The Invitation - Part Two

Each of her footsteps made a muffled thud on the aged and damaged carpet as she nervously made her way inside of the mansion. Dark mahogany panelling covered every wall, giving the estate both a regal and foreboding appearance. Shadows fought with the fleeting light that found its way through dingy and yellowed blinds.

Her own pulse pounded in her head as she attempted to steady her nerves.

"No electricity," she mumbled out loud, trying to soothe her anxious mind.

"There is not," replied the man with some indignation at her utterance. "Hurry along, Miss," he growled with a barely hidden temper while casting a grimace in her direction. "He doesn't like to be kept waiting!"

Feeling the adrenaline give way to her fiery temper, she responded exasperatingly, "I'll not take another step until you tell me what he wants with me," as she slowly recoiled into the dying light.

"That's no way to treat a guest, Jasper," stated a concealed figure from the balcony above as they slowly climbed each stair to meet him.

Glancing at her with some hesitation, he continued through gritted teeth, "So, you want to know why you are here, do you now?" A playful and sardonic chuckle interrupted the questions that were forcefully taking shape in her head.

They silently entered the imposing study like two ghostly aspirations, joined together through time and space. As Coletta's eyes slowly adjusted to the dim light, the spines of books jutted from the darkness. They were all neatly placed on shelves that lined every wall, but the thin layers of dust that graced their covers echoed the harsh reality; despite all of its majesty, no one had dared to turn the pages of any piece of literature contained in this room.

"Well," he implored impatiently.

Brushing a lock of her dark hair behind her ear, her thoughts leaped and bounded like graceful and elegant ballet dancers, forcing her to contain a scream that threatened to shatter the very world itself.

Stepping closer to her, his pleading eyes seemed to penetrate her very essence as he whispered with a slight smile, "I know exactly who you are, Miss."

"That's not the right question," she stated confidently as a seraphic smile dripped across her expression. Placing her tiny and feminine hand gently into his, she beamed at him before continuing in a whisper, "My love, it's been a long time sense my footsteps have resounded in these ancient halls."

His once confident expression melted into perplexment as he gazed into her familiar face. This was the girl he had asked to join him because she existed as a confounding puzzle within his troubled mind. Grasping at memories that danced around his head, he watched them disappear into oblivion. His mind did this trick, time and time again. Torn apart, his past was left shattered and broken like the jagged edges of a mirror.

Gently touching the side of his face, she whispered, "I'm here now, My Hades." She continued, "I told you that I would never leave."

"I don't know who I am," he remarked with a type of pained finality as his eyes implored her for just one scrap of memory.

"You are my present and my eternity," she replied with a sunshine-laden voice before caressing his face.

A spark of recognition ignited his midnight eyes. "Persephone...My Little One!" he exclaimed joyously before pulling her into a tight and happy embrace.

Sighing in contentment as the warmth of his touch enveloped her, their rapid voices greeted the dimly lit corridors.

"Why did you decide to take the name Coletta, My Little One?" he asked with some curiosity.

She shrugged as if dismissing her own thoughts, "I've been so many names over the centuries each time we make an appearance; they all remain a blur in my mind."