-||Truth Behind the Mask||-

[- symphonic disaster -]

"Something tells me deep down that your daughter is nothing like your grandmother," Juliette said as glanced down at the empty plate next to her and then to her own. "Alex would probably be able to confirm that more than you."

"But then, where would that put Haven?" he asked himself. "No she's a witch." He was growling in agitation and occasionally would bark out of frustration. It echoed through the long corridors that he was in. His pacing grew more panicked as he tried to figure out how to solve the dilemma that was at his hands.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Beth nodded and then sighed. "I suppose only time will tell." She said then raised an eyebrow. "What exactly has been going on with him that's different then? Why do you think he's been different after she came?" She asked curiously.

Haven could hear the frustration from Alexander and that made her start to cry. Because her door was open, anyone close enough or with good hearing could hear her. She felt so awful that he was upset and it was because of her. She had no control over it either and that just made it worse.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"He's been changing more, back to his human form. It's been for longer periods of time also," Juliette responded with an expression of concern. "It's very painful for him to change, I can tell, because his anger rages even more after he's done it and he immediately turns back into a wolf usually. Your daughter seems to remind him of his mother though." Juliette was silent again, only picking at her food as she began to recall certain days that Alex had been particularly mournful over his mother's death.

Alex had heard the crying and it deeply troubled him. Haven did not seem like the one would would cry much. He began to ran towards the tower though, his paws making a soft padding noise as he went along. There wasn't much eh could do right now though but when he reached her he whimpered slightly.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Beth nodded and said, "My mother spoke to me of his curse, I hope its broken soon then." She smiled warmly and said, "Judging on how you speak of him and your facial expressions, I take it you raised him?"

Haven could hear the Alexander coming and mentally prepared herself for the worst but all he did when he got to her was whimper. That made her confused so she stopped crying and turned to look at him, though she was still on her stomach. She wiped her eyes a bit but didn't say anything but her eyes shone with a sincere apology as well as sadness. She didn't know how upset he was with her at the moment.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

"I did," Juliette said with a fond tone in her voice. "Whenever his mother was ill I would take care of him but for the most part we did it together. He was more obedient when he had two people around because he felt like he was getting enough attention." She had remembered only specific situations of this, but most had been pleasant and he'd been smiling.

"I'm not mad at you," Alex said after a while, his voice strained slightly. "But I would prefer to kill your grandmother." He didn't want to admit some things, like the fact that he felt he coudl never trust her because she could easily make his situation worse. He didn't want to see her really but because she was crying he'd felt pity for her.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Beth smiled and said, "That's what I thought. That's very nice." She nodded then took another bite of her food.

Haven moved her face to be buried in her arms again and she said quietly, "You're not the only one. I want to disappear as well." She really felt just awful, even if he wasn't mad at her it didn't change anything. Her mother still lied to her and she was the on thing that Alex hated most. She didn't want him to hate her either but she had a feeling he did. She also knew and was positive that Juliette knew this as well, that he wasn't going to trust her anymore. She just wanted to be gone. "Maybe I should go with her..." She mumbled quietly to herself in thought. It mad sense to her, that way she wouldn't have to deal with everyone and everything that was going on. She had never been in a position like this before so she didn't know what to do.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Juliette felt the silence engulf them and she didn't know what else to say. The situation was far more awkward than she had expected it to be and now she was thoroughly uncomfortable. "Well," she said standing up after a moment. "I must get the kitchen cleaned. The other maids can see you to your room when you feel you are ready."

He growled slightly at the comment, not knowing how she knew his thoughts. It was probably just a guess though and he nudged his snout under her arm. He pushed it again, wanting her to get up rather than laze around and be brooding about her secret. "You can't go with her," Alex growled suddenly. "You know what she did to me."  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Beth nodded but stayed there longer. She needed to think about how she was going to handle her daughter.

Haven turned to look at him when he nudged her then narrowed her eyes a little. "For one thing, I can do whatever I want, and another thing its exactly that reason that I should go with her." She said then relaxed a bit. "I don't want you to be upset." She said softer now.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex's mouth snapped shut when she'd said this and he glared at her. She couldn't do that to him, well maybe she could but he wouldn't let her if he could. He'd get that woman in his jaws and tear her to shreds if he had to. He didn't speak again but rather stalked off, growling to himself as he went.

This is not supposed to be happening, she is not supposed to be a witch. On top of that, related to the hag that cursed me, he grumbled to himself inaudibly, ready to go outside and hunt her down if he had to.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven watched him stalk off then sighed. She wouldn't go with her grandmother, she knew that, but her mind still wouldn't let go of it being a possibility. Suddenly, her anger and sadness was replaced with curiousity. If she was a witch, that meant she had powers.

She sat up now and let a small smile touch her lips. What could she do? That was the question. She needed to think back on the stories that her grandmother had actually told her while she was still around. She only remembered that each witch had their own special power based on their personalities but what were hers?  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Alex ran towards the front door this time and when he got there he went outside. There was a bitter wind to accompany the down pouring rain now and it slammed against his body, refreshing his senses again. There was a stag near by, he could smell it and the wolves were tense with excitement.

This was something he'd never tried. He had never gone out on a hunt before. He didn't know if it was dangerous or if it would push him further into his canine form so that he wouldn't be able to talk or even change back. He ignored the idea and bolted forward.

Juliette was cleaning up in the kitchen when she heard the howling. The wolves frightened her sometimes and this time it made her almost sick to her stomach. She went on cleaning though, exhausted by the day's events and barely being able to think clearly about what was happening. There was a loud clatter and Juliette collapsed to the floor.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven had decided to just go back to her mother and try to talk. Then she heard the loud noise and ran to the source. Her mother was already there, next to the collapsed Juliette. "What happened?" Haven asked worriedly and her mother shrugged a bit.

Haven put her hands onto Juliette's shoulder and shook her slightly. "Juliette?" She asked worriedly.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Juliette felt exhausted but when she felt hands shaking her she opened her eyes slowly. She was confused and not sure what had just happened but seeing Haven's face made her feel a little more calm. "I must have just fainted," she said trying to stand back up. "I need to get back to work." She faltered though as a headache ensued.

The wind was whipping through Alex's fur now and the pack was running with him. The downpour made it even more interesting since their scent was hidden and it made tracking the stag even harder.  

[Rosalind Bloom]

Haven shook her head and pushed her down gently. "No you don't." She said simply. "Sit here for a little bit then you need to lie down." She said. She wasn't aware of the fact that her hand was glowing and sending warm energy into Juliette but her mother was. She didn't say anything but did blink and stare a bit at her hand.

After a few moments, Haven said, "Ok, now we need to take you to your room." She said then looked to her mom to help her. Her hand had stopped glowing by now as well.  

[- symphonic disaster -]

Juliette's headache was still raging but she was beginning to feel a bit better. When she tried to stand without assistance again she struggled. She gave up after a moment and waited for the assistance of the two women, wanting to lie down now and rest. "It's not far from the kitchen," she said. "It's out the servant's door and to the right."

The stag was suddenly there and Alex looked a bit shocked by it's size. It was an eight-point buck and it was staring at them in almost sheer terror. It charged at them suddenly and Alex was caught off guard, knocked to the side by one of it's antlers. He growled and went back to chasing it, ignoring the searing pain in his left shoulder.