Chapter 47: Bad luck (3)
Annalise hoped she was just hearing a chicken speak with Rafael’s voice and he wasn’t actually here. ’If I don’t turn around I can just ignore that I heard something,’ she decided.
Annalise took a big step to the side to move on to the next chicken.
"Are you ignoring your employer? After we had a talk about you being better?"
"It is him," Annalise whispered, closing her eyes. What was with his timing? If not for being distracted by chickens she would have heard or seen him and run away.
"Turn around. Standing still does not make you invisible," Rafael said.
Annalise opened her eyes and slowly turned around to face her fate. She smiled in hopes to help with whatever he was going to tell her. "I am not here with the chickens to scare anyone. Who would be afraid of chickens? That one I can understand," she said, pointing at one which kept eyeing her and walking near like she was a worm it was hunting. "This is my punishment."
"And what exactly did you do to earn a punishment?" Rafael asked, leaning over on the wooden fence. This had to be some kind of record for her to be on punishment already. He was too generous in giving her a week before she would be fired.
"After returning the dress to you, I was meant to go back to work, but then there was Lady Delilah and you speaking with me so I was late. This is the punishment Mavis has placed for me. Gathering chickens who will not stay still," Annalise said, looking around at the small creatures who were still making too much noise as if signalling to each that the threat was still around.
"I see why you wouldn’t mention Delilah, but why didn’t you tell her that you were speaking with me? That would have saved you from running after chickens. Many of the knights would rather stay away from them. Come out," Rafael said since this was too much for one person. She’d spend the entire day out here running after chickens if he left her.