What She Is

West could still remember how he felt when he approached the foreign lady. It had been playing in his mind all afternoon. And then the moment tomorrow came and she was there again, standing in front of him, he felt it once more. Something he'd been avoiding his whole life.

Loneliness.

It was because of it that he went after her. She was new, alone, and exhausted. And maybe it was that he hated seeing others feeling the same way that he once did, but it was as if she was calling to him. Her mouth pressed shut but her expression was something so familiar. Helplessness.

A stranger in some unknown world.

It was the same as Ruben's.

He walked up to her, letting her try his favourite food at his favourite cafe. Not that he had been staying in Eldham for too long, himself, but he had been in town for a week now and he's pretty used to it already. Helping a fellow traveler wouldn't be a problem to him.

Plus, he could convince her to watch their show.

Not many people like theatre but it's a start that they're getting somewhere in the capital.

Part of him could feel that Sir Duncan was expressing his desire to stay there for a longer period of time. Maybe it was how the people there never stopped supporting them (their three-day street shows had never gone out of audiences) or maybe it was that the old man was once a citizen living in Eldham. It was either one of the two. And wherever he goes, the troupe goes with him.

So when West invited Eve, the strange lady, he didn't expect much from her. After all, if she's new with her surroundings, she might be new with this form of art, too. He just hoped that he could get a proper review from her. A critique, perhaps, for all stories have their mistakes.

And who does one trust more with stories than travelers? They've almost seen it all.

But like dust that was only seen within the rays of sunlight, she disappeared in the darkness.

Until one evening, when he found her sneaking in their room. As if the strange lady couldn't get any stranger, he saw her eyes glowing in the dark. A beautiful shade of golden amber, was it?

West was mesmerized. He felt weak, as if he was falling, but his mind took over once more and he was back as himself. He was confused but he knew something was off. There was something about her, something more that he hasn't thought of before. It was more than loneliness itself.

And he realized that maybe he wasn't the only one who was acting.

He saw another side of the lady. A fury spitting fire to her surroundings. Better yet, death for those who will be her victims.

"Nelle, we can't just-"

"She harassed us last night, father! It is only right to alert Miss Delphine."

Fading arguments were being thrown by the stairs when he woke up the morning after. He didn't pay much attention to them. He was used to Nelle and Sir Duncan's arguing. They never really cared that everyone could hear them.

Instead, he decided to go back to his room to fetch Ruben. The child was always the last one to wake up.

"I'm surprised you're not stopping them," a voice said from the table. It was Hellen. A young girl with a bright mind. Rather than food, her part of the table was a mess between parchments of paper and trickles of ink. Quick scribbles were visible but it seemed that she had reached the end of her wits.

Another woman laughed. "I do think he's had enough of their screaming himself." Leila winked at West, making him chuckle.

Leila was a beautiful woman. Too bad, she wasn't much for the stage just like how Giles was. Nevertheless, she used her talents for the troupe's props. She's also one of the geniuses who design their stage set.

It was her magic that lets the audience experience such realistic fantasy.

"What is it about now?"

Giles was putting jam over his bread when he replied, "The woman from yesterday."

What?

"Nelle wanted her out of the inn so she'll be talking to Miss Delphine about it." He took a bite out of his bread and chewed loudly. "I mean...it's only right since she did harass us last night. Can you believe it? Who would even-?"

But West was already out the door before he could finish his sentence. Or his bread.

--*--

"So you were also hiding something!" the girl exclaimed. A very comical response that if Evelina wasn't driven at the edge without any escape, she would have laughed.

Oh, what an unbearable situation.

"Surprise me, witches." Evelina grinned. "Of course, I don't owe my identity to you as I found yours on my own."

"And you still have no evidence that-"

The girl was always throwing out snarky comments and Evelina was getting annoyed. If she couldn't shut the hell up, she would-

"Nelle, please."

Evelina rolled her eyes. "Yes Nelle, please. We have no need of an immature brat like you are in a proper conversation."

The girl huffed. "And you think you could call me immature? Weren't you the one who pushed your way towards us? I'm an immature brat? You're cold-"

"-and heartless person? Girl, take my advice and get some originality."

Nelle smirked. "Oh? You thought that was what I was going to say? You are cold, yes, but you're also a failure. Haven't you realized it yet? Think what you've done, and how many of it was a success? Can you-"

If Evelina could hold her temper, she would.

But it was too late. Evelina launched herself forward, hand aimed at her neck, then cornering her at the wall. Evelina could feel her pulse, her gasps for air, but her neck felt so smooth against the vampiress' skin that she felt the hunger and need to take a drink out of her.

She hadn't had her breakfast yet and now she had a witch as her prey.

Fangs at sharp length, eyes bright, Evelina leaned in to whisper. "Do you recognize what I am now, pretender? Or are you going to continue this game of hiding and masking yourself, like you're nothing like I am?"

"Nelle!"

Evelina saw a pouch being tossed her way. Quickly, she pushed herself off of Nelle to dodge whatever it was on the sack, but the moment that it hit the surface, the pouch exploded.

Evelina felt like she could not breathe, unintentionally inhaling the scent of dried flowers and herbs. She felt her skin prickling at the painful heat that came from the explosion.

She hissed.

Her eyes were becoming watery when she heard shuffling from around her. She staggered to where the sound was coming from, her hands begging to touch something. Anything. Her mind begging to kill.

"Dear nature, we utter our prayers. Contain our enemy, a cage which she cannot escape. Let her power be the one to chain her to her pain."

Evelina screamed.

The painful heat of the sun was upon her, the blood of her lover was once again on her hands. She was back in her nightmares, the sound of enchantments ringing in her ears. She was burning, her old sufferings once again at her feet. Chasing her. Drowning her.

Everything was fading.

Evelina tried to fight back. She tried thinking of the present. She convinced herself that this wasn't real.

But the pain was.

No, this wasn't real.

Evelina banged against the energy that was trapping her. She screamed through the aching heat that burned her hands but she felt it. The weakness of the barrier.

She pummeled at it again, letting out an agonizing screech in the process. And again. And again. Until she could feel the presence of the outside's air. The weakness was breaking. Her strength...

She cannot do it again. She cannot fight. Clunching her chest, she felt the abnormal speed of her heart. Her breath was soon to leave her, and the only thing that she could think of was how much of a failure she had been.

She refused to be one.

But what she could only do was close her eyes, her body staggering, until she cannot move anymore.