ALICE My breath came in hitched when I jumped back into the auditorium. I tried not to look bothered. It was difficult. Considering there were a few blue plates I could sight. Matthan even had one in front of him. My eyes scattered across the room like an advanced computer. On one hand, I was telling myself that maybe the effects of the Aphrodisiac were slow, but I chose to ignore the swiftly changing atmosphere of the room. How the once before prim and proper guests were now doing stuff. Hands under skirts. Kisses lefts and right. Goddess, it was happening. When I made it to our table. My heart sank. Declan wasn't in his seat and his plate was empty. He wasn't kidding when he said he was hungry."Where is Declan?" I asked my mom."He followed you out. Did you not see him?"Of course, I did not see him. I had been hiding from the entire world under a staircase. The probability that he had passed and I didn't even see him was highly plausible. My hands were shaking as I began thinkin

MATTHAN I felt weird. I was happy but not happy, I just couldn’t put my finger on it. It felt nice to be without doubt or fear. There had to be something in the drink Alice had given me. But that didn't matter now. Alice didn't matter to me anymore. I needed to find Eloise. Her scent stood out amidst the others my nostril caught. It had to be the tomato soup and her body heat. My feet automatically moved towards it, following the scent. I went up the stairs and eventually made it to a hall at the innermost part of the mansion. It was where all the guest rooms were located. Her scent only seemed to get stronger as I walked past a few doors. She was close. Finally, I stopped at one of the doors. The scent was coming from inside. That could only mean she was here, in this room. So I knocked quietly."Eloise, Are you in there?" I asked."Yes." There was no mistaking her voice for anyone else's. "The door is opened." She told me.I smiled. "Alright, well I'm going to come in."I s

ELOISEA gentle kiss on the forehead woke me up from a fitful sleep. I rolled over and opened my eyes, blinking slowly at the figure in front of me. Matthan stood there, holding a mug filled to the brim with coffee, smiling warmly.“Morning!” he said cheerfully. “I made you breakfast, but if you don't want it now we can eat later. You look like hell, but I think you need this more than anyone else around here right now.” He held the mug out for me so I could take a sip. I smiled, taking it. I looked around me and noticed I wasn't in the guest room anymore. This was Matthan's room."You used the Teleportation rune?" I asked."Yes. You were pretty much unconscious then so I thought I didn't need to wake you up."“Thank you.” I took another sip. It felt nice. I had been terrified prior if I was being honest. The post orgasm clarity was something I didn't want to come but at the moment I couldn't feel anything except a dull ache behind my temples and the peace of mind that comes after ha

ELOISEI don't think I was able to cry. The numbness overpowered all my other senses. It was like an out-of-body experience where you could see it all happening but there wasn't much you could do about it. I dreaded what was to come. I dreaded passing by the sign welcome to Ashlake and eventually getting home. By the time we arrived, I could already hear the wails of sirens and the chatters of passersby. No miracle was happening. I looked outside the car window and that was when the numb feeling exploded into something I knew like the back of my hand. Men dressed like paramedics carried a big black bag from the house as they loaded the body inside the ambulance."It's not real," I told myself, and how I wished that were true. What I would have done to let that be my truth."Miss, there is–" I didn't even let the butler finish before I opened the car door and stepped outside."Tell Orla that I am grateful for everything she has done for me." I managed to say while holding my tears. Tha

ELOISE I walked through the streets of Marblefay with nothing but questions in my head. I wondered if Judas would even be there considering I might now have the upper hand with the help of teleportation. I could also be wrong. Maybe Judas wasn't working alone. Maybe he had people on his side who were just as sick as him. A man like him couldn't have survived all by himself, right? When I left Matthan's house, the sun was out. When I reached the house I was born in, the house my father burned to the ground, the sun had become a pretty orange hue, and the birds sang. I could smell flowers blooming in the gardens of the home I grew up at, hear cars passing by on the highway, and feel the wind that brushed against me. This was not how it happened. The house I stood in front of looked exactly the same, though. That renovator kept to her word. The house looked nothing like it should be. It looked beautiful. I stayed outside, wondering if people had already moved in. A quick g****e search to