Please don't leave me alone

Several weeks had passed since Rahel returned from her vacation.

She couldn't say exactly how much time had gone by, because after the second week she lost count, having completely drowned in cursed work.

— Ha... tough. How I hate this... — she complained, laying her head on the desk, closing her eyes behind her lashes.

Resting like that for a while longer, the girl slowly opened her sleepy eyes and faintly rang the bell to call the servants.

— You called?

Annelise appeared in the doorway.

— Are you hungry? Should I bring you...

— No. Just bring me a glass of water. — Straightening up in her chair and shaking her hand to refuse the unfinished offer without even looking toward the maid, Rahel dismissed her.

Although the guild leader didn't complain, her overly calm tone revealed that she was tired.

— Yes… understood… — Annelise replied with long pauses, as usual, then quietly left.

(How exhausting… so much work piled up during just a couple of months I was away. Those good-for-nothings — the branch managers — dumped all the tasks they didn't like and found difficult onto me…)

(What a pity… it would be very hard to find someone to replace them, because they really are quite capable…)

(It's amazing how much patience I've gathered not to have fired them yet.)

— Ha... — the blonde sighed heavily, propping her head with her hand, staring boredly at one spot as if hypnotized.

After waiting a bit longer, Annelise returned to the office.

— Thank you. — Taking the glass, Rahel slowly sipped and continued speaking:

— Also, you can congratulate me: I finished the important contracts, solving the main problems.

— The other pointless requests I sent back. Let those freeloaders sort it out themselves. — The lady involuntarily grimaced at the second sentence, snorting with disdain.

— I see...

— Yes, and I'm leaving again.

— Leaving? You finished the paperwork so quickly? — Noticing this, the maid smiled politely.

— Yes, aristocrats from the kingdom of Bertium requested a drug shipment. Long story, but the deal sounded profitable, so I agreed. I have to appear in person.

— Lady, when should I start packing? — the maid asked in a quiet, detached tone, as if she wasn't really there.

Still, to prepare and leave so far, one had to get ready in advance.

— I think tomorrow morning would be perfect. I want to return before the annual auction.

— As you say. — Annelise, as always, was taciturn and simply nodded.

— Also... — Rahel paused, glancing at the maid's uniform: — I think it would be good to go to the Forton boutique tomorrow. Comfortable clothes for traveling will definitely come in handy. After all, we'll be crossing the sea.

— As you say, I'll notify them to prepare a carriage for you. — Bowing, the servant left the office.

— Yes, good night, Liz. — Rahel waved her hand, seeing the maid off with her gaze.

(I could use some sleep myself...) — the girl thought and stretched sweetly, yawning widely.

After a pleasant routine, she smirked, glancing at the mountain of paperwork stacked in meter-high piles on the floor.

Then, without much hesitation, she hurried to her room, as if afraid those cursed papers would chase after her.

What a pleasant feeling it was — the feeling when the damned paperwork was done and she could look at it without fear in her eyes. No matter how ironic and funny it was, this was probably the only thing she was terribly afraid of in life. And she could swear one hundred percent that this work was what drove her into long-lasting depression.

— Finally, I can sleep with a peaceful mind... — she sighed with relief, a serene smile appearing on her face, and she finally fell asleep without a burden on her soul.

The night flew by unnoticed, quickly giving way from the dark, starry sky to the first rays of a new day.

Everything was going smoothly. As usual.

She was helped to dress. Her hair was done. She took a morning bath with pleasantly scented oils.

And even managed to eat breakfast alone at the long, empty table — something that didn't upset her in the slightest, since she loved to have breakfast in a silence pleasant to the ears...

Rahel left the mansion and headed to the carriage. Everything went slowly and measured, as it should be.

It seemed even the sun was more lenient to her, despite the cool weather of late March.

(What a wonderful day...) — Rahel tucked a strand behind her ear, and the cool spring breeze carried the scent of garden flowers to her.

The guild leader stood like that for a few more seconds.

(Spring really is such a beautiful time...)

Perhaps that was the first genuinely positive thought she had with such tenderness in weeks. Or maybe not... no one could fully read her mind. Not even me.

— Let's go, Kas. — Having given the order to the coachman she knew well, Rahel heard the crack of the whip, the neighing of the horses, and the pounding of hooves.

They left.

(Eh… bo-ring…) — lazily blinking, Rahel watched the rapidly changing landscape outside the window.

The trees rustled, occasionally brushing their branches against the carriage moving at high speed. The hoofbeats of the horses sounded quietly. Silence and calm, which for some unknown reason drove her into melancholy.

It was surprising how her pleasant mood had changed for the worse in just a few minutes. One would think such ease should invigorate, but instead her face showed only boredom… and, perhaps, emptiness.

Some more time passed.

And slowly but surely, the vampire girl's eyes gradually closed. She involuntarily fell asleep, tilting her head to the side, comfortably leaning against the velvet backrest.

This time the dream was unpleasant again…

Darkness surrounded her.

The whole space was enveloped in darkness, and in this eerie darkness was Rahel.

— Ha… ha… ah… ha… — uneven, ragged breathing of an unknown woman.

An unknown girl with long blonde hair, dressed only in a thin nightgown, ran in this darkness. Her bare feet flashed, showing fresh bruises and a couple of scratches.

Drops of sweat ran down her face, and her heart wanted to jump out from the intense physical exertion. But no matter how tired she was, she stubbornly kept running forward.

After a few long seconds, blurry shadows appeared in the distance.

They were silhouettes of people she once cherished madly.

— Wait! Wait, please! — she shouted into the dark abyss after the mysterious man.

A little more. Just a little more. She was very close.

And then a thin hand tried to grab one of the hands.

And then… nothing. The images of the people dissolved in a split second.

Exhausted, Rahel staggered, lost her coordination, and fell.

Her body trembled, then a heart-wrenching scream sounded.

She screamed into the abyss where there was no one, and which seemed to mock her misery.

— Please, don't leave me like this again… — her voice was barely audible and broken.

One more person left her. This time it was the last dear person.

After a moment of agony, grim silence hung again in the black void.

Her face could not be seen because of the too-long bangs — at least half of her face. But even so, one could see how drops of… tears ran down her delicate chin.

— Lady, we have arrived. — Announcing their arrival, the blue-haired maid gently touched the mistress.

— Mmm… — sleepily murmuring, Rahel half-opened her eyes, looking displeased.

(Again… these nightmares have been happening more often lately.)

— Uwa…! — sweetly stretching and yawning, the lady's lips involuntarily lifted slightly, trying not to think about her dreams.

Rising from her seat, the blonde looked at the open carriage door and at Annelise, who had already stepped down and waited below.

Without much effort, Rahel climbed out of the carriage, twisting a strand of her blonde hair around her finger.

— No need to rush, the Forton boutique is fully booked anyway. — With an indifferent sigh, the blonde glanced at the street.

— Well, shall we go? — this time the lady's face lit up, and she smiled, narrowing her eyes, asking the maid a rhetorical question.