Kristen’s eyes remained glued to the black carpeted stairs as she slowly descended them, careful not to put too much weight on her injured ankle. The cat wasn’t as shy as she and bolted fearlessly down the stairs. When she reached the bottom, she did not let go of the guard rail, but still turned to look at the dimly lighted room.
Hundreds of books lined the walls in a carved red wood that seemed to glow softly in the light of the fire that warmed the room. One large chair sat directly in front of the fire that was covered in black. even the wood seemed to have a black tint to it. Just to the right and behind the chair sat a second seat that looked smaller than the grand chair that was directly in front of the fire, but was alike in looks. Although the room itself was beautifully decorated, it was a huge desk with an equally large man sitting behind it that caught and held her attention. She had no knowledge of men or how they were defined in the way of looks, but when she looked at this man, something caused her breath to catch and her heartbeat to quicken.
From her position, she could only see half of him, but it was enough for her. He had long hair that shown with a hint red in it that flowed down around his shoulders and blended in with the black robe he had on. His face was narrow with strong features. Kristen could easily tell that his eyes were green since they almost seemed to glow. She had noticed that he had had stopped writing when she entered the room, but did not look up. She gulped nervously and reluctantly let go of the railing and took small steps toward him.
She hadn’t gotten far before he raised his head to look at her which caused her to stop in her tracks. He raised himself from his chair and she quickly looked at the floor while burying her fists in the folds of her skirt. She could hear his boots click against the wooden floorboards and swore that her heart couldn’t beat faster than it already was, but found that she was wrong. To make matters worse, she could feel a blush stain her cheeks. She swallowed and stood still as a statue when the end of the long black robe came into her gaze.
The Undertaker was at a loss of words. She looked vibrant and refreshed, although her skin was still a bit pale, but she had some color in her cheeks. Her black hair appeared to be damp at the ends and in desperate need of brushing. Her head was bowed, avoiding eye contact with him. Her hands were buried nervously in the folds of her skirt. He was at a loss of what to do or what to say. He wasn’t sure if she was avoiding his eyes because of nervousness, fear, or something else. He knew that he had to go out again and an idea came to his mind. He lifted a hand to dark doorway that led to an equally dark room and it suddenly transformed into a dining room fit for a king, but made for her. He had the dining table set with a place setting for one that offered a variety of foods. As he saw the girl catch the scent of food and look up to see the meal, he took advantage of the moment to disappear.
Kristen looked at the meal, her stomach growling in response. She turned back to look at the man but her was gone. She looked all through the room but he was no where to be found. She dismissed his unexplained absence and slowly made her way to the dining room with the cat at her heels.
Copyright 1999 by Lady Serria