It had been two weeks since Ellen woke up. Yet she almost seen nothing beside the inside of their home. Alice had tried to make her follow for the shopping, but so far it had been impossible.
Ellen looked sceptical at a woman that had come to do work at Jack’s library. According to both her father and sister the work was simple and should be quick.
But that wasn’t the big problem Ellen had noticed, instead the problem was that the woman seemed to get close to HER Jack. Which she couldn’t accept.
Sure it could be difficult for her to blame Jack if he did fall for it. That woman was after all a really well developed woman, at least comparing to someone that already was underdeveloped comparing with her own sister. It almost seems like there was something that wished to see her fighting to hold on to him. Otherwise it should have been an old, fat and disgusting man that should do the work, not a developed woman with long blond hair and a pair of small white bird wings, an angel in other words
Luckily the work she did was smoothly and it didn’t take too much time. Still Ellen kept an eye at the angel the whole time, there were no chance she could be sure that the angel wouldn't try anything funny. And the work she did looked very simple, even so that someone like Ellen herself would have been able to do it.
They had just finished their breakfast when Alice opened her mouth and spoke out on a stupid idea. “Since you haven’t been outside the house yet, I would like you to follow me out for the shopping today?” Ellen did disagree and turned to her father for support. She wasn’t ready for that yet, the new world still seemed very uncomfortable.
“Maybe it really is time for you to see how this world are like”, Jack said to Ellen's disappointment. He could at least try to help her a little bit, maybe just by question Alice's idea.
Ellen looked frustrated at him, only to be meet by a small smile. She should just open her mouth to say something when Jack drank his last coffee, “Then I trust you Alice to take care of Ellen when you go out”. Then he left for work like a greased lightning, leaving Ellen to her approving destiny.
Alice seemed to be very satisfied with the mess she had created, just like the horrible little “princess” she was.
“Will you help me with the house chores today to?” she asked, probably trying to pour some salt in the wounds.
Jack had asked her a few days earlier if she could help “little Alice” with the house chores since she didn’t do anything other than just walking around. Sure she could have denied to help her, but since it was him that asked she found an opportunity to prove that she was a mature woman and was fitting to become his wife in the future. If it had been Alice that had asked from the beginning, the result wouldn’t have been the same. There was no chance that the little “princess” would be allowed to use her.
Alice tried to start up a conversation while they were cleaning, which Ellen easily could live without. There was no need for her to fall into of the “princess's” traps.
“Are you still in love with father”? Alice blurted out all of sudden to Ellen's surprise.
“Why do you ask”? Ellen tried to counter.
She had tried her very best to hide her affections to Jack. All so that girl wouldn’t find out.
Alice giggled and looked at her with a smile, “If you aren’t, then it’s nothing. But if you are, it’s all fine”.
Ellen looked sceptically at her. This had to be one of the traps she had expected from the horrible little “princess”. A trap of with the goal of ruining her chance to envelope with her beloved father.
“I hold no special emotions to Jack” she lied and tried to throw Alice off trail.
Even if it was a small lie, Ellen could still tell that it cut in her soul to tell it. She had to make up for it later on. Both for her own sake and for Jack's sake.
Alice let out a sigh, “So that is how it is.”
“If that how it is, then you maybe not will take every chance you get to flirt with him. He can get the wrong idea.”
Ellen really didn’t like the fact that she had notice all her attempts to get closer with Jack. It had been supposed to be a secret to avoid giving Alice chances to mess things up. Had the thieving “princess” kept an extra eye at her to make sure that she could keep Jack all to herself.
Alice started to clean again without saying anything more to Ellen.
Had it been the only reason that she started that conversation, had it only been that she wanted to know what’s between her and Jack. And what had Alice meant with “it’s all fine” if she loved Jack? Didn’t she have any problems with Ellen loving him, or was it another try to set her up in another trap?
Ellen stood dumbfounded for rather some time, thinking deep into if there was any other meaning with Alice's strange behaviour.
Alice snapped Ellen out of her thinking with a gently complain about how she at least could clean while thinking of whatever she was thinking about.
“I still don’t want to follow”, Ellen said with a highly annoyed voice.
The time had come for when she would follow Alice out to buy some food. Ellen had decided to give it a try to get away. She really didn’t want to go out, it was more comfortable in the house, there she could get the chance to learn more about the world without the risk of looking stupid.
Alice didn’t bend a bit and succeeded to force Ellen alongside.
When they left the house she was meet by the stares of the neighbours. They seemed to be bothered by her presence, without even knowing her.
“Is it only my imagination or do our neighbours stare intensely at us?” she asked Alice while she locked the door behind them.
Alice gently shake her head, “They do stare at us since we are an incomplete family and we aren’t a family of the higher class.”
She seemed to be used to it already or she couldn’t care less about it. Either it had been like that since they got there, or she just was a careless and nonchalant “princess”. Both of the alternatives were highly possible, so it was just to make a guess of which one was right.
As they walked it stood clear for Ellen where the richer and the poorer lived. In the area where they lived it had many big wood clothed houses with gardens, some of the houses was even painted in different beautiful colours. While the houses changed the closer they came to marketplace.
They became more and more plain, looking like they were simply made to keep three of more families at the same time. Not to mention that they were built in an almost factory like fashion.
“We are heading towards an area there they are a little poorer, they have a marketplace with slightly cheaper prices then the shops in our area.”
Alice tried to explain it as. They had earlier been forced to try save quite some money to be able to revive Ellen, so they had simply been cutting the edges of what they had been able to.
Ellen felt surprised about it as she at the same time understood how it could have been necessary.
It must have been expensive to get not only one artificial part, but two. Not to mention that it was important parts so she could survive.
At least they did seem to do kind of well, economic seen.
A lot of beggars had gathered up alongside a street close to the marketplace, holding out their hands and begging for money. Just by looking at them it was clear that some of them were stuck in an addiction, while other seemed to be more honestly begging for money for food.
“Don’t ever give them money.” Alice almost ordered her when she noticed her looking at them.
According to Alice there had been a lot of people that had been followed and then mugged because they had given a beggar money. And the beggar that had received the money had been found the next day, robbed and beaten to death.
Those poor beggars seemed to live in a rough dog eat dog world. There a simple “mistake” could lead to nothing other than death.
The marketplace was swarming of people and to not getting lost of each other Alice ordered Ellen to hold her hand.
Alice that once had been the baby sister seemed to have matured and acted like how an older sister should act. Ellen felt both embarrassed and guilty. She had failed at being a good older sister, instead of acting kind to Alice she had tried to kill her. Sure it was under the influence of that pill, but it still didn’t change the fact that she did try.
Ellen let out a heavy sigh while Alice lead her through the market. She didn’t pay much attention to anything until Alice stopped at a stall.
“Good morning Alice.” a dark voice greeted.
Ellen looked up and meet the eyes of the owner.
“Did you bring a friend today?” he asked and cracked a smile Ellen found downright disgusting.
“No, she’s my sister.” Alice didn’t even bother to look up from the vegetables he sold while answering him.
His smile grew bigger and his whole tone changed as he asked Ellen a couple of question of what she liked and likewise, as if he tried to trick her that he cared about who she was.
The only thing Ellen could believe that he cared about was the opportunity to gain another potential customer.
After Alice had got her rear in gear and bought everything they needed before they took a well-deserved break.
Ellen felt mentally tired after talking with the owners of the stalls they had visited. It was no wonder Alice had ignored them and their greed dripping “sweet talk”. Ellen might need to learn that to, otherwise she might end up simply biting their head of.
“Isn’t it nice to come out of the house?” Alice asked when she came back after buying two cookies they could eat at during their little break.
Ellen couldn’t deny that it was interesting to see how things looked like in this world. But she could have survived without talking to those horrible and false stall keepers. She understood that they needed customers to survive, but it would have been so much comfortable if they had at least been a little honest in the way they talked.
“It ain’t all wrong to see this world” Ellen answered plain before taking a bite of her chocolate cookie.
“Isn’t it little Alice?” someone suddenly asked.
Ellen followed the voice and noticed a woman walking toward them. She seemed to be quite some years older than them and more well developed than the little “princess”.
She faced only Alice while standing in front of Ellen, ignoring her as if she wasn’t there.
“Good day Taija” Alice greeted with a bored tone.
Had that “princess” played this woman until she got bored of her. Ellen noticed that the woman had a pair of bat like wings at her back. Was she also one of those strange looking people in the city?
“May i ask who my little Alice is spending her time with?” she asked Alice.
Ellen felt slightly annoyed, she was sitting right there, so she could have asked her directly instead.
What was it with that woman, did she had a wish to get beaten up or maybe be strangled with her own long black hair?
“To start with, I'm not yours. And it’s my sister I spend time with.”
Alice was clearly annoyed by Taija's question, and with her lack of surprise when the woman asked the question it most probably wasn’t the first time she had gotten that question.
Taija turned and faced Ellen, “So you are little Alice's sister?”
Ellen swallowed her spite against that woman in an instant. “Yes, i am her sister.” It was a challenge to try not sound angry. To be honest she would have loved to chew her head off.
“The one that had lost in your last life and wasn´t found here when you arrived?” Taija didn’t even turned away from Ellen while asking that. Instead she seemed to try spy into the very core of her soul.
“Anyway, if you are her sister since then. You are more than free to give me advices of how I can see an even cuter side of little Alice.” she continued without waiting for Alice's response.
A cuter side if that obscure little “princess”, was it something wrong with this woman?
Like a lightning Alice grabbed Ellen's hand and lead her away from Taija.
“I am sorry Taija, but we don’t have time to talk more now.”
Ellen followed her like a ragdoll. Surprised that the little “princess” show of a weakness, maybe that was something she could use against her in the future. Hopefully it could be used as a great weapon to hindrance her from snatching Jack away.
Alice excused for Taija's behaviour a couple of times when they had arrived home and started to prepare the food.
Ellen had tried to sneak away when they did return but had been caught and forced to help.
She had spent far too much time with that little “princess” already, yet she had to help her to prepare the dinner. Sure she might make an impression on Jack, but probably not as much as if she had been making it herself. If she had known how to cook that is.
“So, how has your first day outside the house been today?” Jack asked when they had finished eating.
Ellen shined up. He talked with her.
It wasn’t far too often he did, but he really did it today.
Happiness bubble inside of her.
“It was nice to see a little of this world.” she answered, smiling like one of those false stall owners.
“But you might need to train a little at being a woman.” Alice interrupted with a bitter tone.
Jack asked Alice a little of how Ellen had acted “unwomanly”, of which Alice dragged up every little piece of how Ellen acted. She could almost have simplified it by saying that Ellen had acted “unwomanly” by just leaving their house.
Since Jack was there she quickly apologised for the faults she did.
“Next time I meet someone, I will act like Alice did to Taija and just apologise before run off.”
That was the only thing that she could use against the horrible little “princess”. Of course she wouldn’t do it. But it had probably looked really bad if she did, just like the little “princess”.
“So Taija did bother you again?”
To Ellen's disappointment he was just laughing at her attack against Alice. He didn’t even seem to think it was anything wrong with it, instead it seemed to amuse him.
“She did bother me. But it wasn’t for so long this time.” Alice answered after dropping a sigh.
Jack tried to encourage her to spend some time with that woman, saying that she was a good woman.
Ellen felt Jack had tried to encourage Alice a little too long while and was fed up with it.
“Father, when is the winter tree blossom celebration?” Alice interrupted him with. Most probably so was even she fed up with his encourage. Which genuinely surprised Ellen, the little “princess” was fed up with the attention she got. That was impressing.
From what Jack had heard so was the winter tree celebration in two weeks.
Ellen got stuck in her thoughts, she couldn’t remember that she had heard about that before.
“Can you please tell your sister about it Alice.” Jack said before he left for his library, again.
He must have noticed how lost Ellen had been when they started to talk about it, but he could have told her himself. Instead of leaving for that dusty old library.
Happily Alice began to chipper about how this world, or at least this land, celebrated the winter tree blossomed as a sign of that the winter was coming. Even though it seemed to only exist one season. It never did fall any snow or got cold like in their old world.
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Everyone in the city celebrated the blossom of the winter tree, so of course they also had to join. They were a part of the city after all.
“It doesn’t seem to be any restricting about drinking here, so we can drink if we wish to.”
Alice seemed to look forward to the last point she made, looking at Ellen with a smile.
Ellen didn’t even feel surprise that the little “princess” looked forward to drink, it had to be one of her great hunting seasons. Searching for one poor wasted soul that she could have her way with.
Yet the celebration seems to be something Ellen felt she could look forward to. Maybe it could be a chance for her to learn something new that could help her snatch Jack out of “princess's” iron grip.
She looked forward to this chance, even if the chance didn’t exist it could be something she could enjoy. There was still also the chance she could spend some time with her beloved Jack.
The following weeks Alice still forced Ellen to follow her to the marketplace.
Ellen almost begged Jack for support to avoid it, but he didn’t seem to be able to care less. It could be good training for her and Alice could help her to get better.
That princess really had a good grip of him, otherwise he never would have forced her to something like that.
One week passed and Ellen felt more comfortable outside the house. Sure it wasn’t anything that she ever would say out loud, but she really started to enjoy her time outside the house. Even the fact that the “princess” gave her advices about of how to fit in. But that was a really heavy secret that would follow her to the grave. Not even after the first time Ellen got tricked and sent to the marketplace alone, using all advices that Alice had taught her. Not even then she had any thanks or even good words for Alice. Not even when she succeeded to avoid to lose the money by carry an empty bag, not even then. It had been feeling bad not to thank her by then, she had after all saved her from losing the money.
Ellen got sent to the marketplace earlier than usual to be able to take an extra look around. She felt that it was unnecessary to do that. The only thing that could happen by being at the market longer then usually was that Ellen would feel sick by those stall keepers attitude, was Alice trying to make her suffer?
After she had bought what was needed she headed back home, only to stop on the way.
There was a shop that she must have passed every day without even noticing.
Sure it was a small shop, but she found it hard to believe that she had missed the big cog formed sign.
Many different kinds of cogs could be seen through the window, so it had to be a shop for those that worked with cogs and gears.
A sudden idea stuck Ellen, maybe there could be a chance to help Jack by learning about cogs.
He had been locking himself up in his library every day since she was revived, and there was a big chance he had done the same thing before that to. Not to mention that he a few days after Ellen's revival had started to spend far too much time at his work. Whatever that could be.
If she learned about that, maybe there could be a way for her to help him, maybe not with either his studies of his work, but at least in the house.
If Ellen was really lucky maybe Jack was studying things about gears, maybe he wanted to learn more after using it to revive her.
Then they had something they could talk about that the “princess” most probably couldn’t butt in at.
Ellen nodded for herself before entering the shop.
The first thing she noticed was that all cogs and tools in the shop, they were organised in a somehow organised chaos.
“Welcome to my shop,” a man said out loud from behind the counter.
It looked like he could be around two heads taller than her and most likely three times broader than her.
He was one of those people that had appearance which was influenced by an animal, in this case a bull.
He strokes the outer tip of his long beard that framed his face. A shipper beards as some would like to call it.
“Little miss, do you know that we don’t replacing you dress if it gets damaged in here?”
Ellen looked at him and smiled, “I will be careful.”
She hadn’t thought about that her dress could be damaged in there, so she felt lucky that he pointed it out.
“Then what can I help this little miss with?”
Ellen lightly explained that she wished to be able to help her... father, and therefore wished to learn how to work with cogs. Hoping that the man could help her.
The man started to Stare at her before he began to laugh. “I apologise little miss, it’s just that you are so small and wishes to learn a job that can be really heavy.”
Ellen didn’t know how she would feel about it. He didn’t hold the same painful attitude as any other shopkeeper she ever meet, he felt more honest than any of the others. At least he could laugh at thing he found funny and then honestly apologise, still without the horrific greed dripping way to talk.
“Do you wish to say that there’s no chance I could work and help others with that?”
She tried to sound serious but found it hard since he already amused her with his laughter.
“Not really, it’s just a warning that working with this can be a really heavy work. So you don’t think it only involves light work as with light giving gears and likewise.”
He tried to both stop the laughter and caught his breathe, while cracking a forced smile.
Ellen gave his words a short thought. She hadn’t thought about what it involved to work with it, but it could still be worth to learn about it all. She could after all still help Jack and with a little help, she maybe also could earn him some money and show him that she had matured.
“I still wish to learn about it.” Ellen answered and gave him her best smile.
The man burst out in another laughter and walked over to a bookcase close by, picking out a book.
“This is a book with the basic fact for cog technicians, I suggest you start with this. And because you have amused me, I will give you a discount.”
The price he asked for was so low that Ellen could have paid it even without the extra money that Alice has given her so she could enjoy her time at the marketplace.
“By the way little miss, may I ask why you wishes to help your father?” the man asked curiously.
“Because he must have worked hard to revive me.” she said happily. Hoping the man wouldn’t ask her further about her relationship with Jack.
A silence greeted her answer, a heavy and intensive silence.
The man looked fast too the door and then at her again. “You seem to be a nice girl and I don’t want to see your head served on a pole like a Barbecue stick. So I will suggest that you don’t tell anyone else that you have been revived.”
Ellen looked surprised and confused at him. Wasn’t it normal for people from another world to be revived?
He had probably seen how horrible stupid and dumbfounded she looked.
“It maybe was legal there you come from to revive someone, but it isn’t here. If it would come out in public both you and your father will be executed. With or without your agreement.”
“What are you reading Ellen?” Alice asked when she entered their room, as if she owned the room by herself.
She had bought the book the day before but hadn’t been able to read by then. It had come like a big surprise that both she and Jack could be executed because he revived her.
Had that also been a plan by that little “princess”? Hoping Ellen would say too much and that she would be executed by herself, since there wasn’t any chance that she would allow Jack to die because of her.
“I am reading a book about basic cog technics.” Ellen answered short and sceptic. If that really had been the “princess’s” plan, she was a worse person that Ellen ever could have guessed.
“Why are you reading that?” Her voice was bitter and her eyes felt like they tried to pierce her soul.
It was surprising, the little “princess” had earlier had no problem to handle almost any situation without giving any bitter reaction, with exception for that woman Taija.
“I just want to study it.” Ellen had no intention to expose her plan so Alice could interrupt and mess with it.
Alice had given her a forced “good luck with the studies” before going to bed. By some reason Alice seemed to have something against Ellen's studies, not that it really mattered to her. This was after all HER chance to gain some extra affection points from him, and it was nothing that the “princess” could do about it.
Ellen turned back to her book. She had been lucky that the sky allowed the moon's bright shine to light up the pages. It was like something wished to tell her that this was the right way for her to go, it was the right decision to prepare to help Jack, somehow.
Ellen really had done the right decision to start learning about how to work with cogs and gears.
She had one evening walked in to the library and tried to make herself look like a fool by asking Jack to explain one thing from the book. Of course it wasn’t that she didn’t understand it, but she wanted him to spend some time with her.
Which had turned out to be a huge success. He explained it in a very soft and understanding way, even encouraged her to come and ask if there was something else that she didn’t understand.
Ellen ended up staying in the room with him, both reading a different book in the gently light from the light bringing gear.
It had all been perfect if it shouldn’t be that the gear gave of a very frustratingly clicking noise as it turned, just like the one in the room there she had woke up.
The celebration of the winter tree's blossom had finally arrived.
Ellen had looked forward to it when she first heard about it, but it had slowly fade away since a lot had happened around her. Most of it had been according to Alice's plan, but it was also because she did start to read the book that would bring her closer to Jack.
All three of them had walked to a park together and found a place there they could look at the winter trees. Jack had opened a bottle of wine and treated the girls, encouraged them to drink as much as they wished for. Today was after all the only day they were allowed to do it by him.
Yet he later just left Ellen in the “princess's” mercy when a shady looking man called him over.
The last thing he did before leaving was to once more point out that they were free to drink as much as they wanted.
Ellen emptied the cup of wine after another. If she would spend the celebration together with THAT “princess” instead of him, then she could as well be wasted enough to maybe not snap at her about all the bad things Alice could do.
Alice tried to hold her sister's rhythm, but it seemed to be harder for her then she had thought.
“Isn’t it a beautiful view we have?” Alice asked while sitting beside Ellen, looking at the close by winter trees.
Ellen couldn’t deny that it was a beautiful view they had got, of course it would have been better if Jack had been there to see it with them. Looking at all those trees, clothed with leaves in a gently light blue colour and with flowers that almost looked like they had been hanged up by a gently “princess” like Alice herself.
She suddenly froze up for a second when she noticed what she had thought, the wine had probably starting to get to her head. It had been a great luck that it was just a thought, she wouldn’t be able to survive if she had said something like that out loud.
“It is a beautiful view we have gotten, yes.” Ellen answered while she tried to ignore the stupid thought that just had passed by.
“Doesn’t the reflection on the leaves around the bright flowers remind you of the pictures in the school books about the galaxy?”
Ellen looked up in the tree they sat under, her sister had a point. The small and gently reflections at the leaves reminded of stars around the sun, or in this cause the bright winter tree flower.
Surprisingly, the time she spends drinking with her sister didn’t bother her. Instead she was actually enjoyed it, maybe because the wine made her let go off the regular guard she holds. Or maybe it was just that the wine made the “princess” hold less grudge against her and therefore it was easier for her to relax there.
“Well if it isn’t the little missy.” Someone interrupted the casual talk they had fallen into.
Both of the girls followed the voice and noticed a big bull like man with a shipper's beard.
“Good evening Mr... Mr shop owner.”
Ellen gave him a light bow as she talked. It bothered her that she couldn’t remember his name, or did she even ask for it in the shop?
The man laughed loudly, “I think we never presented ourselves in the shop. I am Chris.”
A relief was showering over her, she hadn’t forgotten his name after all so it was all fine.
“Nice to meet you Mr Chris, I am Ellen.”
He turned to Alice, “And might this little miss be a friend or girlfriend to you?”
If Alice's look could have killed, he had been dead in front of them.
“No, this is my little sister Alice,” Ellen answered with a light giggle before she reacted that the wine really must had gone to her head.
Upon her words Alice moved closer to and leaned at her, as if she wanted to indicate that Ellen belonged to her.
Chris burst out in another laughter.
“My apologies girls, I could never had guessed that.”
Ellen cracked a smile, she did really enjoy this man's attitude. Stall owners would have tried their best to cover it all up, but not him. He simply spilled all his beans over them after an apology. The city might need more people like him.
After the strange and messy greeting Chris treated them at some liquor. It was the first time Ellen had tried it and most probably also the last time. It seemed to be the same for Alice, that in difference from Ellen needed two cups wine to get rid of the burning taste.
Together the three of them talked and drank the evening away.
Alice did pass out and was sleeping on the knees of her sister. She was far more beautiful when she was sleeping, it was no wonder that this girl could charm any man and woman.
If Ellen just had been born with only a little beauty from this “princess”, then maybe she could have looked at herself without being disappointed.
After drinking and talking far too much Jack came back from wherever he had been, greeting Chris shortly before packing their things up and going back home.
“What have you been doing all this time father?” Ellen asked as she leaned at Jack.
She was starting to feel weak and had serious problem walking straight. This wasn’t something that would happen often, if this was how she felt after drinking, she could live without it.
Jack never answered her question. Maybe because he was both giving a piggyback ride to that lucky, lucky little “princess” and supporting Ellen.