Chapter Three: Quiet
Lavender was now twelve, she had a sister named Oleander. Oleander was adopted, the child of a maid that had quit in a rage and left the child behind three years earlier. The maid's husband was the gardener's assistant Roderick, and he wanted nothing to do with the girl. Lavender's mother had offered to adopt her and so it happened. Oleander knew nothing of her real parentage and was very happy to have a sister spoiling her. She loved her mother Lily and was a lively addition to the household, keeping the dogs busy by playing with them while they were out in the garden being very much ignored by their master.
Lily loved her two daughters and wished she could watch them grow up and make families of their own. She did not expect to fall ill and be confined to her bed to wait out the end. The Baron had not evicted her on account that his son had grown up with her and was upset over losing her. He also did not feel it was kind to leave two girls on the street. He instead asked Lavender to become a tutor for his niece who was to stay with them while her parents traveled to other countries to do business. So as Lily was dying in her bed, Lavender was trained in how to be a proper tutor, fitted for clothes to dress like one and made very busy. Oleander was asked to feed and groom the dogs, which she enjoyed. They were occupied and far from their ailing mother until the moment she was dying.
Gertrude had called for them to be near their mother, the two girls sobbing as their mother told them how she loved them and to be very good girls and that she would watch over them. Ferdinand even joined them and shed tears himself, having felt loved in her presence. She had always made sure to treat him as her own son after his mother's unfortunate passing. He was fifteen now and could do without a mother, but he still shared in the sentiment with her daughters that she would be dearly missed.
Lavender turned around when she heard footsteps. No one else seemed to notice that a tall woman with long red hair had entered the room. It was Grell Sutcliffe. Lavender did not speak, watching as Grell took something she did not know how to describe away from her mother. Her Auntie Grell began to walk away without a word, Lavender following after.
"Auntie Grell.." Lavender tried to keep her voice steady.
"Listen, Elsie, I am-" Grell began. She was cut off by a hug from the girl.
"Auntie Grell, why are you only here when someone dies? I want to talk. My Mama just died, and I have a sister now and I have to be a tutor and I haven't seen you in four years."
"Elsie..." She took the girl's arms off herself but Lavender took her hand and tugged her back into the room, opening a drawer.
"I wanted to show you these." Elsie held out several watercolor pieces that depicted Grell.
The reaper took them and looked over each one carefully, she could tell that they had been made with much care and she could even see as the art skill progressed. They were beautiful renditions of herself and the one that was obviously the newest looked like a reflection. She felt a wave of sorrow come over her. She had to tell this girl they were not related, but clearly this child seemed to care about her and was fond of her to this extent. She opened her mouth after taking a deep breath, "Elsie, listen. I am not your aunt. We are not related."
"Oh. Then that means... I'm all alone. I also wanted to ask if you wanted any of the things from these trunks. The young master keeps buying things he doesn't want and giving them over to me." Lavender took the watercolors back. She hoped changing the subject to the items in the trunks would mask how she felt learning that she was now completely alone. She did not even have an Auntie Grell to lean on.
"I have something to ask you too, Elsie. Why can you see me?"
Lavender blinked. "What?"
"Why can you see me? Didn't you notice that no one else looked at me when I entered the room?"
"I... I did. I thought everyone was too busy crying over my mother Lily."
"No, it has always been like that. You see me and others don't. Elsie, Lavender, you should not be able to see me."
"Why not?"
"The only people who should be able to see me are people close to death. I don't know why you can see me."
"Close to death? But I've been seeing you for years. Shouldn't I be dead?"
"That's what I am asking. Why are you, someone not near death, able to see me?"
"Is that why you're only here when someone dies? Are you... Not human?"
"That's right. I'm a reaper. I collect the souls of the dead. I should not be visible to you."
"Oh. Well... You can keep the pictures. I really wanted you to have them."
"Thank you. I'm sorry about your parents, and about this."
"Miss Grell... It was very nice knowing you. I'm just sad you're not my auntie. I would have liked that very, very much."
Grell was not fond of humans, they were simply a job for her. She saw them only as beings she would later collect at their death. It was a detatched and unemotional view. She did her job and moved on. She was about to do the same at that moment but she turned around. She hugged the girl that should not be able to see her and kissed the top of her head. "Would you still like me as an Aunt now?"
"I would, I have thought of you as my dear aunt for so long..."
"Then, I will be your aunt."
"Could you do me a favor?"
"What is it?"
"Could you try to be the one that comes for my soul when I die?"
Grell Sutcliffe did not know how to answer, she just hugged the girl and smoothed her hair. This was not like her, but the girl had been so sad and had painted her so carefully that she decided to just this once allow herself to be fond of a human.
William Spears was not too fond of the idea, once he got an explanation to why she had taken so long and why she had returned with several watercolors of herself and a few crayon drawings that were supposed to depict Elsie and herself. He wanted to investigate the girl and why she could see reapers. Grell told him it was probably not a big deal but he insisted that in a month's time he would see her himself and find out just why she could see reapers.
William Spears did not make empty promises. A month after Grell Sutcliffe had returned with watercolors of herself, he turned up in the garden where Elsie was teaching Baron Kingsley's niece about geography. He stayed still, taking notes on what he observed, the first comment being that she had reacted to his arrival by turning her head away from her pupil and sweeping her eyes across the grass.
He stayed hidden behind a hedge until the little lady was tired of lessons and retired to her room, leaving Elsie alone. Elsie waited to check for anyone in the garden before she called out for Grell. William stepped out and looked directly at her, causing her to jump and let out a squeak. She covered her mouth and looked up at him, his eyes focused on her.
"You're Lavender Chamomile Peppermint?" He asked.
"Yes? Um... Are you... Like Auntie Grell?" Elsie whispered.
"So you know what she is. Yes. I am like her. Tell me, why can you see us?"
"I swear I don't know. I asked Auntie Grell, Auntie Grell asked me, we couldn't figure it out. Please... Please... I am telling the truth."
"Calm down. No need to make a fuss. Where are you from?"
"Um, across the ocean. My family came here when I was a year old. Lord Kingsley wanted his son to be tutored here so they moved from overseas here. I was born outside of Europe, just like my parents. "
"Lavender, your original name is?"
"I don't know it. It means the same thing, but I don't know it. I was never taught my parents' language. I only remember that Mama said Lady Kingsley called us by the Spanish equivalents. The Baron told my parents not to speak it."
"So it is not Elsie."
"No. Auntie Grell made that up."
"Where you were born, do they believe in ghosts?"
"Um... We believe that the dead return to our land on a few special occasions. We have celebrations of the life of the dead. Does that count?"
"Have you been to a celebration?"
"I was born during the celebration of my grandmother's life. I was born exactly a year after she died."
"I see. You can see death because you were born celebrating death. You are very close to death, Elsie."
"When will I die?"
"No. Not close in time. Close in another sense. Think of a close friend or relative. That is death to you. Death and you are inseparable."
"Is that how one becomes a reaper?"
"No."
"Then how?"
"I will not discuss it. We are done. But Miss Elsie. Just because you walk with death does not mean you are absolved of it. One day you too will die. You cannot interfere with us. And another warning. Stay away from demons."
Before Lavender could reply, he had gone.
Oleander missed her mother and was always crying when night fell and she had to sleep. The bed felt so empty without her mother. She resorted to climbing into Lavender's bed, the two holding onto each other and sniffling. The house was far less lively without Lily in it. The entire home felt void and quiet, it gave an aura of abandonment even though it was fully occupied. The rooms were no longer cheerful and the curtains were almost always shut. The gloom pervaded and the home felt bleak.