Doomsday city

There are many reading materials on the mobile double-layer bookshelf, ranging from picture books suitable for preschool reading to philosophical theories from Shenzhen and Macao, simple pinyin, or foreign original language books. The bookshelves are not placed on photo frames or dolls, but real books.Essers could tell that Miss Lehman was working very hard. Most of her waking hours were buried in writing, and she rarely wasted time gossiping or simply letting go.

Since leaving the warehouse, Esses's life has been guaranteed at a minimum level. Her room is arranged outside the third floor. Every morning at [-] o'clock, Gina will open the door for her with the key, and provide a piece of white toast and boiled water for breakfast. She went to work all day -- spending time with Miss Lehman.

Basically, this is not difficult, because Miss Lehman is not like a young child who is easy to make trouble for no reason, or a toddler who can't sit still, let alone a rebellious teenager clamoring for freedom or throwing parties. She is like a well-educated noble lady, Sit quietly by the window and read, drink some black tea with biscuits occasionally, and indulge in the world of literature.

The only thing Esther couldn't stand was Miss Lehman's daily 'meal' time.

The cuckoo clock rang twelve o'clock on time, and the painted wooden bird came out from the red low door along the track, making a crisp and melodious chirping sound.In other people's ears, it is the sound of nature, but in Essers' ears, it means that the time of imprisonment has arrived.The guard Qiao Sen walked into the room stepping on his boots. Because of Mr. Lehman's request, he always stood outside the half-covered door with a gun and kept watch in case Esther did any irrational behavior.

Qiao Sen pulled out the dagger from the holster, and the sharp blade quickly hit Esses's arm. At first, the soldier hesitated a little, but when he watched the knife wound heal quickly in horror, the guilt in his heart seemed to decrease day by day , until now he is as relaxed and unburdened as if he was about to turn on the tap.

Essers didn't think so. She watched the knife cut a cut on her arm, and the dark red blood slid down the skin, and finally dripped into the glass from her fingertips.The familiar pain and loss of body temperature were unbearable, especially when Miss Lehman stared at her bleeding wound, she looked like a starving child or a hungry zombie outside, everything made Esther Silk loathes and hates.

"Thank you." Ivy took the glass from the tea table, which was already seventy percent full.

Qiao Sen glanced at Esther. Although he sympathized with the woman's experience, he would not be stupid enough to try to save her.

Ivy drank up the blood in one breath, no matter how elegant her movements were and how gorgeous her appearance was, the mere fact of living with blood was enough to turn one's appetite away.She put down the blood-stained glass, and that angelic face once again covered her ugly behavior. No one would believe that such a girl who was almost pure and had an absolutely clean temperament could be a vampire monster.

"Wait..." When Esther tried to rub down her sleeve, Ivy stopped her in a panic, "Your hand... I mean, your wound hasn't healed yet, maybe you need some help? Like a potion or a bandage ? Or..." as she spoke, the open cut had completely disappeared, "a handkerchief?"

Esther lowered her eyes and refused to respond. She refused to communicate with anyone in the house, and built a high wall in her fragile heart. After losing language and communication, she was able to hide her grief in the deepest part, and her self-enclosed behavior at least It can give Esther some comfort that she still retains certain 'freedom' rights.

Ivy stared at Esther's arm hesitantly. After thinking about it for 2 minutes, she approached her slowly, as if she was afraid of disturbing a wild animal, and gently took Esser's hand, although it only touched the handcuffs.

Esther wanted to shake Ivy away at the first moment, but she caught a glimpse of Joson's half-serious face from the corner of her eye and stopped abruptly. The cold hair on the back of her hand made her feel that Ivy was cold, no matter whether the sun was shining outside the window, or her After enjoying sunbathing on the balcony for so long, the girl's body temperature always seemed to be cold, and her bloodless skin could tell—Ivy Lehman was not healthy.

Ivy looked up nervously at Essers, who was sitting at the coffee table, and Esses was standing in front of her.Those arms trembled slightly, but it didn't affect Ivy's determination to approach. She moved closer carefully, the tip of her nose was almost touching Esther's arms, and then she smelled a breath, which she described as like after soaking up the sun. The quilt, the young leaves covered with dew in the morning, or the freshly baked apple pie, she recalled in her mind the words used to describe "beautiful" in the book. The same ─ ─ represents contentment.

Esther stared at Ivy in fear, she felt the pair of long eyelashes gently scratching her hand, and then slowly went up until she found Ivy sticking out the tip of her red tongue, licking the remaining skin on her skin like a dragonfly. When the blood was stained, a feeling sharper than the electric current flowed through the whole body in an instant, Essers subconsciously withdrew her hand, Ivy was shocked by her rudeness, and the whole person hit the coffee table unsteadily and overturned the glass After hearing the movement, Qiao Sen rushed in with a gun, aiming the barrel at Esther's head.

"Hold on!" he warned sternly.

With a look of astonishment on her face, Esther squatted down in a panic and covered her head with her hands.

"Wait!" Ivy was also very frightened, she stroked her chest trying to comfort Qiao Sen, and said: "I just, just bumped into the corner of the table a little bit, it's not Esther's fault, it's my own carelessness. I'm sorry...can you put the gun away first? It's just a misunderstanding." Her persuasion made Qiao Sen move the barrel of the gun away, but the vigilance in his eyes did not disappear.

"Okay, I'm right outside, if you need anything." Qiao Sen let go of his shoulders, his eyes still fixed on Esses, and he walked back to the door with his gun on his back. Open it so that he can clearly monitor every move inside.

"It's okay," Ivy whispered in a soft voice, she reached out again, but didn't touch Esses, and said, "I'm sorry, it was my fault just now, I shouldn't... didn't go through your I'm really sorry for allowing that without permission."

Esses dodged Ivy backwards, and she got up and stepped back a foot in embarrassment.

"I just..." Ivy swallowed hard when seeing Esther's dodge, and said, "I just couldn't hold back. But I didn't want to hurt you! I promise, I don't have any thoughts of hurting you , that was just... a gaffe, a little gaffe, I hope you can forgive me for my rashness."

She uses elegant words without losing her style, just like the etiquette that a real nobleman should have, but Esther doesn't appreciate it at all. She would rather stay a foot away from Ivy than take the risk of accepting her apology. Who knows the girl who drank human blood What could be more cruel to her?Or will the soldiers outside the door blow her head off with bullets?

The 'accident' left a bad impression on everyone, so that Esses began to alienate Ivy obviously, even though she didn't want to get close to her in the first place.

Ivy Lehman is an indoor beauty who was raised with care. Everyone always respects her. Even Gina, who hates her, or Christine, who is afraid of her, will not express their inner thoughts easily, but Esther's obvious 'fear' and 'disgust' made her feel unprecedented pressure.

"If you wish, I will ask father to unshackle you." The young girl relieved the tension between her and Esther in another way.When she noticed that Essus could only move half an inch per step, she immediately showed kindness, and it worked out pretty well, at least Esses would glance at her out of the corner of her eye instead of staring at the carpet.

Mr. Lehman’s objection didn’t have much effect. He couldn’t refuse any of Ivy’s requests. After a few days, Esses was able to walk freely. This made her depressed mood slightly better, but it was not enough to make up for the dry heart that had swung to the bottom of the valley.

Ivy found that her ingratiating played a part, which made the girl as if she had discovered some secret. She always watched Esses secretly while reading, and tried to find out the truth with her eyes that were clearer than mint green. The other's way of being happy, she asks Gina to feed Esses a hearty meal, find her some clothes that fit her, don't have to stand like a robot for long periods of time, and share her reading.

Esther held a fairy tale in her hand—Sleeping Beauty, with rich and exquisite illustrations on the inside, but her thoughts were not on the plot where the princess' finger was stabbed by the spinning wheel, but thinking about Ivy's behavior and intentions in the past few days .She could understand that Ivy was flattering her. Although the word "flattery" was not appropriate, Essers couldn't think of other words to persuade all kinds of goodwill.

She still supplies blood, and Ivy still drank it down, but Ivy actively improves the living conditions of Esses. She does not need to eat white toast with boiled water, she can have the freedom to walk on her legs, and sit on expensive and comfortable seats. chair and read with Ivy until the evening.

Ivy's kindness is not overbearing, but permeates little by little like melted butter.

"I like that book very much." Suddenly, Ivy's voice pierced Esses's thoughts. She wore a light pink dress today. The complicated lace design made her look like a doll in a cabinet. People might give people a mental abnormality, but wearing it on Ivy is not awkward at all, as if she was born to be dressed like this, an elegant, delicate, and angelic girl.

Esther turned the next page stiffly, and Sleeping Beauty fell into a deep sleep after being stabbed by the spinning wheel.

Ivy gently closed the collection of poems in her hand, her eyes fell on Esther's trembling fingertips, and said: "Sleeping Beauty was cursed by black magic, she slept for a century, and I slept for a long time like her... At that time I Never thought I'd have a chance to open my eyes, yes, hopeless."

Ivy Lehman is not a lucky girl, and no one else can understand what she has experienced.

"Although I haven't slept for a century, I did lose some...memories, or should I say confusion?" She blinked in confusion, and said, "Sometimes I can't tell which are dreams and which are real memories, they intersperse It's like a slideshow flashing in my head..."

Esther turned the pages faster, but her eyeballs didn't read a single word.

"There are parts that scare me, and I think it's a nightmare—a very, very real nightmare, and I wish that part of it would go away forever, but it keeps coming back," Ivy lowered her eyes melancholy, her long The eyelashes lightly covered the lost brilliance, "When I was lying weakly on the bed, I begged God to give me enough courage to face the night, but I was too weak to defeat the demons."

She embraced her trembling body, "In the dream, I felt as if I fell into a swamp and couldn't breathe. The feeling was very oppressive and narrow, as if it was going to lock me in forever and tie me up invisible," Ivy said. His voice was choked with sobs, and he said like a whisper: "Maybe you can't understand how, how lucky I am every time I wake up. Only the world with my eyes open can make me feel warm. Only now, at this moment, can I feel warm." Feeling who you really are—a feeling of being alive."

Ivy took a few deep breaths, she relaxed her stiff body and raised her head slightly.

Those eyes, which are clearer than mint, directly reflected the woman in front of him.

She smiled and said, "And you are the prince who saved me, Esther Eli."