It was a dark and gloomy day.

A storm had descended upon the manor, the sky consisting of deep, deep grey clouds with patches of purple that stretched as far over the horizon as one could see. The heavens had opened and it was now dumping a deluge of rain. The grounds of the property were sodden and puddles were accumulating wherever they could, some almost worthy enough of being a splash-pool. The giant wet had resulted in the groundskeepers being called off-duty for the time being but this didn't worry them.

It never did.

A steady, cascading waterfall came from the eaves of the buildings, all of which were beyond capacity and were overflowing. It would provide for a good shower if soap or body wash was on hand. One would only need to spend five seconds outside to become equally as drenched as the grass beneath their feet.

Ellen sat in the window seat of her room, her eyes following each of the dotted trails the raindrops left behind as they hit the glass and slithered downwards. It was a mind-numbing thing to do, although thoroughly relaxing. When she wasn't busy, relaxing here was one of her favourite things to do.

She was alone, again, the newfound freedom overwhelming as she was so used to being in Hans or Claudia's company. She wasn't quite sure what to do with all this free time. Each of their days, from the wee hours of the morning to the late hours of the evening, were devoted to the proceedings of the Dvorak trial which had continued behind closed doors. She knew nothing as the Grand Committee weren't allowed to discuss it. It had been three days since it had resumed; three days of loneliness.

She had tried approaching others in the hallways, the library and the dining room but they were quick to carry off as if they suddenly remembered they had an urgent appointment to attend. If she wasn't light-hearted, she would have taken offense to their sudden departure but it was humorous to see the excuses they developed on their feet and their panicked faces. One even went as far to say she had a meeting with Claudia during the time which Ellen and everyone else knew she was in the trial. Deep down, Ellen had the inkling that it was only because she was viewed as trouble; they feared they would be attacked if they associated themselves with her.

Now, she found herself staring out of the window, her mind drifting to the turn of events that her life had taken. She then started having flashbacks of her childhood, her parents always happy and supporting her with whatever she chose to do. She remembered the first time she rode a bicycle, the first time she made a cake, the first time she won an academic award in high school. A tear rolled down her cheek; rolling down like the raindrops on the other side of the window.

She missed them.

And she missed them dearly.

She felt her chest heave and fall; again, heave and fall. She took a fistful of the soft, fleece blanket she wrapped herself in and held it up to her eyes as she began to sob. The fleece was quick to soak her tears. She leaned the back of her head on the wall of the window seat and started to take several deep breaths.

Everything will be okay.

She saw her own reflection on the window, her hair tucked into an unkempt bun and her eyes shiny. She retrained her focus and stared at the wet scenery around her. The world was feeling her pain.

There was a knock on the door, and she snapped her head towards it. She wasn't expecting a visitor. Rolland had poked his head through a small gap and now looked at her with wide eyes.

"I heard someone sobbing on my way to grab something to eat. Are you okay?" he asked, spying her depressed state.

Ellen nodded, wiping her face once more with the blanket.

"You know Ellen. We might be classified as immortal but we are still human and experience a broad range of emotions. No one can take that away from us. It is okay to feel these and to ask for help when we need it. It's hard but it's something that can help."

She felt herself break down and her head rolled into her hands. Rolland slid into the room and closed the door behind him. He walked over to her and patted her back, trying to comfort her like his parents comforted him when he was a child. She broke down further but then found the strength to compose herself a bit more. Satisfied, Rolland sat opposite her on the window seat and balanced one of his hands on his knee.

"Did I tell you," he said, softly. His voice was understanding, calming and soothing. It eased the burden off Ellen slightly. "That I lost my parents, too, when I was young?"

Ellen, in response, shook her head. He didn't tell her that. In actuality, he hadn't told her much about himself at all.

"Oh yes. They perished in one of the Necromancer purges. They were given the option – to become one of them or to suffer at their hands. Like all noble Tempusmancers, they refused and so they suffered. My father was dispensed off immediately, in front of mother. Mother was kept as a slave girl and entertainment until one of Lucien's hands grew tired of her and killed her too. I somehow managed to escape. The Grand Committee was alerted of my situation and so – when I was of age – I gained specialist training in being Guardian. And now here I am."

Ellen watched Rolland as he spoke. His usual perfectly straight posture sagged, and his fingers tapped against his leg. It was clear he was reliving the moment as he recounted the story. His voice faltered ever-so-lightly and he blinked more than usual. Was he blinking back tears? They both shared the moment together before a question popped into Ellen's mind.

"What is the role of a Guardian?" she asked out of interest. But she also wanted to change the subject to something more airy. She wasn't quite aware of what it entailed and the more she learnt about this world, the more she became fascinated.

"A Guardian looks out for others in his clan and monitors their wellbeing. We are also amongst the first to investigate if something minor has gone astray; you know, like a disturbance of some kind. It could be that a mortal has a suspicion that we exist or if we have vanished in front of them. The fact that I work part time as a police officer in the mortal realm is somewhat of an inside joke between the Tempusmancers. But it also helps me in covering our tracks if I need to."

A light-bulb went off in the back of her mind, like it must have gone off for Edison when he was inventing. An epiphany; an epiphany that she was proud of.

"Is that why you were there that day? When the Necromancer was chasing me?" She had a million and one questions, and couldn't blurt them out fast enough. "You were there to control the situation, weren't you? You were diverting the services to believe that nothing paranormal occurred? You were protecting the secret that we exist?"

Rolland smiled, lifting up a finger as if it was a gun and playfully flicking it upwards. Spot on. "Hans was right. You are very quick indeed. And that's correct."

"Do you go to many?"

"Only ones that are on my shift and within this clans' territory. On that note, I was getting ready to investigate a small disturbance in Havenlock City if you wanted to join? Both Hans and Claudia are happy for me to take you with me. You can see how it's done and if you get the taste for it, you can always apply for specialist training when you are the right age."

Ellen opened her mouth, ready to argue with Rolland. But Hans had said she was of age? He held up a finger, a reaction to put an end to an imminent protest. Without a doubt, he had heard all of this before. "Tempusmancers are only eligible for specialist roles once they have been converted for at least three years. You need to have a really good grasp on your abilities before you can be assigned a specific role. And even then, they only accept those that are the most promising."

"So, it's kind of like a university admission then? You need to a good enough score to be accepted?"

"It's just like university, to the point that it does take a while to achieve full specialisation too. Even then, you never quite know everything." He winked, and rose to his feet from the window seat. "Care to join?" He straightened his clothes, and smoothed back his hair with a palm.

"Sure," she replied, her interest piqued. She was looking forward to the experience, but more importantly she hoped it would take her mind off things; things like her parents, Lucien, and the ordeal of being snatched.

"In that case, I need to finish making preparations before we leave. I'll come grab you, in say... fifteen minutes?"

"Sure."

Rolland grabbed her shoulder and gave it a gentle, warm squeeze before he left. She then strode to the wardrobe in the corner of her room and changed into something more suitable and presentable to the public. This also involved brushing her hair to make it neater, and less caveman or jungle-like.

I'll be okay after all, she thought, smiling to herself in the mirror.