Ertifferrah Written By: Elay Understood CHAPTER 24 OCTAVIOUS WORLD ...Elay TV Content Creator

 

Now thinking to himself, as he lay wide awake in his bed, drenched in water, Octavious sluggishly rolled over to find Erica soaking wet and sound asleep beside him. He knew that she’d be okay, being that she was with him, back in his world. Rubbing his hands over his brow as he said out loud: “How in Osiris’s name am I going to explain all of this to her once she wakes…?  Dowg!  Huuh…”  He sighed long and hard.   

As he paced the grey, marble floor, trying to figure out what to do, Erica began to stir.  “Dang, this girl looks good under any circumstance!  Whew, she looks so good, mmph!” he eagerly thought to himself.  It was difficult to keep composed this time, for seeing Erica laying there in his chamber and in his bed was more than he could stand.  But Octavious knew how to treat a woman with respect, so he only gazed upon her as the wind blew; pushing open silver curtains, allowing them to flow freely above Erica as she slept peacefully. 

Leaning back against a rounded pillar that held a statue of an unbalanced justice scale, watched Erica as he searched for a clue, an answer to something.  Focusing hard on what he had dreamt (more or less) and where he stood now, he took a moment to kneel down and give thanks to his god, Integrity, for He had kept them safe during times of trouble.  Octavious had an intense feeling that somehow, this was destiny intervening; like the threshold he’d heard his parents mention periodically during supper, this felt like that sort of moment for him, 

**

This must be a dream, she thought, looking around, obviously not aware of where she was, Ertifferrah rubbed the sand away from her red, puffy eyes and laid there for a spell, trying to grasp her bearings.  Hhhh, where am I?  This isn’t my sleeping quarters, and that’s definitely not my window.  Where am I?  She continued questioning herself.  Maybe I’m still dreaming, and I’m just in a new part of that dream, but why doesn’t this feel like a dream?

Octavious heard the sound of feet sliding slowly across the marble floors and instantly, his heart skipped what felt like more than just a beat.  Both eager and anxious, knowing that he had literally pulled the most gorgeous girl right into his world, right into his chambers, he still feared how she might take the news that this wasn’t a dream but was very much real.

Coming closer, the shuffling of her feet approached his study room, where incidentally, he never studied at all but instead watched movies and spent time with his friends.  

Palms sweaty, hands shaking, he opened the closet door to look in a mirror and make sure that he looked his best.  He pointed at himself in the mirror, winking at his reflection because he knew he looked almost too good.

Then, quickly closing the closet door, he decided to change his shirt.  Grabbing the silverfish blue shirt with the gill pattern from off the floor, he looked around, noticing how messy the room was, and raced to the entryway of the study room to see where Erica was.

She was out of sight.  “Huh? Aw, man!” Octavious huffed, knowing that if she wandered off too far, his parents might run into her, and then he would be in a whole new world of trouble.

Sneaking around the corner with caution so as to not scare Erica, he searched for her in all of the obvious places. Although the room was large, it didn’t take long to search—he checked his bed and underneath, the balcony, the bathroom, everywhere, but she was nowhere to be found.  There was only one other obvious place to search, which he dreaded terribly—the entrance to the bedroom door that led to the hallway.

Knowing that, in a matter of moments, he would be viewing his own funeral from the mighty heavens because his parents were going to kill him; he just knew that his cover had been blown—maybe Erica already found out.  He could envision purple-lilac floras shrouded all around his place of burial and dozens of the finest figurines of golden lady servants ever crafted!  Such attributes of this magnitude were only given to the wealthy and or those who sit on high in his land, to people such as Lady Mertekert, who works side by side with the highest Lady Governess, the Supreme Governess of everything. Lady Governess, Lady Mertekert and the rest of her favored servants have always been around and ruling ever since he could remember.  That’s just the way it’s always been.

But today, he would beat them to the punch and officially become a member of the afterlife.  If only he could find her faster. Just like that, the sheers blew apart and flapped around as he whizzed past, for he wasn’t the only one in his family who was light as a feather when it came to moving the feet about, his mother was too. 

There was the sound of doors sliding open and quickly shut, and then a medium-sized crashing sound, almost as if something were sliding to a soft landing, from the next room down.  Slowing down, he jogged back to where the noises were still being made, hoping to find her.

And find her he did.

It was a sight to behold as he discovered Erica stepping back, more burgundy and gold boxes falling to the floor – causing the bracelets, earrings, and dried flowers to spill and scatter everywhere.  No problem there, though, that could be cleaned up by one of the many servants—right now his attention was totally captivated by the sight of Erica in her underwear. So delectable she looked and so innocently unaware that she was being watched, she searched through the room for something to wear. 

The moment couldn’t and wouldn’t last long enough, so he made it his official business to intently watch her every move.  She was in the room which they had simply called the ‘Grey Room’ due to the many hues of grey there, ranging from powdered grey to the deep sheen of shimmering steel.  He liked metallic colors; copper was also one of his favorite colors; for some reason, it made him feel more at ease. Wearing it or being surrounded by such hues, especially in times when he needed space to think, somehow helped keep him centered as if the hue literally fought off unnecessary negativity.

Speaking of unnecessary negativity, Erica was anything but negative.  The way she meandered through the closets and chests, searching for the right garment to wear, handling each article with care, as if she were royalty.

Erica was like therapy to Octavious’s eyes and mind.  It was amazing how totally different she looked when her hair was wet because, by this time, her hair had begun to curl and wave as it dried naturally.  Her hair touched her shoulders and drifted downward as she bent forward to pick up a light sea-green chemise with thin, silver, broken vertical lines; he shuddered with excitement as part of her small bosom showed.

The way her royal blue bra and panties cupped and covered her was enchanting as it contoured and sanctioned every muscular curve and crevice of her body.  To him, she was perfection.

Though enjoying the view, he inhaled deeply and backed off, for he didn’t want to be thought of like a peeping tom.  

In the hall, he saw servants making their rounds to clean, and he knew that Erica was just two rooms away. It would take the servants fifteen minutes, if that, to give each room a good once over before moving on to the next.

He took a glance back in the room to see Erica; she was out of view.  “Maybe this is a good thing because maybe she’s dressed,” he thought walking further into the room and quietly pressing the door closed behind.

The sound of a shower running came from deep inside the room, causing his curiosity to spark.  “Hmm, she’s in the sshhower…?”  A devious grin spread across his face as he rubbed his palms together.  Thinking, he darted back to the door and locked it.  “I know they won’t disturb me now.”  

By that time, vapors from the shower had begun to spread to the front of the room.  

Slowly he walked, anticipating what was in store.  

The faucets creaked and squeaked as Erica adjusted the water.

Coming closer, Octavious approached the middle part of the room where the actual bedroom was. In this part, there were no windows to let in the natural light of the Sun. Once the rays of Integrity were totally gone, low lights flickered on and lit the way as he continued to confidently walk in the direction of the shower.  On the large bed fit for a king, were toiletries, fresh underwear, and outerwear, and on the floor lay the royal blue undergarments she had previously worn.

“This is going to be good!”  he thought.  Hoping to take a peek without her noticing was going to be a little harder than he’d planned because the door to the shower wasn’t completely opened.  Standing as close as possible beside the door, waiting for the perfect time to enter, he strained to listen for hints of her actually taking a shower, as the sudden change in water flow as she raised her arms to rinse the soap from her hair or props her foot upon the ledge to wash her toes. He didn’t want to just barge in, and she wasn’t yet inside, So, despite wanting to step inside, he stood attentively, just listening as he breathed in the aroma—a combination of honey, flowers, and sprays that reminded him of the times when he and his father had risen early to walk the beach, waiting for the Sun to rise. He enjoyed those moments, for it had given him quality time with his father. Though his father wasn’t around much anymore, it's memories like that that keeps him holding strong.  

Octavious knew that once his father was finished serving as a temporary ruler for the country of Afrikaisi, he would be home again; just as soon as their own ruler regained his strength. 

Lost in thought, Octavious didn’t notice Erica’s fingers wrap around the door as she pulled it back.

“Uh-aaahhh!”  Erica screamed, losing hold of the towel as her hands flailed out of control.  She ran back into the bathroom still screaming.

“WOAH!!  Uhh, HOOh! Erica!  UH, I’m sorry! Huuuuhh…?” He sort of blurted out in a baffle, temporarily dumbfounded from the sight he beheld.  

Not knowing what else to do, he took a seat on the edge of the bed and laughed.

“What are you laughing at?!” she snapped at him.  “Were you watching me?” she speculated, picking up a silver backscratcher as she would if attack if he said yes.

“Ooohhh…” crooned Octavious, not knowing how to answer that.

“Answer me!” she demanded.

“Okay, okay, ugggh, yeah, I was about to, until you caught me…” he smiled, holding his head down, embarrassed.

“Well, you’re forgiven,” she smirked at him.

“Woah, just like that uh...?  Too bad I didn’t just barge right in and jump in the shower with you then…”

Rolling her eyes and fanning him off, she scoffed, “Don’t push your luck little boy.”