11 At breakfas

Do not tell. They must not know. She has a secret with a goblin. And an enemy of her family. What is he, and what are they, and what made them enemies she does not know. There are pixies. There is a sleeping version of herself. Why and how?

Her head ached thinking all night. She wasn't able to sleep. She saw the sun peeking at the horizon in the distance. The flowers below her balcony slowly showing their colors to the coming sun. The scenery ought to bring peace to her troubled heart.

She thought of Cedric. Are they like Romeo and Juliet? Is she the sun and him the moon? Her thoughts are eating her but the goblin's words repeat itself in her mind like a pirated disc playing.

Do not seek answers on your own.

She was told to trust none of the only people that she knew. How could she put her faith on a man whom she only knew in her dreams apart from last night? How could she listen to a creature who is not suppose to exist in this world?

Chance. Should she give them that? She thought of Mrs. Carter. An escape. But the pixies did not allow her to speak of them to the old lady. And the pixies was the one who gave her the vision. Kristine from the shop? She said she will own that dress. How?

But the goblins words came right back at her. She wished the goblin would come. If she ought to wait for the full moon she might as well become a werewolf. She is going nuts.

She can't even paint now. It made her sad. If she can't talk to anybody about all this, she could have atleast have her arts. But drawing is like telling them all of it anyway. She sighed. A month. She drew a deeper breath and look at the coming of a new day. What does it bring her? Answers. To a million questions playing in her head.

"You are up early." It was Karl. She didn't hear the door of her room open so she was surprised.

"I wanted to see the sunrise brother. What brings you here?"

"Just checking you out. I just came home you know." She turned to him. What is keeping Karl out till morning?

"Work." Oh. That answer comes with a period. He doesn't want to discuss it further.

"I never knew what you do for work, Karl." She persisted.

"You weren't interested in the family business dear sister. For all you knew we could be mining diamonds and here you are just watching the sun." Karl smiled. She watched her brother. He has become gentler to her over the years. She never understood him. Only that it must be hard for him to raise her.

"Come. I'll make breakfast."

"For real?"

"Yeah. I'm famished. You make coffee."

Now that is sweet. She is so used to her brother being strict (except on her birthdays) that she has accepted a long time ago he despises having a sister. He never, in her lifetime, made her food.

"Did Nanny resigned or something?" Karl laughed aloud. Wow, the devil can laugh she thought.

"No, Rick. Its just that I've been the worst brother a sister could have for the past 15 years. Let me make it up to you."

"Are you dying?" this HAS to be a dream.

"C'mon you silly kid." And she followed him to the kitchen.

*****

So Karl can cook. He made clubhouse sandwiches, fresh orange juice and she made coffee. They took the food outside and they welcomed the morning in front of the house. It is the first time. Maybe Karl saw a devil last night and he realized life is short to spend it hating her only sister.

"Have you ever thought of marriage, Franchesca?" The questioned shock her she coughed on her coffee.

"I actually said it to Mar the other day, brother. What about it?" she can't joke now that he used her full name.

"And?"

"And I think it's silly to talk about it when I'm only fifteen, don't you think so? Are you like getting rid of me too early?"

"In a way." Karl faked a laugh and she know it. Her brother barely uses her name in full. He never cooked breakfast for her until now. She thought of Cedric's warning in her last dream of him. So she dared to lie.

"Its not impossible. That I marry Marco in the future." She tried her best to sound a matter-of-factly.

"If I had a choice, I will let you out of this place, Rick. I know you dream to see the world. To explore. To travel…"

"I am not aware I am not allowed to" although she feels imprisoned, Karl has never voiced it out.

"You are not. Not until our parents say so."

"They are NOT my parents! Not in the real sense of it! They have left me here and not spoken to me in guess what, in fifteen years Karl!" she can't just hold back her anger. How dare them!

"I don't have a choice. Do you think I wanted all of this too?" her brother said softly. This isn't the Karl she knew. There is something wrong.

"Why?"

"I can't tell you, yet." Karl let out a breath. This is hard for him, she thought.

"What would make you do so?" he did not reply.

"Why do you do this?" her voice lowered now. So much for a nice breakfast.

"I can't disobey them, Rick. You must know that I never wanted this arrangement. I had been hard on you, yes that's true. It is my own rebellion on things. But what I can tell you is the only way out is to follow The Order. Its your only ticket to freedom."

Rick just had enough of the dramatic changes in her life since yesterday. What of all this bullshit? Why can't they just tell her straight what the hell is going on? Why can't she decide on her own.

"Does it include shaping a possible future marriage with Marco?" she looked him in the eye. He returned a fiercer look.

"Yes."