4. A stranger In My Bed.

Three years later.

The beautiful hibiscus blooming under the sunlight was one among the many flowers I laid amid. My eyes were on the bright sky but my thoughts had wandered out of this world entirely. It had been three years since I got married into this ghost family and a ghost husband. I have been alone and I have been miserable.

My suspicions about this family became clear when nobody wanted to mingle with me when I am invited to parties and other upper-class events. No Montesorrie was present, not even my husband. Gus only accompanies me and monitors my every movement, he also detects where I go and where I don't.

For three years now our relationship has not improved. He still gives me that ill look and still looks down on me. My place in the house is nearly nothing but The Monsorries' puppet. I hear the little gossip of the maids in secret when they come to do their chores. When I first got here, they idolized me and tried to please me, but now it's just different, they just give me weird looks and say things like 'she's not important to The Lord '

Even things like 'she's just another unfortunate maiden bought by The Lord '

My heart aches whenever I hear this gossip. Sometimes I wish I could just disappear or cease to exist; if only it were that easy.

I looked up at the sky from the garden's windscreen on the ceiling and allowed the warmth from the sun to at least make me feel something other than numbness. I thought at least my life turned for the better but actually, it turned worse, and I'm stuck in this world I don't fit in.

I am stuck here lonely, miserable, and disregarded.

Still in my peaceful secret hideout, I hear the voice of Gus. He has the calmest yet most commanding voice I have ever heard.

"Miss Kira?

He called my name but I say nothing because I didn't want my hideout to be found. I jolted up and rushed toward the garden's entrance but I was too late. He stood in front of me.

"Why are you here?" He asked me in a certain tone that terrified me. "You are not permitted to be in here". He had that tone he used to have when I made mistakes.

I tried to come up with an excuse but I was failing badly. "I-I... I was just passing by and this place caught my attention." I lie.

"The doors are always closed so how did you manage to get in?"

I opened my mouth to speak, but before I could say anything he passed his hands behind me and shut the doors with me still in front of it. There was a certain look in his eyes and that would be the second emotion I have seen on his face since I met him.

It was fright.

I saw the fear in his eyes.

I watched him for a while as he fought to hide his emotions. He moved forward and I saw how his shoulders rose and fell before he turned back to me.

"Your breakfast has been ready for a while, and it's almost past your breakfast time."

"I don't feel like eating breakfast this morning". I mouthed in a whisper and his pose was back.

"It is unhealthy to skip meals and I must keep you healthy." His gaze was direct and stern. "I'd like to escort you to the dining hall if you don't mind".

This is what he always does. He bosses me around as if I don't have any say and follows me everywhere I go. Now, I don't even have a secret space to myself anymore.

.

.

Gus.

"Miss Kira?

I call her name over and over in search of her around the mansion but she is nowhere to be found. Lately, she had been clumsy and weirdly hiding in sneaky places alone, nobody knows where she goes or what she does there.

I move to her chambers and it is empty. My eyes fled open instantly.

Where is she?

I pray silently and hope she hasn't entered one of The Lord's sacred chambers. My nerves kick in and I am terrified, I have never gone in there before, he never permits anyone in there.

My eyes hovered everywhere just in case I am being watched as I have never done such an unlawful thing before.  I never do anything I am not asked to do and I have lived my life carefully all these years not until this young lady was brought into the mansion. She always gets me in trouble not even minding the consequences of her actions.

I entered the first sacred hallway of The Lord and my skin was accompanied by literal chills. It was the first time in centuries I was going in there. It was gloomy. The first thing I noticed was the light coming from the end of the hallway; which is weird because The Lord has not been around for over a decade now, unless...

I held my breath defeated by my own thoughts. Could it be that he is back? Lately, his presence had been hovering around the Mansion, could it be that he is close by?

I gulped in soundly.

If he is back and the young Miss is caught in one of his sacred rooms, that would be dangerous, she will not even live to face her own persecution, then I will join her later.

"Miss Kira'.

I call her again when I got to the entrance of the room where the light centered and she rushed in front of me.

What is she doing here?

She stood in front of me and the weirdest thing happened. It was quick but I saw it, I saw it with my eyes and I couldn't believe it.  This was why she was married to The Lord.

As she stood before the light, I saw it all.

I couldn't withstand it, it was too much for me. The presence emanating from her was very strong. If I stared at her for another second I would Lose control of myself, I was already at the edge of revealing my true form, I had already begun transforming before I quickly turned around and backed her, trying to revive myself because I don't want her to notice at all.

.

.

Kira.

This has been the longest I have stared at the ceiling of my room. The day has slowly come to an end and I did absolutely nothing. All I did was stay in my room after breakfast and watched the maids take care of my skin— was this the path my live had taken?

It wasn't long before they left, and I was all alone again, humming and listening to my own thoughts.

I hear a knock on the door and released a sigh— it is probably one of the night maids coming in to check up on me.

"Miss Kira," she calls my name as she moved in. "I have come to ask if you need anything before lights out."

"No," I respond plainly, not even looking in her direction. "You may leave, I'm going to bed."

I turned my back to her and cover my body with the bedsheets, trembling in anger. I am the angriest I have ever been and I don't know why. Somehow, I feel unwanted all over again. My life basically is a living hell. I placed my head on the soft cushions and tears begin to flow from my eyes to the side of my face, fighting hard for my sobs not to be heard but I was failing since I wasn't able to control the pain and loneliness I felt. At this point, I don't even care if I am married to a ghost husband or into a ghost family, I wasn't a big concern to me anymore. All I just wanted was to see them, I wanted to see him, I just wanted to be assured that I belonged somewhere.

I cried for I don't know how long and fell asleep in the process, and before I realized it, I was already dreaming.

The moon was full and the night breeze danced with the sheer curtains, making them move rhythmically to its tone. I could feel the chills on my skin but my body was covered just like in reality. Suddenly, a whiff of an unfamiliar scent traveled through my nostrils, I don't know what it was but it enticed me, I felt clouded and lost in it. It felt like sin but there was no one there to hold accountable. It felt as though I was being claimed, as though I have only lived my life for this moment.

Suddenly, I felt an unfamiliar presence, there was someone there and I could feel it. Unknown to me, my body began to move, I felt myself rotating physically on the bed but I was too deep in slumber to wake up. I was restless. My nipples began to harden and my insides were on fire, I began to moan and groan in pleasure, in desire as if I was being drugged. I ached to feel its touch, its warmth, its entire being. I wanted to be drowned in whatever it was that gave me a new feeling of life.

Hope.