Beasty (A Royal's Tale Book 2) Page 6

  “I thought his name was Gilroy. Gilroy Ohalm.” River frowned, clearly confused. I nodded in response. I thought of the same thing as well.

  Abigail shook her head as she looked gravely from Jaydin to River to me.

  “That’s what I thought, too. Then I saw a picture of his diary in a book about him, the same diary that is said to be hidden somewhere in manor. It had his name, Adam Ohalm, on it.”

  “Okay, I’m officially freaked out,” Jaydin squeaked and moved closer to Abigail, his head now pressed against her abdomen.

  I felt myself shudder too. This was not lost on Jaydin.

  “I don’t see why you seem so freaked out by Aby’s assignment. Your castle has way more dark secrets then hers! Banshee, a crazy killer of a ghost, a curse. For bloody sake, Olli, I know you learned that martial arts thing, but take a gun with you or something to that place. Want me to drop you next week?” Jaydin offered.

  He was right.

  Oakenfield Castle or, as the locals preferred to call it, Verflucht, did have a notorious reputation for its eerie inhabitants and the stories that came from the castle itself and the town’s gossips. Whispers had it that Lord Julius Naightiutem, the first owner of the castle had made the it for his second wife, Edika Leightmonshtein. The lord already had a son and a daughter from his first wife, who unfortunately fell ill to and died of a raging tuberculosis.

  Like in fairy tales, Lady Edika didn’t turn out to be the best of stepmothers. But to detest one’s stepchildren to the extent of murdering them? Now that made her the worst of them all. Nevertheless, it came as a shock that she would go to such diabolical length to dispose of them.

  It was said to be on a spring’s eve when the young Lady Edika proposed her views on the children’s schooling. She had wanted them to study away from the castle. It had taken a while of begging, persuading and coaxing, but Lord Julius finally gave in, and the children were sent away to a boarding school in London.

  Or so the lord thought.

  It was believed that Lady Edika was furiously jealous of both children for she knew her own would never bear the title of heir or heiress no matter how many children she’d give birth to. Lord Julius already had a son.

  Some said she was also mentally unstable.

  I didn’t know what to believe. Either way, it led to the rest of the tale, which was the most chilling part of all.

  The children never left for boarding school. They were kept locked and chained in the deepest dungeon by the lady. Each day they bore slashes on their bodies, the blood dripping into a container. As if that wasn’t horrifying enough, some of the local women who lived around the castle even whispered that the lady drank the children’s blood to keep herself younger.

  Limp from torture and drained of her blood, the poor daughter eventually died, but the boy, by some strange reason that nobody knew until this day, managed to escape.

  It was not long for everyone to know of Lady Edika’s crime, and she was sentenced to death by hanging. But before she could be punished, she set herself on fire in her room.

  Now the said room was closed to everyone.

  Death was only the beginning for Lady Edika because it was rumoured that she still roamed the castle even today, killing any new bride who marries into the family. I thought, in her mind, the castle would always be hers, and any other bride that came into the picture would be ripped out.

  It was also the same thing for sweet Athia, the daughter of Lord Julius, for it was believed that she returned in her home as a banshee, wailing in warning for every time the ghost of Lady Edika decided to strike down another bride.

  “We’ll all drop her.”

  I blinked, coming back from my thoughts. “Huh?”

  River frowned. “I said we’ll all drop you over at Oakenfield. Is next week fine?”

  Embarrassment rushed into my features from zoning out, colouring my cheeks and ears red, and I quickly began looking around like an idiot.

  “Oh. Oh! Yes, please! By the way, what did you get, anyway?”

  Immediately, a suspicious-looking River grinned. “Oh, I got the Black’s house. The usual psycho serial killer home.”

  Beside us, Jaydin scoffed. “It was the best friend, I bet you!”

  Abigail scoffed harder. “It was the mother. That woman was said to be crazy!”

  Cringing slightly at the sudden turn to gory stories, I eased up on my back and moved to lean against the trunk of the willow tree. River, on the other hand, quickly found my lap again and moved back into resting his head there.

  Suddenly looking curious, he turned towards Jaydin. “What did you get, anyway?”

  I watched as the bright light in Jaydin’s eyes fizzled out slowly before he looked as serious as he ever could.

  “I got the Chillston Manor. Professor Heirnzberg’s home.”

  Chapter 6

  Tuesday morning found me seated on the corner booth of an quaint old restaurant downtown, my seat directly beside the wide windows, which were providing me a scenery that I was very much engrossed at the moment.

  Strangely, the hustle and bustle of the city streets reassured me and eased away the restlessness that lately seemed to always tingle in the shadows of my thoughts.

  It also helped me write.

  Watching people and noting how they smile, how they talk, how they dress themselves—it helped give definition to so many characters running through my mind. It gave me insight into different personalities they could be.

  “Teriyaki prawns, chicken stir fry, and orange juice. The usual.” The waiter smiled as he placed my breakfast on the table before me.

  I grinned at the boy. “Thank you, Michael. Not going to school today?”

  At the mention of school, Michael’s smile vanished, and his expression hardened. I watched silently as he looked back at the main counter, hesitating.

  Still conflicted, he looked back at me. “What’s the use? They all tease me. I’m a loser.”

  Loser?

  Michael was one of the first people I had become acquainted with when I first got here from London. That was ever since my first meal at the restaurant. Being new in Berlin, I was still shy about approaching people, but thank God, Michael’s English had been commendable or else my appetite would have suffered.

  That had been a year ago. It was startling how another year was nearly at an end. Michael, a high school senior now, had been and still was a good guy; he studied and worked at the same time. I knew how hard that was to handle considering I had worked through my last school year too.

  The little tumble of outrage and disbelief settled down after I noticed the slightly embarrassed Michael still standing at the edge of my table. I eased back into my seat and motioned towards the seat opposite mine. “Care to talk about it? I have a lot of breakfast to share!”

  Michael’s blush deepened as he shook one hand in front of him, the other still holding his serving tray.

  “I can’t. I-I’m on duty. Mrs. Friztburg will get wild if I sit down with the customers,” he stammered aloud, a characteristic of his that showed when he was nervous or embarrassed.

  “I don’t buy that. Mrs. Friztburg would never go wild! She’s so delightful—” insisting cheerfully, I slid to the corner to have a look around the cafe before turning back to Michael “—and besides, the cafe is almost empty this morning! Come on! It won’t kill you to spare five minutes.”

  I beamed my brightest smile at him, but my lips thinned as I saw his face. I didn’t want to tell him this, but the boy actually looked starved. The dark hollows under his eyes, his pale sickly complexion, the translucent skin on his face. Even his body had shrunk to that of a twig.

  The indecision in Michael’s eyes was quite obvious as he took a few minutes to ponder my offer. His eyes darted discreetly between the seat opposite mine and the plates filled with food.

  Well, maybe not so discreetly, after all.

  Finally, he removed his waiter’s apron and took a seat.

  “Good ch
oice. Now, dig in and tell me what all this loser deal is about,” I told him, putting ample amounts of prawn and chicken into each of the two plates, and then pushing one towards him.

  A discreet smile shadowed my lips when, although hesitant, Michael picked the fork. He hadn’t even noticed how his plate held far more than mine did.

  My smile widened when he looked at me, and I said with a smile, “Well? You start!”

  “Alright.” I grinned, picking up my fork before slowly stabbing a prawn and then biting it off.

  Michael’s eyes slowly blazed before he burst out, “I’m a loser.”

  The simple, short muttered sentence shocked me more than anything had in my whole life. My mind turned back to burning golden eyes, but I quickly pushed them aside.

  There was no thinking about him when I was fixing my friend’s problem.

  I took another bite before looking up at Michael again. “Why do you say that?”

  “I’m a bag of bones,” Michael muttered bitterly as if repeating someone else’s insult. I realized he was right, but he didn’t need another person to tell him that. He looked very thin, and now that he was closer to me, I was able to clearly notice more signs of his undernourishment. His face looked thinner. The high points of his cheekbones were alarmingly prominent. Michael looked sick.

  Michael munched on the prawns slowly as I thought about how to go about this issue.

  “How often do you eat, Michael?” I asked as nonchalantly as I could.

  Michael stopped, the fork just on his lips. He put the fork down and looked up at me. “I have dinners here.”

  “And the paycheck? You can’t tell me you don’t buy—”

  “Everything from my paycheck goes into my tuition fee for college, Olive.”

  I blinked. “B-but I thought that most colleges here didn’t charge tuition fees.”

  “I don’t want to study here, Olive. I want to move, see the world, and study in Cambridge or Stanford in the US!”

  “Oh,” I mumbled lamely. There was nothing with which I could judge him upon. After all, despite getting into Cambridge, even I who couldn’t care less for home after my parents’ death had come here.

  Michael had all the rights to move abroad, study, and see the world.

  And I’d motivate him.

  Quickly smiling, I put another bite of the stir-fried chicken into my mouth. It tasted delicious.

  “What does your mum have to say about this?”

  To my question, Michael shrugged. “She’s too busy paying mortgage for the house and the loan for the car, and managing the salon is also a task heavy on her shoulders.”

  Feeling for Michael’s mum, I nodded sympathetically. “How about this? Apply for international scholarships—you’re smart, I know that—and you can model to earn extra cash while you’re still studying. You have the looks.”

  “You’re kidding me,” Michael muttered as he chewed on his chicken stir-fry, his other hand moving up in an exaggerated gesture.

  “No, I’m not. Besides, I know a friend at a great agency that can hook you up, if you decide on studying in Britain and if you want, that is.”

  Michael froze. His gaze shot up to meet mine, and I smiled earnestly. “You’re joking, aren’t you?”

  I shrugged. “It’s always a possibility, and with my friend Rochelle’s agency, you’ll be in good hands. But this is while you’re in college, by the way, so no modelling for you right now.”

  Michael’s shoulders slumped slightly as he reached for my glass of orange juice and took a sip. I couldn’t help but grin at his actions; he was a good kid.

  “And what do I do now?” he mumbled. Before I answered him, I leaned back and brought a finger up, and another server quickly moved towards us.

  Giving Michael a curious eye, she turned to me and smiled brightly. “Good morning! What can I do for you, Madam?”

  “Good morning. I’d like a serve of steak and egg, please, with that special gravy that the chef makes. Takeout please.”

  Writing down everything on a small note pad, the server looked up again and asked, “And for the sides, Madam?”

  “Chips. Oh and…a bottle of cola too, please.”

  “Sure, Madam!” The girl smiled brightly before giving another curious look at Michael busily stuffing his face before quickly rushing towards the main counter.

  “You seem very hungry today,” he noted.

  I moved back to stabbing a prawn and veggies and brought it to my mouth. Aiming for the last piece, I smiled, then dabbed my mouth with a tissue. “Oh no, that’s not for me. That’s for you. Make sure you finish it, okay?”

  “Wait, what? Olive, I can’t—wait, where are you going?” Michael quickly blurted out, panicking and looking slightly embarrassed.

  “I have class in twenty minutes, so I have to go,” I chirped up happily, ignoring his panicked look. Fishing for my car keys, I put it on the table before I stopped. I looked at Michael and smiled.

  “Don’t worry, Michael. I’m doing this because we’re friends and you’re like a younger brother to me. Now take this and buy yourself some food for the week. I’ll see you probably tomorrow!”

  Looking at the wad of bills I pushed towards him, Michael scowled. “I won’t accept this! You can’t just—”

  I smiled and pushed the notes into his hand. “Michael, take it. I want you to. You’re not a loser, okay? You’re so smart and way better than them—whoever they are. Only a couple of months left and you’ll be able to go to any college you want in the world. But until then, you’ll have to keep yourself healthy, and that won’t be happening until you start eating right and plenty. Take care of yourself. Besides, what good is a lot of money when I can’t do something good with it?”

  Another male server arrived with my last order, holding the paper bag tightly since the bottom has dampened from the cold cola, and noticed Michael’s red scrunched-up face. “Here’s your—is everything okay? Michael, what are you doing here?”

  “Everything is fine. Thank you so much! I’m just taking my cousin here home. Been a bit of a sick bird since last night.” I grabbed the paperbag from his hand and quickly explained, getting up, and motioned with my head to Michael to do the same.

  Grudgingly, he fisted the notes into his hands before getting up and giving the other guy his apron. “Sorry, Drew, looks like I’m going to the doctor now. Stubborn cousins and all.”

  To my relief, the fellow Drew seemed to buy our sham. He smiled and nodded understandingly. “It’s all right, man. See you when you get better.”

  “Goodbye, Drew.” I smiled cheerfully as I picked up my bag, slung it over my shoulder, and began moving towards the door, the takeaway bags tightly gripped in both my hands.

  Moving out of the restaurant door, I turned to a silent Michael beside me. “Now let’s get you home.”

  ~

  “When does your class start?” Michael mumbled, breaking the silence that had settled in the car ever since we had gotten in.

  “In ten,” I replied slowly, turning to smile at him. When he did not respond, I elaborated, “I’m going to stay at Oakenfield Castle for an assignment.”

  Immediately, Michael’s head snapped towards me, and he grasped at my hand, causing me to veer a little off the road. I let out a startled gasp. “Michael!”

  “Don’t go! Don’t go to that castle!”

  “But why not?” I asked him. The Oakenfield Castle’s reputation does precede it, but I don’t believe an inch of all the tall tales. Clearly, Michael’s one of the believing bunch. “Look, Michael. All those stories? They are just stories, okay?” I whispered back urgently, watching a freaked-out Michael with wide eyes.

  Closing his eye shut with a pained look on his face, Michael shook his head in response. “They aren’t just stories, Olive.” He stopped, then his eyes locked on mine. “Each and every one of the stories is real! Because Lady Edika is still there. My gran used to work there, and so does my sister. And now that Julius Naightuitem’s g
reat grandson is back, the curse has awakened.” Michael’s voice dipped into a whisper, and his eyes met mine again. “She has awakened.”

  Of the number of minutes it took my raging heart to settle, I had no idea. The only thing that I was fully aware of was my curiosity of how Michael could be so sure.

  “But how can you be so sure, Michael?”

  Michael blinked, his jaws tightening into an angle that could cut soap. “I’m sure because my sister saw her. Lady Edika. And then she lost her voice.”

  ~

  I was back from dropping Michael home, and to help put my mind off what he said, I turned my attention to my little niece. To be honest, being a babysitter can be tiring, but I’ll sure miss Letty. “Are you gonna miss Aunty Olli?” I cooed at the starry-eyed infant in my arms.

  Lolette let out a tiny burp before a dreamy toothless smile graced her face, and I lost another piece of my heart to her.

  She was born a charmer. I could tell.

  Her tiny fingers found my blue blazer and twiddled with the matching buttons, thumbing the circular edges slowly before she let out a loud laugh.

  I let out a laugh of my own, too. I brought the tiny bundle to my chest, pressing a small kiss on her forehead. “I love you, Letty.”

  “All love for Letty and no love for Prue?”

  I grinned as my eyes settled upon a cheeky-looking Prue as she made her way towards us on the sofa. It felt odd calling Prue “Aunt Prue” since she was only ten years older than me. “You know I love you.” I giggled as Prue settled down beside me and began playing with Letty.

  Letty let out another loud shriek of laughter, and this time, Prue joined in with my laugh.

  “You know I appreciate you looking after her when I’m gone. Juggling work and a baby is—”

  Prue waved her hands in dismissal, cutting me off. I watched as she scooted closer, a warm smile that reminded me so much of Mum bloomed on her face. I felt a pang of pain burst up in my chest.

  “Oh, stop it, Olivia. She’s my grandchild—as odd as that sounds—but she is. And I’ll take care of her. Don’t you worry. Besides, Grandma Liz is coming over for a couple of months, too.”