The Invitation
An unexpected visitor
After having a tense lunch with his father, Kaelen retreated to his room, under the guise of needing a nap. But when he opened the door, he froze.
Rowena was in his bedroom. She was about to escape out the window, yet she stopped when he came in.
"Oh. Hi, Kaelen!”
Seeing her there shocked him, but a warm coziness rose in his chest at her voice. His hands, which were shoved into his pants pockets, relaxed.
"Rowena? What brings you here?”
Because of circumstances, this was her second time sneaking into his room. The girls at school had put her up to it. She was on a mission to infiltrate Rosecroft and prove he wasn't cursed.
Rumors swirled about his family—stories of his mother’s madness, her obsession with a magic mirror, and her disappearance into Cloverhill Lake. Whispers of how with such a mother, insanity must be waiting in his future. Some stories even went as far to say that the magic mirror still had its grip on Rosecroft, and that Kaelen lacked a reflection in any surface.
Rowena fingered the small mirror in her pocket, its cold surface a reminder of her friends' dare—and of her own persistent doubts. She knew this was ridiculous.
Yet something about him pricked the corner of her subconscious. Was it the polite and sweet cadence of his words? Or was it the intense atmosphere he was giving off in his black collared shirt and trousers?
If he was cursed, it seemed to be affecting everyone except him, she thought, letting the little mirror slip out of her grasp and deeper into her pocket.
He noticed her scanning him, from head to toe.
”Is...everything okay?”
"Yes, you're fine. I mean—I'm fine! I'm doing good.”
She let out a heavy sigh. Why was she even doing this? Besides, being here wasn't only about trying to prove that he was just like the other boys. She had a more personal motive as well.
She gestured towards his bed. "I just wanted to give you this—It's an invitation for tea."
Kaelen picked up the envelope that rested on his pillow. His lips lifted into a subtle smile.
"Thanks, Rowena. It's unusual, but thoughtful of you."
”Oh, it's nothing.”
”But I doubt my father would let me go."
"I know, but it's the thought that counts, right?"
He set the envelope back on the bed. She blushed from embarrassment and reached for the window frame.
”I probably should get going. I've taken up enough of your time.”
"Wait.”
Her eyes widened.
”W-what is it?”
He frowned for a second, wrinkling his brows.
”I know you're busy and need to go, but would you like a glass of water? Today's warmer than usual, and you might get thirsty.”
A second wave of blushing hit her cheeks. She wrung her hands.
"Sure. I'd appreciate that.”
”Okay. Just one moment.”
Kaelen left and returned with a glass of cool water. Rowena was careful not to touch his fingers as she took it from him. She was probably parched—that had to explain the crazy things her brain was doing. And the whole climbing the white oak tree growing next to his window? That was a bit much.
She drank the water quickly and set the empty glass on his desk, which wasn't lady-like at all. But nothing about this situation was proper, so why pretend?
Kaelen looked up at Rowena as she climbed onto the window ledge to grab a hold of a thick tree branch.
"I just wanted to thank you for helping out my family and for...being here,” he said, assisting her with her long skirt and making sure it didn't catch on the frame.
Her hand hesitated on the branch.
"I'm always glad to help. Please give my regards to your father, although I know he doesn't like me.”
She had noticed that Kaelen seemed to be despairing a little when she first saw him, but now he seemed more cheerful. His smile was brilliant.
"Of course.”
She started making her way down, and Kaelen lingered by the window for a bit. He watched until she reached the ground, darting through the garden and out the metal gate.
Was she really here? Or was it a dream? His breath caught as his mind revisited the sunlight hitting her face as she stood in the window, her soft brown eyes shining golden. And although she was gone, her warmth stayed with him, soothing the edges of his father’s sharp words and the loneliness that so often filled the house.
Yes, she was beautiful.
But was he simply captivated by her beauty alone—or was it the sensation of being seen that took his breath away?