Chapter Four
The gentle breeze ruffled Chryseis' pale blond hair as she stood in front of the beautiful two-story brownstone house, admiring its lush gardens and beautifully mowed lawn, which spread like a soft, downy carpet across half the front yard.
People moved to and fro beside her in a flurry of movement as they carried the Elafros' sparse belongings into the house, directed by her father.
Chryseis was glad that her mother, who was standing beside her father, locked in an animated discussion with Aunt Serene, was looking much better. Her face had lost that pale, drawn look it had developed since Alianne's death. It was instead flushed with a healthy rose, the colour of health.
"Chryseis!" She moved forward as her mother beckoned her over to them. Up close, she could see that Aunt Serene was pretty, with straight long blond hair that had remained white-hair free despite being forty years of age. She was tiny and petite, dressed in a flora print dress. But one thing that really stood out were her lilac colored eyes.
Her aunt's heart-shaped face broke out into a smile and Chryseis found her trapped in an hard embraced and a fragrance that threatened to overwhelm her.
"Chryseis! Oh, my dear child, how big you have grown! Look at you! So pretty!" Even as her Aunt let out this impressive speech in one breath, she ran her hands over Chryseis to emphasize her words.
The grin on her aunt's face was infectious, and Chryseis found herself grinning in return and warming to her aunt.
Her aunt kept up the lively conversation as she brought them into the house to view the interior, which certainly was more spacious-looking than it had looked from the outside. All the rooms were decorated tastefully in post-modern furniture and décor.
They entered one of the rooms on the second storey.
"And this," Aunt Serene declared with a wide sweep of her arm, indicating to the beautiful room with four-poster bed and pale blue wallpaper, "is your room, Chryseis"
For a while, Chryseis could only stare in wonder at the splendor of the room in silence.
One look at Chryseis' face had her aunt chuckling. "I see that you like it."
"Oh, I am so sorry. Thank you so much. I love it." She leaned towards her aunt and dropped a kiss on her cheek.
Chryseis could see that her aunt was pleased by the action, for she beamed at Chryseis before she left the room to bring Chryseis's parents to their room.
Left alone, Chryseis wandered around her new room slowly, touching and admiring silently the beautiful objects in the room. She was touching the quilt, which was obviously hand-made and exquisite, spread out on the bed when she heard someone entering the room.
Assuming that it was her aunt, Chryseis didn't bother to turn around but thanked her for the quilt.
" You are quite welcome." The male, and very amused, voice that answered her had her gasping, startled, even as she turned around to face whoever had been standing behind her.
And found herself meeting similar purple eyes.
But the face was very obviously male and stunning, with a strong chin and high cheekbones. The similarity to Aunt Serene was there, in the shape of the face and nose. And he was tall.
"Hi. I don't believe we have met. I am Blake, Aunt Serene's nephew. You must be Chryseis." He offered her a grin.
Chryseis found herself smiling back," You are staying here too? Aunt Serene didn't mention anything about it."
"Probably slipped her mind. Old age. She didn't mention anything about you being so pretty either." His grin widened as Chryseis blushed.
If you ask him, women these days blush too little.
"Blake! Stop flirting with your cousin!" Aunt Serene's cheerful comment had Chryseis blushing even more.
Blake simply turned around and offered her an equally affable smile and hugged the petite woman enthusiastically.
Aunt Serene stepped back, smiling. Then, remembering Chryseis and her parents, turned towards them and quickly introduced them to Blake, who happened to be staying here for the next half of the year.
Blake smiled at them, and then he glanced casually at his watch.
Chryseis watched curiously as his face paled slightly.
"Damn!" he exclaimed, "I am running late! Sheri is going to kill me!"
He turned around to Aunt Serene with an apologetic smile," Have to run. Sheri is waiting for me. Sorry about leaving so suddenly. I'll be back for dinner."
He turned towards the Elafros, "Sheri is my sister. She is a monster when she gets mad." He offered as an explanation.
With that, he disappeared through the doorway.
"Oh, and nice meeting you, Chryseis, Aunt Gabrielle and Uncle Sean." He yelled while going down the stairs. They heard the front door slam as he went out of the door.
"Charming boy you've got there, Serene." Sean grinned.
" Such a sweet boy, isn't he?" she sighed, "And such a handsome one too." She slanted a sly look at Chryseis.
Sly look or not, Chryseis caught it and exclaimed in horror," Aunt Serene! He is my cousin!"
"Veritable kissable cousin, I would say. And he is not really your cousin. Too distant." Aunt Serene smiled triumphly as though she had scored a point.
Desperate to escape from her Aunt's not too subtle matchmaking attempts, Chryseis glanced at her parents for help and found, in their stead, empty space. Trust her parents to escape when she needed them most. Helpless, she turned back to her Aunt, who was still going on about Blake's attributes.
"Ding-dong!"
"Oh! Excuse me for a moment, dear. I wonder who is at the door?" Aunt Serene asked herself absently as she left the room with a twirl of her floral-print skirts.
Saved by the bell, literally, Chryseis thought in relief. Her aunt was about to go on about Blake's physical attributes, something Chryseis was definite she didn't want to hear about.
Hopefully, by the time she got back from receiving whoever it had been at the door, she would have forgotten about this.
Unlikely.
One thing she had learnt about Aunt Serene from encounters before was that she wasn't a lady to forget things easily nor gave up. So one alternative would be to escape before she came back.
But where could she go? She wasn't familiar with the place. She cast a wary glance at the open doorway. But then, anywhere is better than staying here.
Her mind made up, she walked quietly to the doorway. Seeing no Aunt Serene in sight, she slipped out of the room stealthily and down the corridor.
"Chryseis!" her aunt's call had Chryseis freezing in the act of going down the stairway, wincing slightly.
Seeing no way out of this, she called back albeit reluctantly," Yes, Aunt Serene?"
"Come down here for a moment, won't you, dear? Chris is here to see you!"
Chris? Who is Chris? She didn't remember knowing anyone called Chris. Nevertheless, she moved down the stairway to the front door, where her aunt stood beaming at someone who stood on the doorsteps.
Chris turned out to be a handsome man of nineteen, with shoulder-length blond hair and sharp piercing blue eyes, and a devil of a smile that was currently aimed at Aunt Serene.
Chryseis approached the door curiously; certain that she did not know the man now that she had seen him.
"Do I know you?" she asked.
"No, Mademoiselle. I am just here to deliver this," he held up a small elongated wooden box up," directly to you, as were my orders."
"For me? Who is it from?" Chryseis took the box from his outstretched hand. The box was beautiful, covered with intricate carvings and a single rose engraved on the lid.
" You will know once you open it, though I advise you to open it in private. Good day then, ladies." He smiled at Chryseis and added," I'll be seeing you later, I hope, in the Bluebell Grove." Then he departed.
Chryseis frowned at his strange choice of words but didn't ponder on it. She diverted her curiosity instead to the mysterious box she held in her hand.
" Ain't he handsome? And that French accent." her aunt let out a dreamy sigh, her eyes starry.
Amused, Chryseis interrupted her aunt's dreamy stupor," Do you mind, Aunt Serene, if I went to my room? I want to see what is inside."
" Go ahead, dear." She waved her hand distractedly to indicate Chryseis to go ahead, and gave a dreamy sigh as she walked towards the living room. "Chris…"
Shaking her head in amusement, Chryseis headed up to her room, leaving her aunt alone to dream about the handsome and mysterious Chris.
Once in her room, she sat down onto her bed, nursing the box in her hand. She studied it carefully. Wondering who might have given her this, she lifted the lid.
And felt her world came crushing down on her.
Inside, on the lush silk interior, was a bracelet stained with blood.
Not just any bracelet. Alianne's. The one she had been wearing at the time of her death.