Seeing You Not Seeing Me (COMPLETE)

IV.still playing dead

Mari is a bit exhausted from cleaning the rooms downstairs despite not being part of her job. Currently hunched on the floor a few feet away from Jude, Mari couldn't help but travel her eyes from Jude to the slight light coming into the room since she slid the curtain only an inch, afraid Jude would not get angry at her.

Jude still sat unbothered and apathetic, his shirt now worn perfectly, his slacks wrinkle-free, his appearance non-greasy anymore though his facial hair is still in utter need of a cut.

Silence enveloped the room. No one speaks. Truth is, Mari is running out of tales to tell, she kept grilling him questions yet not one would be answered, at least not by her.

She bets he could now write a biography of hers since she already narrated to him all about her...well, not all, of course.

Sighing, tucking her blond hair behind her ear, Mari let herself the liberty to roam her eyes around the room for the nth time.

Well, it is, indeed, way cleaner than before, leaving her with nothing to do here aside from wait for Jude's requests which he, it appears since day one, do not have one.

As days went by, Mari grew curious about his voice. Would it be deep and manly? Monotonous? High-pitched?

Suddenly, the thought of this rugged-looking man possessing such a high-pitched voice that could break the glasses caused her to chuckle softly.

At the corner of her eye, she caught him knitting his bushy brows. A bit embarrassed, she exclaimed, "Oh, I just love hearing myself laugh, Master, don't fret much about it,"

Howbeit, after a second, this time, it was her brows turn to form a bridge, cringing at her stupid statement.

'really? Love hearing yourself laugh? What are you, crazy?' Mari thought, scolding herself.

When her olive green eyes lifted back at him, he still said nothing, sat in his must-be comfortable woven chair. Unbothered by her oddity.

"No-not that I am crazy, Master, believe me, I am sane. I've never gone to an asylum, really," she added, causing her to cringe once more. She needs to shut her mouth.

Biting her inner cheek, she diverted her attention elsewhere until she saw a stack of books she alphabetically arranged yesterday under his bed.

A brilliant idea popped into her head or so she thought.

Elated, she rose from her seat, crouched down beside the bed, "How about I read to you, Master?"

Again, no response though she caught sight of his brows lifting for a millisecond. Well, that's a response, right?

Satisfied, grinning, her fingertips trailing across the edges, "You sure do have lots of books,"

"Any title you wish for me to read, Master?"

No response.

"Great Unknown? Green Meadows? Prejudice King?" Mari recited the titles yet again, he dared not to answer.

Since Jude seems to have no plan on answering her and it also seems like he doesn't care much what she reads then so be it.

Enthusiastic, she rose from the floor, smoothened her rose-colored skirt, uttering with her usual sunny voice, "I'll be back, Master,"

And with that, off she goes to her room next door, swiftly fetching the book she bought back in Eyam. It was second-hand, of course. The money she used was an extra one from when she cut her hair and sold it.

After a second, she went back to Jude's room with a romance book in her hand, beaming, she fetched the wooden footstool beside the door, dragging it towards her blind master.