CHAPTER SIX.

 

ELEANOR’S POV.

 

 I felt this nasty sting up in my nostrils, and it was acrid. Sulfur mixed with smoke. There was a sizzling sound; it smelled like burnt beef, smelt like horror, like fear mixed with the stench of burnt hair and the smell of coagulated blood. I could hear their screams and wails so vividly in my head as they crawled away from the fire that was already burning half of their bodies.

 

The smell was sickening, but my fear made me want to puke more. I could almost feel the taste of their horrors in the back of my mouth.

 

I tried searching for my family amidst my blurry eyes, but I couldn't find them. There was no sight of them amongst the others, which made my heartbeat rate quicken.

 

Were they dead? Maybe slaughtered by the Raiders. By the evil monsters who had invaded our innocent little town to bestow their wrath on it and maybe capture some enslaved Wolves.

 

“Stay here, and don't come out.” My Mother said, bent down to place a gentle kiss on my forehead. She turned to look at Diana, whose face was dampened with tears. “Take care of your sister until I’m back.” She ordered and gave her a little squeeze on her shoulder before stepping away to search for our Father.

 

It had been minutes, leading to an hour, and they were yet to be back. I knew I had to search for them too. I couldn't bear knowing they were in danger while we hid away like cowards.

 

“I'm going to look for Mama and Papa.” The Ten-year-old me said and attempted to step forward to leave the hole in the flowers we were hiding.

 

“No, you are not,” Diana said and quickly grabbed me by my right hand with both of her hands, holding me down. “You can't go. You can leave. Mama asked us to wait for her. We don't want her to get here and not meet us.” She said in a mumble, her voice low out of fear that she might attract the bad Wolves.

 

I finally gave in to her because I knew she was right. So I waited, waited, and waited till I couldn't anymore.

 

Mama! Papa!

 

I called out softly, placing my head against her shoulder and dosing off, even though I knew I shouldn't. I knew it could cost me my life. Our lives.

 

****

 

 I drifted my eyes apart, revealing my new room. I must have drifted off after taking my bath. I wasn’t dressed yet because all I had wanted to do at first was just close my eyes briefly so I could process all that had happened in these past weeks.

 

I was so used to reliving my past again that now I was always too scared to close my eyes and sleep. I feared that I would watch it happen again; I would watch them die again. I would have to watch everything replay exactly as it did years ago.

 

I inhaled deeply and squeezed my eyes briefly before pulling them apart.

 

My eyes landed on the clock hanging on the wall. It was almost nine, and I didn’t want to be on Master’s bad list. It was my first day here, so I ransacked the bags of cloth lying on the bed, only to realize that most of them seemed too fancy to wear casually.

 

But I still couldn’t go out naked.

 

Not that I cared, but…

 

I’m sure you know that feeling.

 

I finally picked up one that was less fancy. It was a Blue gown with tiny arm straps, firm at the waist and free until it reached the knee. It was a V-necked dress, revealing just the right amount of flesh.

 

I pulled it on hastily and picked up the less fancy palm wear before running out of my room towards the stairs.

 

I had no choice as to where the dining room was, but I knew it was better to try than not to try at all.

 

After walking around half of the house, I realized I had to ask someone for help because the place was way bigger than I thought it was, plus most of the rooms looked similar on the outside.

 

I finally sighted a she-wolf with Brown hair and called out to her. I didn’t know her name, so I stuck with ‘Ma’am.’ I watched her stop in her tracks, tilting her head sideways only to send me a frown, her brows creasing upward.

 

“Mind showing me to the Dinning room, please?” I said softly.

 

She didn’t say a word for a while, her eyes running over me as though she was contemplating whether to respond or not. Finally, she said something.

 

“Follow me.” She informed me and started to walk away before I could reply.

 

I quietly walked behind, and soon we stopped in front of not-too-big doors. She landed a knock on it first before pushing it open and stepping aside so I could walk past her.

 

“Thank you,” I muttered under my breath and sent her a smile which I doubted she saw because her head was bowed, and it was like she had frozen up just with my Master’s presence.

 

She said nothing in response. She moved backward and closed the doors.

 

I could see him sitting there, cutleries in his hands, his eyes fixated on the meal right in front of him, cutting and doing it as he pleased, but one thing I never witnessed him do was to eat it.

 

Different dishes were sitting on the tables, dishes that I doubted I had seen before now. There were also a few maids standing on his right side. They looked frozen, too, because I couldn’t see them blink, and I doubted they breathed too.

 

He had this dark aura around him, this aura that instilled fear in the hearts of Wolves yet commanded respect. I couldn’t say about the others, but it certainly did to me.

 

“Sit!” He ordered, and I shivered before walking towards the seat opposite him on the far end. There was a long distance between us, and I liked it that way. I didn’t want us to be too up close.