When Charles arrived at the ebony mansion, the crows were gathered on the rooftop. The wind wasn't blowing as if the air had dried up, he looked around the place but it was the same quiet house they arrived yesterday. Charles shivered suddenly but then left his bike outside as he went inside the house, without knowing that someone was staring at him from inside the house. The blonde girl fixed her gaze as the unsuspected Charles entered the mansion, she looked at him with a blank expression but she clenched her hands to a fist so strong that her nails dug in and blood flowed out.
"Um...hello? Is anyone here?" Charles called out as he sat on the sofa.
Weird...I thought Tina said she met a new friend but it seems it's just me here, Charles thought to himself as he played with his hands.
The silent environment just makes him nervous somehow. As he heard footsteps descending the stairs, Charles looked at towards the direction to see who it was. Upon seeing the person, his face turned pale.
"Y-you are--" he wasn't able to finish what he said when he suddenly felt a thin metal slice through something.
He looked at the floor to see blood dripping on where he was standing, his clothes were also slowly turning red. He touched his throat and realized that the blood was coming from him, he slowly backed away from the blonde girl and looked in horror when she stepped closer to him holding a knife.
She then flashed a mischievous smile towards him and murmured, "Die."
As she prepared to slice the knife through the helpless boy, the last thing Charles saw before all went black was a pair of red eyes.
Tina...becareful, this girl...is not your friend, Charles thought and lost consciousness.
It was an hour before lunchtime when Tina arrived at her house, she was surprised to see the house was quiet.
"Hellooooo" she called out when she brought the bag of bread and cookies she was holding and placed it towards the counter.
"Hmmm, I thought Charles was already here but I guess I was wrong" Tina mumbled to herself.
The door opened from the basement and out came Sue, her clothes were dirtied from the dust and there were spots of red as well. Tina looked at her with a questioned look, Sue acted a bit surprised and looked down the floor.
"S-sorry...I was only looking at the area we need to clean" Sue said in a tone that seemed innocent yet dry.
Tina smiled, "Is that so? Well it is ok but don't go there ok...mom will be the one cleaning it, for now we should eat lunch. You must have been very hungry so let me cook. Just wait here and um...I am still waiting for someone so if ever he arrived, tell him to wait with you. Nice look by the way, you finally showed your face more and I can see your eyes now."
Sue smiled while looking at Tina, "is he someone special?"
Upon hearing those words, Tina blushed. She turned around and tried to hide her reddened face, "oh please...you're mistaken. Charles is just...a friend of mine, he planned to help me before I met you."
"Is that so...then...I shall sit and wait for him, if he ever come" Sue said with those last words barely audible to herself only.
"Ok, thank you Sue" Tina replied and started preparing their lunch.
She was so busy doing so that she didn't notice the bloody hand mark on the knob of the door towards the basement.
"By the way Sue, you don't seem to have any clothes that are clean so why don't you go take a bath at my room upstairs and borrow one of my clothes?" Tina added without glancing back.
Sue slowly turned to look at Tina's red hair, her blue eyes then turned red.
"Ok...thank you" she said as she smiled and walked upstairs.
Tina remembered she hasn't told Sue where her room was, but upon turning around she found out that Sue was not on the living room anymore.
She gave a shrugged and continued cooking, "she can find it by herself I guess."
Not an hour passed and Sue returned wearing a black dress with a white big ribbon on the middle.
"Wow! You look dazzling, like a princess! Your blue eyes and blonde hair just made it look much more prettier than if I wore that" Tina exclaimed as she looked at Sue with fascination. Sure enough she made her point and Sue having a porcelain skin color made it much more beautiful.
"Stop with the jokes already so we can finish early" Sue replied acting all shy while Tina laughed.
The two ate their lunch and prepared for cleaning, Tina was busy glancing at the front door from time to time.
Sue noticed it and asked, "has he...arrived yet?"
"No...anyway, let us start cleaning or else we're gonna waste time waiting for him. Let us start at the rooms upstairs, from right going to left" Tina instructed and Sue nodded.
"Then...I shall clean the room next to yours, let us clean separately to finish faster" Sue said and went upstairs.
Tina looked at her with a questioning expression but she followed anyway. Time goes by and it was already sunset, the two had finished cleaning the rooms upstairs.
The things that were left by the previous owners were dragged outside the rooms, Tina suggested taking a bath and eating dinner with her but Sue declined saying Tina's parents must arrived soon, she changed back to her old dirtied clothes.
Tina was confused but didn't force Sue for it was getting dark and she doesn't want the girl to be lost on the woods towards her own house. Tina bid goodbye to Sue as the latter waved and walked slowly out the ebony house. Tina on the other hand did what she planned and waited for her parents to arrive, she fell asleep on the sofa as time passed by.
to be continued...