“You have finally start to bring us some good result Ellen”
Jack was satisfied with Ellen's progress and praised her for her efforts.
Yet the task wasn’t finished yet, she had tried a lot of different speed on her prototype. But she hadn’t got the result they wished for yet. It seemed like the result they really searched for was beyond the breaking point.
Ellen had already passed the breaking point with the old kind of purifying gear, so it was easily done with this one too. Yet she lowered the speed a little in comparisons with the old one since the current one had more parts that could break.
After giving it a few tries she put a stop to it. It was not worth to go further and risking that the gear would break, especially since it had a value of ten gold.
To make it easier for them to understand she simply expressed that she had reached the breaking point, so couldn’t they say anything more about it.
“I am so proud of you Ellen.”
Jack gave her a tight hug. Her hard work had finally paid off, she was closer to him now than ever before. It was the first real hug since she got revived.
“Can you make me even prouder and build that machine according to a couple of wishes we have?”
Of course Ellen could do that. If this was the response she got by only doing that, she couldn’t help but wonder how it would be if she builds that machine. Would that result in a tighter and warmer hug, a kiss or maybe some more intimate bonding between them?
Ellen stood in her workshop and did some plans of how the machine would look like.
According to their wishes they wanted it to be a little smaller than now, and they wished it to contain two purifying gears. Both of them at different speeds.
It was a little harder to fit in since she had believed that it only would have one gear while she was building the prototype. But it still was nothing her hunger for Jack's love couldn’t find an answer to.
She looked at the purifying gears she got from them when she started. She didn’t have any use anymore, maybe she could make a deal with Sour so she got a cut if he got those gears. If he made other purifying gears, then he maybe could use them as material.
Of course she could try to make a deal with Chris to, but it felt like she would win more at a deal with Sour. And she was already owed Chris to much after how he paid a part of the price for those specially made gears.
That sounded like a good idea, if she could get that through that was.
Ellen began to take some measures of where she had to put the holes in the plate she somehow should order. Jack and his co-workers had left some measures of how big they wished the machine to be, which meant that she had to make the machine smaller than the prototype itself.
It meant it could be a pain to fit everything in, if she was unlucky. But since she had solved the biggest problem, to drag the impurities out of the crystal, she felt that she had the luck at her side.
Even if she got most of the idea from Alice, it was still herself that found the solution.
While taking the measures and making, something like a, blueprint of how the machine would look like, she couldn’t help but think if what she did was right.
Making a drug stronger so it would ruin people's life even more than it already did. Could they really be sacrificed as nothing so she and Jack could live happily in the house? Was it really the right thing to do?
She meant, they also had a life. Probably both before and during the beginning of their addiction. But it would all be ruined by her creation, only so she could help herself to live with her beloved one.
Ellen let out a heavy sigh. She could think that she would have a hard time to survive on the street, and it would be even worse for Alice. So maybe it was as Jack had said after all, that those people needed to be sacrificed.
It was hard to believe, but it was probably the closest thing to an answer she could come.
After making the drawing of how it would look like, she decided to leave so fast she could after breakfast the next day. The sooner she could get that task done, the better. Or at least she didn’t need to look at the machine and think of its purpose.
It was for the best, trying to forget what purpose the machine had and that she made it for Jack. But of course she would remember that she did something for her beloved.
After saying bye to Jack when he left for his work the next day, she helped Alice with the dishes.
She could easily just left without helping her sister. But since Alice had done so much to help Ellen during the hectic time with the work, it was the least she could do.
Ellen didn’t really care about Alice, but she holds some pride in herself as a good person.
After a gathering the things she needed, she left with a quick bye.
Ellen had thought to visit Chris first to get some of the gears she needed, but he wasn’t at the shop. She turned her back to the shop and cursed him. Of all days he could be somewhere else, it just had to be today.
She would like to get some advice about how she would handle Sour. That person hadn’t left a good first impression with her. Neither should Chris had done, if she didn’t know him from before.
A thought suddenly struck Ellen.
It maybe was a good thing that Chris wasn’t at his shop. That meant she had whole her new budget to buy what she needed from Sour.
And if she would run short on money, it probably would be easier for her to make up a deal with him than that dragon.Which more or less meant that it maybe was better to buy the plates she needed to before buying the last things from Chris.
The only problem was that she didn’t know anyone that worked with plates so she might be forced to get out in unknown water.
It was uncomfortable but not really anything she could do about it. She needed to become an adult woman that could do things herself, someone that could be good enough for Jack.
During the whole walk to Sour's shop, she thinks of how to get a good deal with him. Without creating a mess for herself. If she’s lucky maybe Angela would be there, she could help Ellen to get a better deal. As long they didn’t lose too much in it.
“Good day”. Ellen walked through the door opening and noticed that Sour had a customer.
If she had known that she would have taken some more time before getting there.
“Good day little missy, how can I help you today?”
It seemed like she didn’t bother him too much by getting there. Maybe the other man next to the counter wasn’t a customer, but only someone that just was visiting him.
Ellen began by thanking him for the last work and continued with what she needed this time.
She tried to sound as polite as she could. There was no help she could get from neither Chris or Angela.
“So you would like two more of that purifying gear?”
Ellen quickly confirmed it and pointed out once more that she wished it to be in one piece, in different from last time.
Sour started to mutter for himself, most probably about what he needed to get done and how much it would cost. Ellen suddenly throws in her offer to give him the old purifying gears if she could get a lower price.
The other man burst out in laughter, surprising both Sour and Ellen. The next second Sour also started to laugh.
“Are you poor, trying to get a lower price by offering him other gears?”
She had paid the man no attention earlier, but she really couldn’t ignore him now. If she only knew she was allowed to fight in the shop and how to fight, then she would have punched him in his face. Shaving off his long beard and forced him to eat it.
But as it was now, she could tell that she wouldn’t have a chance against him. He was just as wide as Chris, only around maybe a head shorter. And both of them was walking mountains of muscle masses.
“Well, I only have a budget of nine gold to finish this work.”
Ellen had been worried that she wouldn’t be able to finish the work with that small budget. But hopefully the expensive thing with that special gear was that it was in parts.
“Sour, it’s impressive that you have been able to help a baby girl with horrible eyes like her.”
If she only could have been fighting him. Not because he really was wrong, she did something horrible and maybe it could be reflected in her eyes. But he could at least tried to say it in a different way.
“The eyes are said to reflect the person's soul, and my soul might be horrible.”
She tried to make it sound like a joke, but she couldn’t say that she really was lying about it. She was after all working on a machine to make a drug stronger.
The men were silent for some seconds before they broke out in laughed again.
Sour asked her to show her drawing of how she wanted the machine to be like and took a close look at it when she put it on the table.
“Can you help her with the plates for a reasonable price brother Beard?”
The other man walked up beside Ellen and looked at the drawing, “Do you have the money with you little baby girl?”
She placed her whole budget at the table. Sour took four of the gold coins while the bearded man took three coins. “I will only take three coins if you help me preparing the plates, under my conditions.”
Ellen looked sceptical at him, was he really one that she could trust? Sure Sour seemed to trust him, and Chris seemed to trust Sour. So it couldn’t be something bad, right?
His shop was more or less in front of Sour's shop.
Even if Sour shouldn’t have offered this man's help, it was a big chance that she would have gone there anyway. Especially since Sour would need a couple of hours to make her the gears.
The man's workshop had a lot of machines Ellen never seen before, not that she even had tried to look into the art of blacksmith.
“Can you please seek for the plates you want so will we cut them, but I would like to see that there are as little scraps as possible.”
Ellen found some plates that were a little smaller than she had drawn at her blueprint, but it would still work out fine. After writing a little reminder there she searched for the remaining plates which shouldn’t take long to find.
“I have found the plates I need. With as little scrap as possible, Mr...”
Did she ever get to know his name at Sour’s shop?
The man laughed raw at her, “ Don’t you like to call people by nicknamed?”
It wasn’t the problem, she had no problems with that. But she did prefer to call others by their name, unless they stood her really, REALLY close.
“Anyway, my name is Thom and as you must have noticed by now so am I running a blacksmith.”
Ellen greeted him properly and told him again that she had found plates she wished to use.
Thom was the only one using the machines in the workshop.
Mostly because he knows how to do and she wished her machine to be out of good quality. She did get the offer to use it while he kept an eye at her. But she politely declined.
Of course it wasn’t only him that kept an eye at her, Ellen also needed to keep an eye at him and the work. She was the one that had drawn the blueprint, so it was her task to make sure the holes were made at the right place.
After quite some time it seemed like everything had been done.
It had gone smoother than Ellen had thought. All her fingers and limbs were still attached to her body, and her eyes were unhurt.
“If you need some training, then you can come over here if you are in need of work.”
It was surely a simple joke by Thom, but he somehow sounded serious about it.
Sure it could be a possibility Ellen could take if she would somehow fail at everything else.
After thanking him once more for the help with the plates and the bolts, to put it together, she walked over to Sour's shop.
Those plates all of sudden felt heavier then while she worked with them. Not to the point when she needed help to carry them, not that she wouldn’t decline the offer, but maybe she would need to train her body a little.
She didn’t stay long in Sour's shop after receiving the specially made gears. It would be a lot better for her if she got the last things and got home as soon as possible.
The faster she could finish Jack's machine, the better.
Ellen and Sour exchanged thanks and wished each other luck before she left.
To her surprise so had Chris came back to his shop when she walked back.
It was just her luck that he had to be there when she no longer was in a screaming need of help.
She walked in there for a short visit to get the last things she needed to finish the machine, exchanging only a few words with him.
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Back home she walked straight to the workshop without even greeting Alice.
She just wished to dump the plates and gears as soon she could. It had been easy to carry in the beginning, but it didn’t take long before her strength started to drain. If she only knew that she possibly would be able to lift it again, she would have taken a small break earlier.
She really needed to train her body if she wished to do this in the future, at least if it would continue to be this heavy.
Slowly she began to put together the shelter of the machine so she could start to put in the springs and everything else.
She didn’t feel like she got a long time to work before someone knocked at the door. It was some gently knocks, so it was most probably Alice that came for a visit.
Ellen let out a light sigh and walked over to the door, unlocking it and letting Alice in.
“Why was the door locked?”
Ellen made up a small lie about how she must have locked it unconsciously. It had honestly been because she didn’t want to get distracted by the others in the house, but it would be to indirectly say that she would like to get distance from Jack. So the little “princess” did not needed to hear that, at least not before Ellen had got a good grip of him.
Alice told her that she had missed the dinner since the door was locked and because she didn’t seem to react when Alice called for her.
After a quick apology, Alice offered her to come down with some simple food so she could eat and still do her work. The “princess” seemed to understand the importance of finishing the task from Jack, yet she didn’t seem to like it.
“I will most probably try it tomorrow, do you wish to join?”
It was the least Ellen could do for her sister. Alice might act all high and mighty from time to time, but she still did her best to help Ellen.
Ellen woke up and gasped for air.
A dream had put a drastic end to her sleep. A dream that really indicated that Thom had a point in what he said. She had horrible eyes, which meant she had a horrible soul.
The world had been tainted by a thick black liquid in her dream and the people found it hard to even live there.
Ellen had slowly found out that the liquid was the drug she helped Jack with, and that she was the reason that it now flooded the world. All the people in it was those that had fallen and would fall victim to it. They did even know her part in it and blamed her for it.
Regretting her decision to take part in it she walked up and walked to the bathroom to wash off her face. She had made a horrible mistake and it was far too late to make it right. The machine had been finished the day before, she and Alice had also even got time to test it.
The “princess” had been really impressed by the result and praised her much. Sure it was nice to be praised, but it didn’t feel that good because of the machine's real purpose.
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Alice had let Ellen sleep when she went up to make breakfast. Her poor sister had looked so tired and exhausted the last days, so it maybe could be good for her to get some more sleep.
Not to mention that Ellen might need to get some more time to think things through. She had seemed to be bothered by the completion of the machine. She might have found out what those crystals really was about. And as the kind person she was, it could be a problem with it.
Alice had known all the time that those crystals weren’t anything else than a drug. Jack had after all been making them the whole time since they arrived in this world.
She wished she could have told Ellen about earlier, but this had been a chance for her to get closer to her beloved one.
Ellen came down to the kitchen just in time for Alice to go and wake Jack up.
“Good morning Ellen, can you take over here while I go and wake father up?”
Her sister had lost some weight during the time she had worked with the task, it was a horrible view. But she at least she did seem to have noticed it herself.
“Can you please tell Jack that I wish to talk with him about the task?”
Jack had fallen asleep in a chair while reading a book in his room.
Alice let out a light sigh, the oldest person in the family seemed to be the one that she needed to look after the most. Sure she needed to take care of her sister to, but it was all a different matter. Ellen seemed to try getting better at taking care of herself, but still needed more time to really do learning it without failing.
“It`s time to rise and shine father.”
Jack seemed to be exhausted, maybe he would need to take a couple of days off to get back on the rail. But he would need to notice that himself, in comparison to Ellen she wouldn’t tell him. He had, after all, worked like that since the beginning of their lives in the afterlife.
“Is it already time to get up my little princess?”
Alice ignored the nickname he used for her, it was never anything she asked for to start with.
She walked back to the kitchen through the hallway.
That man that called himself their father really needed to learn his manners, as soon as possible.
It was one thing that he called her a princess, even if it wasn’t anything she really wished to be called.
But to start nonchalant starting to change clothes, while she still was in the room. It was a little too
much.
Had he started to fall under the curse of her horrific body, that she never even had asked to get?
Just like far too many disgusting persons, that barely looked at her for the person she was. Instead, they tried to eat her body whole with their eyes.
Alice let out a heavy sigh, she hated herself and she hated her body. Why couldn’t she have been born with a stronger, protective and mother like body as Ellen?
Ellen was annoying curious about why it had taken her so long to come back to the kitchen.
Alice tried to brush it off by telling her that she had got stuck in some thoughts on her way back.
She knows exactly was her sister was suspecting, but she had absolutely no interest in that man. She
had never and would never have.
After the breakfast Ellen and Jack went to talk in private.
Alice always got worried when they did that, she didn’t know how many times her sister had seemed bothered by something afterwards.
This time it seemed like their talk had a good outcome, at least Ellen did seem to be a little happier.
When Alice was done with the few chores for the day she left for the marketplace, of course after telling Ellen.
Alice had just arrived at the marketplace when Taija found her and noticed that she seemed happier than the last time they meet. She did, of course, asked for the reason behind Alice happiness.
She explained that her sister's task finally was done, most probably with a satisfying result.
“That’s it great, isn’t it Alice.”
Alice couldn’t deny that she was glad that she had gotten some advice from an adult, even if it was someone like Taija.
She had most probably never been able to handle it herself, especially since her beloved sister had been neglecting her own health for the task. She had wanted to scold her heavily when she first had noticed it, but had instead chosen to follow Taija's advice and support her sister as much as possible.
“Have you confronted your beloved sister about your worries while she handled the task?”
There, had been no chance for Alice to do it yet. At least not a chance she had chosen to take.
“I have been thinking to talk about it when I will take measures for her dress.”
She had decided to do like that since some time ago, but she still didn’t know how to express her worries. It could end well or bad, either way would be uncomfortable.
Taija must have seen that Alice found it uncomfortable and offered to stand by her side when she would confront Ellen.
“Let us call it that I will help you taking measures.”
Alice agreed, it sounded much better that way.
Together Alice and Taija walked around the marketplace to seek for inspiration for Ellen's dress.
Alice was still hesitating that her sister would wear it, but it was worth a try. Especially since she had proved Alice wrong when she hesitated that Ellen could take care of herself.
After they had searched up enough inspiration and made up a plan Taija pointed out one thing that Alice had forgotten. She didn’t have a sewing machine.
To her luck Taija had one she could borrow, or even buy if she wanted.
Jack was working late and missed the dinner.
It had almost become an annoying norm for him. Sure they needed money to survive, but he could at least try to spend some time together with his family.
Alice could see at Ellen that she had started to worry about something again. It was probably about that machine again. Didn’t she wanted to part from it, or was it because it was a tool to purify that drug?
Neither of the possibilities would surprise her. She after all was both a proud and kind girl.
When Jack finally came back home he had some other people with him.
They didn’t say a word to either of the girls when Jack leads them to the workshop to pick the machine up.
Ellen looked really small and weak as a little kitten when they carried it out to a wagon. Saying bye to Jack, then left. Without a single “ thank you” to Ellen, that made the machine so they could put more food on the table.
Alice woke up in Ellen's arm in the morning.
The poor sister hadn’t been able to feel any better during the rest of last evening.
She had walked around in her own thoughts, still looking like a lost kitten, the whole time.
Alice smiled to herself. At least Ellen looked more relaxed now while sleeping.
It would be bad to wake her up. Maybe she deserved a day off? Alice could wake her up later when Jack had left and she had done most of the chores.
She carefully wriggled out of Ellen's hug. She had love to stay in her protective sister's arms for a while more, but someone had to make breakfast for Jack.
Jack was already in the kitchen when she came in.
It looked like he was in hurry, and yet it wasn’t time for him to leave yet.
“Good morning father.”
He made a small jump and turned around slowly, before letting a relieved sigh out when he saw it was Alice. “Good morning princess.”
“What are you doing this early?”
He hesitated before answering, “It had been decided that we shall do a business trip with the work. So I have to leave earlier than usual.”
Alice only nodded to his answer. It somehow did sound like a lie.
“I would like you to follow me on the business trip, little princess.” He continued and looked serious at her.
“Shouldn’t it be better to ask Ellen to follow you, since she created that machine for you?”
Jack straight up declined it, he had been thinking that Ellen would be taking care of the house while they were gone. Just like the responsible and grown-up person she was.
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Ellen slowly woke up and felt horrible.
She had dreamed the dream about the black liquid again. It was like even her soul tried to tell that she was a horrible person.
Getting dressed and walking to the kitchen she noticed how silent it was in the house. Was Alice out at an errand already?
She looked at the clock, it was later than usual so Jack had probably left for his so-called work. But what could her sister do for an errand this early?
If it was a task for Jack, it was bad. It was one thing that Ellen made something horrible for him, but Alice should never be allowed to do any bad tasks for him.
When she heard Alice opening the door, she walked to ask her what she had done. It wasn’t her sister that came through the door, instead it was many uniformed men.
One quickly forced her down on the floor when he noticed her, giving her a heavy punch in the chest and put a gun in her face.
“Where is Mr Jack?”
Ellen was too shocked to answer and got another punch across her face. “WHERE IS HE?!”
The other men searched through the house while Ellen got beaten some more.
“He isn’t here.” One man confirmed and stared down at Ellen, “And this girl is only adopted by him. So she has probably only been left here.”
Ellen tried to ask what was going on, but it was all for deaf ears.