Part 11
Henrietta sat at the kitchen table, swinging her legs and playing with her noodles. An autumn shower had finally settled into a drizzle, still hiding the sunrise from those awake early.
The old man snored just a floor above her, providing a strange rhythm along with the creakiness of the house and the wind that blew against the window panes. Mr. Hemsing had made sure to make her as comfortable as possible in her new home. Her room, just on the other side of the hallway from his own, had been decorated with purple and blue hues. It matched the weather's common mood.
Only once a week, the sun shows its face to the dainty little town, only an hour from the bustling city that never seemed to care about anything else but itself. Henrietta liked the quiet trees that surrounded her new town. The buzzing engines could never replace the gentle breezes that carried leaves or the sounds of birds singing. She hadn't seen a bird but she knew that it would be nothing like what she had been shown in science class. They studied animals, unique and not so unique, from Earth and few popular planets. She hoped to take a picture of the few that liked to be hidden in the trees one day.
The snoring came to a sudden stop upstairs. Like the rest of the house, she held her breath, hoping for just a few more minutes of complete isolation. Luckily, he started up once again and the house creaked out a sigh.
Henrietta pushed away her breakfast soup. Her appetite hadn't been right since they arrived but she tried to eat to please Mr. Hemsing. He was kind enough to worry about her, yet provide her space.
Taking her bowl to the sink, she looked towards the closed off sky. Prince had to still be on the ship, probably terrified or angry at her departure. Guilt weighed heavy on her shoulders, she never even got to say goodbye. Slamming down her bowl, she leaned against the counter for only a moment as she leashed her emotions. Henrietta pushed herself off and back upstairs for a shower.
When she reemerged from the steamed bathroom, Mr. Hemsing sat at the table with a bowl of cereal. He greeted her with a warm smile and humor-filled his eyes to see the towel wrapped around her head.
"Not a word." She cut him off before he could make a comment about the towel.
"What?" Innocently, he cocked his head as if confused but there was no mistaking the humorous glint that coated his eyes.
"Oh, nothing." She huffed at him, and like the child, she wished she was, stuck her tongue out at him.
"Still thinking of your friend?" He sat back in his chair, his old eyes piercing her own.
"Yes, sir." He smiled at that and motioned her over so he could hug her.
"Oh, deary, you don't have to be so formal with me. I'd like to think I'm your new, weary, old uncle."
"Well… you are old…" Mr. Hemsing laughed at that, patting her forearm before returning to his food.
"I think, I'm going to take a small walk." Henrietta moved around him to leave her towel on the counter and grab the camera off a nearby end table.
"Be careful!" Mr. Hemsing called out before she slipped outside. The cool winds spread goosebumps all over her skin. The rain continued to fall outside, hitting her skin like small shards of glass as she ran into the woods. Several birds, nested for safety inside the branches took flight but she paid them no mind.
Running in deeper, she eventually took cover under a large tree, its branches spread out far and wide like an umbrella. Tendrils of leaves hung low to the ground and ivy spread up its trunk. Despite the wet bark, she climbed her way up, dirtying her clothes and the mud smeared across her face. Henrietta kept her camera as clean as possible, using the cleanest parts of her shirt to wipe the lens clean.
She settled among the branches, getting comfy to snap pictures. It would be most likely that she spent the rest of the day in the same spot and would be sore for the rest of the week.
A few birds had fluttered by, their blurred colors standing out against the gray skies and chestnut brown and green that coated the forest. Her photos never managed to catch the birds, ever. Still, she had tried and despite the in-depth research, she never could tell what species they were.
By the late afternoon, she grew tired of her failures and headed back to the house. It continued to drizzle icy rain that sent chills down her spine. Reaching the place, she enjoyed calling home, Henrietta came to a sudden stop. A new chill ran down her spine as she looked back into the woods. Uncomfortable, Henrietta made her way quickly inside and locked the door behind her. With small hesitation, she closed the curtains, no longer wanting to look at the woods that loomed at her.
"You okay?" Jumping, Henrietta twirled around to face her new, weary, old uncle.
"Oh yeah. Just cold out." She gave a smile, stashing away her camera on the counter.
"Next time take a jacket." When his eyes found her bare and muddy feet, he gave a glower her way. "And shoes."
Grinning sheepishly, Henrietta scooted away and ran up the stairs. Mr. Hemsing glared at her back, burning holes, the entire time. She washed her feet off in the bathroom before snuggling under her covers back in her room to get warm.
Birds chirped just outside her window for a few minutes before it all became silent. The wind even stopped it's quite whispering and the house stopped moaning. Everything became very silent. Eerily so.
Trying to battle off the chills running down her spine, Henrietta got up to check outside. The forest stood still, like statues… like an artist had designed a fake forest for those who would never have the chance to walk through a real one.
"No… what am I thinking? I'm so weird…" Henrietta rubbed her eyes, feeling tired. "I need my vitamins…"
Returning down below, she got her vitamins and joined her guardian on the couch for some television. She pushed the forest from her mind and ignored the chills down her spine.
There was nothing out there.
Nothing coming for me. I'm safe.