Eclipsed Unity [ON HOLD]

8 - Deception's Dance

~ Eliana ~

Finally, the day of departure has arrived. My bag is meticulously packed with my ball dress, shoes, and essential items. I've included one set of sleepwear and various toiletries. Most importantly, the vial of potion and the small pearl box are safely tucked away in my bag.

I wasn't concerned about anyone discovering the potion or pearl because, over the years, I had come to realize that they would always remain with me. Atleast the glass vial always stays with me. The first time this realization struck me was when I attended my first Annual Mating Ball at the age of 16. On that occasion, I had forgotten to take the potion and found myself anxious about my secret potentially being exposed.

So, imagine my shock when I opened my bag to find the glass vial inside. I had been through many security checks, but not once had the vial or the pearl been detected as anything different. It was as if no one saw anything unusual in my luggage. I had my doubts; I wondered if the vial were to break somehow, would it still return to its unharmed state? But I had never tried to test that theory. It seemed that the old lady knew exactly what she was doing when she presented me with these items.

Did I regret helping the old lady? Definitely not. It's in my nature to help people, and I would do it again in a heartbeat. I practically risk my life every day by treating humans with herbal medicine.

I just wish my father hadn't found out about the old lady. I often wonder if my helping the old lady triggered my father's anger to the point where he acted without thinking.

I guess I'll never know the answer to that. As I finished packing Owen's bag, I went to our shared bedroom to call him.

"O, I've packed your bag and the chocolates are..." I trailed off, noticing the tears in his eyes as they streamed down his cheeks.

I hurried to him, worried. He asked, voice quivering, "You will come back, right, Eli? You won't leave me like Mom and Dad?"

"Of course, sweetie," I reassured him with a gentle smile. "This is just like last year. I'll be back on the third day. You'll enjoy your stay with Karla, and I'll be back before you know it."

"But what if you find your mate?" he asked, his chin quivering once more.

"That's impossible, O," I replied. "And even if I do find my mate, I'm sure he'll take one look at me and run away."

"Lily from my class was saying her sister got a mate, and now he doesn't let her visit them," he looked at me with fear in his eyes.

"O, listen, sweetie, I love you. Wherever I am, I will always come back for you," I tried to ease his worries, even though I was frightened myself.

"Promise?" He looked at me with hopeful eyes.

"Promise," I replied, kissing his forehead.

After bidding farewell to Karla and Owen, I headed to the designated meeting spot with my luggage. We were all instructed to gather here, and we would be traveling by car to Humidora station. From there, we would embark on a train journey to Equinoxia, which was expected to take around 13 hours. As I arrived at the spot, I noticed a few girls already chatting excitedly about the upcoming ball. Sophie was going to join us from another location.

"Come on, you freeloaders! Hurry up, we don't have all day," Henry's voice echoed in the area as five cars pulled up in quick succession. He ushered everyone impatiently while grumbling to himself, "I don't understand why we have to go through such an elaborate process. Only a few of them will actually find a mate, while the rest are just freeloaders, enjoying the amenities provided during the ball."

Eliana felt a sense of relief knowing that, for the moment, Henry was preoccupied and had momentarily forgotten about her existence.

The group was divided into two, girls and boys. Fortunately, there was no strict seating arrangement like last year. Alpha Gabriel was engaged in a serious discussion with his Beta.