A MAZE OF GREED

Ruth came home after another tiring day of her life. She recalled Mrs Payne's last words before she left. She warned her about Theodora, and on the very first day of her absence, Ruth got traped in Theodora's trap.

Ruth missed Mrs Payne very much. She wished she was there to reveal her hidden talent of throwing profanities. Ruth would have enjoyed the strings of curses Mrs Payne would have woven for Theodora while telling Ruth how much she loved her. Alas!

One thing Ruth was sure that Theodora was adamant about throwing her out of 'the great manor' and thus from Edwin's life. Ruth realised how foolish she was to subside her plan of revenge.

She thought that the woman was not worthy of her efforts, but she was proven wrong today. The match she thought was going to be a harmless competition was actually a brutal war. And Theodora today made herself very clear that it was her first strike.

After that incident, when Ruth pondered over it with a cool mind, she realised that it was not a mere accident. That table did not hit Ruth automatically. It was all Theodora's doing.

And when Ida confirmed Ruth's doubt that she saw Mrs Linlithgow first time in 'the great manor', Ruth was sure that calling that woman specifically was a part of her deliberate plan.

The anger that bubbled inside Ruth collided with the surrounding air aggressively. Ruth got startled when she heard the crack in the window glass that she was staring at.

"Shit!" She cursed.

Now Mrs Payne would definitely get to know that it was Ruth's powers. That incident brought back the memory of her and Edwin. When they were in Bluemoon town, she took a glass of juice for him.

And then that dreadful fight happened between them. Ruth was so angry at that time that she did not realise how she subconsciously used her powers and that glass broke into pieces.

One more lesson learned.

'Control your powers during anger.'

Ruth sighed. At this rate, she would bring down her whole home with her powers. She needed to calm herself. After changing into her nightgown, Ruth thought about the dinner, but she was too lazy to cook for one person. Besides, she had lost her appetite after the dramatic day.

But then her stomach grumbled loudly. She ran her hand on her empty stomach in a circular motion while regretting declining Thea's invitation.

Thea asked her to stay at their home while Mrs Payne was away. But Ruth did not want to disturb her and Rees's time. These past days, he was very busy with his job that he and Thea barely got time for each other.

Ruth then decided to prepare a coffee for herself. She was in the kitchen when she heard the clouds grumbling loudly outside.

She frowned while looking out of the small window of the kitchen.

"Looks like it is about to rain. Strange!" She murmured.

It was rare to receive rains at that time of the year. She poured her coffee in a mug and decided to enjoy it on the balcony. She sipped the hot beverage while thinking about changing weather patterns.

And soon, the dry earth was showered by the pleasant water droplets falling straight from heaven. Well, that was what her mother used to tell her in her childhood.

The rain always brought a smile to Ruth's face. she loved the aroma of wet soil after that fresh first wave of showers. She loved the coldness it brought with it. When those droplets hit the earth and wash the upper layers of earth by forming puddles and rivulets, Ruth felt like it was mother nature's way of washing all the dirt and negativity from the world.

Ruth stretched her hand out, and when the first drop came crashing down on her palm, it instantly widened her smile. And before she knew it, her hand was completely wet.

In her younger days when her mother was alive, Ruth used to dance in the rain while her mother called her to get in the home and dry herself.

Bertha's memories made her emotional. An idea popped up in her head that was too tempting to resist.

Giggling greedily, she ran inside the house and left the coffee mug on the chair, she ran out of her home and then onto the stairs.

Ruth sopped momentarily when she reached down to admire the beautiful rain. Then without a second thought, she ran in the open as the water trails covered her from head to toe in their lively spirit.

Due to the unexpected rain, the guards had gone inside and there was no one to stop her from enjoying the first shower of the year.

Ruth tilted her head to look up at the dark sky and closed her eyes to avoid the raindrops hitting them. She stretched her hands to her sides and just stood till the water-soaked every cell of her being.

She twirled around slowly, forgetting about the world. At that moment, she was again that small Ruth whose front tooth was missing, yet she laughed in excitement and clapped when the thunders struck in the sky.

That bright smile she had previously had not left her face even for a moment. Instead, it brightened and widened even more if that was possible.

Ruth laughed, giggled while playing with the raindrops. She had heard about the eagles that fly above the clouds to avoid the rain. She stretched her arms wide like an eagle stretches its wide wings. And she began running around aimlessly.

She was not that eagle who flies above the clouds to avoid rains, she was that peacock who dances in the rain celebrating the joy of life by spreading its colourful feathers.

Ruth felt happy and light. She did not remember the last time she had laughed so hard and wholeheartedly.

She was still running aimlessly, but her running came to halt when she saw a figure standing some distance from her. The heavy rain and darkness of the night obstructed her view.

She squinted her eyes after covering her face with her hand from above so that the rain did not hit her face, and would give her a better look at her surroundings.

She saw that figure approaching her, and with every step it took, it grew bigger and taller.

Her eyes widened in shock when the face became clear. It was Edwin!

He was drenched in rain from head to toe, just like her. His coffee-brown hair looked almost black as it stuck to his forehead and head. His white-grey shirt hugged his chiselled and strong body perfectly that she could make the lines of his muscles and abdomen under them.

He stalked towards her, but instead of his usual aura, Ruth felt something else surrounding him. That something was not only intimidating like him but was also more powerful, intense and... dangerous.

She could see the red flags in her head as he walked deliberately slow towards her. And then her gaze fell on his eyes.

No, they were not cerulean blue anymore. Instead, they had turned a deep shade of blue that they looked unnatural to believe. But somehow, they suited his handsome face as if only he could look so appetizing with those unusual eyes.

The more she stared in them, the more she found herself falling into their fathomless pits. When he came near a hand's distance, light tingles erupted all over her body. Something peculiar knocked on the doors of her heart and mind.

She knew this feeling. It was the same feeling she had experienced months ago near the old building when she came to meet Rees.

It was exactly the same, and Ruth had no idea why and what it was.

'Run Ruth, run'

Her mind warned her, yet she could not find the energy and will to move even an inch. Edwin's dark eyes had not left hers even for a second as they stared deep in hers unblinkingly.

As they both stared into each other's eyes, the world around them faded, and what remained were the two souls yearning for each other and the two bodies in acute need.

Ruth struggled, she did. Yet, she lost the battle with that unknown pull. And soon, she had lost all the control over her mind and body, as the blue-eyed monster took the command in his hands.

Edwin stopped leaving only a few inches of distance between their bodies. The tingles in Ruth's body intensified to the level she felt them bouncing all inside her.

Edwin raised his hand gently and pushed her hair away from her face. Now that her complete face was available for him to admire, he leaned down near her ear.

His fingertips grazed her cheek, then under her ear, only to travel further back to her neck as he pushed her hair back from her shoulder.

Her heavy breaths came like the warmth a blanket provides during the winters as they fell on his neck in soft whispers.

Aligning his mouth to her ear, by leaving a minimal distance between them, Edwin gently whispered.

"Come with me, my Luna!"

And like an entranced doll, she walked with him to the cobble-made road that was surrounded by the tall birch trees.