June
I made my way to the archery range just after work one Wednesday evening. Dealing with people today was worse than normal. Everyone thinks that they are the centre of the universe and think themselves above everyone else. It does become rather infuriating. Especially when working out new business contracts.
The archery range had been used recently. Odd. The only person that would want to use it would be Anna-belle. Even then, she had never shown any interest for archery before now.
It has been two months since I took my niece in. We still mostly stayed out of each others way. Supper would be our only full meal together, and half of breakfast as I would usually finish before Anna-belle would even get downstairs. Otherwise, I would be out at work all day. All in all, not much has changed for me.
It was mostly that first week that she had arrived that anything changed. After that first Thursday night, I had found her a tutor and a psychologist. Each weekday she would spend four hours in the morning with her tutor, then would study on her own after lunch and before I got back from work. Even now when most other children are on holidays, she still studies. Anna-belle would see her psychologist twice a week (Mondays and Thursdays), and I received any updates on how she is going through them.
Picking up my favourite bow, I strung it up and reached for a quiver and froze. On the tips of the arrows were splotches of blood. Eyes widening, I immediately made my way to the young girl's room.
I sat on my couch, rubbing my bandaged finger as I chatted with Claire. Every second day, we would still make sure to talk to each other. It usually would happen as she got ready for school in the morning and just as I finished my own day. Currently, she is running around her room getting everything packed into her bag. She is completely rugged up in jeans and a big jacket. She would complain daily about the cold weather and how I got to have two summers in one year.
I fixed the long-sleeved cream blouse around my wrists – one of the new ones from the new wardrobe that Vlad had gotten for me. I needed to wear it today to hide the bruises that I got on my elbow from the archery range earlier. Don't get me wrong, I do know what to do there. It's just a stupid female trait that causes bruising every now and then – when we straighten our arms out, the elbow sticks straight into the path of the released string.
"Anna-belle," my uncle's voice called from beyond the door, my only warning before he came in looking for me. Claire had stopped running around and looked through the screen with interest.
As he came over to where I am sitting, I signed hello to him. That's another thing that had changed in the past month. I learnt that Vlad could sign a little ASL, so I went online in my study period after lunch and taught myself ASL. I'm still having trouble with it, but at least I can spell my messages out to him instead of writing everything.
"Were you in the archery range today?" he asks as I crane my neck over my shoulder to see him. Discreetly hiding my bandaged hand from sight.
"Busted," I hear Claire mutter.
Shooting her a quick glare, which she laughs at, I then sign – with one hand – to Vlad, "Why?"
"Give me your hand," he practically demands. I hold out my right hand to him – the one without the bandage on my index finger. He only briefly looks at it. "The other one."
I pause for a second before I realise that he already knows so there is no point hiding it. Holding up my left hand too, I see him scowl a little before schooling his expression once again. "Claire, I am afraid I will have to talk with Anna-belle alone."
"Oh, uh, that's fine," Claire startles for a minute. "I'll talk to you later, Belle."
I closed the laptop, put my hands atop my brown skirt and stared at them. Here it comes.
"How did that happen?" he asks first.
"I was de-stringing the bow and got my finger caught. It's only a small cut." Just bled a lot, I added to myself.
"Who put the bandage on?"
"I did."
"Let me see." Vlad sits down next to me and holds out his hand. Placing my own in it, I'm surprised when he firmly grips my wrist. In one swift movement he yanks up the sleeve of my shirt, exposing the slight bruising. "Anna-belle," he sighs, and I get the distinct impression that he is disappointed. Instinctively, I feel guilty. Although I'm still not entirely sure why. This is nothing compared to when I first tried archery.
He unwraps, then re-wraps the bandage apparently satisfied that I could care for myself. "Why would you go in there on your own? You could have seriously hurt yourself."
"I'm not stupid," I sign with an eye roll.
"I know you are not. However, you still could have hurt yourself playing around."
"I knew what I was doing," I defended, getting irritated with him thinking he knows everything. He just looked at me condescendingly and that's what got to me. Hopping out of the seat I signed behind me as I left the room, "Come on."
Determined to prove myself, I made it to the archery room with my uncle following behind me. I quickly strung up the same bow that I had been using earlier and got a quiver down off the wall. I briefly noted the discarded bow and arrows on the other side of the room. The arrows having a little blood on them. Ah, so that's how he knew.
Without another word to Vlad, I took up the proper stance and aimed for the board. All fifteen of the metal arrows hit inside the yellow. Given that the board was barely twenty meters in front of me, it isn't that hard to do. Turning my head around, I was happily surprised to see his eyebrows raised and a look of shock on his face. I had to smirk at his reaction. He noticed this and went back to the stoic Vlad that I knew.
"Where did you learn to do that?" he asked.
"Camp with my brother," I signed walking to gather the arrows from the board. "I did a couple of competitions too." Jeez, competition is a big word to spell out.
"Hmm. You may use this room as long as you wear the protective equipment then," he says as I de-string the bow and place everything back. "However, you will be helping Matthew clean up after each meal tomorrow for using this room without permission."
I gave a little smile at that without meaning to, then seriously hoped that he didn't see it.
"Why did you smile at your punishment?"
Damn.
"Anna-belle," he warned.
"No reason." I mean, it's not like I help him with the breakfast and lunchtime dishes anyway. That was sarcasm people. I actually do that.
He watched me for a minute before walking out of the room. Wondering just where he is going, I followed him to the kitchen. Matthew was just getting a few things cleared up as we walked in.
"Mr Masters, young miss," he greets with his always happy demeanour. "I was just about to serve your supper in the dining room."
"Hello, Matthew. I was just giving a small punishment to Anna-belle. Just helping clean your kitchen after the meals tomorrow." Matthew amusedly glanced at me. "Now, why would you both be happy for this punishment?"
"Just that it would be good to spend some time together," Matthew smooths over.
"Hmm, maybe she should spend sometime cleaning the gardens too," Vlad mused and I pouted at my extended punishment. Seriously, it's not this bad. And why gardening? I hate gardening. "Yes, just after breakfast on the weekend, you can help the gardeners out."
I continued to sulk till the meal was brought out.
July
I had been doing good. I mean, I still miss them. But now I can I can live without them. I constantly think about them. There is no way that I couldn't. Teal, my shrink, tells me that I can think about them, just not let it take over my life. So that's what I'm going to do.
Now, what's the date?
14th.
Damn.
Their birthday is tomorrow.
Okay, well, I can celebrate it anyway. Just like I have done the past thirteen years. Going to my closet, I set out what I will wear tomorrow. Definitely the shoes that my brother got me last year. Then maybe my old blue shorts , and a white tee like he used to always wear. Yep, that'll do it.
Anna-belle has been down today. I can easily tell, the girl is just too easy to read. She is almost back to where she was at when she first got here. Emotionally that is. She is back to wearing the tattered purple shoes, blue shorts and plain white tee.
"What's today?" I ask her at lunch, unable to guess what the significance is. I would be spending the entire day at home. Sunday, my favourite day. Absolutely no plans on the horizon.
"My brother and dad's birthday," she signs. Just from that, I can see tears pooling in her eyes. She sighs and blinks them back, continuing to eat her mac'n'cheese.
What do I do about this? Would she want to be alone, or spend time with people? Does she want to celebrate in her own small way? I still don't know enough about the girl, or her family to really help her out. The rest of the meal passes without any more words exchanged.
"You've never told me about your brother," I simply say as we made our way out of the kitchen where we had just dropped our plates.
"You- you want to know?" she asks incredulously.
"If you are willing to tell me, then I am willing to listen."
Her face breaks out into a grin and she quickly asks where we should talk. After telling her the sitting room would be best, she ran to her room happily. Clearly this means a lot to her. In record time, she came back in with two thick books held in her hands. She plops down on the sofa next to me and opens up the newer looking book. Flicking to the back page, a family photo takes up the entire space.
She points to the young man smiling brightly at the camera. His hair is dark brown – practically black – and he has bright blue eyes. He sits next to his sister with their hands clasped together.
"My brother, Wyatt," she signs with a smile. I can see tears in her eyes though.
The rest of the afternoon was spent telling stories of their adventures as kids. Needless to say, there was plenty of tears.
August
"Did you want to start school?" my uncle asks me as I sit in the study reading. I had found the section on archery, and am reading up on the history of it. Vlad's idea of course. The man himself is sitting with a pile of paperwork at the desk. I' sitting across the room, in a single couch with two other books on the coffee table beside me. I'm currently wearing a navy blue dress that I had found, and it's my favourite dress. I had changed mostly how I dress to get rid of the 'rags' that Vlad had so kindly called my old clothes. My hair – done in a side plait today – and glasses still stay the same though.
"Can't I stick with home-schooling?" I sign back. The signing has gotten much easier, not without a ton of practice in the past few months. Five months in fact.
"Your psychologist thinks that it would be more beneficial if you were around children your age more," he says looking back to his work.
I clap once to get his attention. "Does archery not count?"
"It does, but not enough."
"What if I started another sport?"
"I suppose that could work," he says rubbing his goatee. "What did you have in mind?"
I just shrug. I guess I would have normally played soccer. But I really cannot see Vlad being a 'soccer mum'.
"What about horse riding?" he suggests.
"Maybe," I say considering. I had never ridden a horse before, so that might not be the best idea. "Swimming?"
"How about we think on it tonight. You should be getting to bed too, it's getting late." He says glancing down at the clock on his computer.
"Sure," I say gathering the books back up. I place two of them back on the shelf where I had found them and tucked the third under my arm. Making my way across the room barefooted, and left the room with the door closing behind me.
"Also," my uncle says just before the door closes. Sticking my head back though, I just manage to hear what he says. "Just so you know, I will be holding a college reunion in two months time."
Translation: next chapter. Well if you people want that is. I can add in another chapter of more Vlad and Anna-belle stuff, or just skip to the reunion. Review and let me know...
Also, now might be a good time to remind you that Anna-belle still doesn't know about ghosts...
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