His Half Blood Princess

10.

It's the first time I have seen her eyes and I see nothing but fear and sadness in them.

"But Helen why?" I asked and when she didn't say anything and only looked down, her hands trembling, I realized how stupid I was asking her that question.

She can't answer you stupid, she is mute. My subconscious chided.

I walked over to where she was standing and she quickly stepped back. I bent down and picked up the two pieces of paper to be sure, and surely, one of the papers was my mother's letter and the other a folded piece of paper.

Surely she is innocent and some one is sending her to do this, right?

I opened the piece of paper and read what was written on it.

This is your chance. Run!

Was written on the paper.

I refuse to believe that someone as innocent looking as Helen would try to blackmail me. How would she have learnt to read and write since she is a mute maid?

"Helen, who is pushing you to do this?" I couldn't help but ask once again, but instead tears started flowing out of her eyes and she shook her head.

"You mean you were the one sending the messages?" I asked and she nodded.

"But Helen, why?" I asked softly.

All this while, I thought it was Maria sending me the weird messages. I looked at the piece of paper and read it again.

"What should I be running away from? Is someone after me?" I asked and she nodded and, looking me in the eye, she drew a circle on her left chest with her finger.

"You are after me?" I asked, feeling more than confused.

Helen quickly shook her head and raised her hand, pointing at something to my right. I turned to where she was pointing at only to find that I had left my door open and she was pointing along the long corridor. I went over and looked at the corridor but there was no one in sight.

"There is no one there." I said, turning back to her. This time Helen was staring at me, her eyes teary and then she raised her hands and removed the scarf off her head.

I gasped at the sight of her shaved head. The only evidence that she had brown hair was her rounded eyebrows. Helen went further and rolled the sleeves of her maid's uniform up and there were at least three scars on each hand that looked like a knife was used to inflict wounds.

"Helen, who did this to you?" The tears she was holding back started flowing and I walked over to her but before I could grab her hand, Helen quickly put on her scarf and rushed out of my room, leaving me in a shocked state.

I sat down on the edge of my bed, my body feeling weak.

Many thoughts were running through my head and each one made me feel anxious.

What was Helen trying to tell me? Who did this to her? And most importantly, where on earth have I found myself?

I stood up and looked out the open window. Why would anyone in their sane minds build a house in the middle of the forest?

My door was still open and I turned and looked at the long, dimly lit corridor and felt a cold chill run down my spine.

*

Lunch felt lonely, the same as dinner. It was the first time I had a meal all by myself and, therefore, I was left with my thoughts alone.

Run. Helen's letter had said that and the scars she showed made me lose the desire to tell Lord Edwin Vincent about the messages. Somehow, I felt I would be putting her in trouble.

Her scars didn't look like they were from years ago, and her head looked as if it had been shaved only about a week ago or so. But who did that to her? Could it be that all the maids are going through the same thing?

And worse, does Helen believe that the same fate would befall me? No! Lord Edwin Vincent would never hurt me.

But where did that thinking come from? What does Lord Edwin Vincent have to do with any of that?

I got up from my chair, leaving my half empty plate and walked out of the dining room before going straight to the door where the maids had come out the first time I arrived in the villa.

I opened the door and found myself in a small corridor. There was a door to my left. I opened the door and entered what turned out to be the kitchen. It was empty but I could hear a lot of laughter and noise coming out of a door on the left side of the kitchen.

I crossed the kitchen and entered it. All of a sudden, the noise died down as all the maids and servants who were eating on the long dining table looked up and stared at me. The over twenty pairs of eyes made me feel awkward about barging in on their lunch.

"Is there anything you need Miss Green?" Maria, who was sitting at the head of the table, said and quickly stood up, straightening her apron. My eyes went over each person in the room but I didn't see Helen.

"Where's Helen?" I asked her. "I need her to do something for me." I added when they kept staring at me.

"She's in her room," a maid answered.

"If that thing counts as a room, that is." a much younger-looking maid snickered and everyone burst into laughter.

"You can go back to your lunch, Miss Green." Maria smiled at me. "Jamie, why don't you go and call Helen for her." Maria ordered sternly, the younger maid who had made the joked.

Jamie reluctantly got up and I waited till we were both out of the kitchen and in the corridor.

"Just tell me where her room is, I can go by myself," I told her. "and then you can go back to having your lunch before they finish everything up." I added when she looked hesitant at first, and it worked.

"If you insist, Miss Green," Jamie grinned. "Follow this door to the servant's quarters," she pointed to the door at the end of the corridor. "Her room is the last one with the small brown door."

"Thanks Jamie." I said and she quickly went back to the kitchen, probably before they ate everything.

I followed her directions and entered the servant's quarters. There were six doors there but the last one stood out. The rest were white and of normal size, while it was so small, a tall person would have to bend down to be able to enter it.

I went to the door and turned the door knob before pushing it open. I bent my head a little and walked inside the room, but stopped in my tracks.

Even though I grew up in a poor home, I never had it this worse. My room back home was much better compared to this thing.

This room was so small I doubt it was meant for a person to live in, but for keeping brooms, the room had not a single piece of furniture and the walls didn't have paint on them.

I looked down at the floor to see Helen lying on it as she slept. She was using a torn wool blanket to cover herself but I doubt if it did her anything against the cold.

Her face looked troubled as she slept and beside her was a cup of water and a plate with half-eaten bread on it.

I felt tears prick the side of my eyes and I inhaled sharply to keep the tears from coming out. Who would do this to her? This inhumane.

Helen frowned and turned in her sleep and I silently walked out to avoid waking her up.

After coming out of her room, I opened one of the servant's rooms and peeked in, then the other servant's rooms and felt anger when I saw that all the other rooms were normal. They all had three beds each and a wardrobe.

Just what on earth is going on in this place?