Chapter 5: Nine Candles
Morning came and Evelina prepared herself for a bright introduction. She tied her strawberry blonde hair in a bun and matched a flower-patterned gray dress to appear simple, maybe even ordinary.
All night long she thought of they denied her. Was she too forward? Perhaps, but people never minded forward, especially if it was the attention from a beautiful lady. But she did appear like a foreigner. With her bag and dress, wrinkled all over.
Today was a different day for she would definitely win them.
With Sybil's assistance.
A child would aid her, how often does one encounter events like that? Of course, she could easily go by herself. A basement will always be the room down under, after all. It was just that Evelina honors promises more than anything.
And since Sybil asked, she would act in accordance with it.
But Evelina waited for the child, from morning to the whole afternoon. She stayed in her room, planning to take a stroll once the troupe had accepted her. She waited for the child, her hand ready to grab the knob once she heard her knock. But the knock did not come.
The vampire let out an angry groan, upset at nobody but her own self. How often had she let these puny humans step over her since she arrived in this stupid town?
Another day will soon be over and she accomplished nothing!
Evelina settled herself.
A basement is just a basement. A small room down under.
Considering that she only saw five people back at the pub, without the appearance of West, there could be six humans there. One she could certainly seduce, and another she could possibly kill.
But why would they stay down the basement?
Evelina opened her door, looking for traces of living beings. Positive that there was none, she sneaked out and looked for the entrance that would lead her below the building. The place wasn't much of a mystery as the only other door beside the counter was the one under the wooden staircase.
The entrance was nothing out of the ordinary. The door was old, giving off a moldy smell. Darkness was the first thing that greeted her when she opened it with a creak.
She cautiously stepped down, letting her sight travel through the gloomy room. Another step and her eyes brought back its shade of amber, doing her a favor of letting her see more clearly. Another step and her fangs were now showing. Another step and her pace increased.
Evelina reached the bottom but found no person. The silence was deafening but she could sense breathing. And…
"One, two, three, four…"
She could hear counting.
The room was small and the voices of those who were whispering were muffled, almost fading. The faint smell of evergreen and strong smell of spring wasn't inside where she was in, either, but it exists...somewhere.
She touched the walls, trying to feel where vibrations must be because she was almost sure that the basement isn't just the basement. It was something more.
"...eight, seven, six, five-"
There it was! The loose wall!
She lifted the ply board aside to see a large room, an extension of the inn. The walls were plastered with lime green wallpaper and there were thirteen wooden stools surrounding nine lighted candles in the middle of the room.
Stools which no one was using.
"Eve?"
The first time Evelina saw him, she found herself guarded. His mask and the way his cape was worn felt a little intimidating- maybe dangerous. Yet he went and introduced her to food she did not think she would like but she did. Seeing him now brought a new kind of feeling. The way she could see his face without his mask left a huge amount of satisfaction to Evelina.
He looked vulnerable this way.
"West, you're here."
She spoke as if she didn't mean to barge in.
West narrowed his eyes towards her. "I am. This is where I'm staying."
Evelina raised her hands on her cheeks, feigning a surprised expression. "Oh, but I am also staying here! I'm from upstairs and I was quite curious to know what's down here."
"So you decide to break in without thinking that the room may be private?"
Amber met cocoa and Evelina walked closer towards the man. "I didn't think of seeing you so soon, West." She leaned in smelling the fragrance of early spring from his shirt. Daffodils. "Could it be fate?"
Turning her attention to the details of the room, she added. "But I did think that this is too big for one person."
"The troupe. We're staying in one place but-"
"But?"
West tilted his head with the interruption. "Err, they're in another room."
"Oh."
She took a seat on one of the stools before she felt a gentle tap on her shoulder. "Listen, I didn't mean to pry but I really don't think that you should be here."
"And why not?" Evelina asked with a curious look.
"First, this isn't your room. And second, you're not-"
"One of you?" Her voice raised, the buried irritation once again resurfacing. "Maybe not now, but I can be one of you. If you would just...just let me join the troupe."
Evelina saw how the man was taken aback by her sudden change of mood. She was tired of being rejected when all she needed was one precise thing.It had been days and her failure was getting to her real hard.
Before West could reply, a man much older than him interfered in their conversation.
"What is going on over here?"
"Sir Duncan." West said with most respect. "Well, she- her name is Eve."
Evelina's eyes roamed the room. It wasn't just the old man who was present but nine other people beside him, including that little traitor, Sybil.
"We know you." said a loud voice of a girl. "Aren't you the one from the pub? The girl who wanted-"
"Did she want to, though?" Evelina would recognize that voice everywhere. It was the source of her contempt, her shame. The pretty boy let out a smug grin. "The lady was surprised to hear that we want her to audition. But aren't you being forceful now? Entering a place where you shouldn't be."
Evelina glared at him, her mind was already thinking of ways she could torture him. "I couldn't enter yet that girl is here?" She pointed at Sybil, who turned red and hid behind the young man beside her after eyes shifted towards her. "How is she here? Isn't she just some human who's obsessed with watching your shows? Or is she really a part of your troupe? Was it your goal to send her to me to dig me more mockery after so much humiliation?"
The bloke who was hiding Sybil stepped forward, face twisted. "Sybil did no such thing!"
But Evelina barely spared him a glance. The fury seen in her eyes was too much. " This would be easy if one of you agreed to let me join!"
"And we will if you just auditioned!"
Evelina flinched. West was breathing heavily, his hands folded to a ball. She hadn't heard him talk to her like that. But they never really knew each other. He was only someone who helped her once.
"To beg you to accept me, is that it? That is impossible. I never beg."
She turned to leave, her nose up in the air and her blood boiling to its core.
They were a team, alright. A team who would ruin her.
Well, she wouldn't run towards them again. She would begin looking for another plan tomorrow morning. Do her duty to her kind and leave the capital. It would be so simple.
After that, she swore never to tangle her life with any of them. They're only humans, after all. Lives short and useless.
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone