29 Never Alike
It turned out that it was possible to fix the counter in a short time. At least, the witches believed that it was short. Evelina knew that if she worked on it alone, she could fix it in a day.
Unfortunately, she was forced to work with Nelle.
"Fixing sets do come in handy. The wood is oak, the base of it more sturdy than before. I assure you that it would take years for it to be broken again," Sir Duncan told Miss Delphine, his hand tapping the platform lightly, though it did make a thudding sound. He nodded to himself before looking her way, a grin on his face. "Unless, she breaks it again, that is."
Sometimes, she wanted to hit the old man.
She would forever remember that he did nothing to help them. He did scold them when Evelina wasn't holding the hammer properly, and when she wanted to throw it at his daughter; and when Nelle wanted to throw something at her in return. But he only sat around, talking to the inn-keeper about how he tried to put poison in an apple once.
The normal things.
Miss Delphine let out a small laugh. "Trust me, she wouldn't dare."
Evelina raised an eyebrow.
It was obvious that they were talking about her. If only they've done it a little quieter. Sure, she would still be able to hear their chatter, but at least it would not seem like they wanted her to hear their words.
Except that they do.
"I would not be breaking anything because I have already decided to transfer to another inn," Evelina said casually. Then she would not feel like she was being watched.
And not by Alardis, not at all. It's these witches' fault.
She can never roam freely without encountering a member or two. To be fair, she already had no obligations since the counter was already fixed. All they needed to do now was arrange the lobby so that travellers could once again fully enjoy their stay.
Nelle gaped at Evelina, "You're leaving, then?"
The vampiress smiled jeeringly. "Do not miss me, I am not leaving the troupe."
She heard a scoff from her direction and was about to climb the stairs when the inn-keeper stepped in front of her, blocking her way.
"You cannot leave," said Miss Delphine.
"Pardon?"
"Have you forgotten my children?" Her what now? The old lady stood tall, her gaze locking at Evelina's. "You made them cry, remember? You haven't taken responsibility for that yet."
What? That did not even make any sense!
"You know, normal mothers would prefer for the perpetrator to stay away from their children."
"Looks like I am not most mothers, then."
Again, what?
"I do not get it, miss," Evelina said in an exasperated tone. Her dress was disheveled, her hair wild- a look she had thought that she would encounter again. But here she was wearing it. And when she finally had enough of it, they refused to let her go? "You do not want me to transfer to another because I have responsibility to your children? Am I their father?"
"We are offering you a deal," Sir Duncan took his place beside the lady, his expression soft yet firm. "You know of our kind and we know of yours. We cannot easily let you go because of that."
"You think I would make a decision of telling the authorities of what you are when it could endanger myself, as well?"
They were being ridiculous!
"You are still with the troupe, are you not? Then it should be easier for you to come from here than from another."
She had never encountered such an exhausting combination of witch and human. What benefit would they get with her staying, exactly? West was already on to her, suspecting that she was hiding more in order to protect his troupe. Was it not considered a blessing for them to not see a shadow of her every once in a while?
Especially with an even more dangerous vampire following her.
Evelina scoffed, pushing between the two seniors. "I am still with the troupe, as I chose to be. But you cannot declare to me my freedom. Like I said, witch, I am not one of your people."
Frustrated, she proceeded to climb the stairs to get to her room. She needed a break, but she and the other recruits were summoned for another training downstairs.
As she was on her way to her room, a man grabbed her arm.
Oh, what now?
She did not flinch. Instead, she used her strength to pull front her arm, her harasser stumbling at her feet with a groan.
Evelina looked more guarded when she saw the healing face of the witches' prisoner, his bruises plastered with mashed herbs. "What are you doing here?"
"Ah," Mitchel shook his head as he held himself, cringing from the pain. "They… gave me a room. I saw you there and heard the argument."
"And was it your business?"
"At first it was not. But I got curious," Evelina rolled her eyes. Of course he was an eavesdropper, too. "Your answers clearly say that you're not one of them. Then, why did you defend them earlier."
"You are mistaken."
The longer she stayed, the higher the chance of people uncovering her.
And she did not want to be uncovered.
She strode past the man, but he was getting desperate.
"Then! Would it make you care that I am trapped here, too? They aren't letting me go since I know what they are. They only gave me a much more comfortable place, lending me a room and not tying me up to believe that I am free. Don't you see? I am just like you."
And she could laugh. He was nothing like her.
Amused, Evelina turned to face him. "What is it with the talk? I thought you are done with your hating witches pace?" She stepped towards him, her eyes amber. One moment after another, Mitchel was wearing a drowsy look, his eyes only focused on hers. The vampiress grinned, leaning in with her cheek touching his, to whisper. "I am not like you. I am choosing to be here now just as you have chosen to be alone with me."
He said nothing, only swaying slightly, as his breath evened in a relaxed state.
She inhaled his scent, her gaze on his neck. The human was still stenched with contempt, but it was slowly fading. Her fingers rested on his shoulder, thinking to herself what Leila must have done to clean the human for it to smell almost appetizing.
Ah yes, Leila. Leila!
The vampiress blinked in realization, her eyes returning to its normal shade. She cursed the bats before whirling herself to the direction of her room, leaving the man at the hall.
It was good that no one had opened their door to find her almost ready to eat him.
Once she reached the familiar corners of her chamber, she sighed in relief. How long had it been that she was craving the taste of a person's blood?
Evelina clumsily searched for the bottle of claret, the flavor of blood and wine limiting its satisfaction to the feeling of having something, rather than her hunger.
She thought that cattle would do for the time being but it seemed like she could not control herself. That day was nearing and it was starting to take an effect on her.
It was only then when she remembered Leila, the first to trust her and the first whom she almost betrayed.
"I need to control myself."
If she wanted to be successful, she needed to regulate herself. Blood was the prize of it all. Evelina should be looking forward to it and not desiring something with nothing to gain from.
Exhaling a breath, the vampiress tried to calm herself.
An hour later, she would be going out of her room to face everybody. She needed to see the human again before that. No, she cannot have him blabbering to everyone that she was a creature of darkness, just like how he screamed that he would reveal the witches. She needed to make him believe an alternate scenario.
Or… she would make use of him. The human was hopeless. His desperate chase for his sorrows had already proven that to her.
But how inconsistent had the vampiress been since she had known them?
As soon as she thought of that, images of the witches flashed inside her mind. And it was such a silly thought how the arrows of fire that she once saw grew in number, her heart racing as if she was running.
Evelina did not know which side it was from but she knew she was trembling because of something. She was crossing lines when it was only an inconvenience for her. She had no business of feeling guilty now. Knowing that, she still chose her way however she might stray.
Yet she always keep in mind how she did not want to disappoint anyone.
Not even herself.
