Chapter 211: Chapter 211
"I wonder how Shelby does it. There is so much talent hidden behind that beautiful presence,"
"Huh!" Suzie turned around and looked at the woman who had spoken. Suzie had been too engrossed in the painting or rather sketch that Shelby had completed earlier.
Something about the whole series of strokes made her feel like she was right by the water’s edge. A sense of calmness washed over her, and she shook her head.
"The painting.... It does that to you, too, right?" The woman repeated.
Even though she had not said whatever it was, Suzie knew it and found herself nodding at the woman. Her mistress was exceptional. Suzie was the best to know this because she had seen the effects of her mistress’ portraits. It was simply amazing.
"Ah!" The sound was faint and carried away with the wind, but Suzie heard it clearly.
"Excuse me, for a moment," Suzie bowed gracefully and took slow steps from there and towards the pool house. She did not let her looks and demeanour show that she feared anything was amiss, but her steps quickened up as she put distance between them and got closer to the pool house.
’Please be okay, Miss!’
Shelby’s back was against the walls, her hands on the floor in a half-seated position, and her hand was on her chest as her chest rose and fell quickly at the sight that greeted her. At the corner of her eye, she saw Murray standing still and not moving towards them. This reaffirmed her thoughts that there was no danger.
If there were, Murray would not have stayed still, not even for a moment. However, Shelby’s mind and eyes were in a dissonance. She just could not believe the sight that greeted her.
Murray had seen a lot of things in his life between the two worlds, but he never knew that he would ever be that surprised out of his wits at the solemn child before him until Shelby came into the picture at that time. He started questioning himself as a Shadow bodyguard if he did not even know this little fact.
"How in the world-?!" Murray rubbed his hands through his hair just as the door pushed open and Suzie’s worried voice floated in,
"Miss? ... are you okay?"
Shelby was frozen for mere seconds before the voice she was so used to called out to her,
Her mind vaguely registered, ’I wasn’t imagining things then, it really is-’
"Your eyes look really pretty! It’s glowing!"
Shelby gingerly touched the child’s eyelids at the question, thinking,
’Glowing? But why wasn’t she scared?’
"Mama Shelby, I like the water so much! Do you want to come in?" Ingrid was so excited and started backing away from the edge.
Shelby heard more footsteps approaching, and then she hurriedly said,
"Ingrid dear, come out for now, okay?" Shelby reached out her hand to her, and Ingrid reluctantly took it.
Her heart was still thundering a bit, and she had all but forgotten the earlier issue of that pulling sensation. Her eyes were glued to the few scale-like flesh glows on Ingrid’s body. It coated her arms and some parts of her legs, but they were beautiful. This showed Shelby a different part of Ingrid that she had never seen.
Ingrid was one with the water, and it was beautiful and disturbing at the same time. With her glasses off and her hair plastered around her, Ingrid looked like a totally different person. She also exhibited a charm that was far beyond her age.
Shelby did not understand but knew that no one else could be allowed to see Ingrid in that state. A body floated in the water not far from Ingrid, but none of them paid much attention to it. All attention was on Ingrid at that time.
Shelby had been thrust into Ian’s world enough to know that there were other creatures around in the land of the humans, but it was one to know that Gabriel could be a Fae, but Ingrid too?
One thing was certain at that moment: her shy baby, Ingrid, was not human!
A few moments earlier, Ingrid and the new girl, Sara, and Gabriel ventured into the large pool house.
"Ingrid, do you know how to swim?" Gabriel asked.
"I don’t think so. I have never tried it."
"The pool is beautiful," Gabriel added, and the two girls nodded.
"You really do not know how to swim?" Sara asked again, and Ingrid nodded vigorously.
"Me too! But Mama Shelby will definitely take me to learn if I ask her...." Gabriel said,
"Ingrid, let’s ask Mama Shelby to do that when we go back, okay?" Ingrid nodded, but none of them saw the strange glint in Sara’s eye at that time.
"Madam Ruby has taught all of us here. She said that it’s because the sea is close to us. I love the water so much, but she does not like it when we come here alone. She said that we must always be accompanied by one of the matrons."
"It’s okay; we will not go into the water!" Gabriel added in his childish voice.
The two girls nodded and then Sara asked,
"Do you want to play hide-and-seek?"
Gabriel interrupted her and asked his older sister, "Ingrid? Can we? Please? Pleeeeaaaaasssseeeee?"
Ingrid sighed and then nodded.
"Yay!!!!!" Gabriel jumped up and down in happiness, and Ingrid shook her small head, her curls bouncing around her face.
"Okay. I will hide with ...." Gabriel realized that he did not know the girl’s name.
"Ok, I will hide with Sara, and Ingrid will search!" Gabriel sped off immediately after he had said this.
Ingrid walked to the water’s edge and looked into it. She felt so weird, but it was welcoming, as if she were in a very familiar place. She shook her head and pushed her glasses up her nose.
She did not want to play the game but did not have the heart to turn down Gabriel.
"Ready?" She asked the other girl and, upon nodding, closed her eyes and started counting.
However, Ingrid frowned. She could hear the pitter-patter of footsteps coming towards her instead of away from her. She turned, but before she could open her eyes, she felt the force of little hands push her into the water.
"Ah!" The scream was blocked before she could complete it. She only saw herself fall back first into the water with the girl she had lent the jacket to, holding onto her neck. The girl had unbelievable strength that Ingrid could not resist.
The one word stuck in her throat, "Why?"
The two fell into the water, and Ingrid helplessly fought against the rising panic in her. She flailed her arms and legs as she sank to the bottom of those depths.
She could see the surface and the other girl who had swum around her and back toward that same surface. The cascading stairs by the wall and the light seemed to get further, but this was just a thing in her little mind. The panic clouded her brain,
’Mama Shelby!’ This was the only singular thought in her mind as her chest started hurting like crazy. She could feel her heat beat loudly in her ears, but her limbs were not obeying her. She desperately needed air, or so her mind told her.
Everything started to get clouded in her mind. Ingrid opened her mouth to gasp in some air, but only water rushed through her open mouth. However, she opened her eyes suddenly and realized one thing: ’I can breathe!’ Her glasses had long fallen off, but Ingrid had never had a clearer sight at that moment.
She kicked fiercely and then zapped through the water. The speed even surprised her, herself. Just then, the one person she wanted to see so badly entered the room.
From under the water, Ingrid could hear: "Gabriel? Ingrid? Sara?" It echoed so loudly under there. Ingrid turned underneath and swam towards the surface just in time to see Sara making a grab for her Mama’s feet.
The little girl’s eyes narrowed, and she kicked fiercely. Ingrid had no mind to think of how she could do all those things, but she knew one thing: Sara had wanted her dead, and now she wanted her Mama dead. To Ingrid, her Mama Shelby was her world, and she wanted no harm to befall her. With that in mind, she zapped towards Sara.
Sara only noticed it when it was too late. Ingrid grabbed her legs at the speed of light and swung Sara like a baseball bat towards the depths of the pool.
Ingrid’s strength was none like she had felt before; it was as simple to swing Sara as for her to take a plate and throw it. It was like a rock had been dropped into the water. The girl hit the bottom of the pool headfirst and did not make any sounds or actions again. Ingrid looked at her hands and then swum up to the surface.
’I’m going to tell Mama Shelby that I can swim and breathe under the water!’
As she surfaced, she saw her Mama on the floor with a startled expression, but Ingrid was too excited to think of anything. She wanted to stay in the water forever, but when her Mama beckoned her, she had no choice but to move towards the edge to her Mama Shelby’s outstretched hand.
Thank you so much to all for your votes and comments! I hope we can keep it up ^_^
Support the author by reading only on NovelHub :) ~Uploaded only on NovelHub by Loctovia ~