She cowered in the corner watching the people stalk around in the rain and get inside their carriages. She had always imagined what it would be like to live as a lady, but never once received the opportunity. Her father had lived as a great lord and her mom had staid at his side, but when Evelyn was born unto them, they had split up for unknown reasons. Evelyn's father went crazy and began to drink heavy never coming home for many days. He eventually died of alcohol poisoning and left mother a widow with her daughter thrown in the orphanage. Evelyn had escaped though into the night a few years past and lived on her own. She already knew how to read and write and so she saw herself as unworthy to live in such a dirt hole. She now roamed the streets freely living in a small one-room house. She worked, like many other women her age, in a small sewing factory.
In the alley, a figure crouched behind her poking her shoulder with a strange force. When Evelyn turned to see whom it was she almost gasped in horror. The man wore a fancy suit for the modern aristocrat and blond hair to sway in front of his face just a little. The man grinned at her and she unconsciously took a small step back. He appeared to have known her the way he gazed at her in wonder. Evelyn wished for nothing more than to get out of there, but what could she do when he stared at her with pure, silver eyes.
"Do not be alarmed, miss," he warned.
"Who are you?" she asked.
"Do not worry about that, but I need you to come with me. You are currently being followed by a dark shadow," he said glancing away in horror. It appeared as though he saw something her eyes could never catch.
"As you should know all shadows are dark, that is common knowledge," Evelyn said.
He grabbed her wrist hard causing blood to manifest around it and drips of the wetness from his hair mixed in with it. She did not know where he would lead her, but her gut told her it would be where she should go. Evelyn had a strange feeling that her fate would be held in his hands and she hated the thought. She did not want to count on someone else; she had always relied on her oneself for survival. She tried to struggle out of his grasp to get an answer as to what was going on, but he only tightened it. His eyes squinted at her like a rock trying to see in the drops of the tears that fell from the sky.
"I will explain things once we arrive at somewhere safe. I do not know what the shadow wants with you, but I can see it clearly and can sense the strong desire it has for you."
Evelyn sincerely could not comprehend anything he spoke about, but continued to listen as it helped ease the pain in her harm and growing one in her feet. She hardly ever had to run so hard in her life, but when they finally stopped, she bent down tugging on her knees trying to catch her breath. She had lost it with has much power her feet had to use. The blood had dried by now. Evelyn, once she had caught her breath, tried to have peak at where the stranger had taken her. She had found herself surrounded by a garden of many colors with a gazebo in the very middle of it lined with roses. To get inside the garden you had to pass a little arch decorated in a green and yellow with white flowers. She had no idea how this area would protect her from some sort of shadow. But what kind of shadow would follow her?
For a second she thought that the boy was crazy, but he appeared as normal as any average human could. After Evelyn had grown accustomed to her new surrounding, she studied the boy a little further. His silver eyes were almost transparent underneath the foggy clouds that always came with rain. His blonde hair went down just a little further from his ear and appeared to be a more golden if it was only sunny out. The stranger appeared to be even slim and his jacket turned out to be nicer than she could ever imagine.
Her thoughts were taken aback from her and she glanced over at the arch expecting someone else to walk through it, but in the minutes that had passed no one had come. A shadow seemed to linger at the very edges of the outside. The boy probably had told the truth, but who would be following? She glanced there again; the small bit of darkness had been swallowed up by the rain.
"My name is Silas Goodwin and it is an honor to have your prescence Evelyn," the boy said.
"If it is such an honor you shall explain to me, what is after me and how is it you know my name," answered Evelyn stomping away a few feet. She crossed her arms and spread her feet wide ready for an answer that would be given to her.
"You do have a right to know, but wait until we reach Cadolian Manor. There you will find more people like me with my abilities you will have to understand before I can explain the rest. There should be a carriage arriving through the arch any minute now to take us to the portal," Silas spoke at the perfect moment. Evelyn turned towards the arch once more to the sound of the beating hooves and wheels rolling in. The carriage was the color of a sleek black and lined with odd patterns of gold she had never seen before. A man wearing a simple suit hid her astonishment and he jumped off the carriage to greet them. He smiled with the whitest teeth she had ever seen compared to all of the people who roamed on the streets.
"I see you have brought the young lady with you, master. Would you two like two relax in the carriage? It is a long ride to our destination, my lady, and the sooner we exit out of here the sooner we will arrive to the manor," the man explained.
"I think it would be an excellent idea, since I am sure the young lady here is very curious about her current predicament."
"Hold on just a minute!" she exclaimed, "The way you just described yourself to Mr. Goodwin it seems this whole thing was expected. Did you know this would happen? At least answer me that right now!"
Silas stepped a little closer to her never glancing away from her. He stared blindly into the pores of her eyes. Evelyn could feel his cold breath hit her little nose making it tickle, just a little and Silas's hair completely covered his left eye in a smooth curve. "Yes." He then turned away beginning his mark towards the carriage. He sat at the very edge first without even a glance at Evelyn. He did not offer his hand or anything like a normal gentleman would.
Evelyn smirked at him, but he did not notice; he only watched the rain from the opposite window. Evelyn stepped inside the carriage getting a visual of the black walls and velvet seats. She sat across from the boy trying to watch his every expression. Somehow he appeared like a different person than he was before. She may not have known Silas very well, but his whole appearance seemed more fragile like a package that you had to handle with care. Evelyn turned away from him and sat her gaze at the empty seat next to her. She had never realized how desolate empty air had seemed; she had no intention to, but her body crumpled up in the corner. She wrapped her arms tightly around her knees and let her head fall into them. She did not dare look up for fear of what laid ahead.
"Miss, are you alright?" she could hear the man speak even through the thick walls of the carriage.
"I am quite alright," she spoke as normal as her mouth could move, but it faltered towards the end.
"I can stop and allow you to receive some fresh air. I am sure Mr. Goodwin will be fine with it."
"I do not want to disrupt this journey so I think we should stop for nothing," Evelyn replied.
"As you wish, my lady."
They continued to ride on towards the green pastures and grand homes. Evelyn had not once in her life seen grander and more majestic homes than the ones they passed. The farther they drove away from the gardens and the town the sweeter the sun had arrived. Evelyn smiled just a little as she now was now crawled out from her earlier position and flopped all over the cushion. She began to fall asleep with warmness hitting her directly in the face.
She only dreamed of a bright place filled with ball and handsome young men who desired to dance with her. Evelyn wore a beautiful green, silk dress with her hair in curls. Before she walked down to the ballroom in her own home she took a glance at herself in the mirror, amazement flustered her face. She never knew how beautiful she could be since she never truly owned any of the fancy things the girl in the dream had everyday. Most nights Evelyn did dream of her being a beautiful lady, but this time things were different.
In the very corner of her eye she could see a figure cloaked in the shadows who seemed to want a private audience with her. Evelyn twisted her whole body around away from the mirror to see who it was, but the figure vanished before she had a chance. She scratched her head in confusion wondering who it could be, but maybe it was the shadow. She pushed away all thoughts of anything dark and gathered all senses to drown out whatever wanted her.
The next thing Evelyn discovered was her feet moving gracefully down a winding flight of stairs and finding herself in the deep rhythms of conversation. She recognized the two ladies with their escorts as Ms. Pennledrop and Ms. Bazle. Ms. Pennledrop was thin like a light piece of rope and had black hair flowing down her shoulders in dangling curls. Ms. Bazle on the other hand had light hair pulled back in a bun and a little plump.
"Did you hear about the young lord and his affair with Viscount Lasik's daughter?" Ms. Pennledrop asked.
"That right there will ruin the pride of both families and neither one of them will ever truly recover from it. It is such a shame, but it was their choice. I am just glad I grew up in a well-mannered home where that kind of act would be blasphemous to our faith."
"Surely, it cannot be that bad?" Evelyn wondered confusingly.
"What kind of world are you living in Evelyn? This sort of thing happens all the time and becomes the gossip we get to," answered Ms. Bazle.
Evelyn flushed in embarrassment and was horrified by the expressions on their faces meant it to be true. She did not know what kind of world she actually lived in, but she believed only unmarried did such horrendous acts of such vileness. But then everything she did know seemed not to matter anymore. The world around her would quickly be changing; too fast for her to even realize it. Silas! The name echoed all throughout her head as she snapped back to awaken in the carriage.
Silas roughly shook her shoulder till she snapped her eyes right open to find his blues looking directly at hers. Her cheeks swelled to a rosy pink. Evelyn swiftly stood at the small step that would lead her out of the carriage as she realized they were at the manor Silas spoke of earlier. As Silas helped her completely out of the carriage she noticed the manor much closely than she would ever imagine.
The front gardens abounded as far as it could ending in a sweet, blue lake where the minister would be proud to go fishing there. The gardens were enveloped by a large hedge growing to about three times the size of a full grown man. The manor, more like a castle, was lead through a stoned pavement with enough room for five carriages to travel through. From the distance it appeared to be a golden, but the closer Evelyn and Silas came to it, it appeared more a burgundy color bound with white. Evelyn did not realize it, but her lips parted lightly in awe.
Silas noticed the emotion expressed on her pale face and smiled lightly at it. He took her proudly by the arm as a gentleman would leading his lady to a ball. Evelyn at first was going to fight him, but decided against it. His arm entwined around hers felt comforting in such a strange place. The palace standing before her was too grand even for what she was use to. It made Evelyn feel so insignificant compared to those who would have found this common, which indeed would be the man with her. Evelyn shied behind Silas's shoulder just a little, enough to go unnoticed by the people they would encounter throughout the halls inside the manor.
Silas smiled her way quickly before he started to skip a little around the gardens that would lead to the two main ginormous doors. Marble steps lead to the doors painted in a brownish gold color. Two wide pillars held up the ceiling that confronted the doors, ready for any type of battle.
The servant that had driven the carriage stalked away from them and followed a narrow path that would lead towards the kitchen where all the servants normally would return home through. As Silas lead her away the servant became nothing more than a faded shadow. Something about him sent her memories afire and blasted her with a sense of guilt. "What is his name?" Evelyn asked Silas.
"Who?"
"The man who drove the carriage," Evelyn answered.
"John Garland, he has worked for the Candolian Manor just about his whole entire life and well has been loyal to us all these years. In truth he is like a father to me, since my own," Silas turned away from her and looked up into the solemn sky, not a bird flew through it, "Let us just go on, I am sure you are getting hungry cause I know I am. At dinner you will meet the people you need to, but we will discuss this whole situation after dinner when we have tea."
"Alright," answered Evelyn.
Through the grand opened doors straight away Evelyn noticed the luxury of the home. The floor opened wide with marble pillars at the edges with doors leading to various rooms. The floor itself was dyed in rich red and brownish gold. In front of her were twin stair cases leading to opposite halls and even more grand opening she was sure. Evelyn gaped even more so when she first saw the manor. The whole home gave an aura of another world that she was not use to. It frightened her a little, but the nervous vibes slowly went away.
"Have you never been in a home like this?" Silas asked.
"Of course not!" Evelyn exclaimed.
Silas chuckled at her as he lead her up the left stairwell leading towards an open room. About five people filled the couches and various cushions. Two were adults and the rest people about her age. A small fire crackled to the right where a girl sat by reading a book. Two boys who were her age played a game of chess on a table in the most lest corner. The two adults appeared to be a married couple lost in conversation with one another. They all gaped as Evelyn and Silas entered the room. It seemed as if they were not use to many strangers coming in their home much less one not expected.
"Who is that?" the woman demanded.
"The target, I am pretty sure. I was just taking a regular walk around town until I found one of the shadows chasing towards her. Fortunately I was able to get her away from it before it ever had a chance to swallow it. I could do nothing more with so many people around," Silas answered.
Evelyn curtsied, "My name is Evelyn Greyline and thank you for taking me as a guest. I feel honored just to be able to walk in such a lovely home."
"Child, there is no need for formalities, but I do thank you for the comment and if what Silas assumes is correct you shall be our guest for as long as required," the lady answered.
"I shall consider it an honor."
"Eliza, she understands nothing of the shadows nor anything about what we are," Silas said.
"I see, but that is to be expected since many do not know what lives among them. We shall have dinner which will be ready soon and then rest. I will explain things in the morning, child. You probably have many questions for us, but for now just relax, none of us will harm you. Dinner will be ready very soon, so Miss Greyline I suggest you go wash up."
"But I have nothing else to wear!" Evelyn protested.
"Susan take our guest here and take her to your room to allow her to borrow one of your dresses, I will pay for a new one," Eliza looked towards the girl who read the book.
"But mother why should I? You have many gowns that I am sure would fit her much more comfortable. She is too stout to even have the bodice go around her. I have a much slimmer figure than she," Susan said.
"Do not argue with me girl or I am sure I can have Ralph play with your for a little while," Eliza retorted.
The boys sitting at the table playing chess laughed quietly to themselves. They directed their attentions towards the expression written all over Susan's face. Anyone who set eyes open it would find it hilarious. Evelyn did not bother with such amusements.
"Who is Ralph?" Evelyn whispered in Silas's ear.
"He is our pet rat. Susan finds him unbelievably disgusting always calling him a foul vermin whenever he is talked about. Ralph did no harm to her, so I do not understand why she still calls him dirty. Ralph is apart of this family whether she likes it or not," Silas replied to her ear.
"Why would you ever want a pet rat?!" she exclaimed without realizing her voice rang through the room not meaning it to.
"He is much more than a rat, child, but what could a human like you understand of it. Take her away Susan and please give me no excuses. I really have come to my limit with your ignorance."
"Honey, do not blame girl. She is unaware of the mystical powers this world has. People from her side of the world do not understand anything even those who search for it can never find it," the man spoke for the first time almost creeping into the back of Evelyn's mind. She wished she could push it far away, but the sound felt so familiar to her she could not make the reverberation disappear. It flooded to the pores of her mind making her want to scream. She could not handle it any longer.
Evelyn grabbed Susan’s hand hard, but not so much as Silas had done earlier. She did not care what the girl would say, she just needed to get out of there before she went insane. “What do you think you are doing?” Susan demanded, “A young lady should not be conducting herself in such a rash manor. I understand that you are originally poor, but every young lady should know to be calm and graceful.”
“Do not give me such talk. I may not have been grown with tutors and tea, but I am a still a girl. Do you not even think that it is okay. I will not easily be put down by such degrading talk. A young lady should not speak badly about others unless they are prepared for retribution."
"You have no right to speak to me." Susan lost all her might and words with the scary glare Evelyn gave her.
The two young girls remained silent for the rest of the trip down various halls and up a winding flight of stairs. Evelyn had no time to really take in the decorations upon the walls. As they glided on the floor all she could see were many swirls of color and shapes. Maybe, tomorrow she would take some time to just look at it all. It felt like a museum before her very own eyes. Susan staid behind two steps exactly scowling and thinking to herself. Evelyn may not have known where she was going, but she felt proud anyway waking in such fine halls. Surely she was going the right way for Susan did not give any reprobations. Evelyn became confident that Susan would love to argue with her even if it was for the right directions, but she only continued to scowl her heart out. Evelyn wanted to slap her, but refined from doing it no matter how annoying it became.
"My room is right there." Susan pointed out to a door carved in perfect cherry wood arc.
Evelyn tenderly turned the doorknob then walked into the room. The aura of the room came to be a mixture of different purples and light brown; it did not seem to match her personality whatsoever. The room had a wonderful bed with a head post and silky blankets, she could tell they were silk just by the way the light made it glisten. A few feet in front of the bed stood a wooden square table with a light purple couch for her to lie on. A side of the room was completely committed to the purpose of clothes, vanity table, and other various beauty supplies.
"Amazing," said Evelyn, "It is quite a pretty and delicate room. Who knew you would be capable of such a room."
"Do not make remarks about me and my room without knowing me first. You only met me a few moments ago."
This time Evelyn gaped her mouth shut at the comment she really should not have spoken earlier, but she could not help it. Her mind always spoke for itself like another being who shared the same mind and body.
"Any kind of specific type of dress you wish to wear I have all kinds," Susan said.
"Anything you want to burn later is fine since I probably will not be here long and don't need a nice dress when I get back home," said Evelyn.
"Where is your home?" Susan asked.
"In a place that you would not want to hear. It just might make your ears bleed and I do not want to corrupt your innocence," said Evelyn blatantly.
Susan said nothing more and went to her closet to take out a medium brown dress with a swooping neckline. The whole was stitched with flowers in fall colors. "This one should do. My mother just bought it for me a few weeks ago and I have not worn it yet since it does not go with complexion. You can keep it, a good dress should not go to waste. Besides my mother would berate me forever for her money going down the drain. Surely, it will look eticate on you; even so better than me," Susan explained.
Evelyn did not reply but took the dress gratefully. She turned herself behind the screen that sat in the opposite corner of the vanity. It truly a lovely gown on Evelyn and when she came out the other girl had to stare. No one could look away especially if she walked into a room full of all kinds of people. Susan quickly looked away so that Evelyn could not tell she was blushing.
"We should hurry up and do your hair it looks a mess. Probably not washed in a couple of days. We can see what we can do," said Susan.
"It has been longer than that," said Evelyn.
"What?" asked Susan like she had not heard Evelyn.
"Oh, never mind."
Susan had a few of the servants bring a small bowl of water and lavender soap mixed in. The servants delicatly dipped her hair into the basin of water making it soaking wet. The heat of the water relax on her temples made all of her worries float away like she was flying on a cloud on a windy day. After they scrubbed all the dirt away from her head Evelyn sat up with a wool towel being brushed hard on her hair to dry it. She had not had the pleasure to experience such wonderful cleanliness since she lived at the orphanage. The servants styled her hair in a series of a curls in the front while keeping the back hooked up in a swirl of braids.
"Now just for a necklace for it is the way to show the delicacy of a woman and the beauty of the chest," said Susan.
"Never heard a necklace to be thought in such a way," said Evelyn.
"Well, if you grew up in such a fine home you would understand more, but maybe its not too late. I could talk to my mother about you staying and be taught to be a proper lady. Maybe in a few years you might even be married to a duke or a viscount. You do have the beauty to catch their eye."
"This really is not the life for me, but I have dreamed of it at times. Thank you, but when this whole situation is over I plan to return to my life as a commoner. But why are you complementing me now when down there you acted like you hated me?" Evelyn asked.
"Because I realized the potential you have. Seeing you out of those filthy rags you wore earlier shows me the natural beauty you possess and to me any woman who is beautiful should be given the opportunity to live the life that I am," Susan answered.
A peaceful wrapped around them in silence as the evening bell rang indicating dinner was set in the dining hall. Susan hooked her arm inside Evelyn's as they waltzed down the hall and a flight of stairs to a room with a long spiced table full of food and various center pieces. The wall appeared to be a maroon color with artworks covered on it. On the long table stood a fire place with twin swords crossed to appear as a x.
"Glad you could join us, but where are your brothers Susan? They need to learn to behave like young gentlemen or I will have to teach them a lesson I have not had to teach in many years," Susan's father said standing up when the two young ladies walked in.
"I have not seen them since our guest first arrived with Silas, but if I had to guess I would think they are too busy discussing our guest to come out to dinner on time. But quite honestly I had no idea where they could be at this hour. If they were curious about Ms. Greyline surely they would come meet her at dinner," Susan answered.
"I see," the father answered, "We shall wait a few more minutes before I walk up those stairs and berate them."
Before they knew it the three brothers entered into the room breathless. Their sights went directly towards Evelyn as her cheeks began to pale into a rosy pink. She hoped they did not notice the sudden flush upon her skin. The young men probably thought the same thing as the rest of them that a commoner could appear like one of them in such a graceful manner.
"I am sorry for my abruptness, but do you have to gawk at me in such a manner? It is quite embarrassing and if it continues I do not know if I will be able to eat the meal your cooks so graciously prepared," said Evelyn. She gasped within her own thoughts. These clothes and this company are making me act like something that I am not. I need to stop before I loose myself in their class.
The three gentleman quickly looked away from her like they never noticed her in the first place, but Evelyn knew they were embarrassed just like she was. At the right moment the first course of the meal came out with some kind of meat she had never seen before. It did not appear like any pig, cow, or chicken she had ever eaten. Evelyn did not want to seem rude so she took her silver fork and stabbed the small piece of meat. She then dipped it into a whitish sauce given to her. The food had a spicy taste to it, but still amazing compared to anything she had eaten before.
"What is this?" Evelyn asked Eliza appearing abashed.
"A delicacy our cooks hope to remain in their own minds. It is a creation they had devised themselves and we of this household have found it a specialty. We do not inquire about things those who we trust wish to remain quiet about. We will not barge questions about you, child, but we may need to know a few things in order to help you. But all of that will come at a later time. For now please do eat and enjoy the food since you may never be able to it again. I advise you to enjoy every last single bite," Eliza answered.
The rest of the evening consisted of dinnertime in complete silence; no one talked or breathed it seemed. Sometimes Evelyn had to quickly look at them to see if they were still alive. Was this how most of their meals were like? Where was the sweet conversation that she had always imagined? Things always seemed to be different than what you dreamed, but I guess that was reality. It never did truly exist in her concept of the world, she had always trusted in a journey out there for her to take.
She sighed when she quickly finished the rest of the course. Eliza had fetched Mr. Garland to lead Evelyn to her room to stay for the night. Another servant came in with a night gown for her to wear to bed, a plain white long dress. No one had visited her room for the rest of the night making her feel even more set apart from her hosts. They lived in a whole other world that she could not fathom, it all seemed to flow in a boredom of sorts.
Evelyn blew out the candle that sat beside her bed and the night around her filled every inch of the room. Not a scent of light would survive in the darkness and she liked it. She could not fall asleep that easily, but watched as all of the shadows dance around ready to feast on her heart. She did not know how to take the shadow that would chase her through her dreams and in reality. Was it the same as other shadows or did it breathe and walk among others? Evelyn could not quite fathom the ideas they hinted around.
She twisted her body to face the wall where her nose lightly rubbed up against it. The cold wall sent a sore chill through her face making it hide deeply beneath the blankets. Her whole body then began to freeze over like an icicle repeatbly stabbed her in the heart sending the small particles of ice rush through her blood. Everything she touched also felt like winter just by the touch. The blanket no longer helped any at all for it too froze.
As a child Evelyn heard stories about creatures of the living dead coming to visit those they love and you could tell when they were there by sudden chill sweeping through the room. In her head she imagined a portal to a blizzard open through the closet doors letting nothing in, but the ice that would in the end kill her. She hurdled outside the room trying to tell if the hall would be any warmer, but it too left the same cold that slowly made her whole body numb. Evelyn fell over without any thought of doing so and with each second her heart beat slower and slower till her heartbeat died all together. She showed many signs of being dead. The shadows surrounded the corpse ready to devour their long awaited meal. They had not eaten in many years and the girl before them had an innocent soul that would taste the juiciest. The body became wrapped towards the verge of being herself one of the shadows also.
Right when the shadows jumped towards the body Silas, Susan, and the other two brothers held small blades at their sides ready to cut the throats of the shadows. All four of them danced like they knew what they were doing. They never missed one of their targets. Silas went for the throat of the few who remained, but it lashed out towards him when he missed his attack. The shadow slowly devoured his hand in its entity. The blade was already swallowed up away from Silas's embrace. His hand remained attatched, but it slowly slipped away from him until the older brother jumped behind the particular shadow, stabbing it through the back. The shadow was not killed, but dispersed into smaller particles that jumped out of the window at the end of the hall shattering the glass.
Silas's hand was stained in the color of darkness and hid well in the lowly lit hallway. He did not worry about he pain rushing up the arm all the way to the neck, although it burned like hell. He rushed to the side of the victim trying to tell if she were still alive. A small, yet slow beating called to him, he could almost hear his name bounce of her chest. All of the years of medical training rushed through him in a hot memory of flashes.
"She is still alive, but requires immediate attention. I shall take her to the hospital wing while you three go wake Eliza and Robert. Hurry! Her life is slowly slipping away, but there is still some life inside of her we just need to make it come out and fill the rest of the body."
They did not even begin to try to argue with him. At the moment of his last breath they scattered off away down the steps to reach the master bedroom of the manor. Silas gently carried the young woman in his hands and through various halls that he did not even care to think about. The only thing he could focus on was getting the girl to stay alive. How could he even call himself a man when the girl went unprotected in her sleep when she was current target of the shadows? He should have had her slept in the same room as or at least next to Susan or at least he should have been on guard while she hopefully dreamed peacefully.
Evelyn's skin was pale and relentless in her own demise. He had no time to think of his failures and could berate himself later. He had to make sure her fire would not die out so soon and so young; it still had many years to burn. If Evelyn did not make it through this than he would live the rest of his life in shame and torment himself. It would only be fair.
When he finally reached the hospital wing, barely used, he laid her gently down on one of the dusty beds. They took care of most of their injuries in their own room since there were not many of them, but the human needed to be here to give her the right aura. He quickly bared her chest up without seeing anything he should not. He breathe still remained diligent in its desire to blow out again.
"You must live!" Silas exclaimed.
The little strength that laid dormant deep inside did not want to come back to life. It irritated him with all of his power there was nothing he could do. He had no real special prowess in the art of healing; he could only cure minor cuts and bruises. He wish he would of paid more attention to those lessons as he now regretted with his life. Should Eliza not be here by now? Silas knew fully well that the manor was enormous, but she should have been hurrying with all the power her little feet could take her. If she did not hurry surely Evelyn would indefinatly lose her life tonight. Sweat dripped heavily down his cheeks and swallowed up the whole of the girl's face with hot tears mixed in.
At just the right moment when the heart beat completely faded away Eliza entered into the room with all the power summoned up into her prideful nature. She did even ask any questions on the situation and head straight towards the bed side where it appeared Evelyn slept peacefully in her own little world. Her hands floated around the heart of the victim trying to get a feel for the taint sickened inside her heart. Eliza concentrated hard on Evelyn in front of her and could tell by the plate of her expression that it would all soon be over. Her hand floated in many swift circles over the heart of the girl. As her hand swirled around her chest a dark aura slowly danced outside her chest.
"I guess they desire more of her than just a precious meal," said Silas.
"That assumption would be correct, but what is the vital answer we need. From now on she will sleep in Susan's room for safety. Your room is big enough to add another bed in there and still have plenty of room to prance around in. I do not want any complaints from you in such a dire hour," Eliza said.
"Trust me with something like this I could not even contemplate a decent argument."
"Yes, but for the rest of the morning I shall stay by her side and make sure that there are no further complications with her. The taint could still be long in her and I do not want her to come back as a shadow as long as I am around. You all may go back to sleep now since the dangerous part is over or you may stay with her while she rests. It may help her wake sooner than expected if she has the support and will of friends. You may hardly know Miss Greyline, but I believe our paths have already made her apart of this crazy family."
"One thing I do not understand is how the shadows could even enter inside this home," one of the brothers named Andrew who had the fairer hair of the two thought.
"I have not thought about it before, but isn't there suppose to be wards protecting the manor from evil?" asked Edmund.
"It seems someone inside the manor has let them in," answered Robert.
"We will discuss this matter later. I wish for some tea and a book to read while I watch Evelyn hopefully rest well."
"I will have a servant go fetch it for you," Robert said as he left the room bowing out of respect.
"Thank you," Eliza murmured.
Silas stood in the very back in a blue painted corner sulking to himself. He felt alone as the room began to stretch for eons of time. The company in the room began to disapear away from his sight and the darkness flooded his whole surroundings. At least the worst part is over. Who could ever believe such words when the manor was infiltrated and someone in their own household had betrayed them all? Sweat dripped from his temples out of fear that anyone of them could be against him. He could no longer trust any of his family for fear that they would try to kill him and harm Evelyn in the process. Could he really believe Eliza had healed Evelyn or did she do something worse? Maybe Susan wants her to sleep in the same room so that she could take the final strike on which she failed earlier. What should I do? I cannot allow her to die, especially not in hands of my family with my foolishness. He thought of what would be his next move before he went completely insane. He had to run from his thoughts before he went mad, but it would be the only thing to keep the girl safe. Tonight when Evelyn awakens I will take her far away from this family and keep her safe in my own arms.
Pain stretched through his arm and he grunted loudly to himself. Eliza could hear him and for a moment turned all of her attention towards her son. She noticed his hand underneath the shadows of the corner. It was forever stained a grayish black that could only be reversed by the ancient power she possessed. If Silas did not receive the proper healing then he would also become a shadow, the remains of a human turned to the shadow. His death would be imminent if she did not do anything soon. She clutched the edges of her chair in agony for him. Why did she not get up to go help him and why was she not upset of what happened? Eliza felt no emotion flooding towards her as what usually happened with her other children. She had always cared for them, but there was no natural motherly love towards him. She did not understand it herself.
Silas tried to keep himself from yelping as he fell on his knees grasping his arm in all of his might as if it would take away some of the pain. All of his efforts did not help him any, but he could not take it anymore. His mother finally urged her body to step out of the chair and walk towards him. The moment she did so Silas got up no matter how much torture it caused him and ran out of the room like a bat swarming away just because it came into contact away. He fled away from all he once knew for the protection of himself and many others he believed they would harm.
He had to be going crazy for even suspecting his family, their sole purpose to defeat the shadows, but his instincts told him to get away from them. But he would be back, he would return Evelyn. Please, keep her safe and make sure my mother does not touch her again before I have a chance to go see her myself, alone.
"What is wrong with that boy to run away from his very own mother?" Eliza demanded an answer from Andrew, Edmund, and Susan. All three of them kept quiet in their own confusion of their brother's actions. "I did not teach Silas to disrespect his elders. The taint in his arm must already be turning him towards the shadow. Susan you stay here with Evelyn if anything goes wrong with her I trust you to have enough ability to take care of her. Andrew and Edmund you will be coming with me to chase down your brother."
Eliza stomped away from her daughter with her two sons following her from behind. She could command the armies of the world if she so desired with the power she gave herself in her petit body. No one would even deny her that power with the strong prowess she gave with her face and her gestures.
The world became filled with a soft mist floating inside and around Evelyn enveloping her with a sweet warmth unknown to most humans. She allowed it fill her with every inch it could breathe inside of her. She desired not for it to go away and so heart beat in the lifeless world. Evelyn snapped back into her regular senses away from the usual dreams.
Her feet touched the black dirt of the world she had landed in and began to notice that all the trees were wilted and all of the plants that tried to grow could not for no sun existed in this dimension. Why would she dream of such darkness and why did it entice her so? She walked further into the mist loosing her to the world. Nothing seemed to matter anymore than her grasping deeper into the barren land she now lived in for the time being. How did she even happen to get here? Evelyn's mind became wrapped around in confusion in the past twenty-four hours. Everything had happened so fast since meeting Silas and now her fate seemed to be controlled by his actions. What happened to the young woman who fought for her own life and not controlled by society? she asked herself.
Evelyn paced herself slower moving in like a snake towards an edge that drifted downward to a dried up river. The whole being the dream world made her want to cry, but she had to remain strong just in case someone was watching her. She wished she understood more about the shadows that had attacked her and desired her. What did they want with her? As her eyes drifted towards following the path of the river she could she a chill reach behind her. She did not want to look for she knew she would find one of the shadows. The warmth of the mist tried to fight off the cold air, but it had lost. Evelyn shivered and crossed her arms trying to recover some of the warmth she had lost, but her efforts were in vain.
She turned around away from the edge to face her nightmares. She dreaded having to think about the shadow staring at her, but it had no eyes. The creature of the night still managed to stare deep into the soul of Evelyn. Her whole body seemed to freeze her own steps; Evelyn could not move, but only sank down on the ground to her knees. Her legs completely gave out as they snapped making her collapse on the ground. The shadow moved closer the body with its gaze still protruding to Evelyn's most secret parts.
"What do you want with me," she pleaded in almost tears.
"I think you know exactly what we want with you," it said in a deep voice. It could barely be heard, but Evelyn listened it closely.
"I honestly don't," she replied with her voice faltering with each word she tried to pronounce clearly.
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