Leviathan left early the next morning as he had to fulfill what his job requires him to do. Elise and Adelaide waited for the twin girls who were elder by three years to Elise with excitements. When the girls came, Elise was over the moon to have people whom she could share fun with other than her mother.

When night came, Leviathan hears all the happy filled stories that his daughter and wife shared to him. He didn't know how happiness could easily stem from the smallest things and was glad that he had put a thorough contemplation on his choice to let Elise make her own friends. He even thought that he should have allowed Elise to play with girls of her age earlier before now.

Weeks passed and came the day for the twin girls to come and visit their family again. Leviathan was out at work, leaving only Elise and Adelaide alone. After teaching the girls a few things of writing and reading, Adelaide was surprised by a knock on the door. She quickly opened to see it was their neighbor, the old couple who lived not too far away from them but far from other villagers.

"Adelaide! Adele," the woman called up her name in haste. Her hunch back caused her to appear shorter when the elder woman shouldn't be too short than her.

"What's the matter, Mrs. Nellie?" Adelaide asked immediately as she saw the elder woman looking worried and in haste.

"M-My husband! Please help him, he fell from the stairs. Blood is everywhere!" The woman gasped for breaths and Adelaide also noticed how the elder woman's legs was covered with blisters as she had ran on the ground barefooted.

"I understand can you please just wait for a second, Mrs. Nellie, I have to tell my daughter," Adelaide said and the elder woman gave a nod at the same time Adelaide hurried toward Elise and the two elder girls.

"Matilda, Miranda, Elise, I have to go somewhere quickly right now. Can you please not leave this house until I come back?" Adelaide questioned while looking back at her daughter's bright blue eyes.

Having a very keen and sharp hearing, Elise nodded to her mother's words quickly as she had heard her mother's conversation with Mrs. Nellie earlier. "Be carefwul to Mrs. Nellie's house mother," she said with a wide smile on her lips.

"We will stay here together and look after Elise, auntie," answered the elder twin, Matilda.

"Thank you, I will make sure to come home soon. Take care," Adelaide, who possessed the very gentle heart of a person didn't waste any more time in the house knowing how there was someone who was near death.

Elise saw her mother dashing and hoped in her little heart that Mrs. Nellie's husband shouldn't suffer a terrible fall. She swung her short legs which was hanging on the chair, looking at the clock with a little worry in her large eyes.

"...Elise." Miranda who saw the little girl wasn't hearing her stories pouted her lips. Unlike Elise who was quite calm as a child, Miranda and Matilda both shared the same outgoing personality that often accompanies by endless talk that they often made. And for the girls to have their stories unheard was their most unlikable action that left the two to sulk.

Miranda quickly caught Elise by her hand, "Elise?"

Elise was surprised as she was too focused on her mind and slowly turned her face to Miranda, "Yes, sister Miranda?"

"I asked if you had tried the wooden swing on the very large tree up in the South Lake," Miranda said again, her eyes keenly staring at Elise for answer.

Elise innocently shake her head, "I never."

"You never?!" Matilda appeared surprise, "You are strange!" Hearing the word strange caused the small Elise's eyes to sink as it made her feel different than the other children."You know, everyone has at least spent one or two times there!"

"Maybe it's because she can't swim well," Miranda said and quickly turned again to Elise, asking, "If you haven't visited there then have you seen the small marionette play performed by the street performance on the village's gate every Sunday?"

Elise's eyes brightened as the marionette sounded interesting to her ears. She, who didn't know how to lie shake her head, "Is it fun?"

"She is strange, sister!" Miranda chimed and she frowned, "I have never seen anyone who had never seen a marionette play before. I have to tell you that marionette is the best performance I have ever seen. It is just so entertaining and—"

"How about we bring Elise to our secret place?" Matilda cut off her sister's words. "She had never looked around and have fun before. If she goes to that meadow, I am sure she will not be strange anymore!" 

"But that's our secret place," Miranda opposed in whisper.

"Elise doesn't have friend. We should be kind to her Miranda and she taught us many words when we are reading everyday! One time won't hurt," Matilda persuaded her younger sister who slowly nodded at the thought in agreement. "Then! While your mother is out of the house, we should go there now. From what I can see your parents are one of those few peoples who restrict their children's life. My mother taught me that there are certain families like that."

"Mother is not like that," Elise argued. Although she couldn't completely comprehend the girl's words, she still feel that whatever the girls had said wasn't great.

"Anyway, we should go now while we have time!" Miranda brushed off little Elise's words. "It is near and it won't take a lot of time. We should be back before Mrs. Adelaide."

"Let's go Elise!" Matilda said in cheerful agreement.

Elise's hands were pulled down as the girls jumped off from the comfy couch they sat on. Elise saw how her hand was tugged and she shook her head, "No, I promise to mother I will stay at home. Promise shouldn't be broken."

The two girls looked at each other with a frown, "You are not fun, Elise. If you keep like these, my friends will call you the odd one out! Just once shouldn't hurt."

"Yes!" Miranda agreed her elder sister words.

Elise however still shook her head. She had made a promise and her mother had warned her that promise was to be kept. 

Matilda and Miranda was disappointed. The girls thought they were kind and yet Elise had turned down their offer. "Fine!" Matilda humphed. "We will go there alone and you will be disappointed later for not coming to us!" 

Elise couldn't stop the girls who then ran out of the house. She chased after the two girls but stopped at the door as she had made promise with her mother. Regardless, something about the gloomy and cloudy sky of that day gave Elise a mixed feeling as if something bad was about to happen...

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A/N: Tomorrow's update will might be off a two or three hours so this chapter might be early update of bonus chapter.