Snow Heart (14 page)

“Uh… Alric?” Nieves tilted her head, glancing about. “Alric?” She raced over to the couch, finding Alric flat on his back grinding his teeth. Crouching over his body she placed his head into her lap after dropping the yukata. “Alric, are you alright?”

He clinched his teeth at the next wave of pain.

“Should I get…” Nieves shook her head remembering Wilhelm had turned into a fox Demon. “What should I do, Alric?”

Alric shook his head, letting the ebony strands of his hair swish. “Nothing,” he told her in a stressed tone. “I used… so much energy… summoning those Demons.” A sudden pain ripped through his whole being. He screamed, arching his back over the ground and writhed.

“It’s okay,” she whispered, maneuvering to hold him in her arms. She held on as tight as she could and wishing there was some way to end his pain. She thought, “At least this time he won’t be alone. He won’t have to struggle with it by himself.” She held him for what felt like hours. His pain would die then return in quick jerking leaps. Alric, when the pain was too much, finally held Nieves as tightly as possible burying his screams into her neck.

CHAPTER 18

Nieves could smell the faint scent of lilies. Her mind wondered over the scent sluggishly. She was still trying to recall the dream she had. One about a silver tree that glowed and illuminated in an alien way. There had been a path of glowing butterflies that guided her way through the black barked trees. The forest was so thick that the stars could not reach her. The fading moon’s light wasn’t strong enough to pierce the thickened branches.

“Nieves,” a familiar voice pulled her from her thoughts.

She subconsciously raised her hand and wiped her closed eyes tiredly. “Uh-huh.”

“Nieves,” he said again, placing his hand on her shoulder. “I am… so terribly sorry. I want to apologize for last night.” There was a ruffling of plastic and when the girl finally opened her eyes a large white blob was in her face.

Nieves screamed, hitting her head against the wood of the couch. “What is that?”

“White lilies,” he said with a slight confusion. “You don’t like them?”

She moaned, placing her head into her hands. “I like them,” she said swallowing back down her yawn. “It is far too early in the morning for flowers, Wilhelm.” Her mind finally turned to reality. Wilhelm… He had tried to kill her last night and now he was bringing her flowers.

Her eyes flew wide—Wilhelm’s face was blurry at first then she could see him clearly. He was wearing a dark blue fleece jacket and blue jeans. The dark colors made it easier to see but the sun beaming against the shoji door didn’t. Wilhelm looked amazingly normal, thought Nieves. She could see the guilt on his face, nonetheless.

“Nieves,” he began to say but she silenced him.

“It is alright,” she said, “Alric explained everything.”

Wilhelm’s eyes rolled down to the Alric who was still sleeping soundly on the floor. A pillow of soft blue was tucked under his head—one Nieves put there after he screamed himself to sleep. She was surprised none of the maids came to check up on the Head Macter after the series of yells and roars. Then again Alric had never been the kindest person to the maids.

Wilhelm replied with surprise, “Alric explained…”

“Yes.” Nieves nodded her head, rubbing the back of her hand against her left eye. It was still a little blurred with sleep. “I am not angry with you.”

“Hm.” Wilhelm smiled with the release of tension. “I brought you these flowers anyway. Are you hungry? I want to take you to breakfast in order to appease myself from my actions last night.”

Nieves went to protest but Wilhelm raised a hand to stop her. He then snatched hold of her arm and lifted himself and Nieves off the floor. He didn’t hesitate to walk her to the door—a door that looked completely unscathed even after Alric’s assaults—a brand new door…

Nieves laughed a little before saying, “I guess I have no choice but to accept.”

“Indeed.”

†

Alric turned his head in his sleep, feeling the softness of a pillow. His eyes fluttered open to the lighted garden door then looked about himself. Nieves was no where insight. “She’s gone,” he thought to himself. He knew Aunty had given Nieves her own room but for someone reason he found it hurtful to know she abandoned him during the night.

He suddenly thought, “She left me on the floor last night?” It was something his servants did often but it still pained him to think Nieves, of all people, had done that. He sat up with clenched fists. Alric told himself that it was ridiculous to think that someone would care for him. It should have been normal—the abandonment.

The Head Macter tossed the blankets aside and walked to the garden doors. “At least she gave me covers,” he thought. “Before she abandoned me.”

The skies, even during the morning, were gray with winter’s presence. The threat of snow still peaked on the horizon. His birthday—the day of Alric’s complete end—was tomorrow. If it snowed that day or any day after that Alric was doomed. And it snowing was an unbreakable promise to happen.

He clenched the door. The wood felt hard beneath his head but it let him rest to contemplate. Aunty had forced her ideals of a birthday party with small help from Nieves. Nieves, he thought for a brief second. He heard her laughter just outside his door. The scrape of the door sounded as it slid open.

Wilhelm bowed at the waist. “Good morning, sir. If you don’t mind I’ll take my leave to work.” He bowed again before heading out the door into the hallway.

“You left me on the floor?” he grumbled after they were alone. “By myself?”

Nieves was aghast. “What? I stayed in here all night. I slept next to you in case something happened.” She muttered something incoherent under her breath.

Alric said in a low voice, “What was that?”

“I brought you ice cream!”

He finally noticed the two cones in her hand. One was half eaten the other just on the verge of beginning to melt. “You… brought me… ‘Ice cream’?” It was something unheard of to him. It was odd and unnerving.

Had she poisoned it? Did she scrape it from an old, spoiled carton?

He put his back to her. “I don’t want your subservient ‘creamy ice’, you peasant.”

Nieves gasped tossing her hands through the air. “Peasant? Peasant? I make sure you’re well and healthy all night and you call me a peasant. You’re so callow!”

Alric spun around with fire in his eyes. “How dare you speak out against me?”

“I just did!” she yelled, pointing her empty ice cream cone at him. Nieves whipped the cone around and stared into its watery interior. “My ice cream,” she whined, seeing it splattered on the floor.

Alric groaned, sliding his hands down the side of his face.

“Look what you did,” Nieves accused.

He snapped his attention at her. “Me? You got your frozen milk, cream and sugar all over my floor. Don’t dare blame this on me!”

Nieves huffed turning away from him. “If you weren’t yelling at me…”

“You unreasonable fool,” Alric blurted. He stepped towards her forcing her to look at him face-to-face. The ice cream had smeared beneath their feet. Nieves and Alric both slipped to the floor. She stuttered out a scream as Alric landed on top of her.

Alric quickly tried to get himself off the floor but his hand slid right into the cream which dropped him farther on top of her. His lips just missed Nieves’s—slipping down the side of her cheek.

“Alric,” Aunty said sliding the door open. “What’s your favorite—Oh my god!” She dropped the six different colored rolls of streamer. She had bought various colors in search of Alric’s predilection.

Both Alric and Nieves felt frozen, unable to look at Aunty. Nieves kept her eyes locked on the ceiling and Alric stared into the darkness of the floor. Their expressions went blank with all emotion but surprise.

Aunty backed out of the room. “I’m going to leave you two alone.” She began to close the door then realized her streamers. She scurried to scoop them out the door with her foot with a wide sheepish smile.

Alric shook his head lifting off of her. “No. It was wrong of me to yell.” He sat onto the ground, helping Nieves to sit up. “I am sure the desert would have been… delicious if it had not been dropped by you.”

Nieves narrowed her eyes. “Are you still blaming me?”

“How could I not?” Alric huffed turning his head away. “You were holding it then you dumped it onto the floor. There is no evidence to exclude the blame but to point it right at you.”

A knock came down upon the door drawing both their attention. “Yoo-hoo,” Aunty sounded. “Sorry to interrupt but I need to speak with you, Alric. It is important about a certain someone.”

Alric jumped for the door sliding it open with quick speed. “She is here?”

“Right outside the gate,” Aunty replied.

Alric almost walked right out of the room but Aunty waved a hello at Nieves pulling his attention to the girl. He stared at her for a moment until a light flickered in his eyes. “Zeit,” Alric called out heading toward the garden door. “Zeit.”

Alric snatched hold of Zeit’s face, turning his head to look at him in the eye. “Make sure Nieves doesn’t leave this room. Do you understand?” He raised an eyebrow to get a response.

Zeit sluggishly replied, “Yeah, yeah. Sure thing.”

Alric shoved Zeit’s face away. “This is a priority, Zeit. Don’t screw up.”

Zeit smirked, following Alric across the room to the hallway door. “Right. Make sure Nieves doesn’t leave this room. You can count on me.” Zeit smirked devilishly as Alric slid the door shut.

“Hear that, Nieves?” Zeit turned around to find the room empty. “Uh… Oops?” He smiled lifting his hands in the air like he was surrendering to the police. “Does this mean I’m in trouble?” He gave a delighted laugh.

CHAPTER 19

Nieves followed the porch around the house until she could spot the main entrance and the large area to the north gate. She wanted to find out what Alric was so obsessed with hiding from her. He hadn’t even bothered to explain why she was supposed to be trapped in his room. Plus, she considered, it was his fault for not chaining her to the bed—not that she wanted it or anything. Being chained down was the worst thing she’d experienced.

“You’re going the wrong way.” Zeit looked over her shoulder at the empty main entrance. Nieves slowly looked around with a sheepish smile. “If you want to find Alric you have to go to his grandmother’s house.”

Nieves smiled—at the idea that Zeit would help her and the idea of meeting Alric’s grandmother. “I can meet Alric’s grandmother?”

“Alric will torture me.” Zeit smiled broadly while leaning back against the wall. “If I help you then he will be angry with me. I can’t wait.”

Nieves gave a look to let Zeit know she thought he was weird.

Zeit gave a smile wide enough to show his teeth. “I know a way to get their faster.” He grabbed hold of her and swung her body over his shoulder and onto his back—Nieves sucked down her scream as he leapt up onto the roof. Zeit was quick while running across the shingled roof and keeping Nieves from falling. He didn’t even break a sweat with the amount of strength he had.

Nieves thought he must have been a cursed one.

“Zeit,” she said with worry. They were reaching the end of the roof.

He simply laughed maniacally and raced faster to the edge. Zeit leapt off in the air with grace and landed onto the white cobblestone paths that led to each individual house. He let the girl slide down to let her catch hold of her balance again.

“That was so much fun,” she said with a laugh. “Can we do it again?”

He looked over his shoulder with a smirk. “I will consider it.”

Nieves combed her fingers through her hair and followed Zeit down the white path. They went past all the small houses, a few with children outside of them playing. A circle of girls were giggling and gossiping with each other. An older brother who looked sixteen was shoving his younger brother in the shoulder as a symbol of friendship of some sort.

“It is the last one,” the man told Nieves.

The house was smaller than Boris’s two bedrooms and one bathroom house. Nieves understood that since Alric’s grandmother and grandfather only needed one bedroom the house would be smaller but she hadn’t imagined it be… so much more smaller. It looked like there was only one room through the whole house. Was there even a kitchen in there? A bathroom? She was certain there was definitely no living room.