All Chapters of Marked by Midnight : Chapter 31 - Chapter 34

Shawn“Alice!” I call out, my voice cutting through the quiet rustle of the garden leaves as I step out from behind the row of trimmed hedges.She pauses in front of the mansion, one hand still on the heavy oak door she’d just pulled shut behind her. For a second she looks exactly like the Alice I’ve always known, her perfect posture, jet-black hair swept back in that elegant knot, the kind of composure that could make you fidget and give away yourself if you had something to hide. From here, I'd watched her come out of the mansion, no glance toward the gardens, no quick scan of the rose beds or the fountain the way she always does when she steps outside. Instead her eyes had remained straight ahead, locked on nothing, and that's how I know something is sitting on her mind. She turns toward my voice, and the mask slips just enough for me to see the confusion she was trying to bury. “Oh, Shawn,” she says, relief passing across her face as she descends the steps

Eva “You should be fine by tomorrow.”“Oh God! I really really hope so.” I huff out air through my mouth, arms hugging my legs while rocking myself on my bed. Danielle comes out of the dressing room, her basket full with laundry she'll be returning tomorrow morning. It was routine for her—gather the clothes at night—return them neat the next morning. “You'll be sleeping out on the balcony again tonight?” she asks, walking to the window and drawing the curtains shut with her free hand. “I owe it to myself to see tomorrow.” She smiles at my reply, then looks around the room. The balcony door stood wide open, letting a current of wind flow in that I'd might have considered chilly had I not been in this state. “Don't forget to put off the lights before you retire. The moonlight today is brighter than usual, it should suffice.” she says, her voice carrying a hint of maternal tone in it. I nod, following her eyes to the balcony, to the dark sky illuminated by