The Awakening

Chapter Three

The moment her mother had left the room, this time without shutting her door, she bolted for her window, completely disregarding the other presence in the room. The servant still occupied the walk-in closet, rummaging through corsets and dresses for something she deemed suitable for Avelon to wear. She rolled her eyes at the unphased servant, before leaning over the windowsill to peer down towards the bush where Fallon hid.

"Fal?" She called out, trying as much as possible to direct her voice away from the curious ears of the servant inside. She kept her eyes locked on the bush where her friend had hidden.

"Did your she-devil mom leave?" Fallon called out, smirking as she emerged from the bushes. A surge of relief coursed through Avelon at the sight of her.

"Hold on a minute." She gestured toward Fallon with her finger as a sudden, reckless idea crossed her mind.

She could escape but make the servant believe that she wanted to help Fallon get in. She dashed toward the busy servant, earning her immediate attention. She startled, staring straight at Avelon as she drew closer to the closet. Her eyes were blank, seamlessly dull. It did not seem as though she was truly present in her own body. A chill hugged Avelon's shoulders at the thought of being so consumed. Shrugging her shoulders, she tried to shove away the uncomfortable feeling her thoughts had caused.

"I need you to help me make a rope with some of my bedding or clothes." She said bluntly. The servant's eyebrows shot up in shock, her already pale face turning a shade lighter. She worried that the servant might pass out from the lack of blood flow.

"I-I have orders to help you get r-ready." She stammered, shaking her head while motioning towards the clothes surrounding them. Clearly, she was terrified of the possible consequences that her helping Avelon might bring.

"I need to get my friend inside." The servant paused to listen, so she continued "If you help me, I'll let you do whatever you need to do without any trouble from me." The servant bit her lip, silently weighing the risks.

"I'll try to make one with, or without your help." Avelon shrugged, hoping her nonchalance would make the servant nervous enough to help.

"Your help will only make everything go faster which reduces the chances of us getting caught." She smirked, hurrying over to her bed to tear off the covers and sheets.

She started tying the ends together nervously, her hands not moving as fast as she wanted them to.

"Ave?" The call from outside broke her attention. The nervousness in Fallon's voice was evident. They both knew that it would be a disaster if she was caught outside.

"Just a sec Fal!" She replied, her voice shaking as she pulled at the pieces of material that were already knotted to test their strength. With a few hard tugs they seemed to unravel. She cursed under her breath, retying the knots.

"You should do a double knot." The servant suggested quietly while picking up a piece of discarded material next to Avelon.

With a gentleness that Avelon did not possess, the servant undid the knot and proceeded to tie a double knot. She pulled hard at the edges and handed the bundle of material to Avelon.

"Thanks." She said breathlessly and continued knotting various pieces of bedding together in double knots as the servant had suggested.

"Did you refuse the awakening?" Avelon almost missed the servant's small whisper in between her grunts of frustration.

She paused, taken aback by the question. She continued her knotting without so much as glancing toward the servant. "Yes."

She noticed the servant's subtle nod in her peripheral, while keeping her focus on the material in her hand. She rolled her lips, considering the reason behind her question, but decided against questioning it. There was no time.