n

n

nIn the carriage now, Belle looked outside the window at the passing trees that went one after another with her head that was leaned against the side of the carriage wall. The open viewing casket before the burial took away some pain of hers. She was thankful to the embalmer who had worked on her parents to preserve them the way they were while covering up the damage that had taken place.

nTelling her uncles and aunts that she wasn't willing to move into their houses and not wanting to listen to them was equal to telling her that she didn't need them. With her parents gone, Belle was on her own. Reaching the mansion, Lucas helped her get down and her feet reached the ground. The mansion was going to be lonely, thought Belle to herself where she wouldn't be able to converse with her parents and then something clicked her mind and she looked at Lucas.

n

"You said the souls go to transit before reaching the gates. If my parents are wandering, does it mean I can talk to them?

" Belle asked him.

nSomewhere Lucas was expecting this question and it was only a matter of time her curiosity would pique,

"You want to meet them. I hope you are aware that your parents have changed and the people you meet in the land of the dead are not the same. What you saw yesterday was a refraction of what is there in the land of the dead.

"

nBelle had hoped she would get to speak to her parents but remembering who she met in the drawing-room yesterday, she doubted she was ready for it,

"Okay,

" she said,

"About yesterday...in the church. What are we supposed to do?

"

nHearing this a subtle smile appeared on his lips. The girl was trying to cope with her pain with work which he didn't mind,

"Do you remember her mentioning about three people who closed the doors?

" when he saw her nod, he continued,

"Each of you holds the same ability. The other two girls hold the power of the spells and the touch of memories.

"

nBell exhaled out the air from her mouth,

"I see death,

" For someone who couldn't stop her parent's death, she didn't know what use it was to have something like this.

n

"You don't have to worry about them for now. The black witches have their information wrong because they think because of each massacre that has taken place, the ability has died. What you do is continued studying for the council if you want or attend tea parties to build connections. As you interact with more people and know them, who knows you might find something.

"

n

"Like what?

" she asked him curiously.

n

"Apart from the prophecy that was told, it is said that the stars will make sure of their own abilities to solve their own mystery of life,

" on Lucas' response, Belle didn't know what she was supposed to understand with that.

nShe then asked him,

"Why aren't the switchers mentioned in the books?

"

n

"Because the switchers don't belong to this world. The black witches or some other creatures have been meddling through the veil that separates the land of the dead and the land of the living that has led to some of the creatures that belong to the land of the dead to appear here. The switchers are called changelings, shifters and with many more names but they do exist,

" explained Lucas.

n

"You know a lot about the land of the dead,

" Belle's red eyes looked at him questioningly.

n

"I learned about it before I started working here. The more you read the more you turn knowledgable,

" though Belle wanted to know, everything was too much to take in,

"Why don't you go to your room and I will have the maid draw you a warm bath?

" Lucas suggested to have her nod and walked inside the mansion to have the butler walk behind her until the halls to let her go up the stairs alone while he went to check the servants in the mansion.

nWhen the water was being drawn in the tub Belle looked at Mr. Fluffs who was seated against the wall near the patio. Taking her clothes to change she started to walk towards the bath when she noticed Mr. Fluffs had fallen on his back facing the ceiling.

n

"I FINALLY DID IT! I CAN MOVE!

" screamed Barron when Belle came to his side to make him sit again.

nThe Fourth card of the Grims had been trying to move since the day Lucas had put him in the stuffed toy and now that he had made it move, it was only time he would be able to start walking and leave this mansion to find someone to undo the spell the butler had put on him.

n

"SOON I SHALL BE FREE! I shall take my revenge by putting that butler in the toy!

" shouted Barron and he again tried to move, trying to rock back and forth in the cotton bag where after ten minutes he was able to fall back on the surface of the table.

nWhen Belle returned back from her bath, she saw Mr. Fluffs had fallen down on the table again and this continued three to four more times that got her slightly worried that there was something in the room that kept pushing the toy down. The windows and the doors were closed therefore there was no way for the breeze to come in.

nShe heard the door knock,

"Come in,

" she answered to see Lucas appear in the room with the tray of light snacks for her to eat.

n

"I brought you some freshly baked biscuits,

" he said stepping into the room. Seeing her hold the rabbit where for once the reaper was quiet, he found it rather strange and asked,

"Everything alright?

" he asked her.

n

"Yes, it's just Mr. Fluffs who keeps falling down. I think the water got accumulated on one side after the last wash with the cotton,

" Belle wondered looking down at the stuffed rabbit in her hand.

n

"That is possible,

" Lucas agreed, he placed the small tray on the table and then said,

"May I?

"

nBarron widened his non-existent eyes, not happy to be passed on to the butler.

n