A Ballad of Snakes and Shadows // A Dark Sebastian Sallow Romance

Chapter Three: Lurk

Lurk - The Neighborhood

"You must've been dreaming, Hattie."

Ominis chewed his breakfast, speaking in-between bites, as we sat at the grand table in the side hall of the Room. He looked completely unbothered when I explained last night's events, casually stuffing his face with a mixture of potatoes and meat.

It irritated me to no fucking end.

It also irritated me that he looked quite handsome in the light that beamed in from the skylight. I wanted to be angry with him for brushing me off, but the way the warm sunshine caught in his pale hair made it look like starlight.

How could I be mad when my heart stopped at the sight of him?

I could be very pissed with him, I decided. Given that my growing fascination with Ominis was getting in the way of him understanding what happened last night.

I shook my head. I was nearing an explosion of sheer exasperation with my friend.

I was grateful we could talk alone here in the Room. That way no one would see my little outburst. I had convinced Deek to sneak food from the kitchen most days, given that I wanted to avoid the mealtime crowds of the Great Hall. He had been happy to help, of course, given that my state was more than just simply volatile at best.

But he wished I would make myself more available to my friends, rather than hide away in the Room of Requirement.

To that I told him they were always welcome to come to me.

So now that the Room had scented out my need for companionship, my friends and those who it deemed worthy were allowed to visit me here at any time... so long as I was present. That condition did not help solve the matter at hand.

How had someone made their way in here without me knowing?

"I was still wide awake, Ominis!" I nearly shouted, on the verge of pulling every strand of my hair out. If I had any left at this point, I thought to myself. I looked at my hands - I had indeed been pulling out numerous strands of ash blonde.

Shit.

"I was in the process of trying to dream, in fact." I flicked the strands away onto the floor then smoothed my hair over as I tried to fix it and my frayed nerves.

"Indeed." He swallowed his food and gave me a small grin. One that I wanted to smack off his stupid, pretty face.

"But why on earth would someone go to the trouble of all that? I mean, obviously there must've been enough petals for a dozen flowers. The time and money it must've taken is unreasonable."

Ominis' tone was smug. It didn't sit right with me.

I had half a nerve to ask him if he had been the one to do this. He was being so damn dismissive of what I had seen, and it was hard not to be suspicious of him as he nonchalantly continued to eat his breakfast.

Especially given the nature of our encounter yesterday... would he have stooped to playing some sick game, thinking he could woo me with it?

I know I'd grown quite twisted over the years, but this was more than I was comfortable with. Although I had begun to entertain the idea of letting myself pursue him... this would be a deal breaker.

As if he could sense where my mind was heading in the midst of me fuming in the thickening silence, Ominis let out a sigh.

"You would accuse me of sneaking into your sleeping quarters, in the Room of Requirement? A room that requires you to be present for me to even sneak into it?" His voice was rich with amusement as he finally set his fork down.