At last! a beautiful, gorgeous update! YAY! cookie time! (eats a cookie) mmm, yummm...oh! (ahem) greetings readers! i have come with a new update for you all! i apologize that i haven't been able to update as quickly as i have before, but blame it on the time i do not have. XP
I want to thank you all for the wonderful suggestions! i have kept them in mind and have, hopefully, been able to add them into my writting. Okay, okay, i'm done speaking, you may read the chapter now!
DISCLAIMER: i own nothing but my own, loveable characters! (huggles Lark plushie)
Part Forty-five:
Erik looked at the young girl oddly. "Questions?" he echoed. She nodded her head vigorously causing her hair to mess up more than it was. "That's all I want!" she chirped cheerfully. "What type of questions?" he asked suspiciously, placing the violin under his chin; it fit perfectly. "What exactly do you want to know?" He picked up the slender bow and felt the hand-grip and nodded, satisfied. Lark peered around the room around her and threw her arms out enthusiastically. "Everything!" she cried. "I want to know everything!" Erik nearly dropped the bow and violin to whirl around to face her. "What?" he demanded, incredulously. "Give me an example!"
Lark looked slyly at her guardian and pointed to the coffin they were in. "Like why you sleep in a coffin, Erik!" she said cheerfully. He stared at her horrified. "I knew it," he croaked, "I knew you'd be disturbed…" She rolled her eyes and smiled at him like a teacher would at a young, dull-witted student. "No, I'm not, Erik!" she reassured him patiently, "I'm just curious why you would sleep in one!" He then scowled at her. Typical. "But you don't have to answer all the questions I ask…" she confessed, looking a bit disappointed that he had worked himself up. Erik looked at her, surprised. "You mean I can have restrictions?"
She nodded solemnly then brightened suddenly and hopped out of the coffin. Twirling around Lark handed him his gift, as he had dropped it with the shock about the coffin. "Can I ask you a question, now?" she asked hopefully. Erik looked at her and sighed, today was going to be a long one, he could tell. "You can ask one, Lark," he muttered, resigned.
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Throughout the whole day, Lark followed Erik like a little chick, peeping questions whenever they appeared in her head. "What's the lake called? What are you working on? How does the mirror work? Etc." Erik had, at first, answered the questions as well as he could. "Lake Averne. Nothing! I have forgotten…etc." At last Erik had stomped off to his room, Lark trailing behind, shouting, "That's it! Get your cloak, Lark!" She jogged to keep up with his long strides, her face turned upwards to peer worriedly into his irritated, masked one. "Why, Erik?" she questioned. He clamped his hands over his ears. Another question.
"We're going out." He answered curtly, shutting the door on her surprised figure. Striding to where his cloak lay, Erik thought of where they could go. Not anywhere to where Lark could ask more questions alone with him, that's for sure. He grimaced. Where was a good place to go where she would be distracted by other people? Pulling on his cloak his mind snapped to the perfect place.
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Lark had raced to her room to grab her cloak, as instructed, beaming happily. "I wonder where we are going, Mama?" She picked up the familiar mask and hugged it briefly, remembering her horrid dream, and set it back down before skipping out of the room. Erik was right outside her door, leaning against the wall as Lark popped out. Unfortunately, so was his foot. "WAHH!" The girl's so familiar cry rang through the hall as she tripped over Erik's foot.
Quickly Erik's arm shot out and seized her arm and yanked her back in place before she could send herself sprawling. "Must you be so clumsy?" he complained. Lark blushed crimson and tried to straighten herself out. "Sorry, Erik." she apologized, rubbing her eyes. "I didn't see your foot sticking out." Erik scowled then stalked off towards the exit door, Lark trailing after him, a small frown creasing her smooth features. Why didn't she see…?
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Lark squealed, delighted at their destination. "Oh! Erik!" she gushed, "Are we really going to see them?" Erik pursed his lips, another question. "Yes, Lark," he answered tiredly, "we're going to see them." The girl did a little twirl of happiness as they walked up to Richard and Rachel's large, welcoming house. Erik glanced up at the house and begged silently that they were home. Though the carriage was there, one could never be sure if they would accept an unexpected house call.
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Rachel was upstairs in her workroom, musing over her painting. She needed to somehow finish it or her brother would go mad. Not that she would object that, she smiled wryly; he was always getting frustrated with something or another. Giving the painting another look over, she added a few more flowers to the maiden's bouquet and placed her brush down with a sigh. Would she ever be able to find her ideal face for her monsieur?
She remembered the fight she and Richard had just a while ago at breakfast…
"Why don't you just use a normal face, Rachel?" Richard had fumed. Rachel looked up at him from her grapefruit that sat in front of her, uneaten. She gasped at him. "Normal!?" she shrieked, her voice unintentionally rising. "It can't be normal! Anyone can paint a bloody regular face, Richard! I want something unique! I want something no one would want!"
Richard glared at her. "I want you to finish it, Rachel." He said evenly, though his own voice simmered with anger. "I want you to move on to something else. This painting is…is taking over you!" Here the woman had stood up, shocked and ashamed, for he was almost right, and had fled the breakfast table in anguish.
Rachel sighed. All she wanted was something no artist would ever think of painting…something so…so unnatural that all people would be captivated by just looking at it. "Perhaps it is taking over me." The woman muttered, walking over to the frost-tinged window. "Oh!" A cry of startled delight and shock fled her lips as she stared at the people outside. It was Lark and Erik.
Poor girl, I've always wanted to creat a 'Rachel' in one of my stories. and now i have:D Reviews are like my water and food, i need them to survive!!!