arrived yet, but he must be on his way." She informed her in a polite manner.

"I don't know where he is right now." The lady murmured.

"Master Saira, desert."

"Oh, yes." Mrs. Rodriguez smiled.

Lauren was compelled to glance out the windows as she started to hear horses outside. Except for the torrential rain that pummelling Máville, she saw nothing.

In close proximity to them, as soon as the dining hall door opened, loud pouring sounds could be heard.

Mrs. Rodriguez called the name, and Lauren saw her stand and give a gentle kiss on the person's forehead.

Though she was standing there. She couldn't quite see his face because his back was facing her. She looked down, not wanting to show her bad behaviour because her mother would be angry with her.

"Elliott, my son. I have missed you a lot. Your father is also away." The name seemed familiar to her.

"I heard that Father has gone to the village this morning with Manager Kalim. My job was almost done, so I thought to start the journey and come fast." The young man stated this enthusiastically as he headed to sit with his mother at the table, where a few housekeepers started serving him his meal.

This voice... Lauren looked shocked, but then Mrs. Rodriguez bellowed out, "What are you doing standing there? Come here and serve my son."

Lauren looked up, not understanding at first, but after seeing others, she also relocated ahead and stood close enough to the boy.

She poured the blood tea into the cup that was placed in front of him. The smell hit her nostrils, but she forced herself not to make her reaction obvious to the young master or her master.

She felt eyes on her, and after she was done serving. She looked into the ocean blue eyes of the man sitting beside her.

But as soon as she saw his face, the emphatic jug fell to the ground, making loud noises over the impact.

"What you have done!"

"Oh no!"

The noises didn't made her stop staring at the eyes she hadn't seen before. But she still did.

"Go and wipe this out!" Mrs. Rodriguez was giving commands, which Lauren picked up from the rumblings of the low voices near her. Her heart was beating uncontrollably, and she stared while the eyes stared back at her.

Lauren rose from the bed, gasping, and the tears fell one by one. The thunderstorm outside didn't make her flinch at its voice. Lauren looked utterly confused and gazed at the blanket.

Was I dreaming again? She thought before wiping the sweat from her face. She looked around the room, trying to ground herself in reality.

The nightmare had felt all too real, but she knew she needed to shake it off and start her day.

She felt that she was holding something in her hands, but there was nothing in her hands now. This thing was scaring her, and she didn't know what it meant.

She struggled to rise up while supporting her weight and walked over to the table where a water bottle was set. Even after drinking, she was unable to get rid of the sensation from her dream.

She approached the window and pushed it open. The wind entered the room, and a few drops of rain also entered inside with the wind, making her face wet. It was peaceful. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling the coolness of the rain on her skin.

The sound of the raindrops tapping against the window was soothing, and she felt grateful for this moment of tranquility.