Chapter 35

The way Adrian seems to be in a rush makes me nervous, as he scurries about the room looking nervous and scared at the same time.

I simply stand there, in my nightgown and watch as he changes the shirt he wore from yesterday into something a little bit more light, something that would be easier to sleep in. I can't seem to figure out what all the hubbub Is about, when he looks at me with a dumbfounded expression on his face, then it turns to one of disappointment. I don't know if it's in me or himself.

He throws me a long fur robe that looks really sleek and comfortable, and i see him drape a similar one around his shoulders. He motions me too move out the rooms, and I wonder why we aren't using our words. That would have at least made me a bit less nervous.

We make our way into the halls, to see people. Most of them also looking like they just woke up from sleep, and entered a panic the next moment because they heard a sound. A sound which made me remember the chiming of Christmas bells with that faint jingle in it.

Not three days here and yet I seem to think the people in here aren't normal, not just in terms of status but also in terms of mental well being. I scan the sea of faces hoping to at least see a familiar face, as my head unconsciously makes me follow the line of Adrian's back as he leads us somewhere, my eyes though, they scan thier surroundings like there's some sort of mystery they're trying to figure out.

The happenings of last night comes back to me, and I can't help but think if this was a clarion call for a punishment of some sorts. A punishment for a girl who had barely been here a week, and yet had watched as a fellow human made people die. The line of thought I'm having disappoints me, as I try again to convince myself that Arden hadn't made those people kill themselves.

It's her face that I'm trying to catch as I scan around, instead I catch the faces and expressions of about two hundred people, as I see a flurry of emotions pass thier rigid features. Some hold fear while others hold excitement, others hold greed ,and the ones that scare me the most is the calm that I see in some people's eyes, the sort of calm that makes you know they'd do anything to achieve what they want.

I catch this particular deadly look in Charlotte's eyes as she ignores me after the quick glance, and keeps on mentally coaching herself to be as ruthless as possible.

Another expression seems to grab my attention, it's the expression I find in light yellow eyes, like they shone with the faint shimmer of the sun, it's the look that foretells a bored attitude, like he's so utterly tired of doing this every year. I feel scared the most by this expression. Scared and drawn.